Spring into Shakespeare (Online)

Enhance your knowledge of Shakespeare and gain the skills to study at postgraduate level. You can take the course for pleasure, to boost your career or to progress onto a Masters.

Successfully completing this short course provides you with an alternative qualification for entry onto our MA Shakespeare programmes.

You'll cover topics including genre, language, and Early Modern playing practices. Drawing on the University's collaboration with the RSC, you'll attend virtual seminars held in collaboration with their theatre experts to discuss contemporary performances of Shakespeare.

You'll enhance your understanding of how Shakespeare's texts are performed by hearing from those who bring his plays to life on stage.

You'll learn through weekly online lectures and seminars, discussion boards, production viewings, Q&As with RSC staff, and independent study.

By the end of the course you'll be able to:

• Discuss key concepts relating to the study of Shakespeare. These include genre, text, Shakespeare in performance, Shakespeare’s language, characters, plot, and themes
• Develop an appreciation of Shakespeare’s writing and the performance of his plays in the context of the Early Modern period
• Write in an academic style appropriate for MA-level study in Shakespeare and understand how to use an academic referencing system (such as MHRA).

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

While studying the course, you'll use the University's resources, including e-books and journals, as well as performance databases of productions from the RSC, Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre.

Course structure

In the first four weeks of the course you'll consider different approaches to studying Shakespeare. In weeks five and six you'll discuss Shakespeare in contemporary performance. Weeks seven and eight are optional and cover research skills for anyone who wants to progress to the MA Shakespeare courses.

• Week 1: Analysing Shakespeare’s language
• Week 2: Defining genre
• Week 3: Exploring early modern playing practices
• Week 4: Shakespeare and the history of thought
• Weeks 5 and 6: Shakespeare in contemporary performance (seminars held in collaboration with Royal Shakespeare Company theatre practitioners)
• Optional - weeks 7 and 8: Research Skills A: Using digital and physical resources to conduct research and Research Skills B: Academic writing and referencing

The seminars will run on Mondays from 24 February 2025.

We offer two short courses on Shakespeare: ‘Spring into Shakespeare’ and ‘Fall in with Shakespeare’.  These are standalone courses that can be studied individually or consecutively.

Weeks 1–6 of ‘Spring into Shakespeare’ have different content to Weeks 1-6 of ‘Fall in with Shakespeare’.

The optional Weeks 7 and 8 (Research Skills A and B) are the same content for both short courses. If you’ve already studied Research Skills A and B on ‘Fall in with Shakespeare’ you don’t need to take these again on 'Spring into Shakespeare'.

If you haven't already completed Research Skills A and B and you’re using ‘Spring into Shakespeare ‘to transition onto a Shakespeare Institute MA programme, you’ll need to complete Research Skills A and B during weeks 7 and 8.

To be accepted onto the Spring into Shakespeare short course, you will need:

• An undergraduate honours degree in any subject OR professional experience of working with Shakespeare.

We'll also consider candidates who don't have an undergraduate degree or professional qualification if you have at least ten years’ work experience including significant managerial responsibility.

You'll need proficient English Language skills, including reading, writing, speaking and listening. This is so you that can engage fully with Shakespeare's texts on the short course. If you are currently studying at a Chinese university, we have specific entry requirements and a list of acceptable universities for further study at Birmingham.

The deadline to apply is - 17 February 2025.

You'll need to create an account on the University's application portal, via the ‘apply now’ button above, and complete a short application form.

If you have any questions about the short course please contact us at:

calpg-comms@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Successfully completing this short course, including the Research Skills weeks, allows you entry onto our MA Shakespeare courses.

Alternatively, the course can be used as Continuing Professional Development if you work in heritage or cultural sectors and would like to expand your knowledge of Shakespeare and/or theatre in the Early Modern period.