Shakespeare's Sonnets
Burto, William H. (ed., with an introduction by W.H.Auden)

Sonnets
Duncan-Jones, K. (ed.) Signet Classic, 1964 ISBN 0613175239

Shakespeare's Sonnets
Thomas Nelson, 1997 ISBN 1903436575

Themes and Variations in Shakespeare's Sonnets
Leishman, JB Hutchinson University Library, 1963. ISBN 0090598113

Shakespeare: The Basics
McEvoy, S. Routledge, 2000. ISBN 0415362458

Shakespeare's Sonnets
Seymour-Smith, M. Heinemann, 1963. ISBN 0435150375

The Art of 'Shakespeare's Sonnets'
Vendler, H. Harvard University Press, 1997 ISBN 0674637127

Shakespeare's Professional Career
Thomson, Peter Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 0521466555

An Introduction to Shakespeare's Poems
Hyland, Peter, Macmillan, 2002. ISBN 033372593X

Preface to Shakespeare
Johnson, Samuel various editions. ISBN 1421904276

Which type of course is best for you?

• New to undergraduate study?
• Not sure you want to commit to a long course?
• Have study experience and looking for more?

Openings

If you haven’t experienced higher education before, deciding to become an undergraduate student can be a big step. But don’t worry, the OU’s designed a programme that allows you to dip your toe in the water before committing yourself!

Making Sense of the Arts (Y160)
This course introduces some of the key ideas and ways of thinking involved in studying the arts and humanities. It explores several different areas of study including poetry, history, art history, philosophy and religious studies

Details of all the OU's Openings courses can be found on their Openings courses page.

Short Courses

If you want to study arts and history but don’t want to commit to a full undergraduate course one of the OU’s short courses could be perfect for you.

Shakespeare: An introduction (A177)

This course focuses on two of Shakespeare’s plays: The Taming of the Shrew, a dark comedy about the battle of the sexes; and Romeo and Juliet, one of the most famous tragedies ever written. Through close study of these two plays, the course offers a stimulating introduction to Shakespearean drama and to the study of literature at university level. You will get a good grounding in how to read and analyse Shakespeare’s language and gain experience of studying plays both as printed texts and as works written for performance.

You will be able to consider some of the connections between the two set plays and the society in which they were written while exploring Shakespeare’s treatment of such thematic concerns as marriage, the family and gender relations. Tuition on the course will be conducted online, which will give you the opportunity to exchange views and ideas on the plays not only with your tutor, but also with the other students in your tutorial group. This is a twelve-week course.

Start Writing for the Internet (A171)
Technology for communicating on the internet is developing swiftly. New possibilities and ways of accessing and displaying information create new demands on writers. This course helps you improve your writing for the internet and become a more effective communicator, whether writing emails or web pages. Through exercises and activities, it teaches the principle that communicating effectively on the internet requires sensitivity to the reader and to the special demands of the medium. This course neither assumes nor teaches knowledge of any technological aspects of web design. This is a twelve-week course.

Start Writing Essays (A172)
Returning to study or coming to it for the first time can be daunting. Many students are frightened of writing essays. This short online course helps you to build confidence through diagnosis of your strengths and weaknesses, analysis of what makes a good essay, structured exercises, practice and feedback. It is ideal for anyone embarking on Open University study in any subject that requires essays. It is also suitable for all other students who want to improve their essay writing. You will receive feedback on your writing and have the opportunity to interact with other students and your tutor in an online conference. This is a twelve-week course.

Starting Writing Fiction (A174)
Have you ever thought of writing short stories or trying your hand at a novel? This short online course provides a practical introduction to writing fiction. During the course you will be expected to write two short pieces for assessment. These will be marked individually by your tutor who will provide detailed feedback and a grade. You will also have the opportunity to work with your tutor, along with other students, in an online environment. You will read and learn from the works of writers as well as listening to their advice on beginning to write fiction. This is a twelve-week course.

Start Writing Plays (A176)
Have you ever thought of writing a play? This course will help you develop the necessary skills, so you will be able to tell a story on stage, fully realising the potentials of the medium. Through exercises, reading scripts and by doing longer assignments you will learn how to write scenes and create believable characters. The course will survey various types of performance and you will do exercises which spark your imagination and generate ideas. Eventually you will work on your own short play. Along the way you will learn about script layout and gain a practical vocabulary of dramatic terms. This course should appeal to everyone interested in dramatic writing or creative writing, but also to those seeking to strengthen transferable writing skills. This is a twelve-week course.

Start Writing Poetry (A175)
Have you ever wanted to write poetry but felt mystified about how to go about it? This course will introduce you in a gradual and accessible way to the basic 'tools of the trade'. Through examples, exercises, and games, you will practise poetic devices and methods, get ideas for subject matter, and learn how to edit your work. You will eventually write in a variety of forms from the haiku to the sonnet and in a range of styles including satire and parody. The course will also enhance your reading skills and increase your ability to appreciate contemporary poetry. This is a twelve-week course.

Details of all the OU's short courses can be found on their short courses page.

Specific courses are available at higher levels in this topic – this assumes some prior experience of study beyond school. More information can be found within the OU's Literature page and the OU's Music page.

Longer Courses and Qualifications

Open University courses are the main 'building blocks' of our qualifications. You can take a single course or take several to build towards an Open University diploma or degree.

Introduction to the Humanities (A103)
You will get from this course a lively and varied grounding in the eight disciplines in the Arts Faculty: art history, literature, music, philosophy, classical studies, history, religious studies, and history of science. The subjects are introduced in attractive case studies combined with multidisciplinary sections on the French Revolution and the 1960s. The course will help you to express yourself more clearly and develop the reading, analysis and interpretation skills you need before moving on to more specialised courses at Level 2. It is not necessary to have studied in this area before.

Throughout history, musical performance and the production of musical instruments have been influenced by the prevailing technology of the time. However, it is only in the last 50–100 years that the explosion in technological developments has had a profound effect on the production, recording and manipulation of music. This course has three main aims: to explain the physical principles of sound and acoustics and how they relate to music; to describe the construction and operation of a range of acoustic and electronic instruments, and to relate these to the sound they produce; and to show the effect technology has, and has had, on the production, recording and manipulation of music.

This joint technology/arts course is designed for anyone who is involved with, or has an interest in, music. No pre-requisites are required, but a basic knowledge of music and musical notation would be helpful.