SEL3393 : Shakespeare's Show Business (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Kate De Rycker
- Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
European Credit Transfer System |
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.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 70:00 | 70:00 | project plan, and final project. |
Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 7 | 2:00 | 14:00 | N/A |
Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 7 | 4:00 | 28:00 | weekly preparatory reading. |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | 7 + one extra introductory session |
Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | discussion board |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 2 | 2:00 | 4:00 | Peer review workshops |
Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 7 | 1:00 | 7:00 | weekly learning journal |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 7 | 0:30 | 3:30 | N/A |
Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 7 | 1:30 | 10:30 | student led group work through preparatory seminar tasks |
Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 43:00 | 43:00 | N/A |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 3 | 0:30 | 1:30 | tutorials: consultations on project plans |
Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 1 | 3:30 | 3:30 | 'writing retreat' |
Total | 200:00 |
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 Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Report | 1 | M | 15 | 1 page research plan (c.500 words) |
Research paper | 1 | A | 85 | Students choose to do one of three equally weighted options |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
Reflective log | 1 | M | Weekly reflective research journal |
Written exercise | 1 | M | Peer-review of project plan |
Written exercise | 1 | A | Peer-review of final draft |
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.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SEL3393's Timetable