Shakespeare

Prothro-Yeager College of Humanities and Social Sciences

ENGL 5773 Section X20

Spring 2026

Contact Information

Instructor: Dr. Peter Fields, Assoc. Prof. of English

Office: Bea Wood 230 (2^nd floor of Prothro-Yeager)

Office hours:

  MW: 12:15 – 2:15 PM; F 12:00 – 4:00 PM. And by appointment.

Office phone: (940) 397-4246

E-mail: peter.fields@msutexas.edu

Course Description

Shakespeare’s art and thought as seen in drama and poetry.

Textbook & Instructional Materials

Ebook for The Norton Shakespeare 3E Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor.

Midterm Grades

Midterm grades provide a snapshot of student progress just prior to the midpoint of the semester. Completed assignments as of week seven will include two Sonnet worksheets, 4 Brief Responses (two for MSN and two for Rom.), and one Essay (for MSN). The grades will be averaged together with the Essay counting twice.

Final Exam

We do not have a final exam.

Extra Credit

Students may rewrite essays for higher grade after first receiving approval and establishing with the instructor the nature and scope of the rewrite. 

Instructor Class Policies

The 4 Brief Response assignments are opportunities to develop your thoughts and receive input from the instructor prior to incorporating them into the 4 Essays or the Research Paper. The Research paper may incorporate language and thoughts from the Essays.

Grade Appeal Process

Update as needed. Students who wish to appeal a grade should consult the Midwestern State University MSU Catalog

Student Handbook

Refer to:  Student Handbook

Academic Misconduct Policy & Procedures

Academic Dishonesty: Cheating, collusion, and plagiarism (the act of using source material of other persons, either published or unpublished, without following the accepted techniques of crediting, or the submission for credit of work not the individual’s to whom credit is given). *The use of AI at any stage of the composition of an assignment is prohibited, and that prohibition applies to all our assignments. Additional guidelines on procedures in these matters may be found in the Office of Student Conduct. Office of Student Conduct

*Notice: Changes in the course syllabus, procedure, assignments, and schedule may be made at the discretion of the instructor.

Course Schedule:

Week or Module

Activities/Assignments/Exams

Due Date

Week 1

1/20 Getting started. Read introductory material in Greenblatt.

6 PM Zoom Tuesday

Week 2

1/26 Read Acts 1- 4 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (MSD). Brief Response Prompt: How does passion undermine reason in the behavior of Egeus, Hermia, Helena, Oberon, Titania, and Bottom? 400 words – no quotes. Tuesday reading. Brief Response 1 due Friday 1/30 (but Zoom reading 6 PM Tuesday 1/27)

Week 3

2/2 Read Act 5 of MSD. Brief Response prompt: Notice the explicit connection between passion and self-destruction. 400 words – no quotes. Sonnet Worksheet 1 reading Tuesday; due Friday in drop box. Sonnet Worksheet 1 due Friday 2/6 (but Zoom reading 6 PM Tuesday 2/3)

Week 4

2/9 Essay 1 Prompt: What are the consequences of passion (both human and fairy) in MSD? Quote at least once but do not rely on quotes—rely mostly on your words. 1200 words. Tuesday partial reading. Essay 1 due Friday 2/13 6 PM Tuesday Zoom 2/10: partial reading of essay.

Week 5

2/16 Read Acts 1-4 of Romeo and Juliet (Rom.). Brief Response Prompt: What is Friar Laurence’s critique of Romeo’s emotions? 400 words – no quotes. Tuesday reading. Brief Response 2 due Friday 2/20 (but 6 PM Zoom reading Tuesday 2/17)

Week 6

2/23 Read Acts 5 of Rom. Pay special attention to how Fr. Laurence’s strategy unravels but still achieves reconciliation between the rival houses of Capulet and Montague. Sonnet Worksheet 2 reading Tuesday; due Friday in drop box. Sonnet Worksheet 2 due Friday 2/27(Zoom reading 6 PM Tuesday 2/24)

Week 7

3/2 Essay 2 Prompt: What are the consequences of Fr. Laurence’s attempt to reconcile the houses of Montague and Capulet? Quote at least once but do not rely on quotes—rely mostly on your words. 1200 words. Tuesday partial reading. Essay 2 due Friday 3/6. 6 PM Tuesday Zoom 3/3: partial reading

3/9-14 SPRING BREAK – No 6 PM Zoom. Campus closed.

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Week 8

3/16 Julius Caesar (JC) Acts 1-4. Notice how Brutus is drawn into a conspiracy whose moral justification is doubtful. 6 PM Tuesday Zoom

Week 9

3/23 JC Act 5. Brief Response Prompt: What is Shakespeare’s implicit argument regarding the moral justification of assassination and how does Shakespeare signal his position? 400 words – no quotes. Tuesday reading. Brief Response 3 due Friday 3/27 (Zoom reading Tuesday 3/24)

Week 10

3/30 – 4/1 Partial Week Essay 3 Prompt: What are the consequences for Brutus of his participation in the assassination? Quote at least once but do not rely on quotes—rely mostly on your words. 1200 words. Tuesday partial reading. Essay 3 due MONDAY 4/6 (instead of Friday 4/3—a holiday). 6 PM Tuesday Zoom 3/31: partial reading.

4/2-4/3

Holiday Thursday and Friday – campus closed

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  Week 11

4/6 Macbeth (Mac.) Acts 1-4. How does Shakespeare signal his implicit argument regarding the moral justification of Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s murderous crimes? 400 words – no quotes.

Brief Response 4 due Friday 4/10 (Zoom reading Tuesday 4/7)

Week 12

4/13 Mac. Act 5. Notice how deeply invested Macbeth has become in the predictions of the Weird Sisters. 6 PM Tuesday Zoom

Week 13

4/20 Essay 4 prompt: What are the consequences of Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s actions? Quote at least once but do not rely on quotes—rely mostly on your words. 1200 words. Tuesday partial reading. Essay 4 due Friday 4/24. 6 PM Zoom 4/21: partial reading

Week 14

4/27 Research Paper Prompt: For 4 characters (one from each of our plays), what are the consequences for, and the motivation behind, their decisions and actions? Quote at least once from each play but I mostly want your words. Quote once from two different preliminary essays or introductions in Greenblatt. 1600 words. ZOOM slideshows of research. 6 PM Tuesday ZOOM 4/28

Week 15

5/4 We will do slideshow sharing for 6 PM Tuesday ZOOM. Slideshows should be under 5 minutes so we can do all of them in one hour if possible.

Research Paper due Friday 5/8. Slide Show sharing Tuesday Zoom 5/5

Week 16

FINALS We do not have a final exam.

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Grading

Table 1: Points allocated to each assignment

Assignments Points

2 Sonnet Worksheets – 5 points each; Tuesday 6 PM ZOOM reading. 10 points

4 Brief Reponses – 5 points each; Tuesday 6 PM ZOOM reading. 20 points

4 Essays – 10 points each Partial ZOOM reading Tuesday 6 PM 40 points

Research Paper (using our ebook’s critical apparatus)– 10 points; incl. Tuesday 6 PM ZOOM slideshow 30 points

Total Points 100 points

Table 2: Letter grade point values. Note: there is no rounding up of assignment grades and no rounding up of final calculated grade as computed by D2L: e.g., a 79.9 is a C; an 89.9 is a B; a 69.9 is a D; a 59.9 or lower is an F. D2L’s final calculated grade is the semester grade.

Grade

Points

A 90 to 100

B 80 to 89

C 70 to 79

D 60 to 69

F Less than 60

Attendance

The instructor must submit attendance for online courses at the start of the semester. Students must demonstrate login activity on D2L in order to be counted present the first week usually as of the third or fourth day. I would like to see login activity starting Tuesday of our first week.

Late Work 

If D2L indicates an assignment is late, it is penalized 10 points. Late sonnet worksheets, brief essays, and essays must be submitted before 11:59 PM Friday May 8; a late research paper must be submitted before 11:59 PM Monday May 11.

Forgiveness of Late Penalty

Forgiveness of late penalty requires compelling documentation. The most compelling would be medical. Students may take a picture with their cellphone of medical-related paperwork that features a date and their name and email to me by attachment.

Note: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain the explicit written permission of me and the other instructor involved in advance.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else's thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")-whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.

Student Honor Creed

As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else do so."

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception.

Thus, We, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters.

We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one's own, work or ideas which are not entirely one's own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student.

We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed.

Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Support Services in Room 168 of the Clark Student Center, (940) 397-4140.

All instructors in the Department have voicemail in their offices and MSUTexas e-mail addresses. Make sure you add your instructor's phone number and e-mail address to both email and cell phone lists of contacts.

Obligation to Report Sex Discrimination under State and Federal Law

Midwestern State University is committed to providing and strengthening an educational, working, and living environment where students, faculty, staff, and visitors are free from sex discrimination of any kind. State and federal law require University employees to report sex discrimination and sexual misconduct to the University’s Office of Title IX. As a faculty member, I am required to report to the Title IX Coordinator any allegations, personally observed behavior, or other direct or indirect knowledge of conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination or sexual misconduct, which includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, or stalking, involving a student or employee. After a report is made, the office of Title IX will reach out to the affected student or employee in an effort to connect such person(s) with resources and options in addressing the allegations made in the report. You are also encouraged to report any incidents to the office of Title IX. You may do so by contacting:

Laura Hetrick

Title IX Coordinator
Sunwatcher Village Clubhouse
940-397-4213

laura.hetrick@msutexas.edu

You may also file an online report 24/7 at Maxient 

Should you wish to visit with someone about your experience in confidence, you may contact the MSU Counseling Center at 940-397-4618. For more information on the University’s policy on Title IX or sexual misconduct, please visit MSU Texas Title IX

Senate Bill 11 passed by the 84th Texas Legislature allows licensed handgun holders to carry concealed handguns on campus, effective August 1, 2016. Areas excluded from concealed carry are appropriately marked, in accordance with state law. For more information regarding campus carry, please refer to the University’s webpage at https://msutexas.edu/campus-carry/rules-policies.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact MSU Chief of Police at police@msutexas.edu.

Pregnant and parenting students, faculty, and staff are eligible to receive support and resources from the Student Engagement and Title IX Offices. Support and resources may include early registration, personal financial support, parenting development resources, lactation rooms, and healthcare resources. For more information, visit the  Parenting Students Website or contact the Parenting Liaison Ruby Garret at  ruby.garrett@msutexas.edu or call 940-397-4500.