ENGL 0017. Introduction to Shakespeare and Popular Culture
Units: 3
Prerequisite: Eligibility for ENGL 1A
Hours: 54 lecture
Presents Shakespeare’s plays as works of popular culture that have been and continue to be reinvented in a range of artistic forms. This course will involve reading, viewing, discussing, and writing about selected plays of Shakespeare in correlation with contemporary texts. Includes discussion and analysis of the original historical context, contemporary critical views and interpretations, and adaptations of Shakespeare’s original texts. (CSU, UC)
ENGL 0017 - Introduction to Shakespeare and Popular Culture
http://catalog.sierracollege.edu/course-outlines/engl-0017/
Catalog Description Prerequisite: Eligibility for ENGL 1A Hours: 54 lecture Description: Presents Shakespeare’s plays as works of popular culture that have been and continue to be reinvented in a range of artistic forms. This course will involve reading, viewing, discussing, and writing about selected plays of Shakespeare in correlation with contemporary texts. Includes discussion and analysis of the original historical context, contemporary critical views and interpretations, and adaptations of Shakespeare’s original texts. (CSU, UC) Course Student Learning Outcomes CSLO #1: Analyze characters, themes, and competing interpretations of individual Shakespeare plays. CSLO #2: Analyze the historical contexts that influenced Shakespeare's writing and the current historical contexts that influence continued study and performance. CSLO #3: Examine the relationships between Shakespeare and popular culture by studying various instances of Shakespearean appropriation and adaptation. Effective Term Fall 2020 Course Type Credit - Degree-applicable Contact Hours 54 Outside of Class Hours 108 Total Student Learning Hours 162 Course Objectives 1. Identify themes specific to Shakespeare's plays and connect those themes to contemporary adaptations and cultural relevance. 2. Analyze Shakespeare's plays and characters by placing them in conversation with multiple sources and adaptations. 3. Describe some of the historical contexts that influenced Shakespeare's writing as well as the contemporary contexts that help shape current adaptations and interpretations. 4. Distinguish among the genres of Shakespeare plays: History, Tragedy, and Comedy as well as potential overlap among these genres. General Education Information Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability AA/AS - Literature & Language CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval) CSUGE - C2 Humanities Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval) IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval) IGETC - 3B Humanities Articulation Information CSU Transferable UC Transferable Methods of Evaluation Classroom Discussions Example: "Speed dating" activity. A set of index cards is prepared in advance. Students pair off in rows facing each other. Each pair gets a card with a question on it. They discuss for 2-3 minutes, then switch partners and cards. The process is repeated until the questions are exhausted. We then shift to a large class discussion. Potential questions could include: Turn to 5.2.270-275. Does Gertrude know the wine is poisoned before she drinks it? How would you stage this scene? Discuss. Theme is an insight into life or a generalization about human behavior the author reveals through the text. Through Hamlet, what is Shakespeare trying to tell us about life, and human nature? Is Hamlet primarily a play about obedience, family, revenge, or madness? Something else? Explain, using the text as support. The King appeals to Laertes by asking “What would you undertake / To show yourself in deed your father’s son / More than in words?” Later, he tells Laertes that “revenge should have no bounds” (4.7.122-124; 126). Does Claudius really believe these words, or is he merely opportunistic? Does the ghost really exist, or is it in Hamlet’s mind? If Act III is the turning point of the play (as indicated by Freytag’s Pyramid), what specifically sets the remainder of the play in motion? The Mousetrap? The “To be or not to be” speech? Hamlet’s conversation with his mother? The return of the ghost? The death of Polonius? Make your case. Discuss the place of religion within the play’s dramatic action. Would the play make sense in an atheistic society? Discuss the role and impact of madness in the play. Is Hamlet culpable for the death of Polonius? In playing madness, does Hamlet, in fact, become mad? Essay Examinations Example: Respond to the following question in an in-class, timed-essay: Laurence Olivier’s famous 1948 film of Hamlet stated overtly that Hamlet was about a man who could not make up his mind. Is this argument a reasonable or a reductive interpretation of the play? Explain, then connect and compare/contrast at least two post-1950 adaptations of your choosing as they relate to your argument about Hamlet's character. Repeatable No Methods of Instruction Lecture/Discussion Distance Learning Lecture: Using a Power Point presentation, the instructor will define Shakespeare's plays in terms of genre. Special focus on "History," "Tragedy," and "Comedy" with specific examples from several plays to accompany the terms. Students should be able to distinguish among the different genres and make arguments about potential overlap as a result of the lecture materials. (Objective #4) For this in-class activity, each group of students will develop a version of Twelfth Night or The Taming of the Shrew that uses a completely different setting than Shakespeare intended. Students will present their overview and choices to the class. We will follow this activity by watching excerpts from She's the Man and 10 Things I Hate About You. At conclusion, students should see that character and theme can remain constant even when setting and time period changes. (Objective #2) Films, Video, Audio Recording: Watch five different versions of the opening scene of Macbeth and compare/contrast them using a New Historicism lens. Through this comparison exercise, students should be able to articulate in class discussion and in written form how time period informs production choices. Typical Out of Class Assignments Reading Assignments 1. Read the "Enablers" chapter from Stephen Greenblatt's Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics. Be prepared to connect his arguments to Shakespeare's Richard III and knowledge of current leaders and political parties. 2. Read the excerpts from Carolyn Heilbrun's "The Character of Hamlet's Mother" and G Wilson Knight's "The Embassy of Death." Provide a short definition of the excerpts. Writing, Problem Solving or Performance 1. Read Shakespeare's Macbeth, including the introduction in The Arden Shakespeare. Be prepared to discuss and analyze the work in class writing assignments and discussions, and then connect that analysis to selected scenes from the film Scotland, PA in a formal essay. 2. Promptbooks are copies of scripts that contain notes about performance- blocking, delivery of lines, setting, costumes, and so forth. Using a short section of text (Macbeth Act 1, scene 1), create a mini prompt book to determine how to stage the scene. Consider the following questions: How do the witches enter? How do they move? Are they old? Young? Male? Female? (Remember, in Shakespeare’s time they were played by males) Do they like or hate each other? How is each witch different from the others? How are they dressed? What are they carrying? Might they be father, mother, and child? What do they do as they speak? Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.) Required Materials Single copy plays-- Othello, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, King Lear, Macbeth Author: William Shakespeare Publisher: Arden Publishing Company Publication Date: 2016 Text Edition: 3rd series Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Hagseed Author: Margaret Atwood Publisher: Hogarth Publication Date: 2016 Text Edition: 1st Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics Author: Stephen Greenblatt Publisher: Norton Publication Date: 2018 Text Edition: 1st Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Shakespeare and Modern Culture Author: Marjorie Garber Publisher: Anchor Publication Date: 2008 Text Edition: 1st Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.
HUM 0017 - Introduction to Atheism
http://catalog.sierracollege.edu/course-outlines/hum-0017/
Catalog Description Advisory: Eligibility for ENGL 1A Hours: 54 lecture Description: Introduction to the philosophy of atheism, its historical roots, major thinkers, and expressions in art, literature and philosophy. Includes history of free inquiry and thought, secular humanism, humanistic ethics and scientific naturalism. (CSU, UC) Course Student Learning Outcomes CSLO #1: Identify and describe the diverse values and expressions found in various types of Atheism. CSLO #2: Analyze and evaluate various historical expressions of Atheism and their contribution to culture in philosophy, piterature, poetry, and art. CSLO #3: Compare and contrast the diverse values and expressions found in various types of Atheism with dominant religious perspectives. CSLO #4: Communicate effectively orally or in writing on a topic of atheism related to its study in the Humanities. Effective Term Fall 2022 Course Type Credit - Degree-applicable Contact Hours 54 Outside of Class Hours 108 Total Student Learning Hours 162 Course Objectives Students will through oral and written work: 1. Compare and contrast definitions of 'Atheism,' 'Agnosticism,' 'Rationalism,' and 'Empiricism;' 2. Define and evaluate both negative and positive atheistic positions; 3. Evaluate criticisms of the arguments for the existence of God as well as arguments against the existence of God; 4. Define and describe prophetic and revealed religious traditions; 5. Evaluate the legitimacy of prophecies, miracles and martyrs as evidence for metaphysical claims; 6. Describe, compare and contrast historical and theological approaches to the study of religion; 7. Examine and discuss historical and critical approaches to the studies of Christianity and Islam; 8. Describe and discuss evil, supernatural, natural and moral, as conceptualized by religionist and secularist perspectives; 9. Describe and evaluate non-religious moralities; 10. Chart and describe the role of atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism and secular humanism through Western history including Classical Greece, Modern philosophy and the Enlightenment, Nietzsche and Postmodernism, British secularism and U.S. history; 11. Describe Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection as well as the characteristics of creationism and intelligent design; 12. Evaluate evolution by natural selection, creationism and intelligent design as scientific or pseudoscientific; 13. Describe the relationship between evolution by natural selection and both theism and agnosticism/atheism; 14. Describe and evaluate the role of politics in public acceptance of evolution by natural selection; 15. Examine, describe and assess expressions of Atheism/Agnosticism/Skepticism and Secular Humanism in Art, Literature, Music and Film. General Education Information Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability AA/AS - Literature & Language CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval) CSUGE - C2 Humanities Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval) IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval) IGETC - 3B Humanities Articulation Information CSU Transferable UC Transferable Methods of Evaluation Classroom Discussions Example: After learning about the non-religious moralities, students will be prompted to evaluate secular moral theories, and based on these discussions, (2) students will write a short paragraph identifying which secular moral philosophy resonates best with them, and explain their choice. Submitted paragraphs will be evaluated by whether they include relevant concepts and coherent reasoning. Essay Examinations Example: In a short essay, explain whether, in your view, there is an essential relation between religion and ethics. Identify one objection to your position and provide a reply to that objection. Use examples and passages from relevant readings to help explain and support your ideas. Objective Examinations Example: A. Students will take a multiple-choice examination on aspects of atheism and agnosticism. For example: Which of the following matches the definition of negative atheism? (A) certainty of belief proportional to the evidence for that belief, (B) belief in a God or some gods, but not another God or gods, (C) asserts that no gods exist, (D) unpersuaded by the evidence that God or gods exist. Projects Example: Create a poster board that charts and describe the role of atheism, agnosticism, and/or religious skepticism from Classical Greece to Modern philosophy and the Enlightenment. Repeatable No Methods of Instruction Lecture/Discussion Distance Learning Lecture: Using a slide-presentation for an on-ground lecture, the instructor will present various definitions and perspectivs of thesism, atheism, and agnosticism, and model how to identify various claims as representative of theism, atheism, and/or agnisticism. Through an interactive discussion, students will be prompted to compare and contrast the different aspects of burden of proof related to each belief system. Distance Learning Students will watch a video of the instructor defining and presenting various arguments for God's existence. In a discussion board assignment, students evaluate one of the traditional arguments for God's existence in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. Typical Out of Class Assignments Reading Assignments 1. Read "De Rerum Natura" by Lucretius, and be prepared to discuss why he thinks humans have nothing to fear from supernatural deities. 2. Read Sam Harris' The End of Faith, chapter 1 "Reason in Exile," and be prepared to discuss Harris' evaluation of 'religious moderates.' Writing, Problem Solving or Performance 1. Compare/Contrast Paper 1 Instructions: For this position paper, you will be required to compare and contrast the attached essay by Richard Dawkins, "Is Science a Religion?," with the theme of The City of Truth. In order to do this successfully, you will need to a) Explain the theme of the novel, b) explain the thesis of Dawkins' essay and c) compare and contrast these two positions. With whom, if anyone, do you agree and why? Try the following technique for organizing your thoughts prior to writing your paper. Thinking before writing has been proven effective for writing good papers. After you have created your fiction analysis, you will have a snapshot of the key characters and elements of The City of Truth. Place your fiction analysis on the table in front of you. Next, draw two overlapping circles on your paper as shown below. Label the circle on the left "City of Truth." Label the circle on the right "Dawkins." As you read your fiction analysis and the essay, jot down any ideas in the relevant areas of your circles: In the left most portion of the diagram, you would jot down information from City of Truth. In the right most portion of the diagram, you would jot down information from Dawkins' essay. These would be the ideas that are unique or not-shared between them. In the center portion of the diagram, you would jot down the shared concerns between the two texts. 2. Select one of the following questions and answer it thoroughly in formal essay format. 1. Select three arguments for the existence of God. Do these work? Why or why not? (Be sure to formulate one thesis statement for your entire paper and work each of the arguments for God's existence into it.) 2. Is evil an objection to religion? Why, or why not? 3. What conception of the divine makes the most sense? Why? 4. Is there an essential relation between religion and ethics? Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.) Required Materials Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism Author: Susan Jacoby Publisher: Metropolitan Books Publication Date: 2014 Text Edition: 1st Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Imagine There's No Heaven: How Atheism Helped Create the Modern World Author: Mitchell Stephens Publisher: Macmillan Publication Date: 2014 Text Edition: Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: The God Delusion Author: Michael Ruse (Author), Stephen Bullivant (Editor) Publisher: Cambridge University Press Publication Date: 2021 Text Edition: Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: The Cambridge History of Atheism Author: Gordon Stein Publisher: Prometheus Publication Date: 2014 Text Edition: 1st Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: The Encyclopedia of Unbelief Author: Tom Flynn Publisher: Prometheus Books Publication Date: 2007 Text Edition: 2nd Classic Textbook?: OER Link: OER: Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.
Humanities
http://catalog.sierracollege.edu/departments/humanities/
...Art ENGL 0016 Introduction to LGBTIQ Literature ENGL...Introduction to Mythology HUM 0017 Introduction to Atheism...
Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID)
...0010 ENGL 100 ENGL 0001A ENGL 105 ENGL...0003 POLS 160 POLS 0017 PSY 110 PSYC...
