FRS 004 — Sec. 002 — (2 units) — CRN 53630 — R 5:10-6:30pm — 123 Wellman
Othello in Performance

Instructor: Laurie Glover, University Writing Program, College of Letters and Science

Description: We will read Shakespeare’s Othello and consider how studying the play as a performance affects our interpretation of the text. Our focus will be on how a reader or actor makes decisions about a character’s motivations based on close textual reading, historical background, and dramatic setting.

Format: The seminar will meet for one and one-half hours each week and we will attend a performance of Othello. The time will be divided between informal lecture presentations, discussion, and student presentations. Students will supply their own copy of the play and supplemental reading material will be provided. Students will be asked to answer a set of short study questions for each act of the play, and to prepare questions for the actor visits. For the final project of the class, students will work in groups to present an alternative historical setting for the play and explain the ramifications of that setting on character interpretation. Grading: The course grade will be based on the quality of completed written assignments – 1-2 pages each (1/3) and oral presentations (1/3) and on the frequency and quality of their participation in class discussion (1/3).

About the Instructor: Laurie Glover is a member of the University Writing Program and the Program in Nature and Culture and has taught Shakespeare and poetry for the UCD English department. She has served as dramaturge for Marin Shakespeare Festival and Central Works theater company in Berkeley.