Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

IW: Wrng abt Macbeth (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2010-18

Course: ENGL 2010-18
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: ENGL
CRN: 32243

Course Description

ENGL 2010 emphasizes the development of an effective academic style in essays using traditional rhetorical patterns and culminating in a major research essay. In this course, as in all sections of English 2010, students will build on the skills learned in English 1010, focusing on critical thinking, argumentation, research, and documentation.

The thematic focus of this course is Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a play still frequently read, performed, and adapted into other creative media. Through three essays, we will analyze the text as a literary work, explore and synthesize its historical contexts, and examine and interpret some film adaptations of the play.

Required Texts

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth: Texts in Context, edited by William C. Carroll, Bedford/St. Martin, 1999. [ISBN 978-0312144548]
Please bring your text, a notebook for journaling, and a writing implement to each class meeting!
Required Film Viewings
Film 1:
  • a) Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth (2015) or
  • b) Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Film 2:
  • a) Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood (1957) or
  • b) Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2003)
We will watch these films in class; however, you will likely need to rent or purchase the Film 1 option should you choose to write about it in Essay 3.

Learning Outcomes

  • Sources and Evidence: Locate, evaluate, and integrate credible and relevant sources to achieve various writing purposes.
  • Genre Awareness: Demonstrate critical and conceptual awareness of genre in reading and writing—including organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices.
  • Context and Purpose: Analyze rhetorical situations and adapt to the audience, purpose, modalities, and the circumstances surrounding a range of reading and writing tasks.
  • Language Awareness and Usage: Recognize and make intentional, critical, and contextually-informed language choices across a range of rhetorical contexts/situations.
  • Recursive Writing Processes: Develop flexible, iterative, and reflective processes for invention, drafting, workshopping, and revision.

Course Requirements

Informal Writing & Journal Entries. You will complete 5 Informal Writing Assignments connected to our formal essays (10%), which will be full points for completion (100%/ A+) if students follow my directions. Additionally, students will complete weekly in-class journal entries related to readings, key concepts, and writing, which will also be ungraded (10%). Please note that other than the second and final days of class, all Journals Entries will be spontaneously assigned and collected up by me at random (at least 5 times during the semester). 20%
Essays. You will write three Macbeth-focused Essays (+ Drafts) on the following: an Analysis Essay (4-5 pages), a Synthesis Essay (5-6 pages), and an Interpretation Essay (8-10 pages). Each essay will have different rhetorical and research requirements. 60%
Classroom Engagement. You can earn up to 10% for attendance and an additional 10% for in-class discussions and group activities. 20%

Course Outline

Please complete all assigned readings on the designated day before attending class. Except for T 9/2, in-class journal activities will be unannounced, so bring your journaling notebook to each class meeting.

Thanksgiving Vacation
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
R 8/28
Intro. To Course & Policies
Macbeth, Act 1, Scenes 1-2
Review “Dramatic Literature” (in Module 1)
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 9/2
Macbeth, Act 1, Scenes 3-7
Discuss “Character” + 1st Journaling Activity
Discuss Literary Analysis Essay Guidelines & Required Sources
R 9/4
Macbeth, Act 2;
Read “Shakespeare’s Poetics” for Group Activity (in Module 1)
Review “Solo Taxonomy” Learning Model (in Module 1)
Review MLA in-text citations
IW 1: Character Analysis 1
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 9/9
Macbeth, Act 3-4
Discuss “Theme” for Group Activity
R 9/11
Macbeth, Act 5
Discuss Outlining + Voice, Ethos, and AI
IW 2: Character Analysis 2 or Theme Paragraph
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 9/16
Discuss Essay Introduction + Thesis
Work on Introduction in class
R 9/18
MLA Works Cited + Discuss “Guidelines for Peer Review” (Handout in Module 1)
Work on Analysis Essay in class
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 9/23
Peer Review: Bring a Paper Copy to swap with a classmate
R 9/25
Discuss Historical Synthesis Essay Guidelines & Required Sources
Discuss “History” for Group Activity
F 9/26: Analysis Essay Due
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 9/30
Topic 2: Treason & Resistance
Read “Resistance in Theory” (pp. 231-36) and John Ponet, A Short Treatise Of Political Power and An Homily against Disobedience and Willful Rebellion (237-41); and “Resistance in Action” (249-56) and King James I, A Speech to Parliament (261-63).
R 10/2
Topic 2: Witchcraft & Prophesy
Read “Witchcraft” (300-307), Reginold Scott, The Discovery of Witchcraft (307-310), King James I, Daemonolgy (325-28), and An Act Against Conjuration (328-30)
IW 3: Synthesis Essay Proposal
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 10/7
Discuss Essay Introduction + Outline
R 10/9
Peer Review: Share Electronic Copies of Draft with your group BEFORE you come to class via Google Docs
Synthesis Essay Draft Due
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 10/14
No Class: Fall Break
R 10/16
Draft Debrief + Q & A
Discuss “Ways of Reading a Film” (In Canvas Module 2)—using examples from our two Macbeth options
Vote on Film 1
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 10/21
Film 1: TBA
R 10/23
Finish Film 1
F 10/31: Synthesis Essay Due
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 10/28
Discuss Interpretive Essay Guidelines & Research Requirements
“Ways of Reading a Film” Group Activity
Vote on Film 2
R 10/30
Discuss “Adaptation” for Group Activity
Locating and Evaluating Film Reviews and Scholarly Articles
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 11/4
Film 2: TBA
R 11/6
Finish Film 2
IW 4: Interpretive Essay Proposal
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 11/11
Introductions + Outlines
R 11/13
Incorporating Secondary Sources + TBA scholarly Essay (I will assign this after we’ve chosen our film 2).
IW 5: Works Cited Page
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 11/18
Peer Review: Bring a Paper Copy to swap with a classmate
R 11/20
Writing Workshop: Work on drafts of your essay in class
Draft of Interpretive Essay Due
Reading Assignments/Classroom ActivitiesWriting Assignments
T 12/2
Draft Debrief + Q & A
R 12/4
Last Day of Class: Final Journal Entry
F 12/5: Interpretation Essay Due

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignments. All work is due as indicated in the syllabus. In Canvas, there is a final turn-in date of 24 hours after the original due date, during which I will accept work with a 10-point penalty per day. After the Canvas assignment closes, I will not accept any work unless you have requested an extension 48 hours before the initial deadline.
Some possible scenarios.
Turn in on time = a grade (for example, 90/A-)
Turn in 1 days late = 10-point grade reduction (80/B-)
Missed deadline without approved extension = no grade (0/F)
Any work completed in class—specifically Journal Entries—cannot be made up without a university-sanctioned excuse.

Attendance Policy

Attendance. Attendance is required, and participation is expected. Because these categories account for 20% of your grade, failure to attend class and participate in discussion, group activities, and journal writing could result in a low or failing grade for the class. If you miss a Peer Review day, that absence will count as two absences. Finally, if you come to class more than 15 minutes late, you will automatically receive a 75% that day for your attendance.

Course Fees

There is no fee for this course.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.