W3335-W3336 Shakespeare, Renaissance Playwrights

Yes, he's on sabbatical this year, but do not take Shakespeare with anyone else. The man has often been compared to Robin Williams from The Dead Poets Society for a reason. He is an exciting lecturer--even though the class is always on the early side, you will never fall asleep. He makes "Shakes" (as he refers to him) very contemporary. Students often read pertinent passages aloud, and Peter will frequently do so himself, declaiming them with a joy that is great to see. He really worships Shakespeare, but is able to criticize, as well. His usage of the Writing Fellow's system at Barnard is very useful for turning in a good paper--they see a draft of it, criticize it, and then you turn in a final copy. He is always very available to talk to students outside of class. Basically, he made a 60 person class feel like a seminar--he knew everyone's name, he was actually interested in what was going on with us--it was a really good experience.