Short course

Fall in with Shakespeare

Start date
Next start date to be confirmed soon.
Duration
6-8 Weeks
Time commitment
8 hours per week
Mode
Online
Cost
£350 for 6 weeks (not including Research Skills), £400 for 8 weeks (including Research Skills)
Subject
Shakespeare
Level
Postgraduate Short-Course (CPD)
Assessment
Individual assignment

Fall in with Shakespeare is a new short course designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to study Shakespeare at postgraduate level.

You will develop a strong understanding of key concepts relating to the study of Shakespeare, such as genre, language, performance, Shakespeare in Education, and Global Shakespeare.

Successful completion of this course may be used as an alternative qualification to those listed as entry requirements for the Shakespeare Institute MA programmes in Shakespeare Studies, Shakespeare and Education, and Shakespeare and Creativity.

This short course is also an opportunity for those who wish to study Shakespeare for pleasure. If you do not intend to continue onto a Masters programme, you will still acquire significant knowledge of Shakespeare, which can be applied in a variety of educational, outreach, and cultural settings.

Shakespeare Institute Open Afternoon - Thursday 23 March 2023

Do you want to immerse yourself in the works of Shakespeare? This Open Afternoon is your opportunity to learn more about studying at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and join a fascinating Thursday seminar with Professor Stuart Hampton-Reeves.

Learn more and register

What will you study?

This course is delivered by the Shakespeare Institute and features lecture content from leading scholars in Shakespeare Studies. Drawing on the University of Birmingham’s collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Fall in with Shakespeare also provides multiple opportunities for students to discuss productions with RSC theatre practitioners.

Each week will focus on a particular approach to studying Shakespeare:

Weeks 1 to 4

  • Language, metre, and genre
  • Shakespeare’s contemporaries in their early modern context
  • Shakespeare in Education
  • Global Shakespeare

Weeks 5 and 6

  • Shakespeare in contemporary performance (seminars held in collaboration with Royal Shakespeare Company theatre practitioners)

Weeks 7 and 8 (Optional)

  • Research Skills A: Using digital and physical resources to conduct research
  • Research Skills B: Academic writing and referencing

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Discuss key areas of Shakespeare Studies, including genre, text, Shakespeare in performance, Shakespeare’s language, characters, plot, and themes.
  • Demonstrate a strong understanding of Shakespeare’s writing in the broad context of the early modern period.
  • Write in an academic style appropriate for MA-level study in Shakespeare. 
  • Use an academic referencing system (such as MLA or MHRA) with confidence.
  • Undertake research at the level required for MA-level study, using online databases, academic books, and journals.

The course content will include weekly lectures, optional virtual seminars, discussion boards, Q&A sessions with RSC practitioners, and access to a wide range of resources. For more information on how the course will be delivered, please see the ‘What you will receive’ tab.

The course compliments the ‘Spring into Shakespeare’ short course, which ran in Spring 2022. Weeks 1–6 feature all-new content. Weeks 7 and 8 (Research Skills A and B) repeat the final two weeks of ‘Spring into Shakespeare’, and are optional. Those who have already studied Research Skills as part of ‘Spring into Shakespeare’ are not required to do so again. However, Weeks 7 and 8 of Fall in with Shakespeare must be completed by those who are using the course to transition onto a Shakespeare Institute MA programme. You do not need to have completed ‘Spring into Shakespeare’ before taking Fall in with Shakespeare: these are separate, standalone courses that can be taken individually (or consecutively in either order).

Fees

The tution fee for this course is £350 for weeks 1 - 6.

You can decide to register for the two optional 'Research Skills' weeks after the start of the programme. You do not have to decide whether you wish to study for 6 or 8 weeks at the admission stage. Should you chose to study the two Research Skills weeks, an additional fee of £50 will be charged separately via the University of Birmingham online shop.

How to apply

Please note applications have now closed. Details on how to apply for future intakes will be available soon.

Entry requirements

A BA Hons in any subject OR professional experience of working with Shakespeare. Further details can be found on the Requirements tab.

You should have a high level of proficiency in the English Language across all language learning areas (reading, writing, speaking and listening).  It is your responsibility to ensure that you can cope with the language demands of this short course.

Thanks to the things I have learned in the programme, I am now confident in writing academic essays and arguments about Shakespeare. I have been acquainted with a rich source of materials and vast corpus of scholarly writing in the field of Shakespeare. This course has also given me new and practical ways to think about and study Shakespeare.

Nikki, Spring into Shakespeare student

In order to be accepted onto the Fall in with Shakespeare, you must possess:

  • A BA Hons in any subject OR professional experience of working with Shakespeare.

You should have a high level of proficiency in the English Language across all language learning areas (reading, writing, speaking and listening).  It is your responsibility to ensure that you can cope with the language demands of this short course.

 If you are currently studying at a Chinese university, please view our specific entry requirements including our list of acceptable universities for further study at Birmingham.

Please note we will also consider candidates without a first degree or professional qualification but with at least ten years’ work experience including significant managerial responsibility.

Fall in with Shakespeare will allow you to focus on specific areas in order for you to develop your career in the way that you want to. The course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge that are necessary to undertake a postgraduate degree in Shakespeare. These skills include:

  • Analysing early modern plays
  • Researching Shakespeare on the page and in performance
  • Academic writing
  • Academic referencing
  • Discussing ideas in virtual seminars, one-on-one meetings, and in writing

The course comprises of six weeks of Shakespeare content, an optional two weeks of Research Skills and Methods, followed by the option to complete an essay based on your learning (four weeks). You will learn from leading academics and theatre practitioners via weekly online lectures and seminars, discussion boards, production viewings, Q&As with RSC staff, as well as independent study. The essay writing period at the end of the course is supported by one on one and group tutorials.

While studying the course, you will have access to the University of Birmingham's broad resources for the study of Shakespeare including e-books and journals, as well as performance databases of productions from the RSC, Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre. 

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

The skills you will gain

  • Discuss key concepts relating to the study of Shakespeare – including genre, Shakespeare in performance, Shakespeare in Education, Global Shakespeare 
  • Appreciate Shakespeare’s writing and the performance of his plays in the broad context of the Early Modern period
  • Understand how modern productions of Shakespeare are mounted, directed, designed and performed. 
  • Write in an academic style appropriate for MA-level study in Shakespeare
  • Use an academic referencing system (such as MLA or MHRA) with confidence
  • Undertake research at the level required for MA-level study, using online databases, academic books, and journals

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