Reminder: The In-Class Midterm is on Wednesday, October 23!
*Note: You do not need to purchase any of the texts for this course. All texts will be available on reserve in the library, as an excerpted pdf available on Blackboard, or as a link to an eBook to which Fordham has a subscription. If you'd prefer to purchase a physical copy or audiobook, however, I am providing links.
For a list of each text we're reading with links to physical and audiobook copies, click here.
Literary
Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer
Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Edward II by Christopher Marlowe
Richard II by William Shakespeare
Othello by William Shakespeare
Othello [Film Adaptations]
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Gil Junger's 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You
Holinshed's Chronicles by Raphael Holinshed
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Akira Kurosawa's 1957 film Throne of Blood
Arthur Brookes' The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet
Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
West Side Story [Film Adaptations]
Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
Instructional
How to Read a Book
Close Readings: The Basics
They Say / I Say
Detailed descriptions of assignments can be found here.
1. Attendance and Participation — 25% of final grade
2. Weekly Readings
3. Journal Entries — 10% of final grade
4. Annotated Bibliography and Essays (5-7 pages each) — 35% of final grade
5. Midterm — 20% of final grade
6. In-Class Roundtable Presentation — 10% of final grade
Our class meets on Wednesdays from 8:30 to 11:15 AM.
For more explicit details about assigned readings and writing assignments, read the detailed assignment page on Blackboard.
Wednesday, August 28 Review Syllabus
Journal #1
Troilus and Criseyde, by Chaucer
Wednesday, September 4 NO CLASS (Monday Schedule)
Wednesday, September 11 Troilus and Cressida
[Sample] Presentation
Journal #2
Wednesday, September 18 Gesta Danorum / Hamlet
Journal #3
Wednesday, September 25 Hamlet
Class Discussion and Exercise: ChatGPT as a Research Tool
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE
Wednesday, October 2 Edward II
Class Discussion and Exercise: Reverse Outlining
Journal #4
Wednesday, October 9 Edward II
Journal #5
Wednesday, October 16 Richard II
Class Discussion and Exercise: Extrinsic Aids for Interpretation
Journal #6
Wednesday, October 23 MIDTERM EXAM
Begin 10 Things I Hate About You / The Taming of the Shrew
Wednesday, October 30 10 Things I Hate About You / The Taming of the Shrew
Class Discussion/Exercises: TTS Readers; Using the OED and Semantic Analyses
Journal #7
Wednesday, November 6 Othello
Journal #8
Wednesday, November 13 Othello
ESSAY #1 DUE
Wednesday, November 20 Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell
Roundtable 1: Macbeth
Journal #9
Wednesday, November 27 NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK
Wednesday, December 4 Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell
Roundtable 2: Romeo and Juliet
Journal #10
Wednesday, December 11 ESSAY #2 DUE
Wednesday, December 18 FINAL PAPER DUE