Shakespeare in His World



Overview

This course immerses us in the world of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) and daily life during the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period in England. We will encounter devoted sisters and brothers, sparring parents and children, faithful friends, and people of all kinds. We consider the constant presence of the law, and the sheriffs and magistrates charged with regulating society.  Legal conflicts and court cases will be explored to bring us closer to the social and political world of Shakespeare. 

Surviving documents, buildings and maps will be used to find out more about the places and people Shakespeare knew, and gain an insight into this dynamic and sometimes dangerous era in sixteenth and seventeenth-century England. We will also pay special attention to the extraordinary range of objects and artefacts connected to Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. Through a series of themes including family, work, friendship and the natural world, we will find out how Shakespeare and his friends lived their lives. The course will combine traditional and new approaches to historical research as we take a journey through this dramatic period in European history.

We will use a wide range of sources, including freely available online resources supplemented with up-to-date articles and book chapters. We will use new and established scholarship, internationally-renowned collections and original documents (with modern transcriptions!).

The course will help participants develop knowledge and research skills that provide a deeper insight into the lives of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The course will situate local history in its national and global contexts, providing transferable skills for exploring past lives across a range of times and places.

This course combines online study with a weekly 1-hour live webinar led by your tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

This course begins on the 15 Jan 2026 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 22 Jan 2026, 3:00-4:00pm (UK time).

  • Week 1: The Shakespeares of Henley Street
  • Week 2: The world of work
  • Week 3: Family life and family strife 
  • Week 4: Faith and friendship
  • Week 5: Magistrates and the law
  • Week 6: Justice and the courts
  • Week 7: The Forest of Arden and the natural world
  • Week 8: Soldiering and military matters
  • Week 9: Moving up: becoming a gentleman
  • Week 10: The best house in town?: Shakespeare at home

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online course are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £360.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Cathryn Enis

Dr Cathryn Enis is a historian specialising in the material and cultural heritage of William Shakespeare and the interaction between this complex legacy and the wider history of the English midlands.

Course aims

  • To enable participants to investigate the people of the past and everyday life through a range of sources and methodologies
  • To explore William Shakespeare in his world through a range of traditional and non-traditional archives, objects and artefacts
  • To use a range of sources to deepen understanding of early modern people and their daily lives
  • To develop transferable skills in historical research.

 

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be able to:

  • Complete a study of an aspect of life in early modern England and present this in an academic format. 
  • Demonstrate some of the sources and methodologies used by historians to research early modern Europe.
  • Demonstrate transferable skills to investigate a historical topic or theme, e.g. through researching a specific person or place.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

 

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information visit our English language requirements webpage.  

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support