ENG 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Shakespeare Across the Mediterranean

4 credits (Spring)

We explore the figure of Othello in Shakespeare’s 17th-century drama and Verdi’s 19th-century opera. What does it mean to create, perform, and witness difference in these as well as our own contemporary contexts? In Washington D.C. over spring break, we experience firsthand how live theater and opera grapple with questions of identity and culture. At the end of the semester, we finish the course in Venice, Italy and on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the story’s original settings and long-standing crossroads of political, ethnic, religious, economic, racial, and cultural forces. First-year students interested in this course will need to complete an application in addition to doing the normal registration process. The application materials are available at http://travel.global.grinnell.edu/. Students selected to participate in the Global Learning Program will be required to pay a $400 participation fee (most other required travel expenses will be covered). This fee will be added to the student tuition bill and will be due by the first day of classes. If payment of this fee causes you financial concern, please contact Gretchen Zimmermann in the Financial Aid Office to discuss loan options to cover this additional cost of attendance.

Prerequisite: Instructor approval.
Instructor: Garrison, Maynard