Nifty Learning Outcomes

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy: This class has been splendid in getting me deeper into Shakespeare. I was always jealous of people who had read more Shakespeare than me, and now I have nearly doubled my list of plays that I've read. I had already read Hamlet, but every other play this semester has been new to me. Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Winters Tale, Henry IV, and As You Like It were all plays that I had never read before. I reviewed Othello in order to write my paper, and that was an awesome exercise in close reading. I had never seen an actual Shakespeare production on stage before, so being able to watch the actors perform A Comedy of Errors was both an enlightening and enjoyable experience. Watching a new version of Hamlet opened my eyes to other interpretations of the character, and the film for the Tempest intrigued me so much that the play is now on my reading list. In essence, my literacy of Shakespeare has increased in the arenas of print, film, and stage.  
2. Analyzing Shakespeare: This semester has opened my eyes to how much one can get out of a single line of Shakespeare's plays. Everything from the diction and sounds of the words, to rhetorical strategies, to the actual meter in which the character is speaking has a meaning. I have never delved so deeply into Shakespeare before. I will never be able to go back to just glossing over Shakespeare. There is so much more than just plot to a Shakespeare play. I have also been able to attach modern issues and themes to Shakespeare and use his plays as a laboratory for current topics. I also learned how many ways there are to come at Shakespeare! Production design, costume design, historical setting, classical reception, film adaptations, rhetoric, linguistic, and teaching based are just a few of the really cool ideas I heard this semester.
3. Sharing Shakespeare Meaningfully: I have had so many opportunities to really discuss Shakespeare this semester, it has been awesome. I learned how to approach people with no interest in Shakespeare, like my wife, and show how his work has meaning for us today. I got to talk to my scientist father, who enjoys Shakespeare, about all of the cool literary devices Shakespeare uses. Then I pushed out of my comfort zone and was able to talk to people online about Shakespeare. Not just on our blog, but on websites and other blogs. The most exciting moment of that was when I engaged in a conversation with a blogger about the intriguing aspects of Iago and the Joker. Reading and discussing Shakespeare with the purpose of making him socially interesting, has definitely helped me approach Shakespeare with my friends in a way I never thought possible. I even find myself quoting him to friends who have never even read Shakespeare.
4. Gain Digital Literacy: Before this class I had difficulty defining a blog, let alone using one. I never posted things on Facebook. Comments were difficult enough, let alone videos or pictures! My digital literacy allowed me to search the web and check my emails. Now I can communicate with people on blogs, write blogs of my own, and successfully navigate social networks like Facebook and Good Reads. This is important, because as the digital world increases in importance, it will become a more effective way of sharing the humanities with the rest of the world. I want to become a professor. If I want to be involved in what's cool and exciting in the field, I need to know how to find it. I have never used anything other than scholarly articles as sources. I now know where to look for more information online and how to use it. 
5. Final Thoughts : I really like being able to hold a good dinner conversation, and in any intelligent setting, you NEED to know your Shakespeare! Shakespeare is pretty much everywhere and I'm glad I finally got to take a class that forced me to sit down and set aside a little time for getting down and dirty with some of his plays. I did, it is true, take pleasure in doing my paper. Is that weird? I don't know, but it was a blast! This wasn't some dry, drab, boring paper that I was only writing for a grade. I actually got involved in the idea. I REALLY liked how much discussion we had in class and the opportunity we had to exchange ideas over the internet and in person. Research should be fun, and Shakespeare should be approached from as many fun and exciting angles as possible. I never knew so many people would be interested in Shakespeare online. Now that I do, I know where to look in the future for opportunities to bounce ideas off of people!