Discussion Guidleines

Since this class will be a seminar rather than a lecture, it is crucial that you come prepared to discuss the material assigned for class having read or viewed it closely. Close reading of a literary or cinematic work involves attention to character, theme, language, and structure. In the case of plays and films, this means knowing who the characters are, what happens (and when), and so on. Close reading of a literary involves attention to its aesthetic form: character, theme (love), language (the plays are mostly written in verse), and structure (why a Shakespeare play begins as it does, ends as it does, has double or multiple plots, characters who double each other, and so on). Close reading of a cinematic adaptation involves attention to these features as well as the formal features of film: lighting, sound, camera angle and shot, length of shot, and so on. For more on formal features of film, click here. In class, you want to be able to add something that advances the discussion by raising a question or making a point with a concrete reference to the text or film under dicussion.

Much of the class is structured to maximize student involvement. In addition to doing reports or leading in class discussions, I'll often have you work in small groups and / or do short writing exercises in class.

Finally, you will also need to have an email account and access it at least once a day.