Teaching Shakespeare off the Tenure Track

What does it mean for Shakespeare when tenure-track positions are no longer assured, and universities rely on more contingent faculty to cover their classes? Who teaches Shakespeare, what do they teach, and in what context? As the Shakespeare Association of America and other organizations add more sessions and workshops devoted to Shakespeare pedagogy, they acknowledge that Shakespeare is moving beyond a single-author class required for English majors and is not taught by only tenured or tenure-track professors. This shift in who teaches Shakespeare, and how, also relates to broader trends: universities resembling corporations are ever more concerned about rankings, placements, and financial viability, while humanities and the arts fight for funding and recognition. We must sell Shakespeare by showing students (as well as chairs, deans, other administrators, and even parents and the public) that when we teach Shakespeare’s works, we are also teaching valuable skills that will help students think more carefully and imagine more empathetically. My chapter provides an overview of the current job market for Shakespeare and then, in light of the depressing data, I explore some of the places Shakespeare appears across the curriculum, including in first-year writing classes, literature surveys, special topics courses, and single-author courses. I argue that Shakespeare can be used to teach other course objectives, including critical thinking, visual and textual analysis, close reading, historical and political awareness, creativity, and pedagogy. Asking students to set goals, reflect on their work, and strengthen their habits of mind can also help them take more ownership over their learning. I conclude by providing several suggestions for teaching Shakespeare in the twenty-first century classroom by focusing specifically on my close reading presentation assignment.