Literature and culture today: Shakespeare and the Politics of Race: Merchant of Venice, Othello, The Tempest 2510-f1ENG2W-LCT-SPR

The seminar presents the work of William Shakespeare from the perspective of the non-caucasian that he created. Focusing on Shakespeare's understanding of gender roles in his era, the students will discover the richness of possible interpretations of the plays and their influence on European and American culture, and try to assert whether the plays still present a valid voice in the discussions on race today.

In the course of the classes the students will become familiar with three plays by William Shakespeare:

The Merchant of Venice
Othello
The Tempest

Total student workload

2 ECTS points 30h (contact hours) - seminar 15h - reading plays 5h - preparing for the midterm essay 10h - preparing for the final essay

Learning outcomes - knowledge

W1: The graduate has advanced knowledge of Shakespeare's plays, and knows selected cultural aspects related to those works (K_W04), W2: The graduate has advanced knowledge of Elizabethan theater and the historical reality of the period (K_W04).

Learning outcomes - skills

U1: The graduate is able to utilize advanced theoretical perspectives and use their knowledge to formulate and test hypotheses connected to Shakespeare's plays (K_U07), U2: The graduate is able to critically analyze and interpret Shakespeare's plays with the application of the appropriate methodological perspective (K_U13), U3: The graduate is able to form critical opinions regarding Shakespeare's plays in a variety of media (K_U15).

Learning outcomes - social competencies

K1: The graduate appreciates the tradition and cultural heritage of Shakespeare's work and is aware of their responsibility for preserving them (K_K03).

Teaching methods

Expository teaching methods: - description - discussion Exploratory teaching methods: - biographical - brainstorming - expert panels - seminar

Expository teaching methods

- description

Exploratory teaching methods

- seminar
- expert panels
- brainstorming
- biographical

Course coordinators

Jarosław Hetman

Assessment criteria

Active participation in seminar (graded) - 20% (K1, U3)
Midterm essay - 30% (U1, U2)
Final essay - 50% (U1, U2)
60%-71% = 3.
72%-76% = 3+
77%-84% = 4.
85%-90% = 4+
91%-100% = 5.
In each of the criteria, the correct and precise use of the English language will be taken into consideration (up to 20% of the grade for the given component).

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2510-f1ENG2W-LCT-SPR in USOSweb