From the Classroom to Germany

Hi there fellow Shakespearean Enthusiasts!

So, I am no longer in Dr. Burton's class, but he asked me if I would write a quick post about a really cool opportunity that has come my way as a result of the paper I wrote for his class last semester.

The Merchant of Venice, Finally

For publication, I intend to submit my paper to a few different journals just to increase my chances and explore the options out there.
The Valley Review
For this one I will have to change the paper to Chicago style, which shouldn't be too difficult, and I need to increase the length by just a hundred words or so. I will be going back into my original outline to see if there is anything I feel I can incorporate back into my argument to increase the length by just a little. Submissions due Dec 15.
Philologia
For this one I will have to do minor format changes, like make the citations footnote, as well as write a 200 word abstract and cover letter. This one doesn't accept submissions again for a year I think, so I will put it on the back burner, and possibly just consider it for future papers.
Criterion
For this one, too, I will increase the length ever so slightly. I won't have to change much else. My paper relates a tiny bit to the special topic for the upcoming issue. It probably doesn't really fit into the category directly, but it would be related, which I think is cool and would be interesting. Submissions due Jan 18.
Agora
This one doesn't really require much change for my paper. It is supposed to be about great books, so talking about a famous Shakespeare play is very appropriate. Submissions for next issue are due Dec 15.

And, finally, here is the finished product.
The Merchant of Venice as a Non-Racist Text

After reviewing past issues of each of these journals, I am considering writing a more interesting title for some submissions.

Responses to Tweethis and ROUGH

Well posting my tweethis on facebook was extremely helpful. A former classmate mentioned some ideas that expanded my view on the whole question I am addressing and provided new avenues for application both within and without the play. My thesis revolves around something of a moral question actually so I got a lot of personal responses to that question that weren't really particularly helpful since they didn't relate to the applications in the text, but they did make me think, and there might be new perspectives which will help me adjust the way I look at the play. My mom actually posted a link to a talk by President Monson which related to that moral question. I've added it to the list of articles I am still planning on reading, so it may come in handy, but we'll see. Overall, I'd say this was not only helpful but definitely encouraging. Success.

And here is my current draft of the real deal. It's mostly introductory material and the beginnings of my proof. (Also, do you think it would be better and more specific if I turned this into a reading of Shylock rather than a reading of the whole play?)

The reason I did not post this earlier is because about a third of the way writing through my first draft I decided to change the focus of my essay radically. And then, of course, there were the polls to stare at...If you've seen my previous theses and thoughts, you can see that although I'm still working within the same theme, my actual argument is fairly new here. I'm still working on weeding it to get rid of the stuff from before that is less applicable now. Bolded portions are main points, so you can scan this and still get a pretty good idea of the content:

Social Networking and Teaching Shakespeare

I just thought I'd share some of the cool experiences I've been having while trying to incorporate more social networking into my research. I mentioned in my annotated bibliography that I posted some questions to Goodreads, English Companion Ning, and Facebook... and Facebook certainly had the quickest results. The initial question I posted and the comments I began receiving are below. Note that, as discussed in class, I opened up the discussion with a pretty broad topic, just to get a general sense of opinions and interest in the topic. I did also mention (although, perhaps I shouldn't have) that the question was for a class/grade... this was mainly for the same reason that was brought up a few times in class: I was worried about people not responding. Luckily, I had a big response... and some conversations that continued after this first post.

Overcoming the Common Complaints of Teaching Shakespeare to Secondary Students

Hey, so for those of you looking at a pedagogical approach to Shakespeare, Professor Burton suggested I post this. It is a paper I wrote for a teaching class and its focus is overcoming the common complaints of teaching Shakespeare in a secondary classroom using alternative teaching methods. There is an annotated bibliography at the end, so maybe that can help you find some good sources.

Twelfth Night Tweethis and Bibliography

My updated Thesis is:

Twelfth Night is a valuable play to be studied by junior high students as an introduction to Shakespeare because of its insights into human nature and cultural changes, interesting historical context, and entertaining qualities.

Do you think this is specific or arguable enough?

Annotated Bibliography:

Social Graph:
As far as a social graph I've got my cousin, Grayson. He's an actor and he's probably very familiar with Shakespeare. My old roommate Kirsten got a degree in English Teaching and would have helpful insights.  My mom will she listen to whatever I say and provide me with intelligent responses. My roommate Jocelyn Gray, like my mom, will listen to whatever I say, and she comes from a different perspective.