Learning: A Lifelong and Social Experience

Learning Outcomes

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy

Over the course of this semester I have read and watched various Shakespeare plays and sonnets including: The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter’s Tale, Henry V, King Lear, and Love’s Labour’s Lost. I was introduced to more Shakespeare works than I had previously been exposed to. The breadth of my study included plays from the main Shakespearean genres: comedy, tragedy, history, and romance. I was able to gain a wider picture of Shakespeare’s works through the various genres. Henry V and my individually assigned play, Love’s Labour’s Lost were two plays that I studied more in depth. Through this process, I learned more about rhetoric and how powerful it can be. I also learned that pretty much EVERYONE has their own opinion about it. During this time, I was also able to watch various plays on film and stage. Some film/stage adaptations were certainly better than others. Certain artistic and theatrical features determined the quality of the performance. For example, the Henry V stage production chose not only to cast Henry as a female but also adapted much of the play for a children’s audience. This greatly changed the way Henry is viewed as a character. Sometimes these changes worked, and sometimes they didn’t. However, all the changes revealed something different about the play and emphasized its applicability to our day. In addition, over the course of the semester I have read countless sources about background information about Shakespeare, peer-reviewed articles, and found numerous blogs and modern-day adaptations of his plays.

2.Analyze Shakespeare Critically

Throughout the semester I was also able to analyze Shakespeare critically through various means. Textual analysis was done throughout various blog and digital dialog posts and my literary analysis and final papers. The history plays helped me analyze Shakespeare in a contextual way. I looked at the history surrounding the play as well as the modern adaptations and the implications of Shakespeare in our modern culture, the impact that he’s had on us today. When we practiced writing different thesis statements, I was exposed to various theories and methods of analysis. I was also able to see different ways that Shakespeare is expressed digitally.

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively

Through performance, Shakespeare became more interactive for me. The stage production of Henry V and the movie of The Taming of the Shrew allowed me to see a very different side of Shakespeare through performance. One of the scariest things I did in this class is compose a sonnet. I had to personally expose myself/my feelings through imitating Shakespeare, and while I didn’t participate in a formal collaborative creative project, I feel like Digital Dialog and the blog posts helped us connect more with one another. As a class we moved together and learned from each other.

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully

Through formal writing, I shared my developed theses about Shakespeare. I wrote two papers that required me to engage in the conversation surrounding Shakespeare in a very academic and professional way. The informal writing was a bit much for me at times. I didn’t always see the purpose of it. However, I was exposed to many different opinions by participating in the online forums. I was also able to share my thoughts more readily than if we had done this during class. For me, I’ve never really had trouble sharing things that I thought were interesting to those in or outside the classroom, but it was nice (even though sometimes people didn’t really get it) to tell my roommate something that I found really interesting in a play (like Henry V’s scene with Katherine, I loved being able to tell her about it!)

5. Gain Digital Literacy

One thing that was especially helpful to me was being introduced to the focused and diversified bibliography. At the time I thought it was really lengthy and a nuisance, but it was actual really helpful. I may not have to do all those different methods every time I do research, but it’s another tool I have in my pocket if I ever need it. That was the most helpful to me in consuming the digital culture. Creating the digital content was at times repetitive, but I found myself wanting to create funny titles or finding amazing pictures that would make my classmates want to join in on the conversation I was having. I think this helped me think of things in different ways. I had to in order to be noticed. I think it was a good thing because it helped me think out of the box. Finally, connecting through digital media was interesting. I remember several classmates (even myself) that went to the online blog to receive support and encouragement when they were having a rough time. I don’t think that this would have happened without us being forced into this informal setting. Perhaps these instances weren’t formal, but I think the informal helped us be comfortable enough to be formal later on.