Undergraduate Course: Shakespearean Sexualities (ENLI10133)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | In Gender Trouble, Judith Butler posed the following questions: 'Does sex have a history' Does each sex have a different history, or histories? Is there a history of how the duality of sex was established, a genealogy that might expose the binary oppositions as a variable construction'' (1992, 7). Since then, numerous scholars have explored these questions, with many of them focusing on Shakespearean drama. Variously viewed as patriarchal, feminist, queer, or trans, Shakespeare's plays offer divergent views of sex, gender and sexuality in early modern England: this course will offer the opportunity to discuss these views with reference to selected dramas. While the course will examine the way in which gender roles were conceptualised/expressed during the Renaissance, it will also explore representations of sexuality. Bearing in mind that the identity categories of homosexuality/heterosexuality are nineteenth century inventions, students will be encouraged to examine the different ways in which eroticism was expressed in the early modern period. Although Shakespeare was, of course, writing in England, with the exception of The Merry Wives of Windsor, few of his plays are actually set there, so we will also students will consider how issues of race and/or nationality intersect with the construction of gender and sexuality in Shakespearean drama. |
| Course description |
In Gender Trouble, Judith Butler posed the following questions: 'Does sex have a history' Does each sex have a different history, or histories? Is there a history of how the duality of sex was established, a genealogy that might expose the binary oppositions as a variable construction'' (1992, 7). Since then, numerous scholars have explored these questions, with many of them focusing on Shakespearean drama. Variously viewed as patriarchal, feminist, queer, or trans, Shakespeare's plays offer divergent views of sex, gender and sexuality in early modern England: this course will offer the opportunity to discuss these views with reference to selected dramas. While the course will examine the way in which gender roles were conceptualised/expressed during the Renaissance, it will also explore representations of sexuality. Bearing in mind that the identity categories of homosexuality/heterosexuality are nineteenth century inventions, students will be encouraged to examine the different ways in which eroticism was expressed in the early modern period. Although Shakespeare was, of course, writing in England, with the exception of The Merry Wives of Windsor, few of his plays are actually set there, so we will also students will consider how issues of race and/or nationality intersect with the construction of gender and sexuality in Shakespearean drama.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 23 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One Coursework Essay of 2,000 words: 30% [LOs 1 & 2]
One time-limited Final Essay of 3,000 words: 70% [LOs 1 & 2]
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain how sex, gender and sexuality are represented within Shakespearean texts, with reference to both early modern and contemporary understandings of these concepts.
- Construct original, clear and coherent arguments, based on close readings of Shakespearean texts and relevant critical material, to assess the extent to which these concepts are historically determined.
- Participate in autonomous learning groups, contribute to in-class discussion, and engage respectfully with others on the course.
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Reading List
Set Texts
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Titus Andronicus
The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado About Nothing
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Twelfth Night
Othello
The Winter's Tale
Two Noble Kinsmen
In The Norton Shakespeare, edited by Stephen Greenblatt et al., New York & London: W.W. Norton & Co., 2008 (Second Edition).
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
https://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/english-literature/undergraduate/current/honours |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
Numbers are limited and students taking degrees not involving English or Scottish literature need the written approval of the head of English Literature. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
Seminar: 2 hours a week for 10 weeks
plus 1 hour(s) per week for 10 week(s): attendance for one hour a week at Autonomous Learning Group at time to be arranged. |
| Keywords | ENLI10133 Shakespearean Sexualities |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof James Loxley
Tel: (0131 6)50 3610
Email: James.Loxley@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lina Gordyshevskaya
Tel:
Email: pgordysh@ed.ac.uk |
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