Peggy O’Brien, Director of Education at the Folger Shakespeare Library, about the Folger Method for teaching Shakespeare (see link below). This talk also covers the Folger’s educational offerings online and on-site, including lesson plans and and other offerings for those who teach Shakespeare. 

The Folger Method: https://www.folger.edu/the-folger-method

Folger Shakespeare Library (homepage): https://www.folger.edu

00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:40 - The Folger Method and its origins
00:08:15 - NEH, Professional development, The Wide World, Folger Teaching 
00:14:15 - Global literary education, bridging the language and dialect gap
00:21:00 - Why so much Shakespeare? The sweep of literature. Race and Gender.
00:27:10 - Recent troubles in American schools. Political polarization
00:37:15 - Humanities under attack. Public demand for the humanities.
00:44-38 - Outreach, Michael Witmore
00:51:34 - Shakespeare, theory, history, and student-centered interpretations
01:58:40 - Shakespearean adaptation in Japan and across the globe
01:03:00 - Peggy’s career in education
01:08:40 - Covid and adapting to change in teaching
01:10:54 - A welcome from the Folger and closing remarks

This series is funded with institutional support from Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) in Tokyo and with a generous grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.