Unit rationale, description and aim
William Shakespeare's works have had a significant and ongoing cultural impact that all professionals working in the field of literary studies need to appreciate. This unit introduces students to some of the literature, art and thought of Renaissance England, and provides opportunity for close interpretative reading of dramatic and poetic texts. The aim of the unit is to examine the work of William Shakespeare, from his poetry and early plays to the plays of his maturity. The unit also explores the work of Shakespeare's contemporaries. The dramatists and poets of Elizabethan and Jacobean England will be explored to help students understand the traditions and contentions of the time. Students will also learn about the continuing influence of Shakespeare's works today. The aim of this unit is to familiarise students with Shakespearean language and to develop close readings of the work of Renaissance writers through considering the context of origin as well as the detail of the text.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Demonstrate an ability to interpret a range of tex...
Learning Outcome 01
Communicate clearly in written and/or oral form, i...
Learning Outcome 02
Locate, evaluate and appropriately reference a var...
Learning Outcome 03
Apply the methods that literary theorists have use...
Learning Outcome 04
Reflect on key debates relating to Shakespeare and...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics may include
- the relevance of the historical, theatrical and social background of Renaissance England on the texts of Shakespeare and his contemporaries;
- the transition from medieval to early modern thinking expressed in Shakespearean drama;
- the impact of the discovery of new worlds on Renaissance literature;
- understanding Shakespeare and the Renaissance through the lens of genre;
- examining a selection of work by Elizabethan and Jacobean writers other than Shakespeare;
- interpreting the works of Renaissance writers for a contemporary audience.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate achievement of each learning outcome and to build on one another in terms of knowledge and understanding. The assessment of the weekly reading (via journals, quizzes, blogs or eportfolios) through close reading exercises supports the choice and formulation of the research essay, and these two assessment tasks together inform the understanding necessary for the oral presentation.
Overview of assessments
Close Reading Exercises The key purpose of the ...
Close Reading Exercises
The key purpose of the weekly reading tasks is to reflect on a selection primary texts of Renaissance literature in relation to key critical debates.
30%
Oral Presentation The key purpose of the Oral P...
Oral Presentation
The key purpose of the Oral Presentation/Performance is to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their working knowledge of Shakespearean language. They will create a short presentation/performance which showcases a key moment from the Shakespearean canon and foregrounds the students’ skills in analysing and presenting the text for an audience.
30%
Research Task This key purpose of the research t...
Research Task
This key purpose of the research task is to help you to acquire the skills necessary to research and analyse a given topic relating to Renaissance literature.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The teaching and learning rationale is to interpret Shakespeare’s plays and poems, together with other literature by his contemporaries, against a critically informed historical background. Students may experience live performances of a selection of Renaissance plays, or else view films of plays, or excerpts of aspects of plays in order to discuss their literary and dramatic aspects. Lectures enable students to understand the background, themes and issues of a particular selection of texts, and tutorials foster collaboration in the analysis of textual language, themes and issues of staging.
This unit may be taught through face-to-face classes and/or through some multi-mode teaching and/or online. Students may attend lectures face-to-face and/or by accessing online recordings in order to ensure broad and ongoing access for all students to the key concepts and principles relevant to the study of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Formal lectures will present key theories and model research and analysis skills. Online learning materials will include guided readings and synchronous and/or asynchronous discussions of key primary and secondary texts.
This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy.