It's hard to say something with complete confidence these days, but I'm going to give it a shot

because I'm pretty sure I'm on safe ground.

Here goes.

When you were in high school English, you read a Shakespeare play.

I'm right, right?

And if you've ever wondered why you did that, we're about to tell you.

From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited.

I'm Michael Whitmore, the Folgers Director.

We take it for granted in the 21st century that American students will study Shakespeare.

But that wasn't always the case.

Not only was there a time when Shakespeare wasn't a part of English in America,

there was a time when schools didn't even teach English in America.

Joseph Hawie is a professor in the Department of Language,

Literature, and Writing at Northwest Missouri State University. His area of research specialization

is the evolution of the English curriculum in American schools, and in particular, the role of

Shakespeare in that evolution.

It's an enlightening and surprising story, and Dr. Hawie came in recently to talk with us about it.

We call this podcast, O This Learning, What a Thing It Is.

Joseph Hawie is interviewed by Barbara Bogave.

Why don't we start by getting a sense in general of what was considered a typical American

college curriculum in the early 1700s?

And by that I mean, what would a colonial young man, and I say man, of course, because

...