The Learning Outcomes of Bailey Gleason

Literacy:
Unfortunately most of the in-depth analyzing of Shakespeare's plays that took place in class happened the weeks that I was very ill. I wasn't incredibly active in posting online or coming to class because I spent most of my time in bed trying to fight sickness. I felt gypped of the opportunity to really gain the literacy that I've seen y'all gain, and in part I believe that's why I ended up taking a pop culture route to my paper as opposed to an analysis heavy paper that was all about the text. I just felt I didn't gain the background to do that, but in the end it worked out for me. Something I am extremely grateful for was the opportunity to watch Shakespeare movies which I really haven't done in the past. I really enjoyed watching the plays come to life and I am much looking forward to watching numerous more in the future.




Analyzing:
I feel that I grew a lot here in the analytical portion of the learning outcomes, because I finally came to an understanding of what Professor Burton means when he asks us for a "close reading" of the text, which I failed to deliver not only in my first class with him, but also in the textual analysis paper we had at the beginning of the semester. In our midterm evaluation, I finally asked him straight up what he meant, and he explained what he meant to me with an example from Taming of the Shrew. My mind was blown, and I was amazed that I hadn't realized or made the connection sooner. I'm really grateful to him for explaining that to me, because it will come in handy in other classes as well.
I feel like I've also grown better at understanding the language of Shakespeare from all of the exposure to it, which really helps in the analysis process since you can't analyze something you can't understand (this also can fall under the literacy portion). Although I didn't get to have a lot of class discussion due to my absences towards the beginning, I did get to read a lot of Shakespeare on my own and familiarize myself with the language. I used No Fear (since I had a few of the No Fear editions of the plays before the class) when I didn't get to make it to class. It helped me understand everything a little better in a way that talking with the class might have helped. It really helped me understand the analysis process and as I read more, I was able to use No Fear less.

Creatively:
This was my favorite learning outcome, because I believe it was the one I grew the most in. I took Shakespeare and made a claim that, as far as my research has shown me, no one else has ever seemed to make. I was able to show two separate entities in a whole new light because of it, and I enjoyed the process in doing so.
Another thing that helped me engage Shakespeare creatively was the chance we had to watch the film versions of Shakespeare. I really enjoyed this because it gave different viewpoints of characters portrayed and helped me think of the plays in new and creative ways. For exampled in Taming of the Shrew, watching the film lead me to develop the idea that Bianca wasn't as innocent as she often lead her suitors, and even the audience, to believe. I love having visual media as a means to change opinions and thoughts that often can't be changed or influenced any other way.

Sharing:
I LOVED sharing my paper topic. Absolutely loved it. I found that was the way I most effectively shared Shakespeare since I was so attached to what I was researching. When anyone asked what I was up to, I immediately told them about my paper. It always lead to interesting conversation, even if it lasted only a few minutes.
Something else I loved about being in a Shakespeare class was the wonderful connections you can make to plays and the events going on in your life. Occasionally I would be discussing something with a friend, when I would remember a line, or a character, or an aspect of a play, and that would lead to me including my thoughts on the subject in our conversation, as I mention in the digital section, there are a surprising amount of people who don't know about Shakespeare, and there are a surprising amount of people who do. It's really beautiful when you can make a connection with someone on a new level such as Shakespeare.

Digital:
Ugh, this part was the bane of my existence up until the end of the semester when it actually helped me. I just could not get a handle on navigating the digital media waters, and I often found myself overwhelmed by the amount of information that is out there and available. Luckily I was able to wrap my head around it, and by the end of the semester I had contacted a few people who specialized in my paper topic, and I was able to get some really positive feedback on the subject (although I also found out that there are a lot of people who don't know a lot about Shakespeare... weird).