TEACHING SHAKESPEARE AT TERTIARY LEVEL: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY BENEFITS

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, what
we 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.