ENG26-27 – Shakespeare for Teachers
Course name
Shakespeare for TeachersUniversity
UUEC
5/6 ECCourse date
semester 1 (2026 - 2027)Registration open until
Location
Utrecht (UU)Instructor(s)
Dr. Esther van Raamsdonk (UU) & Prof. dr. Hans Jansen (RUG)Email course coordinator
Dr. Esther van Raamsdonk (UU)Course objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, students will:
- Have developed a critical intellectual foundation for teaching Shakespeare;
- Be able to recognize defining characteristics and concerns of Shakespearean drama;
- Be able to analyze and discuss with students the rich, complex language of Shakespeare’s plays;
- Be able to situate Shakespeare’s drama in the realities of the modern playhouse;
- Be able to discuss adaptation and performance approaches to Shakespeare’s work in connection to teaching;
- Have mastered different dramatic techniques to explore Shakespeare’s drama;
- Have become aware of classroom integration of Shakespeare’s dramatic works.
Course content
Knowledge of, and familiarity with, Shakespeare’s plays and poems remain vital components of understanding English language, literature, and culture. This course deepens and broadens that knowledge and familiarity by closely attending to two or three of Shakespeare’s plays, and by bringing contemporary, topical critical lenses to bear on those works. The emphasis in this course is on the various ways one can teach Shakespeare, in particular in a secondary school setting. Through close reading, engagement with critical theory, and discussions of performance productions, films, and interpretations of the plays, students will hone their skills in critical reading and writing and gain an essential academic grounding for teaching Shakespeare themselves.
We will spend several weeks studying A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello and Romeo and Juliet as three plays most suited for young audiences. We will pay special attention to performance aspects, adaptation, language, and the perspective of gender studies and adaptation studies. in addition, we will visit the Shakespearetheater in Diever for a theatre production and a tour.
Educational perspective
This course will help students develop the expertise needed for teaching Shakespeare and it will encourage them to develop their own best tools for that teaching.
Course requirements / Language proficiency
A strong command of spoken and written English is essential to succeed in this course. Basic knowledge of Shakespeare and drama in English is recommended. Given the popularity of the course, please note that a cap of a maximum student number can be implemented for this course.
Format
The course consists of weekly seminars, alternating between on site (4) and on-line (3), and an excursion to a performance at the Shakespeare Theatre in Diever.
Exam
Research essay 50%
For this assignment you will develop a class or several classes around one of the plays under discussion and you will draw on one of the theoretical lenses discussed during the course. Your paper will contain assignments and activities for different age groups, involving the text as well as online theatre productions. This essay will be 3000 words (including references) and will be formatted in MLA style. Note: You must earn at least a 6 on this assignment in order to pass the course.
Oral presentation / defence of the essay 50%
Students will conduct a 15-minute oral defence or explanation of the choices made and the activities included in their paper with the teachers, illustrating their knowledge of the material.
The final grade consists of a weighted average of the two components.
Students who need 6 EC (UvA/VU) should announce this in week 1. They write a longer essay.
Study load
5 EC (=140 hours)
Seminars: 6 x 3 = 18 hrs
Excursion to Diever: 6 hrs
Reading and preparatory work per week: 6 x 12 = 72 hrs
Research Essay = 44 hrs
Schedule
Fridays 14:00 – 17:00
Data on campus: 13-11, 27-11, 11-12
Data online: 20-11, 04-12, 18-12
Op 21/11 excursion to Shakespeare theater in Diever
Background literature and course materials
Ralph Alan Cohen, ShakesFear and How to Cure It, The Arden Shakespeare, 2018, ISBN 978-14742-2971-8
Shakespeare, William, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ed. by Linda Buckle; Cambridge School Shakespeare, fourth edition, 2014; ISBN 978-1-107-61545-8
Shakespeare, William, Othello, ed. by Janet Coles; Cambridge School Shakespeare, third edition, 2014 ISBN 978-1-107-61559-5
Shakespeare, William, Romeo and Juliet, ed. by Rob Smith; Cambridge School Shakespeare, Fourth ed. 2014, ISBN 978-1-107-61540-3
Additional information
Books cost Approx.. € 90
On Saturday 21 November we will visit the Shakespearetheater in Diever, for a tour of the theatre and a matinee performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (in Dutch). Attendance at this day is essential for participation in the course. It is your responsibility to make sure you can be in the village of Diever on time. Diever can be reached by car, or by public transport.
We are expected at the theatre at 12.15 pm for the tour. The show itself starts at 3.30 pm.
You should be able to leave for home around 6 pm.