The short paper will provide us a chance to get to know each other as student-author and as professional marker-grader.

Task:

You will produce a brief paper in which you argue a thesis significant enough to be interesting but not so important as to require many pages to do it justice.

The short paper will be graded on the following
Criteria:

The paper will have a single, coherent thesis.
It will have a title that communicates that thesis.
It will offer reasons in support of that thesis, and evidence in support of those reasons.
It will be properly formatted in accordance with MLA guidelines.
It will be submitted on October 13. Late papers will not be accepted.
It will be carefully composed and proofread.

Course Weight: 10%

Purpose: 

Comparing (similarities) and contrasting (differences) is one of the most effective ways to introduce new material, or to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a work or a writer.

Task:

For this assignment you are required to read a play by someone other than Shakespeare, then compare it and contrast it with one of the  Shakespeare plays on the course syllabus.  Ordinarily, the non-Shakespearean play will be one attributed to one of his contemporaries (roughly speaking).  With special permission secured beforehand, you might be permitted to compare & contrast one of the course plays with a play from another era (or, conceivably, another language).  You will have to have a very good reason for choosing a non-contemporary.

Criteria: 

A written proposal submitted no later than November 10, in which you name the plays you intend to work with, and your reasons for choosing those plays.
Submission on time.  Late papers will penalized one full grade per day until December 3, after which date they will not be accepted.
A communicative title.
A thesis for that title to communicate.
Evidence that the paper was composed carefully, and proofread.
Evidence supporting all substantive claims made in the paper.
Proper formatting according to MLA rules for research papers.
The incorporation into the paper of at least two reputable secondary sources.
A properly formatted Bibliography (by any appropriate name).

Course Weight: 20%

Other Early Modern Dramatists

The primary purpose of this option is to play with new media.  Rather than further honing your essay writing skills, you may choose to experiment with other media in order to present what you've learned in a more dynamic environment.

Task:

For the short paper alternative: To produce a dynamic work a) that suggests to readers the value of using new media to discuss the work of Shakespeare (or any work of literature, for that matter), and b) that enlightens a reader of Shakespeare in some non-trivial way.

For the comparison & Contrast paper: To produce a dynamic work a) that suggests to readers the value of using new media to discuss the work of Shakespeare (or any work of literature, for that matter), and b) that displays a non-obvious relationship between one of the course texts and the other play of your choosing, or c) that compares and contrasts the two plays in a fairly traditional way in the dynamic environment of the digital project.

Criteria:

Substitute "digital project" for "paper," and all the criteria for the Comparison & Contrast Paper apply here, plus:
The proposal must also declare your intentions for the digital project, or explain your rationale for choosing an alternative medium for your submission.
All your hyperlinks must work.

Course Weight:

This is an optional assignment that you can substitute for either your short paper (10%) or your comparison and contrast essay (20%).  In the latter case, you will be expected to compare and contrast one of the plays read for and discussed in class with a non-Shakespearean play.  Ordinarily, the non-Shakespearean play will be one attributed to one of his contemporaries (roughly speaking).  With special permission secured beforehand, you might be permitted to compare & contrast one of the course plays with a play from another era (or, conceivably, another language).