Reviews of Sarah Richman's summer Shakespeare class
Posted by Dr. Howard Richman on 05/29/2023From Leah:
An amazing class, Sarah Richman's love and passion for Shakespeare was infectious. She was engaging and encouraging, pushing us to engage with As You Like It and to truly appreciate such an amazing play.
I generally put around an hour or two into the course a day, depending on what was assigned. I loved reading the morning messages and responding each to them each day, it really encouraged me to keep motivated and improved my analysis and understanding of the play as well as gave me helpful context for the play. I thought that the pacing was really good! It was perhaps a little slower than it could have been but I found that it helped me to slow down and really think about the words when there wasn't the pressure of having to read a ton in a short amount of time. Having the large chunks of reading over the weak end worked really well for me as I generally had a bit less of my other work to do.
one of my favorite pieces of the course was "The Forest of Arden" page. Basically different questions are asked and the students can answer them from the point of view of one of the characters of the play. I found stepping into the role of one of the characters to be really helpful for understanding their perspective
I would definitely recommend this course as a good introduction to Shakespeare without the pressure of a full blown course.
From Sage Herr:
I thought this course was great, and it definitely increased my interest in the subject. I really like Shakespeare, and As You Like It was really fun! I especially liked the monologue assignment.
From Abbi Rinkenberger:
I delighted in participating in the AS YOU LIKE IT intensive! While the workload was heavy (as it is an intensive), the teacher provided tools and shortcuts to make it more manageable. I learned about Shakespeare and his life, Renaissance history, annotations, and characters & conflicts within the play -- and enjoyed it. The teacher's feedback and emails were kind and helpful, and her comments were always well-thought-out. She was continually raising questions and prodding us to contemplate topics in more depth. On the whole, though difficult at times, I had a delightful time taking this class. :)
From Yekatarina Brandt:
I thought this course was a great experience. It was informative, in-depth, and fun. Ms. Richman was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and her replies and comments were always encouraging and helpful. The workload was manageable, although some of the larger assignments did take up a good deal of time.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this course. It was interesting and fun, a great introduction to Shakespeare.
From Sam:
I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Richman's Summer Intensive course, As You Like It. I enthusiastically recommend this course!
Ms. Richman is an excellent teacher! Her insight and knowledge of AYLI and the era in general is amazing. We learned about the topical issues of the day that Shakespeare worked into this play, and as well as the themes and the ways the various characters executed them. Two favorite assignments were the meter exercise and the staging a scene assignment. Ms. Richman is always encouraging and positive. I really look forward to reading my next Shakespeare play!