Poetry: What it Is, and How To Understand It, a MOOC [Massive Open Online Course] at Udemy taught by George Washington University Professor Margaret Soltan

Why read a poem? Why write one? People say modern poetry as an art form is imperiled in our time, yet everywhere in the world cultures and individuals memorize, recite, and value various forms of poetry. This course will attempt to define this genre of poetry writing, to discuss its particular attributes, to distinguish between good and bad poetry, to explain why so much writing poetry is difficult, and to isolate the sorts of truths modern poetry seems best at conveying. Our focus will be on modern poetry, in English and in translation.

Shakespeare, Race, and Gender on Screen, a Quality Matters certified asynchronous online course by Alexa Alice Joubin with an open-access web-based textbook

In this fully asynchronous, online course, students learn about Shakespeare’s stagecraft and how modern filmmakers transform those plays into film, with a focus on the themes of racial and gender identities, as well as sexuality, in these film adaptations. 

Global and Local Shakespeares, a MOOC course co-taught by Alexa Alice Joubin (USA), Yilin Chen (Taiwan), Ryuta Minami (Japan), Yukari Yoshihara (Japan), Ian MacLennan (Canada), and Lia Liang (Taiwan).

This digitally enhanced course introduces students to a range of adaptations of Shakespeare from manga to musical theatre. The idea that Shakespeare is a global author has taken many forms since the building of the Globe playhouse in London during his life time. The diversity of the world-wide reception and production of Shakespeare’s plays have nourished the remarkable array of new forms of cultural exchange in our digital age.

Around the World in 80 Days: Travel and Cross-Cultural Encounter in Global Literature and Film, an asynchronous online course taught by Kavita Kaiya each summer at George Washington University [flyer]

Explore how race and gender shaped modern travel in international Anglophone literature and cinema from 1890 to the present. Examine feminist, postcolonial, and critical race theory. Engage with modern literature, graphic narratives, and film.