ENGLIT 0880 - SHAKESPEARE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
When Shakespeare's King Lear finally turns his attention to the plight of "poor naked wretches" who have no clothing to protect them from a "pitiless" storm, he realizes he has taken "too little care" of human suffering in his kingdom. Departing from scenes such as this one, this course explores the work of artists and critics who have used Shakespeare's plays to confront a range of social injustices, including US persecution of Native Americans, the legacies of white settler colonialism across the globe, and intimate partner violence. Examining adaptations, remediations, and appropriations of Shakespeare plays, such as Toni Morrison's Desdemona or Aimé Césaire's A Tempest, students will be invited to consider what Shakespeare signifies in different cultural contexts and to examine related contests of cultural authority and ownership. Focusing on scholarship, performances, poetry, and art by people from various marginalized groups, students will explore the histories and futures of Black Shakespeare, Indigenous Shakespeare, Trans Shakespeare, Chicano Shakespeare, and many others. Several short writing assignments will build students' skills in a range of critical and creative practices that can contribute to social justice and diversity: archival research, critical fabulation, social network mapping, oppositional reading, comparative analysis of two or more productions, and personal reflection.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Seminar
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis
Course Attributes: DSAS Diversity General Ed. Requirement, DSAS Literature General Ed. Requirement

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