ATS2923 · Shakespeare in Venice

Overview

In this intensive unit, you will work alongside students from Warwick University to undertake in-depth study of two Shakespeare plays in the site in which they are set: the historic Italian city of Venice. Through a combination of online and face-to-face learning, you will examine the shifting histories and contested interpretations of Othello and The Merchant of Venice. Through multidisciplinary engagement with the texts and their contexts, you will explore subjects including: the history of Venice and its reputation in early modern Europe; the theatrical culture of Shakespeare’s London; the literary precedents of Jewish and Northern African people before Shakespeare; and the practices of Law and Finance in early modern England. You will undertake in‑person teaching at Warwick’s Palazzo in Venice, alongside site‑specific learning opportunities at locations referenced in the plays.

Areas of study: Arts Global studies

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. apply a rigorous and informed working knowledge of two Shakespeare plays;
2. effectively contextualise the core texts within their historical settings and legacies;
3. critically discuss and engage with scholarly responses to the plays;
4. examine the role of performance in engaging and sometimes provoking audiences of the core texts;
5. analyse the global phenomenon of Shakespeare and how his plays can be used as springboards for critical and creative responses in the present.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.