One of the key values of transformative pedagogy is to extend learning outside of the classroom. In this session, I will discuss an interdisciplinary experiential project where students in a 200 level (2nd year) undergraduate literature course (ENG223 Elizabethan Shakespeare) prosecuted Shakespeare for fraud in the Canadian Criminal Court system. Inspired by the renewed debates about Shakespeare and authorship (cf. Anonymous, 2011; the MA in Shakespeare Authorship Studies at Brunel University, UK; the rise of the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition), students from ENG223 Elizabethan Shakespeare, contributed to the trial as legal researchers. Students were trained on research methodologies during two sessions in the library’s interactive training lab. Trial teams built their arguments based on the established research produced by the team of legal researchers. This conference presentation outlines the several phases of the project and outlines the learning outcomes measured - both quantitatively and qualitatively - for the students and participants.
Gillespie, Alisdair A. (2007). “Mooting for Learning,” Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education, Volume 5, Issue 1, April 2007. Pp. 19-37.
Kennedy, Ruth R. (2009). “The power of in-class debates.” Active Learning in Higher Education. November 2009 vol. 10 no. 3. Pp. 225-236.
