FRS 002I — Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 45504 — W 1:10-3:00pm — 175A Phys/Geo
Screenplay by William Shakespeare

Instructor: Kenneth Verosub, Department of Geology, College of Letters and Science

Description: Who would want to star in a movie based on a play by William Shakespeare? A long and impressive list of current and past Hollywood actors that's who, including Ethan Hawke, Calista Flockhart, Leonardo Di Caprio, Gwyenth Paltrow, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. In this seminar we will look at films based on the plays of William Shakespeare. We will start by looking at recent movie versions of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays (William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet 2000) as well as a movie supposedly about the Bard himself (Shakespeare in Love). We will then look at older classic movie versions of these plays to see how the presentation of a Shakespeare play on film reflects both the art of filmmaking and the standards and values of the times. We will then look at recent films (10 Things I Hate about You, Looking for Richard, Prospero's Books) and classic films (West Side Story, Ran, Forbidden Planet) that draw their inspiration from Shakespeare's plays. Our goal will be to determine whether Shakespeare still speaks to us after almost 400 years, and if so, what is his message. As a final exercise, students will be asked to use a Shakespearean play as the basis for a movie that deals with a contemporary political or social issue. The primary goal for student learning will be to demonstrate that films, which students have probably only considered as a means of entertainment, can be the subject of serious discourse and analysis. A secondary goal will be for students to consider what is so appealing about Shakespeare's plays to both actors and directors. Both of these goals will help awaken in first-year students an understanding of the possibilities inherent in looking critically and analytically at the world around them.

Format: The class will be taught as an informal discussion. At times the instructor will lead the discussion; at other times, the students will lead or will make more formal presentations. Viewing of films will take place, for the most part, outside of class. Class time will be spent discussing short clips that will be shown in class. Students will be expected to view at least one full-length film before each meeting of the class and to prepare for a discussion about it. They will also be expected to illustrate the points they make in class by showing short clips from the film. For this reason, access to a DVD player is useful, but not required. Grading: Two-thirds of the grade will be based on the extent and quality of participation in the class discussions. The other third of the grade will be based on the quality of an oral audio-visual presentation at the end of the seminar. These presentations will be done by teams, and each team will be given about twenty minutes to make its presentation.

About the Instructor: Ken Verosub is a professor in the Geology Department and the former director of the Davis Honors Challenge. In his research he uses the magnetic properties of sediments and soils as tracers of paleoclimate and other environmental processes. He has been fascinated by Shakespeare ever since he was a teenager living in Newark, New Jersey, and could see Saturday matinees of Off-Broadway productions of Shakespearean plays for little more than the cost of a train ride into New York City.