Shakespeare in His World



Overview

This course immerses us in the world of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and daily life during the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period in England. We will encounter devoted sisters and brothers, sparring parents and children, faithful friends, and people of all kinds. We consider the constant presence of the law, and the sheriffs and magistrates charged with regulating society.  Legal conflicts and court cases will be explored to bring us closer to the social and political world of Shakespeare. 

Surviving documents, buildings and maps will be used to find out more about the places and people Shakespeare knew, and gain an insight into this dynamic and sometimes dangerous era in sixteenth and seventeenth-century England. We will also pay special attention to the extraordinary range of objects and artefacts connected to Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. Through a series of themes including family, work, friendship and the natural world, we will find out how Shakespeare and his friends lived their lives. The course will combine traditional and new approaches to historical research as we take a journey through this dramatic period in European history.

We will use a wide range of sources, including freely available online resources supplemented with up-to-date articles and book chapters. We will use new and established scholarship, internationally-renowned collections and original documents (with modern transcriptions!).

The course will help participants develop knowledge and research skills that provide a deeper insight into the lives of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The course will situate local history in its national and global contexts, providing transferable skills for exploring past lives across a range of times and places.

Programme details

Courses starts: 3 Oct 2024

Week 1: The Shakespeares of Henley Street

Week 2: Family life and family strife 

Week 3: The world of work

Week 4: Faith and friendship

Week 5: Magistrates and the law

Week 6: Justice and the courts

Week 7: The Forest of Arden and the natural world

Week 8: Soldiering and military matters

Week 9: Moving up: becoming a gentleman

Week 10: The best house in town?: Shakespeare at home

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Cathryn Enis

Dr Cathryn Enis is a historian specialising in the material and cultural heritage of William Shakespeare and the interaction between this complex legacy and the wider history of the English midlands.

Course aims

To enable participants to investigate the people of the past and everyday life through a range of sources and methodologies

Course objectives:

  • To explore William Shakespeare in his world through a range of traditional and non-traditional archives, objects and artefacts
  • To use a range of sources to deepen understanding of early modern people and their daily lives
  • To develop transferable skills in historical research.

 

Teaching methods

This course will include recorded lectures as well as a weekly live online meeting focusing on a particular theme. Supplementary reading and other materials will also be provided, and we will make extensive use of online resources, including online collections and exhibitions, manuscripts, objects, artefacts and texts. Weekly tasks will enable participants to contribute their own discoveries in the weekly live sessions. 

Participants will also be asked to undertake preparatory reading and this will be provided either at the beginning of the course or before our weekly meeting. Completing this preparation is an important element in gaining the maximum benefit from the live sessions and will be set with due regard to other commitments that participants may have.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be able to:

Complete a study of an aspect of William Shakespeare's world

Summarise some of the sources and methodologies used by historians to research early modern Europe

Demonstrate transferable skills to investigate a historical topic or theme, e.g. through researching a specific person or place

Assessment methods

The final assessment will be an historically-focused task that demonstrates the skills acquired during the course. This may take the form of an essay of 1500 words, or a presentation, demonstration, or creative response, to include a 700-word written summary or reflection, as agreed with the course tutor.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 14 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (14 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support