April 17, 2017
Interdisciplinary Shakespeare Symposium on Saturday, April 22
Celebrate Shakespeare's birthday on Saturday, April 22, at "Shakespeare Now!: An Interdisciplinary Teaching and Research Symposium."
The symposium will be 1:30-5 p.m. in the Hemisphere Room of Hale Library, and will feature a series of speakers and discussions on the role of Shakespeare and early literature across the disciplines and within the community.
The program includes:
• 1:30-2:15 p.m.: Lecture on "Anecdotal Shakespeare" by Paul Menzer, director, MA program in Renaissance Drama through Performance, Mary Baldwin University and the American Shakespeare Center.
• 2:15-2:45 p.m.: Performance of scenes, performed by K-State Theatre students and directed by Menzer.
• 2:45-3:15 p.m.: Undergraduate research poster session.
• 3:15-4 p.m.: Interdisciplinary faculty panel on "Contemporaneity, Interdisciplinarity, Outreach."
• 4-5 p.m.: Lecture on "Remediating Shakespeare" by Christy Desmet, Josiah Meigs distinguished teaching professor and director of First Year Writing, University of Georgia.
Guests are welcome to arrive at 1:15 p.m. to begin browsing the undergraduate research posters. Refreshments will be served halfway through the program.
Don Hedrick, professor of English, and Kara Northway, associate professor of English, are organizing the symposium to build on-campus and community enthusiasm following the visit of Shakespeare's First Folio to Kansas State University in February 2016.
Hedrick and Northway received a mini-grant from the Folger Shakespeare Library and National Endowment for the Humanities to offer the symposium. The symposium is sponsored by the English department and K-State Libraries, with support from the grant.
"While Shakespeare is our touchstone, we'll be looking at the myriad of ways for undergraduates to research and learn about any earlier literature and culture," explained Hedrick. "From community involvement and performance to the latest studies in neuroscience, we explore perspectives most students never dreamed of using for literature."
Undergraduate teaching and research serve as the cornerstones of the event, according to Northway.
"The heart of the symposium is active undergraduate learning — whether through breaking disciplinary boundaries, exploring online publication environments, or engaging in service learning," Northway said.
The symposium is free and open to students, faculty, and community members, but space will be limited, so advance registration is highly recommended. To reserve your free registration, visit the online registration form.