The course will cover some of Shakespeare's sonnets and four of his plays: _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, _Henry IV, Part One_, _Hamlet_, and _The Tempest_. Students will take a final exam and hand in one major assignment from a menu of choices. Students are expected to attend all class sessions and read all of the assigned works.

class 1: introduction: history, theatre practices, genres, Shakespeare's biography; sonnets

class 2: Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I

class 3: Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II

class 4: Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts II-IV

class 5: Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V

class 6: 1 Henry IV, Act I

class 7: 1 Henry IV, Act 2

class 8: 1 Henry IV, Acts III-IV

class 9: 1 Henry IV, Act V

class 10: Hamlet, Act I

class 11: Hamlet, Act II

class 12: Hamlet, Act III

class 14: Hamlet, Act IV

class 15: Hamlet, Act V

class 16: The Tempest, Acts I-III

class 17: The Tempest, Acts IV-V

class 18: FINAl EXAM

Depending on their availability and competence, teaching assistants may be responsible for evaluating assignments, grading exams, developing additional materials, and leading discussions in class.

Students' grades will be calculated based on the final exam (70%) and assignment (30%). Points may be deducted for missed classes and obvious unpreparedness.

Any annotated edition of Shakespeare's works will do. Students may use an edition of his complete works such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, Norton, or Oxford editions, or editions of the individual plays from (for example) the Arden, Oxford, or New Cambridge series (see above for titles). The instructor will provide copies of the sonnets to be covered.