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The Shakespeare and Education programme is really exciting and really unique and allows
people to develop an interest in pedagogy. Often, their practice in pedagogy as teachers,
but also to really immerse themselves in the works and plays of Shakespeare. And so it
balances that mix between practice but also content.
The students are asked to take three core modules.
One of them is Shakespeare's Theatre which gives them an intensive induction into Shakespeare's
plays, especially as they've been performed through history. We also ask them to take
the research skills module where they learn about all of the online databases and research
resources and archives that are available to them through our e-library and also through
digital providers across the world.
And then they are also asked to take an intensive pedagogy module and that module specifically
focuses on teaching Shakespeare in different contexts. So, primary, secondary, tertiary
levels. And the specifically unique thing about that one course it is one week during
or around the Easter holidays where everyone is invited to come to the Institute. So, it's
actually onsite, very intensive. People come from all over the world and do it and then
go back to where they live and complete the assessment for it and then complete the rest
of the MA by a variety of distance optional modules that are available to them about Shakespeare
and appropriation, about Shakespeare's craftmanship and history of performance. They can tailor
those choices to their own interests.
The final part of the MA is to complete a dissertation. A piece of original independent
research that's focused on some aspect of teaching Shakespeare. Whether it's teaching
Shakespeare through adaptation or issues about educational policy in Shakespeare and Education.
It's really up to them.
The programme allows people to really work on developing their practice as educators.
But it also allows them a really deep engagement with Shakespeare's plays, poems, Shakespeare
on stage. And I think that is really unique. So I think we get that balance right of having
the opportunity to really return to Shakespeare as a student, as a scholar, to look at aspects
of Shakespeare in performance, Shakespeare's literary craftsmanship, Shakespeare and translation,
Shakespeare and popular culture and then to take that and think really critically and
in an engaged way about how it works in today's classrooms.
We have a lot of experienced educators who continue their work as teachers and perhaps
expand their profiles, but it's worth saying that we also have a lot of people who are
perhaps interested in becoming educators but haven't yet. So they're at the very beginning
of their career, perhaps looking to develop work as a teacher. And perhaps they have a
real passion for Shakespeare, for english literature and drama and so they really want
to spend this time focusing on that particular subject area before they then go on to develop
their practical career as a teacher.