Weathering the Storm of a Changing World

Season 6, Episode 1

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Weathering the Storm of a Changing World

The Lasting Value of the Humanities and Shakespeare with Holly Pickett

In this episode, Holly Pickett, professor of English at 91��ý, shares her experience with Shakespeare, from an unconvinced high school student to an early modern drama scholar, and discusses the transformative power of teaching on the playwright. She encourages her 91��ý to not just read the text, but to experience it – and talks of ways to bring Shakespeare “to its feet.” With her own research extending beyond the English department and into subjects of history and modern TV, she delves into the enduring value of humanities in an ever-changing world and reflects on how studying Shakespeare can offer insights into the core questions of what makes all of us human.

Recorded: December 12, 2024
Aired: January 14, 2025

"I think it’s really an important part of our human endeavor to think deeply about how meaning is made, how we can be the best interpreters of what’s going on in our culture, in our literature, our music and our language. I think it is no matter what 91��ý want to pursue professionally. I think that humanities research and studying humanities can be a great groundwork for building those critical thinking skills, communication skills and analytical skills that 91��ý are going to use, I hope, throughout their life, not just in their career, but in their personal lives, in their family lives, their civic lives."

~ Holly Pickett, Professor of English

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