How to Read Shakespeare

Creative Commons licensed
by Kristina

As new students come into my Shakespeare classes this semester, I think it wise to remind them of my tips on how to read Shakespeare.

The Study of Shakespeare Must Evolve

Creative Commons licensed by Vaun Raymond

That's right: the study of Shakespeare must evolve. This is the theme that I have set for my current Shakespeare courses. On this blog I will be documenting how I am changing my approach to teaching Shakespeare on the college level, and here I will also coach my students in doing the same. It is my contention that Shakespeare can be experienced more meaningfully if students are invited to let go of some traditional approaches and to try other ways newly available due to the wide accessibility of media and new communication tools.

Click through to read my description of how teaching and learning about Shakespeare in the digital age compares with a more traditional approach.

An Experiment in Teleconferencing and Shakespeare

Just what could be done by combining teleconferencing technology with an undergraduate course in Shakespeare?

What could be gained, what put at risk, by splitting a course in Shakespeare between two locations, mediated by telepresence?

These are the questions I'm posing myself today, after receiving an invitation from  the BYU Salt Lake Center to pilot a hybrid course split between there and BYU-Provo. As explained to me by the center's director, Scott Howell, the Vidyo telepresence technology will be available for distance learning for the first time for a humanities course. It makes sense to try this out on a very common course like Shakespeare.

Final Projects for Fall 2011

After some vigorous and helpful discussion Thursday, it was decided that we would put on an event at the semester's end to showcase the projects. One of the groups will take the lead in planning that event (what I'm now calling the media group).


Given that we will be combining all our projects at that point, and given that many students have interest in more than one group, I am allowing (within reason) for people to contribute to more than one project if they have the interest and energy.


With this in mind, please blog about these projects between now and our next meeting on Nov. 8th so we can better define the parameters of the proposals and assign people more firmly to specific projects. Consider responding to this post, or possibly link back to a post on your own blogs.

Proposed Projects

1. Theatrical Production: “Love’s Labours” Averill Corkin is heading up a group that will put on a short production that combines couples from three different plays by Shakespeare. Group members: Averill, Anthony, Eric, Gabe, Justin, Brittni, Martina
2. Art & Education Mason and Amanda Cassandra are combining those with interests in producing art related to Shakespeare with those interested in creating an art and education curriculum of some sort as an open educational resource to be circulated online.
3. Documentary Kelsie has proposed using her film talents to head up doing a documentary film about the production of the various projects and the event showcasing these.
4. Music Video Kara has proposed the creation of some post rock done to a Shakespeare text and of a music video based upon this.
5. Audio Shakespeare Amanda has proposed putting together a group to do an audio performance of a work by Shakespeare to be posted to the LibriVox site in the public domain. Brittni is eager to help.
6. Media Austin will head this group, which combines pragmatic uses of media to publicize and conduct our end-of-semester event, as well as exploratory and creative uses of media to show what can be done in digitally mediating Shakespeare. JJ Despain will also be on the team, along with Eric B.
7. Proposed Production A group that creates a plan for a proposed production of one of Shakespeare's plays. This can include a text "treatment," artistic sketches for the art design or costumes, storyboards, or reference media.

More details about general requirements for the projects follow:

Midterm Assessment (Fall 2011)

Eng 232 / Fall 2011
Dr. Gideon Burton

Midterm Assessment

During the week of Oct 31 - Nov 4 we will be assessing how we’ve done so far in reaching the course learning outcomes and making plans for the final project that you will be working on during the final month of the semester. The midterm assessment will be divided between 1) a self-assessment; and 2) a midterm interview.

1. Midterm Self-Assessment (blog post)
Due: Mon. Oct 31 (for those scheduled for a Tues. midterm interview); all others, Tues. Nov 1

Create a blog post in which you assess your progress to date. Please follow this structure:

A. Learning OutcomesYou may wish to refer to the learning outcomes as outlined in more detail on the course syllabus.

1. How have I gained Shakespeare literacy?
2. How have I analyzed Shakespeare critically?
3. How have I engaged Shakespeare creatively?
4. How have I shared Shakespeare meaningfully?

Underneath each heading, provide a short paragraph that includes linked references back to those blog posts that have documented your learning in each area.

B. Self-directed Learning

Provide a brief paragraph in which you reflect upon your self-directed learning.

• What have I done that demonstrates I have taken charge of my own learning about Shakespeare?
• How am I doing at planning my learning, documenting my learning, finding appropriate resources for my learning, scheduling and carrying out learning activities, and measuring my learning?

Note that I am just as interested in how your thinking and habits are developing as I am in knowing specific things you have done. Are you thinking and acting like a self-directed learner?

C. Collaborative and Social Learning

Provide a brief paragraph in which you reflect upon how you have learned alongside and through others. Specifically:

• Which students have aided me most in my own learning (through help inside or outside of class, through their comments on my blog, or through their blogging, etc.)?
• How is working withing the assigned learning groups working? How could this be improved?
• How am I involving others (outside of my group or even our class) in my learning? Or, how am I applying my learning about Shakespeare in social settings beyond class?

D. Looking Ahead

State what your plans are for meeting learning outcomes or personal learning plans that are incomplete. This can include discussion of the final project.

2. Midterm interview
Sign up for a scheduled individual interview time with the instructor. I will be reviewing your self-assessment blog post prior to your interview and will base our discussion around that. In addition, be prepared to speak about:

• any of the plays we’ve studied together
• your individually assigned play and that assignment.
• live performances attended or film adaptations viewed
• final project ideas

Setting up a Student Blog on Blogger

My Shakespeare students are required to blog. This post is intended to guide them through the basic setup. Later, there will be more information about customizing blogs and criteria for good blogging. I am requiring everyone to use the Blogger/Blogspot platform for consistency's sake:

Blog Setup

1. Go to Blogger.com
   If you already have a Gmail or Google account, go ahead and sign in. If not, click on Get Started which will help you to get an account.
2. Within your Blogger dashboard, click on "Create a Blog" (on the right).
3. Blog Title
   This will appear on the top of your blog. Try not to make your blog title sound like a boring assignment ("My Shakespeare blog" or "English 232 blog"), and don't make the title too long. If you use a quotation, make it super short. Browse the list of past student blogs here and ask yourself, "Which of these blog titles make me interested to read the blog, and which do not?" Your blog title can be changed later, but you shouldn't change it often or it will confuse people. 
4. Blog Address (URL). Normally you can choose anything (that's available) to go in front of .blogspot.com.  However, for this class please follow this naming convention for your blog: LastNameFirstNameCourseNumber. Example: burtongideon232. If this name isn't available, please add a middle initial or another variation on your name like brownmatt232 instead of brownmatthew232.
5. Choose a Template
   You can play with this later, customizing the look and feel of your blog. Pick one of the simple standard templates to get started. Later, go back through the "Design" tab to customize more.
6. Publish your first post.
   Please make an introduction post on the topic of your Shakespeare experience and interests. 
7. Fill out the form here to submit your blog's URL:
   
   

A Shakespeare Badge System

Have you earned your Hamlet badge yet? What about your Globe Theatre Badge for attending and reviewing stage productions of Shakespeare's plays? Or maybe you'd like to earn your Horatio Badge, for demonstrating "thou art a scholar" of Shakespeare?

After brainstorming ideas about open accreditation with open content advocate David Wiley recently, I have been playing with the idea of developing an open learning credential system for my Shakespeare course through which badges would be used to represent achieving learning outcomes. Such a system would not simply be a way for my students to demonstrate their learning to me or get a grade; it would provide a prototype for open credentialing -- a concept that will do much, I believe, to advance current educational reform. If a badge system can work with a common subject like Shakespeare, perhaps it could be adapted more broadly.

This is how I foresee it working: