Shakespeare studies is a complementary minor for many programs. William Shakespeare's works, both on page and stage, have profoundly shaped our modern notions of human identity.

Why Shakespeare studies at Sewanee?

The minor in Shakespeare studies is an interdisciplinary approach to Shakespeare in performance. It is based on these convictions: a) Shakespeare, as an exemplary literary and historical figure, merits intensive study; b) the literary, historical, and philosophical study of Shakespeare’s text informs and enriches the production of his plays; and c) the discipline and experience of performing his plays illuminates the academic study of his work.

A Sampling of Courses

Experience, Expression, and Exchange in Western Culture: Texts and Contexts of the Early Modern World
Humanities

This course examines significant focal points of the era that draw together and intersect literature, the arts, philosophy, and politics. Among the course's central topics are the recovery and dissemination of classical learning, the advent of printing, the roots of religious strife, encounters in and beyond the Americas, the emergence of experimental science, and the development of the secular state.

HUMN 105
Shakespeare and the Actor
Theatre

Intensive rehearsal of selected monologues and scenes. Exercises in this course help students develop vocal and physical expressiveness and skill in speaking heightened language.

THTR 232
Medieval Drama and its Legacy
English

A study of the drama of late medieval and early modern England. This course includes selections from liturgical drama, the mystery cycles, morality plays and non-cycle drama, folk plays and farces.

ENGL 350
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Shakespeare Studies

Programs of Study & Related Programs

Requirements for the Minor in Shakespeare Studies

Requirements for the Major in English | Website

Requirements for the Certificate in Creative Writing | Website

Meet some Professors

James Crawford
jscrawfo@sewanee.edu

James Crawford teaches a variety of acting classes at Sewanee, has directed productions of Cabaret, Our Country’s Good, The Crucible, Good Kids, and upcoming, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. James has acted at theaters across the country, and is co-director of the Sewanee-in-England program.

Associate Professor of Theatre
Stephanie McCarter
samccart@sewanee.edu

Stephanie McCarter teaches Greek and Latin courses at all levels as well as courses in translation, and she is active in Sewanee’s interdisciplinary humanities program. Her research tends to center on the Latin poetry of the early Roman Empire, especially in relation to its philosophical and historical contexts. She also has research and teaching interests in women, gender, and sexuality in Greco-Roman antiquity. She is the author of Horace between Freedom and Slavery: The First Book of Epistles and is currently working on a translation of Horace's Odes and Epodes.

Associate Professor of Classical Languages
Pamela R. Macfie
pmacfie@sewanee.edu

Pamela Macfie received a Ph.D. from Duke University, where as a medieval and Renaissance Studies Fellow she developed her special interest in how Renaissance poets transform the works of their classical predecessors. She has published essays on topics that include Dante's use of Ovid, Marlowe's poetry of allusion, Shakespeare's rewriting of Marlowe, Spenser's use of the Arachne myth, and Wyatt's poetry of erotic vengeance.

Samuel R. Williamson Distinguished University Professor of English
Sean Patrick O'Rourke
sporourk@sewanee.edu

Sean O’Rourke teaches and writes in the areas of rhetoric and legal rights, the rhetoric of protest and dissent, and freedom of speech. His work has appeared in both academic and non-academic publications and reflects his abiding commitment not only to his scholarship but also to undergraduate liberal education, undergraduate research in the humanities, and civic engagement. O’Rourke’s efforts have been recognized by more than a dozen awards for teaching, research, and service.

Professor of Rhetoric and American Studies & Director of the Center for Speaking and Listening

Contact

Pamela R. Macfie
Professor of English and Chair of Shakespeare Studies

pmacfie@sewanee.edu

Gailor Hall 113, Ext. 1138

Medieval Colloquium
Throw down the intellectual gauntlet

The Sewanee Medieval Colloquium is a conference for ideas. Medieval scholars across various disciplines converse with one another on a theme, hear lectures, share papers, and bring challenging new perspectives to the field. Surrounded by bluffs and forest coves, Sewanee’s neo-Gothic campus offers a beautiful and intimate setting for academic conversation about the past and the future.

Hither!
European Studies
Ancient Greece & Rome or the Middle Ages & the Renaissance

European Studies is a full semester of study abroad and offers the unique experience of studying in a variety of locations in Europe. Students choose between three academic options: ancient Greece and Rome, Western Europe in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and Contemporary Europe.

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Tennessee Williams Center
Legacy of the South's favorite playwright

The Tennessee Williams Center provides unique, state-of-the-art facilities for students and faculty. Created with funds from the estate of Tennessee Williams himself, the center houses a fully equipped 175-seat theatre, a 60-seat studio theatre, a drafting and design studio, a dance studio, costume and scenery studios, and dressing rooms.

On with the show!