James Shapiro

Yes, believe the hype. Shapiro lives and breathes these plays, and hopefully, you will too by the end of this class. He's a wonderful pedagogue and his performance-driven approach to these plays really emphasizes how Shakespeare presents the complexities of all sorts of human relationships.

Loved this class. I had tried to get into his class for five years and finally made it into this one. I never thought of Shakespeare and America together but after this class I don't think I could ever ignore the connection between the two. His prompts definitely prod the class to think and discuss. But thinking is paramount. The small class size allows the students to inspire each other and rise to the discussion at hand while at the same time revisiting American History in another context. And that context included Shakespeare. Who knew? You will never be able to think of Abraham Lincoln and his assassination the same way again. The perfect class that shows what Columbia is about, which is connecting seemingly disparate moments and people in ways that change your life.

This is a review for Prof. Shapiro's Fall 2013 seminar. (Side note -- think he's on sabbatical this coming year 2014-2015, but he'll be back after. Take his class. All of them.) I love Prof. Shapiro in lecture, and really glad I got to take a seminar with him. In this seminar, we read every single poem of Shakespeare's, which was simultaneously awesome and horrible. Every week we would focus on a couple of sonnets he wrote, or once we got into the longer poems, passages in, e.g. Venus & Adonis. In retrospect, you didn't even have to do all the reading, since we definitely didn't discuss all 116 or whatever sonnets that Shakespeare wrote, but I did all of them anyway and I think Shapiro inspires that kind of dedication (especially since he says in the beginning of class that everyone will get at least a B+). I kinda wish we had heard more of his voice in seminar, but I learned a lot from the other students in class which I guess is the point. Found the reading load to be doable, but I don't think I would ever call it 'light' ... we had a paper due every week (600-800 words) so it always felt like a scramble to get the reading and the paper done. 600 words doesn't sound like a lot, but when you have to come up with a good argument and back it up in 600 words AND make it a final draft (Shapiro is huge on revisions) it can be really difficult. I definitely think I became a better…

Professor Shapiro is a WONDERFUL professor. He is enthusiastic, presents difficult material clearly and in a stimulating manner, and is extremely kind and approachable. Acting out the plays in class clarified dense text and made it exciting. The contextual information (political and social history, biographies of the play writes, etc) helped to create a trajectory in my head of how tragedies and comedies changed in response to one another and the period in which they were written. The only time I have had another professor give such critical feedback to my writing was in U Writing. Professor Shapiro puts a lot of thought into his comments to help his students strengthen their writing and thinking. I would recommend everyone take a class with Professor Shapiro during their junior and/or senior year. It may be more difficult for non-English majors, but his enthusiasm and clear teaching style makes the material less intimidating, and he works diligently to help students become better writers. Go to his office hours. Seriously, go to them. Shapiro is a boss in his field and one of the kindest professors I've ever met. He loves getting to know his students one-on-one and is extremely helpful with his writing assignments if you actually show up and talk to him.

All about shakespearian theatre and its reception in America.

We learned a lot of important information about the historical background of these plays, including allusions to ancient Greek and Latin predecessors of genre, the dizzying succession of the English throne, and legal realities in Shakespeare's day. We also were compelled to closely analyze word choices in different editions of the plays and critically the plays' content with our modern sensibilities, all of which enriched our readings.

Shapiro is a super cool dude. He's really knowledgeable and impressive and has a lot of hype around him, not without reason. But, I don't think he or his class ultimately live up to the God-tier status that many people claim they deserve. This course is great, and Shapiro is undeniably awesome, but it is NOT the best course at Columbia--it's not even the best course in the English department. You will get a lot out of this class, but it also asks a lot of you. If you're a student with a job (or multiple), other big commitments, or just have difficult personal things going on in general, this class is challenging. Pivoting from the huge Hamlet paper into the final exam less than a week later SUCKS. Shapiro is also sometimes extremely harsh--he will convince you your papers are the work of 5th graders who still don't know how to read, and make pained faces at your interpretations of the plays in class. It's not something to take personally, but it is discouraging sometimes, especially when we're all just over-worked students trying our best. That might sound silly, but it's true. He's way nicer and more helpful in office hours though, so definitely go to that. This experience is far from universal. This class is great, and everyone walked away with new perspectives, it's just a question of whether it fully clicks for you or not, and whether it's worth it given the time needed fo…

Attendance; Midterm; Theater Review; 2.1k word Final Paper (this will take an inordinate amount of time); Final cancelled given COVID-19

This class is one of the only English classes at Columbia where you can practice your writing. Professor Shapiro expects you to put your heart and soul into each review that you write, and this takes a lot of effort. But it's worth it. You will learn how to read and write book reviews. The syllabus is unique and interesting. Shapiro is loads of fun and knows how to keep a class entertained- there is never a dull moment. He is a bit self-important and thinks his role as an academic is just as important as a doctor who saves millions of lives- but as long as you don't mind a bit of professorial arrogance, he is a very smart man with a lot to offer. He seems to care about his students and is willing to listen to them. This was one of my favorite classes at Columbia!

There aren't so many reviews of Shapiro's seminars on here, so I figured I'd add my 2 cents. This was the best class I've taken at Columbia. And, I've taken classes with pretty much every well-reviewed professor in the English Department. Shapiro has a truly dynamic personality, and he ran our class smoothly and intelligently. Shapiro is not only insightful and engaging, but hilariously funny. He's a true delight. Yet, these qualities are not what truly set him apart. After all, there are a lot of professors at Columbia who run great seminars. The real cherry on top is the feedback you will receive on your writing. Although most professors only grade and critique your essay's argument, Shapiro cares deeply about your writing style. Every week, we were required to hand in a 600 word paper, which would be promptly returned 7 days later bleeding with red ink. Shapiro's writing philosophy is deceptively simple: don't write anything you wouldn't say. Over the course of the semester, my writing style went from dense and jargony to crisp and gripping. Shapiro doesn't give your papers letter grades. Instead, he operates on a ✓/✓+/✓- system. At the end of the semester, he met with all of us individually, and gave us a grade based on our class and writing performance. Don't freak out if you can't seem to crack a ✓+. He doesn't grade you cumulatively, but rather based on where you end up…