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Shakespeare Studies

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2008 - 2009 Catalog

Shakespeare Studies

Churchill 289
541-552-6904
Alan Armstrong, Director

The Shakespeare studies program is part of the Department of Theatre Arts. The interdisciplinary field of Shakespeare studies connects the playwright and his works with the culture of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. The Shakespeare studies minor at SOU emphasizes the performance of Shakespeare’s plays and their cultural impact during the past 400 years. The program is supported by the special resources of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), the Margery Bailey Renaissance Collection, and the Center for Shakespeare Studies.

Requirements for the Minor


A minimum of 23 credits of approved courses.


Required Courses

Shakespeare (ENG 201 or 202)4
Studies in Shakespeare (ENG/TA 436)4
Introduction to Shakespeare Studies (SHS 236)4


Electives (11 credits)


Choose any three of the following courses:

Italian Renaissance Art (ARTH 431)4
Shakespeare (ENG 201 or 202)4
Studies in Shakespeare (ENG/TA 436)4
Major Figures in Literature (ENG 448)4
Topics in Drama (ENG 458)4
Shakespeare on Film (FLM/SHS 237)4
English History (HST 305)4
European Renaissance and Reformation, 1300–1600 (HST 318)4
History of Music (MUS 360)3
Special Studies (SHS 299/399)4
Period Styles II (TA 451)4
Drama in Western Culture (TA 467)4


Students who use ENG 201 to fulfill the minor core requirements may use ENG 202 as an elective, and vice versa. The same principle applies to ENG/TA 436. To count toward the minor, ENG 448/548 and ENG 458/558 must focus on a major figure (e.g., Chaucer, Donne, or Milton) or topic (e.g., Jacobean tragedy) pertinent to the Renaissance.

Shakespeare Studies Courses

See Course Prerequisites Policy

Lower Division Courses

SHS 236 Introduction to Shakespeare Studies
4 credits
Surveys the culture that produced Shakespeare and his works through an interdisciplinary focus on two plays from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival repertory, with performances, guest lecturers, and guest artists. Topics include Renaissance art, architecture, music and dance, political and religious institutions, social and economic transformations, science and medicine, travel and discovery, professional theatre companies, and Shakespeare’s life and work. Approved for University Studies (Explorations).

SHS 237 Shakespeare on Film
4 credits
Analyzes film and television productions and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays from the silent era to the present, focusing on their interpretations of Shakespeare’s text and their cinematic art (e.g., directorial technique, camera-work, lighting, costume, and location). Includes such directors as Olivier, Welles, Kurosawa, Zeffirelli, Branagh, and Luhrmann. (Cross-listed with FLM 237.)

SHS 299 Special Studies
Credits to be arranged

See Course Prerequisites Policy

Upper Division Courses

SHS 399 Special Studies
Credits to be arranged

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