ENGLISH LITERATURE 3

The course, as part of the courses specifically related to the languages taught in the LCSL degree course, enlarges the knowledge of the literary and cultural heritage of Great Britain by focussing on the main characteristics of early modern drama and its social and political context. Students will also become familiar with early modern English and extend their knowledge of the English language.

The course will enrich the basic knowledge of the main literary artistic and cultural movements of the British Isles with an in-depth analysis of Shakespeare’s HAMLET and its context. By attending the course students will enhance their skills in textual analysis and in relating dramatic texts to theatrical practice, as well as to the historical and cultural context.

Advanced skills in reading texts in the English language and understanding lectures in English.

HAMLET: TEXT AND PERFORMANCE
Through an intensive engagement with Shakespeare's HAMLET, this module is intended to provide students with a deeper understanding of the Elizabethan context and the literary culture of the early modern period as well as the main conventions of Elizabethan drama (theatres, acting, language, etc).The history of this play’s criticism from the 1660s to the present day will be traced, and students will be encouraged to learn how to contextualize Shakespeare’s plays for themselves, in order to facilitate their development of critical and independent thinking. The course is taught in English and students will be encouraged to participate in class discussions and online activities..

Stanley Wells, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION, OUP, 2015 (except for pages 52-80 and 97-107).
William Shakespeare, HAMLET. Suggested edition: The Arden Shakespeare, edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, 2006;
Dympna Callaghan, HAMLET. LANGUAGE AND WRITING, Bloomsbury, 2015 (except for chapter 4).
Additional texts will be made available on Moodle.

IMPORTANT: Students are advised to buy the suggested editions of the texts when indicated. In addition to the texts (primary sources, context and criticism) listed in this syllabus, students are required to download and study podcasts, articles, and videos that will be made available on Moodle. On some occasions, students will be required to download materials IN ADVANCE and bring them to class. Students are also required to engage in asynchronous online teaching where teaching materials are posted online (see "Metodi Didattici" below).

Oral exam at the end of the course. The final oral exam (questions) will cover all issues included in the reading list of the course, as well as assigned reading, lectures, texts downloaded from the Moodle Platform as well as all activities offered on Moodle. In the oral exam students will have to show that they can read and understand HAMLET and that they can relate the play to its historical and cultural context. Levels of linguistic knowledge and of the ability to communicate will also be assessed.

IMPORTANT!!! The Moodle asynchronous activities are not optional or discretionary. They are part of the course and as important as synchronous classes. If you don’t complete the asynchronous activities which require you to participate actively, your final mark will be affected, which means that if you don’t take part in any of the interactive activities, or your participation will cover less than 80% of the interactive activities, you will be given 2 penalty points, so your top grade at the oral exam won’t be more than 28. Of course, if you take part in at least 80% of the asynchronous activities, at the oral exam, if you do well, you will be able to get top marks.

This is a BLENDED COURSE, which means that it is completed partly online and partly at the University. The online part is provided through the e-learning platform of the university (Moodle). In a blended course some in-class time is substituted by equally meaningful online activities. The online components are not an addition to a full course load but a (hopefully well-designed and interesting) substitution of some in-class activities. While face-to-face classes will look like a traditional literature course (but with plenty of visuals, including slides and Shakespeare movies), asynchronous activities online will vary.They will include: written materials, articles and essays to read, podcasts and videoclips, powerpoint presentations with comment, quizzes, interactive situations such as participation in online forums, etc. Students are required to participate in the activities as part of the course requirements. With an asynchronous mode of teaching, students can work at their own pace and at times of day which are convenient for them. But there will still be, occasionally, deadlines for work to be submitted for feedback. Students will be informed when materials and activities are posted on Moodle: messages will be sent to the email address they have used when registering on Moodle.

English

Students are warmly invited to read HAMLET before the beginning of the course.

oral