Upon completion of this course, students will have gained an understanding of Shakespeare's work both within its initial production context, as well as the ways in which it continues to speak to audiences in the 21st century.They will have learnt about basic tools and principles of adaptation theory, practiced their skills in literary and film analysis, and will have acquired a toolkit to respond to and write about performance.Furthermore, they will not only have engaged with the plays from a scholar's but also from a practitioner's perspective by trying their hands at a contemporary staging of a Shakespearean scene in their group project, putting the theoretical knowledge, gained throughout the semester, into practice.

in-depth discussion of textsshort lecture inputsexpert groups/ student-led tasksperformed readings and scene play

Shakespeare. You cannot get around him in any English Studies curriculum. Outside of the seminar room, he seems equally ubiquitous. Around the world, his plays are regularly being staged or adapted into movies. In any discussion of British ‘National Heritage’, Shakespeare’s name is bound to come up sooner rather than later. Even in the very language we use, the origin of many expressions is attributed to Shakespeare. What is it about this early modern playwright that continues to fascinate? How do his plays speak to contemporary concerns?In this seminar we will examine contemporary interpretations and re-imaginings of Shakespeare’s work in the 21st century, considering stage productions as well as literary and movie adaptations. We will furthermore take a close look at the cultural capital Shakespeare’s name carries today and examine Shakespeare-themed board games, his place in the heritage industry, and other cultural texts concerned with the playwright as a person.In dealing with a great variety of texts, we will trace reoccurring themes and motifs in the ways Shakespeare is both being ‘preserved’ and constantly reinvented.

Basic Principles of Literary AnalysisPlease be advised, this is a course with a very heavy reading (/viewing) load. It is strongly advised that you already start reading the original plays during term break.

Introduction to Literary Studies II

Please purchase your own copies of the plays and novels.Shakespeare’s plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, The TempestAdaptations: Margaret Atwood: Hag-Seed (2016), Jo Nesbø: Macbeth (2018), additional reading will be made available on moodle.

Participation: 20%Individual presentation: 20%Group project: 20%Term paper: 40%If a student fails one pillar of assessment (participation, presentation, group project or term paper), they fail the entire course!

Students may choose their own topics for the final paper, as long as it relates to the context of the class.

Quantity and quality of task fulfillment; quantity and quality of theoretical literature used; quality of analysis, and quality of application of theoretical concepts and terminology; originality of thought.Active participation includes regular attendance (i.e. not missing more than 3 sessions in the course of the semester).The use of AI support or AI-generated text is prohibited in this course!In order to check whether this ban is respected, there is the possibility of a compulsory, individual, and oral follow-up defence of submitted or presented work. Should the use of AI be detected in any assignment, or a follow-up defence not be sufficient, the task concerned will automatically receive a fail-grade and your violation will be reported to university leadership, just as is the case with any other form of academic dishonesty or cheating.