Inspired by Dr. Kim Hall’s video Why Study Shakespeare Today?, 2:46 (Folger Shakespeare Library, Jul. 11, 2012), this project seeks to link in conversation teachers and learners from diverse places and at different kinds of selective and open-admission, four-year and two-year educational institutions.

Through assignments on and discussions of Shakespeare’s Othello, we can share thoughts on controversial social issues such as race, migration, politics, rule of law, sex, gender, and domestic violence. We can ask about the difficulties, drawbacks, and benefits of studying these topics in Shakespeare’s plays, begin conversations, and hear different perspectives.