--A Restatement of the Objective(s):

Each student shall satisfy the requirements of this course when he/she demonstrates with at least 90% proficiency during discussion/oral readings and his/her writings the understanding that is "important to political science and history" and the ability "to trace the etymology of significant terms," "to discern the meaning of analogies encountered, analyzing specific comparisons as well as relationships and inferences," and "to read the texts aloud fluently and expressively" (ICAS, 2002, p. 70) in respect to:

• A problem that he/she will investigate through sources and interpretations of Shakespeare and associated literary scholars about the conditions that prevailed among the Anglo Saxon, Anglo Norman, and international Catholic Church of Pope Innocent III (Boyce, 1990), the causes for which the Magna Charta was born;
• The Medieval struggles that King John (1167-1216) faced as he reluctantly signed the Magna Charta at the request of the Papal Barons in 1215, and how the Anglo Saxon Protestants differed from the international French Catholics in manners that Shakespeare (1564-1616) recognizes on the surface as he remains partial to neither side;
• The reflection/analysis of Shakespeare through his treatment of King John as one who "is sympathetic to Catholicism" (Boyce, 1990, p. 342) as he (Shakespeare) also recognizes the conflicts of the times;
• The criticism and meaning of expressions such as Machiavellian intrigue (Shakespeare, Bevington, & Papp, 1988); and they will be able to synthesize such understanding as they explore the dynamics, conflicts, and psyche of the protagonists and antagonists of the work;
• The Middle Ages of King John that denotes the period of European history that extends from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453; the Elizabethan era of Shakespeare as it refers to the 45-year reign (1558-1603) of Elizabeth I of England;
• The Renaissance, a French word for "rebirth" which was first used by 19th-century historians for the period that dates approximately from the mid-14th to the end of the 16th centuries;
• The Middle Ages (1215) of King John that occurred more than 350 years before Shakespeare wrote during the Renaissance and Elizabethan times of the experiences and political-social climate that compelled the controversial hallmark of the Magna Charta;
• Research and sources that interpret and challenge statements such as King John's, "All of the kings of Christendom are led so grossly..., dreading the curse that money buy out...this juggling witchcraft with revenue cherish" (Shakespeare, 1955, 3.1.162-169);
• The Magna Charta and its influence on democracy (Troutman, 2005).

--A list of the different groups of stakeholders who will be impacted by the project and a brief description of what their primary concern is likely to be:

• Students: As they maintain and develop competencies toward their understanding, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge and problems that pertain to ongoing assessment by their overseers in respect to their graduation, admission, transfers, and placement;
• Episcopalian Church; Protestant Church; Catholic Church; Francophone: As each leader and member of such specific church maintains viability and prosperity within all of their communities; qualities that depend on the understanding of each leader, member, and potential members for its heritage and perspective;
• The University from which I graduated: Important pedagogy remains important to national and state standards that the faculty continues to uphold and to instruct; the administration, faculty, and counselors are concerned about feedback and policies that their graduates (alumni) encounter as they interact within other educational institutions; are other students and instructors acquainted with A Grammar for Teachers, for example; why or why not?
• Dramatic, language-arts, and mathematics-science leaders for whom I have worked or volunteered my time throughout my life: As they evaluate all individuals, circumstances, and learning-publishing organizations with which I communicate and interact for compliancy with national and state standards, and related behaviors and attitudes;
• Representatives of national and state testing divisions who are all related today with the Educational Testing Service (ets.org): Standards in respect to specific areas of knowledge and literary subjects are important to the design, implementation, and revision of assessments and related curriculum;
• State Commission of Credentialing: Leaders, both political and educational, remain concerned about the efficacy of curriculum, instruction, and the attainment of standards integrated by national and state educational institutions and organizations;
• Political science and literary groups of scholars, students, and learners: Comprising an immense knowledge base, political science and literature that pertains to the studies coordinated by national and state organizations should coincide and be addressed in respect to the knowledge base and curriculum coordinated by national and state assessment organizations; such groups are maintained through the language arts leaders, mathematics and science groups such as NASA and IBM, and history/literature scholars of the Classics and Contemporary criticism, for example, the Shakespeare Folger Institute, leaders of drama and academia, the King's Men, the Globe and Royal Theater Companies, many Universities, and individual scholars.

References

Boyce, C., White, D. (Ed. Consultant), & Hands, T. (Foreword). (1990). Shakespeare a to z. N.Y. & U.K.: Roundtable Press, Facts on File.

Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS) (Spring, 2002). Academic literacy:  A statement of competencies expected of students entering California public colleges and universities. Sacramento, CA: ICAS. Retrieved from http://icas-ca.org/Websites/icasca/Images/Competency/AcademicLiteracy2002.pdf

Shakespeare, W. (1955). The histories and poems of Shakespeare, illustrated edition, vol. 2. Chicago: Spencer Press.

Shakespeare, W., Bevington, D. (Ed.), & Papp, J. (Foreword). (1988, January 1). The complete works of William Shakespeare, vols. I-IV. New York: Bantam Classics, Pearson Education.

Troutman, N. (2005, February, 25). The Magna Carta 1215. Retrieved from http://www.constitution.org/eng/magnacar.htm

Text- and illustration-only version:
Shakespeare's King John and Magna Carta