Abstract
Teaching Shakespeare at all levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary) has a long history not only in English but in non-English speaking countries as well. The inclusion of mandatory courses on Shakespeare in the curriculum of university studies of English as a second/foreign language has proven to be particularly beneficial and worthwhile, although some concerns are voiced about the outdatedness of Shakespeare‘s works. What we propose in this paper is that Shakespeare should be preserved in the curriculum of English majors, especially in the curriculum of English majors of EFL as the benefits for the students are, in fact, multifarious. In fact, on the basis of careful class observation, introspection and self- evaluation, as well as students’ feedback, whatwe suggest here is that there are two types of benefits of teaching Shakespeare at university level – primary and secondary benefits. The former affect students’ knowledge of the English language, i.e. improve the development of students’ language skills (writing, reading, speaking and listening). The latter are more general and influence the development of students’ personality by improving their thinking processes, emotional intelligence and cultural awareness. All of these, we believe, are pivotal in generating well-rounded future English professionals who at the same time will be well-balanced individuals capable of handling all sorts of life challenges.
Highlights
William Shakespeare, the Renaissance Bard of Avon, has won the title of the most acknowledged writer in the Western literary canon and miraculously holds it to this day – some four centuries after his death
To investigate this matter further would go well beyond the scope of this study, but what happens in the States is quite indicative of what might happen, in the near future, with the Shakespeare’s share of the educational cake at tertiary level for both English majors and English as a foreign language (EFL) majors
Prior to presenting the benefits of teaching Shakespeare at tertiary level that were identified within this research, let us consider two important factors that greatly outlined the course of the current study – the structure of the course itself as it is realized at the Faculty of Education – Bitola, and Khatib et al.’s (2011) classification of benefits stemming from teaching literature in the context of foreign language teaching
Summary
William Shakespeare, the Renaissance Bard of Avon, has won the title of the most acknowledged writer in the Western literary canon and miraculously holds it to this day – some four centuries after his death. Brumfit (2001) argues that Shakespeare’s works “chime just as well with our modern age due to the ambiguity of his philosophy, his knowledge of the human heart, his deep sensitivity for what it is to be human” Whichever of these reasons one decides to treat as the most viable one, the fact remains that the long line of Shakespeare’s followers who are committed to keeping him ’alive’ in their own artistic ways constantly renews itself. A new report about the United States – where, most of the English majors are at the same time English native speakers, uncovers that English majors at the vast majority of the most prestigious colleges and universities are no longer required to take a course focused in depth on Shakespeare (Anderson, 2015) To investigate this matter further would go well beyond the scope of this study, but what happens in the States is quite indicative of what might happen, in the near future, with the Shakespeare’s share of the educational cake at tertiary level for both English majors and EFL majors.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The International Journal of Applied Language Studies and Culture
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
