English Literature 2 (16th-17th Centuries)

This subject has as its general goal the study and critical analysis of English literature in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as the abilities to speak and write on the texts from that period.

1. Historical, social and cultural context.

2. Introduction: English Renaissance literature

3. The prose of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (analysis of a selection of texts).

4. William Shakespeare.

5. The Comedies. The Merchant of Venice.

6. The History Plays. Richard III.

7. The Tragedies. Macbeth.

8. The Pastoral Plays: The Tempest.

Basic bibliography:

Primary Sources (Obligatory reading):

William Shakespeare (Preferably Cambridge, but also Oxford or Penguin):

-Braunmuller, A.R. ed. Macbeth. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
-Mahood, M. M. ed. The Merchant of Venice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
-Orgel, Stephen. ed. The Tempest. Oxford Shakespeare: Oxford University Press, 2008.
-Siemon, James R. ed. King Richard III. The Arden Shakespeare, 3rd series. London: Arden, 2009.

Secondary Sources (Recommended reading):

Biographies:

-Ackroyd, Peter. 2006. Shakespeare: the biography. London: Vintage Books
-Weir, Alison. 2008. The Life of Elizabeth I. New York: Ballantine Books.

Histories of English Literature:

-Alexander, Michael. A History of English Literature. London: Macmillan, 2000.
-Carter, Ronald and John McRae, The Routledge History of Literature in English.
Britain and Ireland. 2ª edición. London & New York: Routledge, 2006.
-Rogers, Pat. The Illustrated History of English Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.
-Sanders, Andrew. The Short Oxford History of English Literature. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1994.

On Shakespeare’s Plays:

-Chernaik, Warren. The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare´s History Plays. Cambridge UP, Cambridge, 2007.
- Crystal, David.2016. The Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation. Oxford & New York: OUP.
-De Grazia, Margaret and Stanley Wells (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
-Dollimore, Johnathan and Alan Sinfield, eds. Political Shakespeare. New Essays in Cultural Materialism. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1985.
-Garber, Marjorie B. Dream in Shakespeare. From Metaphors to Metamorphosis. New Haven: Yale UP, 1974.
-Gurr, Andrew. 2009. The Shakespearean Stage 1574-1642. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
-Hartnoll, Phyllis and Peter Found (eds.) The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1992.
-Hidalgo, Pilar, Aránzazu Usandizaga, Rafael Portillo y Bernd Dietz. Historia Crítica del Teatro Inglés. Alcoy, Editorial Marfil S.A., 1988.
-Maguire, Laurie E. Studying Shakespeare: A Guide to the Plays. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004.
Miola, Robert S. (ed.) Macbeth. A Norton Critical Edition. W.W: Norton & Company. New York and London, 2004.
-Scott Kastan, David (ed.) A Companion to Shakespeare. Oxford, Blackwell, 1999.
-Sinfield, Alan (ed.) Macbeth: Contemporary Critical Essays. Macmillan, London, 1992.
-Smith, Emma. Shakespeare´s Histories. Blackwell. Oxford, 2004.
-Stanton, Sarah and Martin Banham (eds.) The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
-Wells, Robin H. Shakespeare's Politics and the State. London: Macmillan, 1986.
-Wells, Stanley, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1986.

Electronic resources:

Shakespeare's works for reading:

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/

Glossary of terms:

https://www.shakespeareswords.com/

Available online at the Faculty's library:

A Shakespeare glossary / C.T. Onions ; enlarged and revised throughout by Robert D. Eagleson.


For those Shakespearean works to be dealt with in the subject:

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/tempest/

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/richardiii/

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/merchant/

Section ‘study questions’ is specially recommended

How to write literary analysis:

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/macbeth/how-to-write-literary-an…

Highly recommended:
EzProxy service (remote access to 12000 magazine titles, more than 51000 e-book titles and 42 databases, all accessible through reBUSCa and Portico):https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/biblioteca/utilidades/ezproxy.html

The following skills and abilities are to be developed by the student:

Reading, comprehension and analysis of literary texts.
Ability to write a critical essays.
Ability to give oral presentations on literary issues.
Relating literary texts to the society in which they were produced.
Command of the tools and concepts needed for literary analysis.

Basic, general and specific competences of the verified memory of the degree at http://www.usc.es/gl/centros/filoloxia/graos/grao_ingles/grao_ingles.ht… CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG3, CG5, CG6, CG7, CG8, CG9, CE5, CE6, CE7, CE8, CE9, CE10

The participation of the student, which will be fostered with diverse activities, illustrations and practical explanations, is the basis for the teaching method to be used in class.
Although it is true that part of the contents of the subject are susceptible to a more theoretical explanation, we will try to combine the theory with a much more practical approach. Therefore, illustrative materials such as ppts, documents, screenings of scenes from films, TV shows and/or documentaries will be used.
In general, we have taken our didactic strategy from the model of Baker and Westrup known as PPP: three consecutive phases of presentation, practice and production. In the presentation phase (2 theory hours per week), the lecturers offer a theoretical- practical approach to the contents. For the practice phase (1 hour per week), the students will do some activities related to the theoretical-practical content of each unit. Finally, for the production phase, the student will be required to produce autonomous activities such as text commentaries, oral presentations, written essays, interpretative readings and /or other types of activities scheduled by the lecturers (such as seminars and/or specific lectures on a certain topic), which will have an impact on the continuous evaluation of the subject.
Attendance to the lectures and participation will be controlled by the lecturers and considered for the final mark.

The activities of the continuous evaluation must be completed by the due date determined by the lecturers. Otherwise, the task will not be considered for the continuous evaluation.
All activities will be taken into account for the continuous evaluation of each student. As such, responsibility competence is fostered by which the student participates in the process of the continuous evaluation and shows responsibility by completing assignments throughout the year.

-Final exam: 60% of the final mark.
-Assignments: 40 % of the final mark (continuous evaluation)

It is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO SCORE 3 MINIMUM (out of 6) in the final exam for the mark of the continuous evaluation to be taken into account. If you fail to score this minimum, then you fail the subject.

For students who are officially exempt from attending lectures the exam will count as 100% of the final mark of the subject in both opportunities.
Also in both opportunities, those students whose schedule of the subject coincides partially or totally with that of another subject (proof must be presented, e.g. scanned copy of the registration) and/or repeaters may CHOOSE one of the following assessment systems:

a) just the final exam: 100% of the final mark of the subject.
b) the standard assessment: the mark of the continuous evaluation (40% of the final mark of the subject) and the final exam (60% of the final mark of the subject).
c) Only those students re-taking the subject: the mark of the continuous evaluation of the previous academic year (40% of the final mark of the subject) and the final exam (60% of the final mark of the subject).

Additionally, these students MUST communicate their decision to the coordinator of the subject before Sunday, October, 6th. Otherwise, they will be assessed considering the standard assessment system: the mark of the continuous evaluation (40% of the final mark of the subject) and the final exam (60% of the final mark of the subject).

The literary texts must be read in English and the exams and assignments must be written also in English. Correct language use will be taken into account when marking these activities.

The mark of the continuous evaluation will be kept for the second opportunity.

The assessment system will be the same in the first and in the second opportunities.

IMPORTANT: the repetition of basic grammatical mistakes in the final exam will result in a direct fail in the exam.

For cases of fraudulent conduct over exercises or tests, what is included in the "Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións" will apply: "Fraudulent exams, tests or tasks required for the evaluation of a subject will imply a fail in the corresponding opportunity, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be opened against the offending student. Among others, plagiarised works or those obtained from sources accessible to the public without reworking or reinterpretation and without quotation to authors and sources will also be considered fraudulent". Therefore, the detection of the smallest plagiarism will mean a zero in the subject and the established disciplinary measures will be taken.

The subject comprises 15 weeks:


Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5: Units1-5
Week 5/6-11: Units 6 & 7
Weeks 12-15: Unit 8




Since this is an ECTS subject, the student will need 150 hours (lectures and autonomous work included) to pass the subject.

-Class attendance is compulsory. Very active participation in class is highly recommended.
-Read the obligatory literary texts before the corresponding seminars.
-Make a choice of the recommended bibliography in order to broaden your knowledge about the literary period.
-Do both individual and group work.
-Clarify doubts in class and during tutorial hours.
-Complete your understanding of the literary period and its writers by watching films and documentaries, attending plays, checking information on the internet, etc.
- It is very important that students are attentive to the messages they receive from the lecturers in the Virtual Campus and in their corporate e-mail regarding indications about teaching, homework, etc.
- It is recommended that the students complete their study with the online materials recommended in the Virtual Campus.

IMPORTANT: Emails that do not come from the student's corporate address (USC address) will not be answered.


IMPORTANT:

Co- habitation rules in the classroom:

In accordance with the provisions of article 36 of the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU), which specifies in section c) among the duties of the students: 'Observe the guidelines of the teaching staff and the university authorities', co-habitation rules in the classroom will be the following:

1- The use of electronic devices (mobile phones, tablets, computers, etc.) is not authorized in the lectures and seminars except when expressly authorized by the lecturers.
2- Students must not arrive to class later than 10 minutes after the lecture has started or s/he will not be allowed to enter the classroom.
3- The student must address the lecturer either by her full first name or in any other way the lecturers would consider appropriate.


The USC has additional tutorial support service to help diversity (students with specific needs). https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/area/inclusion-participacion-social. E-mail: sepiu.santiago@usc.es.