University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 9

Semester: 2

Planned timetable: Lecture: 12 noon Tues; Tutorial: 12 noon Thursday

What place does Shakespeare have in the project to decolonise university curricula? On this module we will investigate the ways in which canonical English literary works have shaped historical understandings of race, and unpick the origins of white supremacist ideology in early modern discourse. We will explore the role Shakespeare’s writing has played in constructing and perpetuating the concept of racial difference, and the ways in which he both promotes and resists his contemporary culture’s racist assumptions and colonial ambitions. Alongside a selection of Shakespeare’s plays and poems, we will read three plays adapted from Shakespearean source texts by Black and Indigenous authors, and consider what is at stake in reading, studying, performing and reworking Shakespeare in colonial and postcolonial contexts. All of this module’s set reading, aside from Shakespeare’s works themselves, will be texts written by scholars and artists of colour.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass EN2003 and pass EN2004

Anti-requisite(s): You cannot take this module if you take EN3141 or pass EN3141

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 1x 1-hour lecture (x10 weeks) 1x 1-hour tutorial (x10 weeks) 2x office hours (x12 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours: 44

Guided independent study hours: 270

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 100%


Re-assessment: Written Examination = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr T B B Tregear
Module teaching staff: TBA

Intended learning outcomes

• - to be able to discuss the different uses of the term “race” in early modern and contemporary discourse, and understand their origins and interrelation
• - to be able to identify and analyse key features of Shakespeare’s poetry and drama, including tragedy, comedy and the sonnet sequence, demonstrating a grasp of appropriate critical terminology
• - to be able to construct logical, persuasive arguments which are presented fluently in both oral and written assessments
• - to be able to work collaboratively in both in class and independent group settings
• - to be able to compare adaptations of some of Shakespeare’s plays by Black and indigenous authors to their source texts, and show awareness of the stakes of reading, studying and adapting Shakespeare in different contexts