ENGL4126: Semester 1, 2022

University home

Library

Current students

Staff intranet

Find an event

Give

Current students

Units ENGL4126 Semester 1 2022 [Normal evening]

Unit outline_

ENGL4126: Shakespeare and Modernity

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal evening] - Remote

Overview

This unit explores selected works of Shakespeare in the historical context of the 20th and 21st centuries. It provides an introduction to the modern Shakespeare industry with particular focus on recent developments in theatrical performance, film, and other adaptations, and theoretical approaches. Detailed attention will be paid to both the texts of the plays and to their modern manifestations.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ruby Kilroy, ruby.kilroy@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Essay Long answer/ essay.	100%	Formal exam period Due date: 12 Jun 2022 at 23:59	6000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

This unit uses standards-based assessment for award of assessment marks. Your assessments will be evaluated solely on the basis of your individual performance

General advice on grade descriptors are available on the University of Sydney Current Students website: https://sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.html

Consult the English Dept Honours Handbook for assessment criteria and further information applicable to Honours students.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: Shakespeare and modernity: the ‘modern Shakespeare industry’	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Measure for Measure and modern critical approaches to Shakespeare: New Historicism	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Measure for Measure, modern theatre, and gender politics	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	A Midsummer Night’s Dream, presentism, and presentist spiritualities – ‘re-enchanting’ Shakespeare	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	A Midsummer Night’s Dream in modern Australia	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Hamlet, identity, individualism and the modern subject	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Bell Shakespeare Talk + Screening Hamlet:psychology, politics and postmodern aesthetics	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Adaptation, appropriation, allusion, translation, interpretation, collision... modern Shakespeares, mythical modern Shakespeare	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Modernity, modern history and Merchant: What is Shakespeare’s text today?	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	The Merchant of Venice and modern humanism	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Much Ado About Nothing and modern-language Shakespeares	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Much Ado About Nothing in the modern cinema	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Shakespeare and future ‘modernities’	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library. The recommended edition to use for any Shakespeare play in this unit is the Oxford Scholarly Edition (bibliographic information below). The Arden Shakespeare, Norton Shakespeare, and Cambridge Shakespeare are all good alternatives, and are all available through the library as well. Each edition can be easily sourced as hardcopies via Amazon, Book Depository or similar, if you’d prefer.

Shakespeare, William, et al. Hamlet in The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition. Ed. Taylor, Gary, et al. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016
Shakespeare, William, et al. Measure for Measure in The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition. Ed. Taylor, Gary, et al. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016
Shakespeare, William, et al. The Merchant of Venice in The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition. Ed. Taylor, Gary, et al. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016
Shakespeare, William, et al. A Midsummer Night Dream in The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition. Ed. Taylor, Gary, et al. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016
Shakespeare, William, et al. Much Ado About Nothing in The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition. Ed. Taylor, Gary, et al. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016

All other readings will be available via the library and can be found on the relevent weekly module page on canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Develop an advanced understanding of twentieth and twenty-first century literary theory
LO2. Hone a sophisticated understanding of Shakespeare's comedies and tragedies and their place in twentieth and twenty-first century culture
LO3. Deepen students' understanding of modernism and modernity in literature and their ability to recognise, evaluate and critique these characteristics
LO4. Develop students' ability to read, evaluate and utilise primary and secondary resources
LO5. Strengthen students' critical and creative thinking and analytical skills
LO6. Advance students' oral and written communication skills and develop an advanced ability to communicate with confidence and clarity
LO7. Expand students' knowledge of cultural difference and ability to recognise, respect and collaborate across cultural boundaries.
LO8. Develop students' interdisciplinary thinking and digital literacy

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect