Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

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Co Requisite Comment

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Aims

In this course we will be dismantling the canonical status of William Shakespeare by examining his work and reputation in its original, collaborative, context. We will start by looking at the booming 'entertainment industry' that Shakespeare joined when he moved to London: how did collaborating with specific actors and writers shape his work? How did the theatre industry compete with the popularity of printed romance, a genre aimed at women readers? We’ll then move on to look at the way in which print was used to turn writers into celebrities, resulting in the ultimate mythologising of Shakespeare's natural genius. Throughout, we’ll be using digital resources to explore the material history of the early modern stage and page.

Outline Of Syllabus

This course is divided into 2 sections: ‘stage collaborators/competitors’ and ‘printing the Author’. In the first section we will look at the way collaboration in the Elizabethan theatre industry shaped plays we today tend to think of as singularly ‘Shakespearean’. We will think about the way rivalry and collaboration sparked innovation, and explore how representations of gender transform when printed romance (which both represents and was aimed at women) was adapted to the stage. In the second section we will move our focus onto the printing house by looking at the role that print played in constructing and publicising the idea of a 'celebrity' Author, and how we might uncover the work of silent female mediators in this process. Authors studied on this course typically include William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Mary Sidney, and Margaret Tyler.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1) Have gained knowledge of the theatrical, literary and print culture of early modern England.
2) Demonstrate relevant knowledge of a range of early modern literary sources, and their predominant themes.
3) Have gained knowledge about the early modern cultural practice of collaborative authorship.
4) Have a familiarity with relevant conceptual and contextual approaches to the period.
5) Understand that literature is transformed as it moves between different historical periods, literary genres, and materialities.

Intended Skill Outcomes

1) Utilise appropriate methodologies and critical discourses in interpreting early modern texts.
2) Support claims with evidence, with the aid of relevant print and electronic resources.
3) Convey their own analysis in a clear and accessible style.
4) Assimilate information from a number of sources: literary, historical, and critical.
5) Extrapolate information or methodologies learned in the module, and apply it to other texts or contexts.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The first seven weeks are ‘content weeks’ and the final two weeks are ‘assessment & writing skills’ weeks.

Content weeks will contain structured guided learning of short video recordings interspersed with tasks. Student-led collaboration on tasks and discussion boards will be used to work through the guided reading. Scheduled meetings will be used to draw out connections developing over the course content and to debrief on that week's material. A combination of 'sign-up' video surgeries & 'drop in' online chat will be available for general consultation each week, while tutorials will be available in the middle and end of the course to discuss individual students’ final projects.

In the final weeks there will be scheduled peer-review workshops on the project plan and on the clarity of argument and expression of the final draft. There will also be a scheduled 'writing retreat' in week 9 to provide peer support while students complete their final assessment.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

A formative weekly reflective journal will enable students to identify a research theme and explore alternative modes of research communication for their final assessment.

The mid term assessment will ask students to outline their plan for a final research proposal. Feedback will be provided both by the module leader and through formative peer review.

A second formative peer-review of the first draft will allow students to receive specific feedback on the clarity of their expression and argument.

Students can choose from the following three options for their final research project:
1) 3,000 word critical essay based on a self-created question.
2) 3,000 word blog focusing on an aspect of literary history.
3) 15 minute educational recording (e.g. podcast or video) about a key concept from the module.

Whichever format chosen, their choice must be driven by a clearly defined research question or theme, to be developed & discussed via the mid-term and formative assessments.

General Notes

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