The assignments in this course are designed to introduce you to a number of ways of reading and responding to Shakespeare's plays.
- You will begin with a very basic assignment--logging on to the Bulletin
Board that forms the basic medium of communication in the course.
- Shakespeare's stage: the way that the text becomes active as it is
directed in performance
- Modern performances of Shakespeare on video: the way the text is
interpreted as it is performed
- Shakespeare's language: the text from which all our understanding of his
work begins.
- The Renaissance context of the plays: how the modern reader must filter
the text in order to respond to it fully
Here are the dates for submitting your assignments, and the weight given each
in your final grade:
| Assignment |
Due Date |
Weight |
1 |
Logging on the Web Board |
Friday of week 2 |
0% (but mandatory) |
3 |
A scene blocked
OR
Video review |
Friday of week 7 |
25% |
2 |
Explication |
Friday of week 10 |
25% |
4 |
Participation in the Web Board |
[throughout] |
10% |
5 |
Final Examination |
[TBA] |
35% |
As you will see
from the table above, later assignments count more than earlier ones, so that
you are evaluated more by what you achieve by the end of the course.
If you wish to do so, you can submit a rewrite of any assignment. If you do so,
I shall follow this procedure:
- I shall give a rapid assessment of the paper (I shall read it but will
make few, if any, comments)
- The mark will be recorded separately from the original mark
- At the end of the course, if your mark is close to a borderline I shall
consider the mark on the rewrite, and will move your final grade above the
borderline if the additional mark justifies it
No mark can be reduced by a rewrite.
There is no penalty for late assignments when you have received an extension
before the due date. Late assignments will be marked, but will be assessed a penalty of at least 5% and not more than 10%.
 |
Please note: All assignments are to be handed in by email, unless otherwise indicated, and must arrive by midnight on the due date. |
All assignments will be submitted by email to
<mbest1@uvic.ca>. With the exception of the Scene Blocked (#3), all assignments must be submitted in "plain text" or "text only" format. Plain text is the kind that can be pasted into a regular email message, not sent as an "attachment." The number of word processing programs, and versions of them, is so great that while I may be able to translate your essay into a readable form at my end, you may not be able to read my marked version.
Plain vanilla email is a kind of lowest common denominator, and is universally readable in the computer world--so that's what you should stick to. I don't want to privilege one system over another--and it's good practice in the real world of muliple machines to get used to sending and receiving plain text. You can write your assignment on any word processor, then either paste it directly into your email program, or save it as a plain text (or "ascii") file first.
Because plain text files cannot support formatting (italics, headings and so
on) you should adopt the following sort-of-format:
- Paragraphs: leave a blank line between each.
- Headings: use UPPER CASE with a blank line before and after.
- Italics (titles of plays etc.): use the underscore character ( _ )
before and after ("In _Hamlet_ the hero is called Hamlet").
- But avoid the curly or "smart" quotes you see throughout this Course Guide, and use straight or "typewriter" quotes instead. Smart quotes turn into odd letters when sent by email. Most word processors allow you to set your Preferences to plain or smart quotes.
All assignments will be returned by email.
Remember that all direct quotations and borrowed ideas that you use in your writing
must be identified. Failure to give others credit for their words and ideas is
plagiarism -- a serious offence. See A Writer's Guide for more on plagiarism,
and for instructions on the way you should cite material you quote or use in
your
work.
