English 388B-- Special Studies: African-New World Shakespeare
Spring 1999
9:00 M, Tu, Th-- Olin 224

Professor Theresa DiPasquale
Olin 232-- Office Hours: T, Th 8-9 and 10-11; W 1:15-2:15; and by appointment
Office Phone: 526-4710
Email username: dipasqtm

Course Description:
This course is designed to familiarize students with several plays by William Shakespeare and with responses to those plays by important African-American and Afro-Caribbean writers. We will study works of fiction, poetry and drama that are inspired by, adapt, or rework Shakespeare's plots, themes, language and characters. The course will explore both how Shakespeare has influenced twentieth-century writers of African descent and how those authors have changed the way the world reads Shakespeare.

Required Texts:
Eldred Jones. The Elizabethan Image of Africa. Folger. 1979.
Shakespeare. Richard III. Bantam. 1987.
Shakespeare. The Tempest. Signet Classics. 1987.
Shakespeare. Othello. Signet Classics. 1986.
Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka). Dutchman and The Slave, Two Plays. Morrow. 1971.
Aime Cesaire. Une Tempete. Ubu Repertory Theater. 1992.
Carlyle Brown. The African Company Presents Richard III. Dramatists Play Service. 1994.
Toni Morrison. Tar Baby. NAL/Dutton. 1987.
Gloria Naylor. Mama Day. Random House. 1993.
Paule Marshall. Soul Clap Hands and Sing. Howard University Press. 1988.
 

Additional reading will be distributed on photocopy or placed on reserve at Penrose; some readings will also be available via links on my web page (see URL above).
 

Course Requirements and Policies:
Completion of Course Requirements-- You must complete all written assignments and examinations to earn a passing grade in the course.
Attendance-- You may miss no more than 5 classes during the semester; any additional absences will affect your grade. If you do miss class for any reason, you are still responsible for the material covered when you were absent. Don't wait until the next time you see me in class to pick up any handouts that may have been distributed, as you will fall behind in the mean time; it is your responsibility to get them from me or from a classmate. You may contact me by phone or through electronic mail; my e-mail username is dipasqtm. Many course materials will be available on my web page.
Plagiarism-- Please see the Student Handbook, pages 37-39, on Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism. I will abide by the policies stated in the Handbook.
Writing-- Writing guidelines are available on my web page; please read these to familiarize yourself with my expectations and requirements for literary analysis papers. You will hand in 2 critical essays, each one 5-8 pages in length. You will also write two editorial essays; the first one, due very early in the course, will not be graded; the second, due near the end, will be.
In-Class Presentations-- At some point in each semester, each student will give a 10-15 minute presentation to the class. Consult with me to plan your approach. You might consider a detailed close-reading of a passage or passages in one of the works we are reading, an analysis of a particular character, a summary of and response to a published work of criticism that discusses one of the works we are reading, a researched presentation on some aspect of the history of performance (dramatic works only), a comparison of two works, an analysis of one work as an adaptation of or response to a work by another author, or some other mode of interpretation. You may work from notes or read a prepared text; either way, be sure that you time presentation so that it lasts at least 10 minutes but no more than 15.
Final Exam-- The final examination will involve short answer objective questions based on the lectures, identification of passages from the works we read, and brief essays. Please be sure to check the exam schedule before you make your travel plans for the end of the semester, as the schedule is not flexible.
 

GRADING:
10% 5-8 page essay with lower grade
25% 5-8 page essay with higher grade
10% Editorial Essay
15% Presentation to the Class
15% Participation in Class Discussions
25% Final Exam
 
 
 

Schedule
January
19 Tu Introduction to the Course
21 Th Eldred Jones's The Elizabethan View of Africa

25 M Othello, Acts 1-2; First Editorial Essay due.
26 Tu Othello, Acts 3-5
28 Th Othello, continued

February
1 M Jones, The Slave
2 Tu Jones, The Slave
4 Th Jones, The Slave

8 M Richard III, Acts 1-2
9 Tu Richard III, Acts 1-2
11 Th Richard III, continued

15 M No Class; Washington's Holiday.
16 Tu Brown, The African Company Presents Richard III, Act I
18 Th Brown, The African Company Presents Richard III, Act II

22 M Brown, The African Company Presents Richard III, continued
23 Tu Backgrounds to The Tempest; page 125-139 in the Signet edition and additional reading on xerox
25 Th No Class (I will be attending the annual conference of the John Donne Society).

March
1 M The Tempest, Acts 1-3
2 Tu The Tempest, Acts 4-5
4 Th The Tempest, continued.

8 M Introduction to Yoruba Religion and Voudun; Poems by Kamau Brathwaite (on reserve at Penrose)
9 Tu Poems by Lemuel Johnson
11 Th Overview. First 5-8 page Critical Essay Due.

13-28 SPRING BREAK

29 M Robert Hayden, "Middle Passage" (on reserve)
30 Tu Taban Lo Liyong "An Excerpt from an Essay on Uneven Ribs: A Prelude"
April
1 Th Cesaire, Une Tempete, Act I

5 M Cesaire, Une Tempete, Act II
6 Tu Cesaire, Une Tempete, Act III
8 Th Cesaire, Une Tempete, continued

12 M Selections from Joel Chandler Harris (on reserve at Penrose)
13 Tu Morrison, Tar Baby
15 Th Morrison, Tar Baby

19 M Morrison, Tar Baby
20 Tu Morrison, Tar Baby
22 Th Selections from Romeo and Juliet (on line); Second 5-8 Page Critical Essay Due.

26 M Selections from King Lear (on line)
27 Tu Naylor, Mama Day
29 Th Naylor, Mama Day

May
3 M Naylor, Mama Day
4 Tu Naylor, Mama Day
6 Th Paule Marshall, "Brazil"

10 M Paule Marshall, "Brazil"
11 Tu Review; Final Editorial Essay Due

13 Th Final Exam-- 2:00-4:00 PM