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.

Learning Came-outs

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy 

I definitely came out of this class with a greater knowledge of Shakespeare, especially in several different reincarnations of his texts. Perhaps most importantly, I read plays I had never read/heard/seen before--specifically The Winter's Tale and King Lear, expanding my Shakespeare vocabulary and working knowledge significantly. I also understood more deeply plays I had experienced before, especially Henry V. After reading and seeing Henry V in London last summer, I thought I had a good understanding of the play, but after watching Kenneth Branagh's version, seeing the Children's Theater adaptation, and writing on the play myself, I saw much further into the play, especially the role and power of rhetoric both within and outside the play, as the play itself is an interesting work of rhetoric. I realized in London that the best way to experience Shakespeare was in performance, and so I was grateful that we got to watch several live and filmed performances, as well as read about and listen to others (listening wasn't required, I know, but I took advantage of the opportunity to try out a couple audio versions of the plays).

Specifically for my research project, I learned about Shakespeare's legacy in video games and Shakespeare's legacy in the debate of what "art" is. It was especially interesting to learn how society's views of Shakespeare have changed so drastically over the years, and how that has changed both the levels and types of performances his plays have been given. Shakespeare's legacy is perhaps the greatest of any artist not just because his own work was of such high quality, but because he has been the springboard for the work of others' of all ranges thanks to the original quality of his own work. 

All of this information has been buried deeper into my memory than it otherwise would have because I experienced/gained it all with other people--whether it was my wife, classmates, or random internet personalities, I will remember what I learned about Shakespeare much longer than what I learned in other classes this semester because so much of the information has specific people attached to it.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically 

I really enjoyed the opportunity not only to discuss Shakespeare's work from the text in class, but also analyze how his work has been adapted to stage, screen, and otherwise (I don't know what medium Sleep No More is supposed to be). I think because we discuss movies so often in our culture anyway, we were a lot more prepared as a class to discuss film adaptations of Shakespeare together than just the text itself, so I feel I learned a lot more from the films not just because they offered their own interpretation, but because discussion of those films was so easy in class. Walking the shelves of the library was (sadly) a new way for me to understand the history of Shakespeare. Just seeing the progression of books and scholarship of Shakespeare and watching the trends of the older books to the newer books was itself a study in contextual analysis as I could see the physical books and journals and feel the influence of that time period of the piece itself. It helped me look at Shakespeare from a broad range of cultures all at once, which invited all kinds of different theories quite naturally into my analyses. I really appreciated Prof. Burton's emphasis on a broad range of sources and people to discuss Shakespeare with because it helped me break into so many different interpretations so quickly, which gave me a freedom to really interpret Shakespeare how I wanted and felt was most important based on what had already been said.

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively 

While we didn't do much traditional creative work with Shakespeare, I personally feel like my final paper on Shakespeare and video games displays some of the most creative thought of my college career, as far as creative means novel, innovative, and valuable to others. Also, the original sonnet I wrote--and especially the video I made to go with it--was the most satisfying traditionally creative pursuit of my semester, so this class really helped me win on both fronts, even if creativity wasn't a main emphasis. I think the reason for this is because I told more people about my ideas and solicited more help with my work in this class than any other class or project I've ever worked on, and as I worked with others my projects just kept getting better. 

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully 

Similar to what I said about creativity above, I feel like my projects for this class have been some of the most meaningful of my college career, again thanks in large part to my increased sharing and invitation for input. Because I felt free to go out on such a limb with my paper (let's be honest, how many professors would have really supported a paper on Shakespeare and video games? Sure, many might have said it was a good idea, but I don't think too many would have actually considered it appropriate, especially for an undergrad), I was naturally forced to dig more meaningfully into Shakespeare's work because the meaning was no longer obvious. The meaning of Shakespeare has already been so well mapped out again and again in the past in relation to so many subjects that I feel most students can just kind of skirt their way around the real meat of Shakespeare and what he means to our culture. By tackling a relatively original connection to Shakespeare, I had to ask a lot of old questions in new ways and really try and pull out my own answers--questions like "What is art?" and "What constitutes a profound experience?" So many people agree that Shakespeare already answered these questions that we almost forget to think about the questions and just gloss over them as old news. Taking Shakespeare into new realms allows us to re-ask those questions with a whole new vigor, and allowed me to rediscover much of the great meaning of Shakespeare for myself.

Additionally, not only did this happen once or twice as I worked on two formal projects, but kept happening as I kept having to write more and more and search for more new people to share my ideas with. I literally searched the whole spectrum of human intelligence to find answers to my questions--everything from the great Bard's words and highly-respected, peer-reviewed academic articles all the way down to the lowest comments on the dumbest blogs of the video game industry. Studying Shakespeare in class and online simultaneously felt something like it must have felt to see Shakespeare in the original Globe--with groundlings and royalty alike watching on in awe at one man's words.

5. Gain Digital Literacy 

I can quite honestly say my online world has shifted thanks to this class. Because the internet was validated for me as a source of legitimate information (as long as its wielded correctly), I dug deeper into the internet for answers to intellectual questions than ever before. I joined at least two new social networks for this class (Disqus and Reddit) and found several, several others to read and respond to regularly. I also actually started using my Twitter account, which I had only sort of used before for my job. Rather than see the internet as a place to escape life or wander around, the internet to me now is a place to really connect with real, good, intelligent people in ways that would never be possible before. I know better than ever how to mine the internet for great information, and also how to collect, store, and organize that information for future use and even new, creative material to be given back to the community in the form of Tweets, posts, and comments. It helps that I was looking for better ways to use the internet already, so when I was given the opportunity, I really tried to run with it, and I'm very grateful now.

All in all, I learned far above what I learn in the average class in this class, but not so much because of more material to cover or a more insistent professor, but because of wider information resources and more freedom to explore and connect with others on important questions.

Leah's Learning Outcame

History, Context, Genres and Themes, and Ethics  - I felt like I exponentially increased my Shakespeare Literacy by studying the plays, watching the movies, and attending the performance. The different genres make Shakespeare accessible and enjoyable - the setting, characters, diction, allusions, themes, and of course the PLOTS make a lot more sense now.

Secondary Scholarship 

I benefited from the other books and articles and blogs and conversations that I read about Shakespeare and his work. I learned to appreciate all that is available about this and other topics.

Scholarly Research 

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy 

I loved the things I learned about original Shakespeare and about Shakespeare today. I understand it has a huge part in education and entertainment all over the country, around the world, and across various interests and investments (i.e. Shakespeare video games!). I understand Shakespeare better by getting familiar with him/his works through all these different genres.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically 

In my essay I compared A Midsummer Night's Dream to Romeo and Juliet and other plays, and had to think critically to decide why MND is, in my opinion, the best option for teaching ninth graders. This required me to focus on this and the other plays and their similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses, appeal to audiences, and impact on society. I feel like I own Shakespeare in a whole new manner!

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively 

When we wrote and filmed our sonnets I felt like this helped me to engage creatively with Shakespeare. That was fun and interesting and provided a bit of insight into the bard’s mind, if nothing else than just to think like a poet for a few minutes.

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully 

People said they liked my sonnet that I posted on facebook and google +. That’s a good way to share Shakespeare. And I am hoping that the essay I wrote about how to teach Shakespeare will influence teachers and students in a way that is meaningful. I am excited about the venues to which I submitted my paper. I think all the blogging in class was a sort of way to share Shakespeare meaningfully – not really my cup of tea, but required for this class, so I did it. Talking to people about Shakespeare in person was fun and I plan to do more of that for the rest of my life.

5. Gain Digital Literacy 

I learned how to blog, how to upload videos to youtube, and how to find social media groups about pertinent things, like google communities. My digital literacy has been increased. I might even end up blogging this summer as part of my job. Imagine that! I did not think that this kind of research was necessary or the most valuable way to learn and write about Shakespeare, but I guess every thing has its place somewhere. 

Rachel Talks about Learning Outcomes

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy
     a. Breadth (knowledge of a range of Shakespeare's works)
    I started out this semester as a Shakespeare skeptic.  I felt like I had had a lot of exposure to Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello).  But then we/I read the Shakespearean sonnets this semester, delved into The Taming of the Shrew and women's roles; discussed Shakespeare's history plays (including reading Henry V); and explored the depths of Macbeth's treacherous mind in Macbeth.  We analyzed King Lear and tackled the crazy romanticism of The Winter's Tale.  I can now honestly say that I have an appreciation for Shakespeare, that he is no longer categorized in my brain as the famous playwright who totally appealed to the masses in his tale of two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.  I appreciated that we explored his different genres, as I'd never read his history plays and really enjoyed Henry V and never read his romances.  I think my understanding of Shakespeare could only have come as I was exposed to his different works and realized how dynamic a playwright he was.

Learning Outcomes in Reflection

 

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy 

a. Breadth (knowledge of a range of Shakespeare's works):

Throughout the class, I was exposed to four of Shakespeare’s plays that I had never personally read.  To a certain degree, I wish we had stuck more closely to his works and been exposed to more, but it was a great experience to become more familiar with King Lear, Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, and The Winter’s Tale.  Beyond the reading of the plays, interacting with my classmates and reading through their papers, I became more familiar with a broad range of Shakespeare’s plays and on top of that, varying analyses of these.

b. Depth (more thorough knowledge of a single work):

The majority of the class I spent analyzing Shakespeare’s Othello, a play I had previously read in high school, but never in the way that I did during this course.  In the effort to find my own analysis of the work, I was introduced again to the play in an entirely new way and became more familiar with it than I ever could have in High School.

c. Performance (stage and screen):

I had the opportunity to watch film versions of Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, and King Lear.  On top of that, I went and saw the children’s stage version of Henry V.  These productions illustrated to me the true nature of Shakespeare and the way in which it should be produced.  Shakespeare is first and foremost a playwright, and his works have been perpetuated because they can be reproduced and adapted in a myriad of ways.

d. Legacy (history, scholarship, popular culture):

I wrote papers on The Winter’s Tale and on Othello.  This experience introduced me to the background histories of these plays, the staggering amount of scholarship, and the way in which these particular plays have been adapted into pop culture.  Shakespeare has a remarkable presence and his influence has leached into today’s society just as much as he did during his own time.  Movie adaptations baring his plot themes and characters have introduced the masses to Shakespeare’s mastery often without them even realizing it.  His wide range of plays has developed into a remarkable standard for today’s authors to achieve.  He applies to the scholarly just as much as to pop culture as I have come to realize more and more throughout this course.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically 

The final research paper that took up a majority of this class has become a remarkable learning experience in terms of familiarity with Shakespeare.  There is so much room for analysis and the perpetuation of his works is better realized in the amount of time I spent researching, a time period that could have carried on and I still would have been discovering new things, new ways of looking at his works.  Studying Othello, helped open up that world to me and the potential there is in studying and analyzing Shakespeare’s works critically.  Even with all the scholarship already accomplished, spanning decades, there is still room for my own analysis.

3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively

At the beginning of the semester, we were assigned a sonnet, mirroring the pattern of Shakespeare.  The assignment, to be honest, terrified me, because I am no poet.  In the process of writing that sonnet, however feeble it was, I spent the time to read many of Shakespeare’s sonnets and watch readings of them on YouTube.  I was thoroughly introduced to the pattern of those sonnets the sheer prowess with which Shakespeare wrote them.

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully 

My roommates and I often discuss the things we are researching in our classes.  My roommate Paige in particular is a psychology major and discussing Shakespeare with her is always an interesting journey through the literature.  She especially inspired and helped me through my final paper.  Blogging about my research and the assignments on Digital Dialogue to share our insights on the literature tended toward tedium, but as we got deeper into the course appreciated them nonetheless.  I was able to build off the insights of others and it helped with beneficial discussions during class time that really introduced me to Shakespeare’s work better than anything else could have.

5. Gain Digital Literacy 

This, for me, was probably the most difficult part of the course, but it did help me along with the research process and introduced me to information that I never could have approached.  I learned a lot about blogging and social media and how reaching out to other people can really aid in how we read and interpret Shakespeare, especially in today’s society where technology plays such a big role.

Nyssa's Learning Outcome Reflections

Gain Shakespeare Literacy

Breadth: Over the course of the semester, I read at least one play from each of the major genres of Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew, a comedy; Henry V and Richard II, histories; A Winter's Tale, a romance; and  King Lear, a tragedy. Through reading these plays, I was able to expand my knowledge of Shakespeare from what I had acquired during high school, which focused mostly on the tragedies. And, since I read the Digital Dialogue posts and research papers of other students in the class, I feel at least conversant in other Shakespeare plays, as well as the general character and plot types that Shakespeare often uses.

Depth: Before this semester, I had only the vaguest of ideas of what King Lear was about. Now, after closely reading it, researching it, watching a film adaptation of it, and writing a paper about it, I feel confident in my knowledge of that play. I read it at least twice through this semester, and I think part of the depth requirement is feeling deeply as a response to the play. My paper really helped me emotionally tap into the play in a way that I find difficult for most other texts. I can immerse myself into the tragic examination of family relationships and old age because of my deep involvement with and understanding of the text.

Performance, stage and screen: I only got to watch one stage adaptation this semester, Henry V, but I watched film adaptations of Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, and King Lear. I was able to sharpen my film analysis skills through examining choices made in the adaptation, and overall what I learned was the flexibility and creativity involved in adapting Shakespeare plays. Especially helpful for me was realizing that Henry V has been portrayed as both rah-rah patriotism and harmful jingoism throughout the years, a difference I hadn't really thought possible before researching adaptations. I can now comment more intelligently on the differences between film and stage adaptations and the original Shakespeare text.

Legacy (history, scholarship, popular culture): My first paper on Taming of the Shrew really helped me understand the historical context of Shakespeare's plays, as did reading and commenting on other students' papers. For Paul's paper, for instance, I had to remind myself of the religious relations of Shakespeare's time to help him work through potential pitfalls in his argument. And though I nearly neglected the scholarly tradition for blindness in King Lear in my fervor over disability studies, Dr. Burton pushed me in the right direction and helped me acknowledge the traditional approach to the play in scholarship. Reading other students' papers also got me interested in all sorts of Shakespeare scholarship that I wouldn't have had time to research on my own. It's harder to gauge my increased knowledge of Shakespeare in popular culture, but I have been able to integrate ideas and quotes from Shakespeare into my everyday life; I was even able to identify a misplaced Shakespeare quote in an early draft of David's paper.

Analyze Shakespeare Critically

I found that the more I was forced to articulate what I thought about the plays, either through writing in forums, blogs, and papers or through recording my thesis video, the more intelligently I was able to read the plays. I really developed my close reading skills (kind of my most prized skill from the English major) in being able to write a paper that revolved around them; I was able to take both scholarly traditions and historical context into account when reading a play and use these contexts in tempering my claims. I feel like I did a pretty good job over the course of the semester about avoiding easy arguments and Shakespeare platitudes, and my paper displays the consideration I took over multiple facets of an argument.

Engage Shakespeare Creatively

Like everyone else is going to say, the sonnet project helped me be creative with Shakespearean material. I really enjoyed the time I spent trying to get my meter down perfectly. Also, though, the Youtube videos I made, though I didn't really edit them much at all, let me know that more creative ventures are possible further in the future. It's not an impossible thing to make videos, and I'm excited about having that realization.

Share Shakespeare Meaningfully

Most of my Shakespeare sharing came from talking things over with my husband, Neal. I got used to talking about a books that (gasp!) many people have actually read. On the one hand, this means that I might not get to used the most developed forms of my arguments, but it helped me figure out what approaches to the texts would matter to and be understood by most people. Talking through my arguments with my peers in class really helped me fight my way out of the worst parts of academese, so now I'm prepared to enter the real world with experience writing (another gasp!) readable prose.

Gain Digital Literacy

This is the part of the class that I struggled with the most. I felt like I had to prove myself in my topic before asking people for their input on it, so that really hampered my outreach. I was also discouraged when most of the people I reached out to didn't get back to me. But I did learn how to search through blogs and social media to find things that people are talking about, which will be useful in the future far beyond a class on Shakespeare. I did, however, gain some bravery in talking to other people on the Internet, so I'm at least glad I gave the digital aspect of this class a try. I feel a little more connected with people in the world--like I can at least ask people questions without being terrified of what will happen.

Reflecting on our learning outcomes....

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy 

a. Breadth (knowledge of a range of Shakespeare's works); I believe I gained this by reading many a play this semester. Additionally, by reading and discussing research papers of other students, I was able to learn more about plays that I still haven't read.

b. Depth (more thorough knowledge of a single work); I definitely got my fill of Henry V this semester. I'm proud that I feel like I know the play fairly well. By reading it in class, seeing the play, the movie AND writing a research paper on it, I definitely got the most out of this work.

c. Performance (stage and screen); I learned that just doing one of these things isn't enough for me. To get the fully experience, I have to do multiples: watch AND see. This way it's solidified in both words and actions. When I watch I pay less attention to the words. When I read, I can't picture the scenes as well because I'm trying to decipher the words! Both is better.

d. Legacy (history, scholarship, popular culture); Through my social media efforts, I've realized that there are a lot of people out there outside of schools who still care a lot about Shakespeare. It's been eye opening to see online discussions and other student blogs trying to accomplish the sames things that we are.

How Lizy Came Out Learning

My take on the learning outcomes of the course and how I have fulfilled them:

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy

I took off running with this particular requirement. This semester in class I read samples of different genres of Shakespeare's plays, comedy (The Taming of the Shrew), romance (The Winter's Tale), history (Henry V), and tragedy (King Lear), and I have gained an understanding of the breadth of Shakespeare's works. On my own I read King John and Henry VIII (and all but completely reread Richard III), and through my research I gained knowledge of the other history plays, and I have also done some in-depth research on King Lear and Winter's Tale as pertaining to my term paper, so I have also gained depth in understanding certain Shakespeare topics and themes. This semester I have seen live performances of Henry V and The Winter's Tale, and I have seen film adaptations of Henry V, Taming, and King Lear, so I know how Shakespeare's plays have been adapted and envisioned across different mediums.

2. Analyze Critically

I have engaged with critical analyses about Shakespeare's plays and written a paper engaging with these and explaining my own ideas about certain texts, applying other scholars' literary theories to my own interpretations. I have learned how to do close textual analysis of the original text, examining word definitions and rhetorical devices for the meaning they add to the text. I have also examined the relationship between the plays and the historical/cultural contexts in which they were written.

3. Engage creatively

I have learned how to write a sonnet with proper iambic pentameter. I have analyzed performances for their creative twists on the original plays through costume, lighting, action, etc.

4. Share meaningfully

In two formal papers as well as numerous blog and digital dialouge posts I have shared my ideas about Shakespeare with my classmates and the internet. I also made a post related to my topic for my term paper on my personal blog, and I have posted my "tweethis" statements on facebook.

5. Gain Digital Literacy

I did learn to use blogs and social media (ie goodreads) as forums for sharing ideas and gaining insights from others.

Thoughts from a virgin blogger...

First of all, I found Professor Burton's outline and reading other students' posts really helpful in understanding the social networking, development and research that goes into the process of the this paper. I read over Jessica Asays's posts and found her learning outcomes very relieving. I can totally connect with being initially intimidated by Shakespeare at the beginning of the class, and now, feeling a little more capable of handling his work. Breaking down the process into different steps and having questions to be able to focus our efforts on is really helpful to making this seem do-able.

Secondly, I'm excited to be using all of these new social media and experience interaction digitally and personally with friends, family, co-workers, and classmates. I'm not very familiar with blogging and tweeting and such, and even though it's hard to put myself out there in this way, I think it will be a worthwhile and rewarding experience.

Dana's Learning Outcomes

1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy
I have now read, watched, and/or studied numerous Shakespeare plays, including Troilus and Cressida, Henry V, King Lear, The Winter's Tale, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and A Comedy of Errors. I feel like this breadth has given me a wider knowledge of Shakespeare's great range of emotion and writing ability. In addition, I have done a more in-depth study of Henry V and Troilus and Cressida as I spent a substantial amount of time researching the plays and criticism about those plays. I have studied Troilus and Cressida in depth for over a month now as I have worked on perfecting my paper about it. In addition to this textual knowledge, I have gained an insight into Shakespeare by watching performances on stage of Henry V and A Comedy of Errors, and watched versions of King Lear, Henry V, Hamlet, The Tempest, and As You Like It. In addition to all of this literacy I have gained of the actual plays, I have learned so much more about Shakespeare in popular culture. Who knew that people have discussion groups about him over the internet or Twitter? I also learned more about Shakespeare's life, birthplace, wife, and schooling--what shaped him as a person and perhaps influenced his writings--as I watched a movie about his life, read various pieces of scholarship that gave his background as I wrote my paper, and reflected upon my visit to Stratford-upon-Avon this past summer.

2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
All of the responses we posted on Learning Suite and the blog, as well as the scholarship we did in our papers, was basically a continual analysis of Shakespeare. In my paper about Henry V, I looked at the language of the play to make my argument (e.g., the definitions of words, the puns on words, etc.). I also examined the theme of the overall play and drew upon my examination of the language to interpret the theme. In this post, I analyzed the stage version of Shakespeare's As You Like It, where I was able to interpret the set, tone, actor interaction, and viewer interaction of the play and explain how those elements might have affected how the play was interpreted. I have also analyzed the effects of Hamlet and Henry V on screen. This semester, I have really learned how to look at small details within a play on stage or on screen and understand what those small elements mean in relation to the whole play. In my paper on Troilus and Cressida, I looked at the contextual analysis (what sources Shakespeare drew upon for comedy and tragedy, what viewers at the time would have expected from a comedy or tragedy, what the "cultural" norms of a play were) in order to analyze the text as a whole and understand how genre played a role in interpreting the play. I have certainly realized the importance of both textual and contextual analysis as I have interpreted Shakespeare's works.

4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
I certainly participated in formal writing this semester. I spent the past month or so writing my paper about Troilus and Cressida. To do this, I went to the library to find scholarly sources (and checked out around 10 to 15 books), looked for various resources online, and wrote my paper in a formal and professional manner. I submitted the paper to the BYU English Symposium, Criterion, and the Scholars' Archive. In addition, I wrote another literary analysis paper about Henry V earlier in the semester. But I haven't limited my writing to formal outlets. I have also posted regularly on both Digital Dialog and the blog in order to analyze numerous plays and respond to others' ideas. In addition, I have discussed my paper with several students in the class and even discussed my paper with my roommates, family, and friends.

5. Gain Digital Literacy
I learned that scholarly work doesn't have to be limited to the classroom or to traditional forms of sharing! I have found ideas for my paper from Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads, blogs, and many other "nontraditional" sources that I had originally thought would never have any content about Shakespeare. I also posted my own scholarship on this blog and on YouTube, which were new mediums of scholarly publication that I had never delved into. I also tried to connect with friends on Facebook about Shakespeare, and even connected with an old professor of mine to discuss the genre of tragedy. She gave me help that influenced my paper and I was able to reconnect with her after several years (a double bonus of sharing scholarship on social media).

Reflection
This class has really boosted my understanding, not only of Shakespeare, but of how I can research and write in general. I really enjoyed the amount of time we were able to spend on the final paper. Most of the time, teachers give little time for students to produce a piece of work, but in this class we had about a month to produce a final draft. The blog held me accountable for my learning and spurned me to start my research process earlier. In this way, I was able to have a more solid idea when I actually started writing. The feedback I received from the students on the blog was also helpful because it turned me in the right direction for my final paper. Without this feedback, I wouldn't have been able to write as strong of a paper. Finally, I enjoyed making a video about my paper. This activity helped me narrow down my thesis. Not only did I learn more about how to write a paper, but I also learned the importance of seeing a Shakespeare work on the stage or on the silver screen. Of course reading a Shakespeare play is interesting, but watching the play really brings it to life. I like looking for all of the possible permutations that are available for each play. The focus of our class helped me understand Shakespeare as a living subject.

Gabe's Learning Outcomes

LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Gain Shakespeare Literacy

Breadth. Growing up so close to Cedar City's Shakespeare festival gave me many opportunities to become familiar with a good range of Shakespeare's plays, through going on my own or going back in high school. With this background, and the fact that this isn't my first Shakespeare class at BYU, I was curious to see how many new plays I would meet this semester. Several of the plays we read I had already either seen or read them, but it was a great refresher. Shakespeare's works amaze me in their applicability to life. They serve almost as a type of scriptures of the humanities. This semester I enjoyed learning a lot more about what is sometimes referred to as the Henriad, or the history tetralogy from Richard II to Henry V. Before this semester my interest in the historical plays was limited to Julius Caesar and Henry V, and I was happy to add to it.


Depth. The research paper I did about rebellion as found in Henry IV, Part 1 was a major help to the depth of my understanding of that time period in history. Despite my interest in the subject, I haven't ever taken a British history class, so the time I put into looking into Prince Hal's real life helped me put the play in perspective and gain insight on the play. Checking into some of my other classmates' research papers has also helped me learn of conversations concerning plays (Richard III is one example), which has been informational at the least.

Jessica's Learning Outcomes

I believe that sometimes you can only truly measure what you have become and what you have gained by measuring where you have come from.  Before this class I knew a bit about Shakespeare, I knew that he was a famous playwright that wrote amazing plays that have withstood the test of time.  Now I know details of his employment, am familiar with many more plays, and why they have not faded away into obscurity.  I know or am at least familiar with Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Caomedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, Taming of the Shrew, Othello, and As You Like it.  I gained a greater depth and understanding of Taming of the Shrew than ever before.  Previously I had only been familiar with the movie however, now I would be comfortable having a scholarly discussion about it because I know where to look in order to obtain the research I would need.  We discussed the legacy of Shakespeare and why he is so permanent.  His permanence results from his ability to describe the universal experience: happiness, sadness, tragedy, comedy and history.  As part of our discussions we talked about various aspects of Shakespeare performances.   Some things like character expressions remain the same regardless of the medium.  Other aspects are specific to the medium like camera angles are specific to film because there are no camera angles on stage.

I knew how to analyze a piece of literature thanks to the many English classes I’ve already taken for my major here at BYU.  However, interpreting a Shakespearean play was somewhat outside my academic reach.  I knew that I could use similar tools that I would use to analyze a poem and so I started with imagery, allusions and the like.  Now I feel comfortable discussing theme, language, the placement of conventions, and other formal devices.  In this class I learned that there are ways to analyze the text by comparing the historical events that occurred around the same time that a play was written.  These events could also lead to comparisons between the Elizabethan culture and modern day culture. By analyzing the text with this context I found little gems of knowledge that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. 

Well we shared a lot about Shakespeare through online writing and social media.  There are groups on Goodreads that didn’t respond until after the paper was due but I think that it will be a fun conversation to continue to pursue over the break.  I found myself discussing my paper with friends in my dinner group, sometimes talking up my paper to roommates, and sharing my knowledge with my parents.  I started out writing this paper as any other, with research in the library and then started organizing the facts only to find that they were so interconnected they basically linked themselves.  After revising with both classmates and others in my social circle I now feel that I have a paper that’s ready for publication.

This was the hardest learning objective for me to fulfill because I am not out there on the social media sites.  I use Facebook to organize face to face parties rather than for communication and Twitter is something that my sister does.  However, I was able to get past this bias and learn how to use Tweets in order to link to people who had performed in a Shakespeare play in the past.  I also engaged in a conversation in Goodreads that I hope will continue and spark more discussion.  And of course by submitting our papers for publication we are able to put our papers out there both on the Team Shakespeare Blog and out in the public eye for others to see, comment and criticize. 

             In this class I learned more than I originally thought possible.  I gained knowledge of how to find information through social networks.  As a class, I think that we bonded more than any other English class.  Sure it could have been that we were few in number or that we always had a few minutes to talk before class but I think that it was more than that.  I think that we were able to share ideas and learn outside the classroom but link that knowledge to the blog.  Some people who I would not have approached (simply because they were on the other side of the room) commented on my paper and gave me great feedback.  Overall it was a great experience and I'll be sorry to say good bye to everyone.  Hopefully we'll see each other around campus and have a brief moment to refer back to this class. . . Remember that time when we had that horribly long paper due in Shakespeare? Yeah, and it was due BEFORE Thanksgiving!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!