The UNED-Calatayud Shakespearean Club aims to be a cultural forum that promotes literature in the English language.
In the 2024-25 edition we present works that fit into three defined blocks of two sessions each:
- Block 1 (Session 2 and 3): Dystopian fiction: Animal farm by George Orwell;
- Block 2 (Session 4 and 5): American Gothic fiction: The Fall of the House of Usher, Ligeia and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.
- Block 3 (Session 6 and 7): Feminist fiction: The Awakening by Kate Chopin.
Session 1 will develop the presentation of the programme, goals, contents and general introduction to literature in the English language.
Session 8 is the closing of the activity, in which a general assessment of the activity will be developed and the activity programme for the 2025/26 academic year will be presented. We will pay tribute to Shakespeare, after whom our club is named, reading several of the bard's sonnets and notable excerpts from four of his greatest tragedies: King Lear, Macbeth, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.
Methodology
The activity takes place monthly in ninety-minute sessions from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each work will be presented in a first session, proposing a series of guidelines to facilitate the reading and understanding of the selected pieces. The second session will address the reading of excerpts of each work, analysis and round table with the participants in the session, in which we will exchange different points of view and opinions.
The minimum level required to undertake the works and sessions with a certain guarantee is B2, although anyone who is interested in the activity can participate, regardless their level. This could be a great opportunity to improve your English skills.
Session calendar
S1. Tuesday the 24th of September, 2024
- General introduction to the whole project: British and American Literature, Literature in English, goals, methodology and proposed readings and authors.
S2. Tuesday the 15th of October, 2024
- General introduction to dystopian fiction.
- Guidelines to read and understand Animal farm by George Orwell.
- Orwell´s concise biography, style and time.
S3. Tuesday, the 12th of November, 2024
- Reading of selected excerpts of the novel.
- Analysis: Characters, structure and symbolism.
- Round table and conclusion.
S4. Tuesday the 17th of December, 2024
- General introduction to American Gothic Literature.
- Guidelines to read and understand The fall of the house of Usher, Ligeia and The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe.
- Poe’s concise biography, style and time.
S5. Tuesday the 14th of January, 2025
- Reading of selected excerpts of the proposed stories.
- Analysis: Characters, structure and symbolism.
- Round table and conclusion.
S6. Tuesday the 11th of February, 2025
- General introduction to Feminist Literature and criticism.
- Guidelines to read and understand The Awakening by Kate Chopin.
- Chopin’s concise biography, style and time.
S7. Tuesday the 11 of March, 2025
- Reading of selected excerpts of the novella.
- Analysis: Characters, structure and symbolism.
- Round table and conclusion.
S8. Tuesday the 8th of April, 2025
- Final session: General conclusion and assessment of the club’s activities and sessions through metacognition methodology.
- Presentation of the next programme.
- Tribute to Shakespeare by reading some sonnets and excerpts from his most famous tragedies: Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.
- Sharing info pills about Shakespeare to understand the readings.
