DR. RAYMOND NIGHAN

It is a commonplace to say an educated person is supposed to know Shakespeare, but not as common to say he should be enjoyed, language being the most difficult obstacle. Another difficulty is genre. Plays are not meant to be read, but staged or today filmed. Think of your favorite movie. Would you enjoy it as much if you had to read the script and not view it? School also tends not to contribute to appreciation. We must remember that Shakespeare wrote plays to earn a living and not as academic exercises. Considering that he wrote / co-wrote at least37 plays which survived when the custom was to discard old productions indicates that he must have been successful.

A bibliographical Note:

A motif for the class or a theme might be to demonstrate through viewing and studying the plays that Harold Bloom in his excellent study, Shakespeare, The Invention of the Human, is quite correct when he notes that Shakespeare "invented personality." Marjorie Garber's Shakespeare After All likewise suggets that Shakespeare's strength comes from his ability to speak to all ages; he is never dated. Two new excellent biographies of Shakespeare that add depth to our understanding of the plays are Michael Woods' Shakespeare and Stephen Greenblatt, Shakespeare: Will in the World.

TEXTS:

Shakespeare wrote / co-wrote at least 37 plays, and generally courses choose one from each of the four periods of his artistic development as outlined below:

Following the presentation of relevant background material from materials on-line, we will consider plays assigned according to various formats:

1. reading texts--currently we will discuss:

• Taming of the Shrew--(book ordered)
• Henry IV, Part One--(Book ordered)
• One of the major tragedies: Hamlet or Othello or Lear--(to be ordered)
• The Tempest--(book ordered)

2. Course materials for each play plus related resources are on the course web site

3. We generally watch film excerpts from the plays we watch; and in between assigned plays, view a play in full which we do not read. The viewing experience is an important part of the course.

4. Students will be required to complete a 5 page research paper: due dates are posted below. Final copies are submitted to turnitin.com.

Other Texts:

Selected Sonnets (all sonnets and the plays are on-line.)
MLA Style sheet

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY:

By reading the relevant background material, looking on line, and the plays indicated above, we will be able to trace the development of Shakespeare's career--not every play he wrote was good (some are terrible), and he--like most writers--had to learn what to do. Stylistic development is an important way to learn how Shakespeare eventually came to write plays people wanted to see. Shakespeare seems to have attracted the public today with renewed interest as demonstrated, for example, by the academy awards won by Shakespeare in Love and new productions including A Midsummer Night's Dream.

We at SJC have contributed to the tradition by our recent productions of Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet, featuring the talents of director Mr. Tim Emerson, and many, many students on and off stage.

Depending on time constraints, we will devote some class time to reading and/or completing the senior thesis.

Instruction will occur by what has been called the Socratic Dialogue. I will question you about what we have read or seen on film. Therefore, class participation is essential in the course. The usual pattern will be to discuss and view in alternating patterns, so that we can blend the analytical (didactic) with the viewing (entertainment). Of course Shakespeare was able to accomplish both at the same time, and in so doing defined what "personality" means.

POLICIES:

1. You must check HOMEWORK CENTRAL EACH DAY AFTER 4:OOPM. Absence is not an excuse for missing work.

2. Work submitted late will be accepted with no points off, with points off or not accepted at all depending on the circumstances. Mr. Colvin (for computers) will be consulted.

MAKING UP MISSED WORK:

ALL MAKE-UP WORK MUST BE COMPLETED IN THE MORNING IN OUR CLASSROOM (115) THE FIRST DAY BACK TO SCHOOL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF EXTENDED ABSENCES. POINTS MAY BE DEDUCTED FOR NON-COMPLIANCE. SEE MAKE-POLICIES ON THE WEB SITE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

ATTENDANCE / LATENESS:

At the discretion of the Principal, any student who has been absent from a single class for ten (10) or more days during a semester or twenty (20) days of classes for the entire year, without medical verification, may be required to attend summer school before being advanced or being awarded a diploma.

School late policies have been revised:

• Students tardy to class regardless of the reason must report to the office first for a date and time stamped admission slip which will either be marked excused (if you have a note or a valid reason) or not excused resulting in tardy detention to be served the next day.

• In this class, when the door is closed when the bell rings, you are late if not in the room.
  

Evaluations:

• • two major tests per quarter (essay format) = 30% of the quarter grade
  • class work (participation, attention in class, bringing materials to class, attention to viewing) = 20% of the quarter grade. Please note that attendance is part this evaluation.
  • quizzes may be announced or unannounced and open or closed book. You may not share a book, so please have the texts in class=20% of the grade.
  • All students must complete a 5 page paper as a passing requirement. Anyone not submitting the paper will receive an Incomplete until the paper is submitted. Turnitin is used. Due dates span the 3rd and 4th quarters as follows:
    1.Topic selections must be made by Feb. 4th,
    2. Thesis paragraph and 3 supporting primary source quotes due by Feb.4th, (graded),
    3. Revised thesis, additional primary quotes and 2 secondary source quotes due by Feb. 25, (graded)
    4. Draft conferences must be scheduled up to March 11th. The full draft must be presented, (graded)
    5. THE FINAL PRODUCT IS DUE TO TURNIT.COM by March 18th, (graded) Paper submissions for each quarter are worth 30% of the grade.
  • special evaluations: the final examination is worth 20% of the course grade, and seniors with an A average are exempt from this test.
  • Please check POWER GRADE frequently as progress reports are not provided.

Policies on extended time, and attendance:

1. Students who have documentation allowing additional time for tests and quizzes will be administered part of the evaluation during class and the remainder scheduled with the instructor after school, before school or during a free period (not drill or another class). The evaluation must be completed within one day after the evaluation.

2. The questions for the additional time may be different.

3. Attendance policy update and grades. St. John's now mandates that any student with more than 8 unexcused absences during an individual class will lose 5 points from the semester average. Coming late after 20 minutes is recorded as an absence.

4. Per instructor requirement: as noted above, excessive lateness can impact the class participation/preparation grade.

Additional policies on late work and extra credit (from the student handbook):

Since following directions and timely effort are traits to be encouraged in education, teachers are asked to refrain from giving "extra-credit" assignment as a means of a student attempting to override past penalties for inadequate work. Any extra-credit offered is to be educational in nature, (i.e. visiting an exhibit) and offered to the entire class.

Teachers are to attach a penalty to all work submitted late that is not related to the excused absence of the student. (Students may offer circumstances in mitigation).

ACADEMIC ETHICS and LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS from the Student Handbook:

The relationship between the teacher and the student must be characterized by the highest level of integrity' when a teacher gives a student an assignment-homework, pupil project, presentation, lab, etc.-or when he/she gives a quiz or exam, that teacher is building the framework for the student's learning Please note the following guidelines and follow them in your work at St. John’s.

The Academic Ethical Guidelines states:

1. A student will not use or give to another any notes, materials, other sources of information, or other assistance for a class, including but not limited to a quiz, test, paper, project, oral presentation or power-point presentation, which have not been approved by the teacher. All work is expected to be completed individually, rather than through a collaborative process, unless explicitly prescribed otherwise by the teacher.

2. A student's homework and in-class work fulfill the intention of the instructor in a specific class:

A. Individual assignments must be represented by individual work.
B. Group assignments must be represented by group work. In no case is direct copying allowed.

3. A student must represent his/her work honestly. That is, any and all work submitted by a student certifies that the student himself/herself did the work In other words, if a student assignment is about a book, it is presumed that he read the book; if the assignment is about an event he/she attended; it is presumed he/she attended said event; if the assignment is a translation of a work from a foreign language into English, or vice versa, it is presumed that the student performed the translation his/herself without the use of any other aids. A violation of this certification will result in the imposition of an academic penalty and may result in further disciplinary action at the discretion of the Assistant principal. The examples provided above are only illustrative and other situations, as determined by the Faculty or the Administration, may give rise to a violation of this section.

4. A student will not plagiarize in any form. Plagiarism presents the work or ideas of another as one's own. This includes:

A. Direct copying of another person's (living or dead) work
B. Using any amount of another person's material or ideas without proper documentation.
C. Paraphrasing another person's original material without proper documentation.

Any infringement or violation of the norms stated above will affect both the student's status in the relevant class and his/her status as a St. John's student. In all cases of cheating or the appearance of cheating, the teacher will give the student a significant academic punishment for the violation and will notify the parent(s). All incidents of academic dishonesty will be kept on file in the Student Affairs Office In the case of a student's second offense, the student will face probable dismissal. In all cases.

The Principal has and reserves the right to dismiss a student for academic deceit when he considers the circumstances warrant that action- contested cases of cheating will always be referred to the student Affairs office who will thoroughly investigate the instance, consult the student's disciplinary and academic history, confer with faculty persons in the subject area as needed and render a judgment.

Principles of an Active Leader:

The basic principle of our school's philosophy is that every student must actively engage in the educational process consequently, we expect each student to realize that the primary responsibility for learning rests squarely on his/her own shoulders. Parents, teachers, and friends may guide and direct the learning process, but real achievement in the academic endeavor is not possible if student is nor actively involved.

Each student is expected to be on time for each class and not to miss class except in the case of illness, school sponsored event or another serious reason. Each teacher expects that a student will come to class fully prepared, ready, willing, and able to participate in the lessons of the day. Learning deserves an environment of respect and freedom from distraction; furthermore, each student, is expected to assist in maintaining order by refraining from disruptive conduct.

If a student is absent, he/she is expected to check Homework central and/or contact his/her classmates for each day's assignment and make arrangements for securing appropriate books. In the case of a prolonged absence, a student's parents should contact the Student Affairs Office for assistance. In such cases, it is also prudent for students or their parents to contact teachers by e-mail in order to secure missed assignments and materials. Parents should feel free to contact teachers whenever they have a question or concern about their son/daughter's progress in a particular class.