TA
May 18, 2020
Ros Barber did a wonderful job, opening my eyes to all kinds of possibilities! The experts she brought in were very knowledgeable as well as entertaining! Thanks to Coursera for making this a reality!
LS
Sep 13, 2020
A very well done, interesting and thought-provoking course that not only teaches the basics of the "non-Stratfordian" approach to the study of Shakespeare, but also encourages critical thinking.
By Daniel D
•May 7, 2022
Very Imformative into the forensics study and evidence of William Shakespeare.
By Katherine S
•Jul 26, 2022
Exceptionally well-presented and intelligently discussed.
Well done!
By Tara A O
•May 19, 2021
I absolutely loved this, Ros Barber: *new idol* 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
By Sara G
•Sep 1, 2024
Extremely well conceived and researched course, thank you.
By MD S B
•Sep 4, 2020
i have no money. can you give certificate without money?
By LEI J
•Nov 2, 2024
British comparative literature is really hard.
By Carol T
•May 25, 2022
Intriguing and engaging. Thanks very much!
By Pete P
•Mar 22, 2023
Fun class, and eye-opening, recommended
By SWAPNIL B
•Dec 16, 2020
Helpful & interesting course
By Doria A
•Nov 21, 2021
Simply excellent.
By Ishika S
•Apr 21, 2022
It was amazing
By Ana G
•Jan 29, 2024
Excellent!
By Sheila J
•Oct 13, 2022
excellent
By ساره ي ا
•Jan 10, 2021
thank
By Jim O
•Jan 14, 2021
Intense course. Not for the mildly curious. Roz Barber's knowledge of the subject matter is truly encyclopedic. The quizzes at the end of each chapter are tough (maybe a little too tough) , so pay attention and think.
By Matias V
•May 22, 2021
Great course! Although I was a little shocked that there was not a single woman being interviewed in the module conclussions. Are there no female scholars in this matter?
By Andy M
•Jun 21, 2023
interesting course, good instructor. the material was varied while trying to be fair.
By Guillermo C F
•Sep 7, 2020
Interesting course to learn more about Shakespeare's authorship.
By Carol C
•Jan 22, 2024
Very interesting course. I enjoyed it a lot.
By Abin G S
•Aug 12, 2020
Good course. Hoping for more.
By john c
•Jun 9, 2021
I was just curious about the question, Who Wrote Shakespeare, not being attached to any view as to whether or not Shakespeare, as we are told about, was the sole author of the plays. The course seems to me to be mostly a somewhat gleeful and sometimes seemingly sarcastic debunking of lots of evidence cited in support of Shakespeare as the author. Given, it is just an introduction, but I would have liked some space given to debunking some of the suggested alternatives to Shakespeare to give the programme more balance, as the constant, negative, many times equally questionable, proofs that the facts are wrong, meant that the course, instead of presenting an uplifting, reasoned proposition for an open-minded learner, turned into a repetitive diatribe against the Stratfordians. The final statements, that I wholly concur with, about celebrating the continuing new understandings and new knowledge emerging from having a questioning approach was sadly missing from the majority of the course. The only celebratory statement came from Mark Rylance video when he talked about the delight he finds in the exploration of authorship and the backgrounds rather than just a destruction of another groups ideas. That the imagination is best stirred by celebratory, eclectic understandings and explorations, whether it be from a well-based truth, a questionable suggestion or an oft-repeated myth, rather than from an argument based on negativity, discredited ideas and academics reputations. In summary the course is an introduction to and addresses a very interesting issue but the fact that it seems to be almost totally driven by a minutely reasoned, monochromatic unrelenting naysaying philosophy, addressed principally to aggressive Stratfordians or people with a predilection to cognitive dissonance, rather than a open-hearted, open-minded, joyful exploration of the many possibilities that exist. Personally, although giving lots of information and offering many disputed facts, for me the whole has not been enjoyable or uplifting and certainly did not feel like I was in a playground - more like a boxing ring. Close reading and critical thinking can be fun, enlightening and both intellectually and spiritually enhancing, as can uncertainty but I nearly drowned in the deluge of negativity only being rescued by the optimism of Mark Rylance.
By Olivia T
•Sep 4, 2022
Obviously created by someone who knows their history, HOWEVER it also seems biased. She only interviews non-Stratfordians, and arguments given in the lectures always end with the non-Stranfordian counterpoints, creating the idea that Stratfordians might not have a good counterpoint.
By Phil G
•Mar 1, 2021
This course is laughable. Some critical thinking would be good, but there's not much in evidence here. It's absurdly one-sided. I recommend taking a look at this for a more serious discussion of the issue: http://bloggingshakespeare.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Shakespeare_Bites_Back_Book.pdf.
To add insult to injury, the Coursera website won't let me unenroll.
By Ali H
•Feb 5, 2021
the explanation is not clear at all. I had to do my own research and do twice the work load to finish this course.