Imprimis: Links and Tidbits, 20 January 2011

This week in Shakespeare: the Stratfordian defense, using technology to open up new avenues for learning, and promoting literature in education.

• Bardfilm is on a mission, and we'd like to support it. In an attempt to show why anti-Stratfordians are, tragically, misinformed, the blog takes on first the Oxfordian conspiracy, then the Marlovian, then produces a list of resources for anti-anti-Stratfordians. Sarah says: Thank you for this reasoned critique of the argument. Cass says: I hope I see the day these anti-Stratfordian arguments get quashed once and for all, because it's just sad, really. I do still think the Marlovian conspiracy would make a great movie, but the trouble is, if it got made, more people would believe these theories than already do.
• Following up from the past few weeks of the Huck Finn censorship controversy, the Shakespeare Standard has an op-ed on why using sanitized texts is teaching a lie.
  
• Remembrance of General Education Past. Sarah says: A lovely personal argument for the values of humanities courses.
• Stolen Shakespeare Folio on Display in Cardiff. Cass says: I confess, when I first read the headline, my immediate thought was, "Wow, that takes a lot of nerve." But no -- it's a Folio that was stolen but was then recovered, which makes far more sense.
  
• Another idea about using technology to enhance the study of Shakespeare - this article on "Gadgets for Small Businesses" also includes an interesting Shakespeare-related use, specifically, the ability to read a scene and then, at a touch, being able to pull up several different versions of that scene in performance.
• Touting the philosophy we whole-heartedly believe in, this British blog advocates actually seeing the plays you study.
• And finally, for a little international flavor (following up after our last post), a refreshing take on the value of literature and its place in the school day... in China. "They were jumping up and down, telling the other kids what they read, and why others should read it. Every kid was dying to talk." Would that all classrooms could have that energy!

I hope everyone's had a lovely week. At ASC Education, we're getting ready to hold our first Actor-Scholar Council of the year today, discussing The Comedy of Errors -- stay tuned for the podcast of the event, which should be available sometime next week.