Shakespeare's Outsiders

Score Requirements: (Score Table 2)

About the Course: Why is Shakespeare the most famous writer in the English language? Why, nearly four hundred years after his death, are his plays still being read and performed all over the world? In this course, we will learn about Shakespeare's life, the society he lived in, and the plays and poems he left behind. Focusing specifically on Othello, The Merchant of Venice,and The Taming of the Shrew, we will learn about Elizabethan attitudes towards race, religion, and gender and consider how controversial issues such as the exploration of new worlds, slavery, religious toleration, and the rights of women influenced these plays. Students new to Shakespeare need not be afraid; we will explore his unique, exciting, and sometimes confusing poetry together in a supportive environment, discussing difficult passages and analyzing his use of literary devices such as meter, rhythm, metaphor, and allusion. We will also look at modern interpretations and adaptations of his plays and debate whether or not they remain meaningful for readers and audiences in the twenty-first century. Through virtual lectures, short essays, online discussions, and live chats, students will have the chance to engage with the instructor and one another as they share their thoughts about and interpretations of weekly reading assignments.

About the Instructor: Erin Sullivan is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of London, where she researches the cultural history of early modern England and teaches courses on English and American literature. Originally from North Carolina, she completed her B.A. in English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then moved to England on a Fulbright Scholarship to study Renaissance drama at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. Erin has taught for Duke TIP's Summer Studies Program since 2001; past courses have included Madness and the Mind: Investigations in Literature and Art, Art History, and The Spirit of the Renaissance.

Instructor(s) subject to change.