English 60 English Seminar
Gordon Dossett Phone: (310) 434-4525 Dossett_Gordon@smc.edu
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Texts A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Sourcebook Shakespeare)
Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt (Norton)
Additional critical articles will be discussed.
Course Objectives This course allows students to study intensively, areas covered cursorily, if at all, in standard literature or composition classes. Students will explore primary works, source materials, and criticism in a seminar topic, giving oral presentations and writing critical analysis. Although the course is of particular importance for English majors, non-majors are also encouraged to take the course. (Note: the focus of this semester will be A Midsummer Night’s Dream, from the viewpoint of producing the play.)
Methods of Presentation The course will rely on discussion of the texts, and consideration of how lines from the play create the performance. Later in the term, students will present topics to the class. In conjunction with TA 55, the class will view film productions of the play.
Assignments
Essay 1 (an analysis of a character or an aspect of the production) 100
Essay 2 (an analysis of an issue of the production (based on journal entries) 200
Essay 3 (Final project--an analysis of an aspect of the play) 200
Journal Entries for the production 200
Oral presentation of Final Project 100
Attendance and participation 100
Grading
810-900 points = A (Each assignment is graded on the
720-809 B standard scale: 90-100% = A;
630-719 C 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C;
540-629 D 60-69% = D and below 60% = F.)
below 540 F
Office Hours W 12:45-2:05 and TH 11:15-12:45 and by appointment
Drescher Hall 311F
Plagiarism and Cheating Plagiarism is uncited borrowing of phrasing or an idea. For most assignments I don't want to you go to outside sources; I want to see your own thinking. If an assignment does allow outside material, be sure to cite it, using MLA guidelines. Plagiarizing will result in at least a zero on the assignment, usually an F in the class and possible expulsion from the college.
Attendance: Regular attendance is vital, even more so, since this class is paired with TA 55. You may be dropped from the class if you miss more than three classes.