PS 320
Topics in Law and
Philosophy
Shakespeare's Politics
Fall
2001 Jack
Barlow, Good 319
10:30-
12:00, TTh 641-3651
Oller
Center Seminar Room
Course
Description
This course considers “Shakespeare's
Politics.” Our task is to think about
whether “the Bard” has anything to teach us about politics today, and if so,
what that might be. By the end of the
semester, we might hope to be able to assess the adequacy of George Anastaplo's
claim:
...Shakespeare was the [author] who
probably provided early Americans with a comprehensive moral and political
account of things. They encountered in
his plays an entertaining instructor in constitutional principles, an obviously
wise man who could teach them about the most important temporal things (just as
the Bible was generally believed to guide them with respect to spiritual
things). The way Shakespeare spoke about
the things he described -- the moral presuppositions underlying what he said --
helped shape generations of Americans. (The
Constitution of 1787: A Commentary,
pp. 75-76.)
What
were these "underlying moral presuppositions"? How "comprehensive" is
Shakespeare's account? Do his dramatic
works show him to be "obviously wise"? These are the things we want to try to
elucidate in this course.
Course
Objectives
The objectives of the course are:
(1) To achieve an understanding of
Shakespeare's moral and political thinking (broadly conceived);
(2) to examine in detail several of
Shakespeare's major plays, and/or dramatic poems;
(3) to understand the implications of
Shakespeare's views for our society (both in its origins and today), our
communities, and ourselves.
Required
Texts
Harbage,
Alfred, ed., William
Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Viking Penguin)
Course
Requirements
(1) Attendance and Participation
Attendance at each class session is
mandatory. The class will meet either
once or twice each week, although there may also be special sessions to meet
with visiting speakers, to view plays on film, and to meet with the Shakespeare
class being taught in the English department. Every effort will be made to
schedule other events at times when students can participate.
(2) Written assignments
a. discussion papers Each student will write a two-page (maximum;
typed, double-spaced) paper for each of the plays we read, reflecting on the
questions or issues it raises. The paper
should not merely summarize the reading, but should analyze the play as it
bears on the topic for the course.
Questions or issues for these papers will be discussed in class. No late discussion papers will be
accepted.
b. term papers In consultation with the instructor, each
student will select a single play, poem, or theme as the topic for a
significant (20 - 25 pages) research paper.
The selection will be made no later than the eighth week of
classes.
Term papers will be expected to
reflect familiarity with the secondary literature on the chosen play (or poem,
or theme), which is vast.
c. style of papers Papers should conform to the principles of
style in the Chicago Manual of Style.
An excellent short version of the Manual is Kate L. Turabian, A
Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
(3) Academic Honesty
All work submitted in this course
must be the student's own and prepared specifically for this course.
Grading
(1) Class participation -
20%
(2) Discussion Papers - 20%
(3) Term paper - 60%
Schedule
Week
1 (8/27) Introduction/Overview/Organization
of class
Week
2 (9/3) “Coriolanus”
Week
3 (9/10) “Julius Caesar”
Week
4 (9/17) “Measure for
Measure”
Week
5 (9/24) “Richard II”
Week
6 (10/1) “Henry V”
Week
7 (10/8) no class
Week
8 (10/17) extra day for
catch-up; research paper topics due
Week
9 (10/22) “Othello”
Week
10 (10/29) “Macbeth”
Week
11 (11/5) continue discussion
of Othello, Macbeth
Week
12 (11/12) “Taming of the Shrew”
Week
13 (11/19) Thanksgiving
Week
14 (11/26) “The Tempest”
Week
15 (12/3) Research papers due
Week 16 (12/10) Review, conclusions