Scholarships for Oklahoma High School English Teachers to

STUDY SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS IN PERFORMANCE

at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

 

The “Study Away: Shakespeare” Course

Sponsor:          Northeastern State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Dept. of Languages and Literature

Date:               Saturday, May 29, through Saturday, June 5, 2010 (last week of Summer Intersession)

Place:               The Oregon Shakespeare Festival in beautiful Ashland, Oregon, is the premier Shakespeare repertory company in the United States. 

Purpose:          Study Shakespeare’s plays through exciting stage productions by professional actors. 

Earn 3 hours graduate credit in English, or 3 hours undergraduate credit in English, Humanities, or Theatre, for the course “Study Away: Shakespeare”

 

Instructional activities in Oregon:

  • See 7 plays in 3 theatres.
    • Plays by Shakespeare: Hamlet, 1Henry IV, The Merchant of Venice, and Twelfth Night
    • Plays by other playwrights: Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Lynn Nottage’s Ruined, and a stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
  • Tour the 3 theatres of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
  • Participate in dynamic class discussions before and after you see each play.
  • Participate in programs and discussions led by actors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

 

Cost of trip:     The total cost of the trip is $1180, including air and ground transportation, dormitory housing, breakfasts, theatre tickets, and educational programs.  A discount of $120 is available to the first 10 who sign up for the trip and course.  Tuition is in addition to the cost of the trip.

 

Group leader:  Dr. John Mercer, Professor of English at Northeastern State University-Broken Arrow, will serve as group leader and course instructor.     

             

The Evelyn Woods Thomson Scholarships

Purpose:          The Evelyn Woods Thomson Stipend Endowment provides study and travel opportunities for Oklahoma public high school English teachers.

Number:          2 Thomson scholarships will be awarded toward travel expenses to Oregon in 2010.

Amount:          Each scholarship recipient will receive $820 toward the cost of the trip. 

 

Requirements for scholarship applicants:       

  • Currently teach English (including Shakespeare) at an Oklahoma public high school
  • Be able to fly to Oregon on May 29, 2010
  • Submit scholarship application, essay, and letters of recommendation so they are received no later than March 4, 2010

Requirements for scholarship recipients:

  • Pay the remaining cost of the trip not covered by the scholarship ($360, or $240 if you are among the first 10 to sign up for the trip and course)
  • Pay tuition and fees for 3 hours of graduate credit in English ($508.65) or 3 hours of undergraduate credit in English, Humanities, or Theatre ($415.50).  Scholarship recipients need not be pursuing a graduate degree at NSU, but they must enroll for credit in this course.

 

If you have questions or need more information, contact Dr. John Mercer at 918-449-6541 or mercer@nsuok.edu.  The scholarship application form and other information about this trip and course can be found online at http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer.


Northeastern State University

Application for Evelyn Woods Thomson Scholarship

Oregon Shakespeare Trip

May 29-June 5, 2010

 

Full name of applicant (including maiden name, if applicable):        

 _____________________________             _______________________              ________________________

Social security number:  ____-___-_____

Complete home mailing address, including ZIP code:   _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Home phone: ____-____-_______  Work phone: ____ -____-_______        Cell phone: ____-____-_______

Preferred e-mail address:________________________________________           

Alternative e-mail address: ______________________________________

 

Name and complete mailing address of Oklahoma public high school where you teach English:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Number of years you have taught at this school: ________   Total number of years you have taught: ________

Courses you teach and other duties you perform at school:  __________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shakespeare plays you have taught in the last 5 years: ______________________________________________

 

Education                                Institution                                           Major                           Date received

Bachelor’s degree completed  _______________________              _______________      ___________

Master’s degree completed     _______________________              _______________      ___________

Master’s program in progress  _______________________              _______________Hours completed: ____

Please ask each of the above institutions to send your official transcript to Dr. John Mercer, or you may enclose a sealed official transcript with your application form.  NSU transcripts, however, do NOT need to be sent because Dr. Mercer has access to these.

 

Along with this application form, please submit an essay (minimum length 2-3 double-spaced pages) describing your background and experience in the study and teaching of Shakespeare’s plays and explaining how your participation in the Oregon Shakespeare course will help you become a more effective teacher. 

 

Please have 2 letters of recommendation sent directly to Dr. John Mercer.  Each letter should explain why you should receive this scholarship to study at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  Please request letters from

  • a present or former school administrator under whom you have served
  • a present or former colleague with whom you have taught, or a former student

 

Send your application and essay to Dr. John Mercer, and request that your transcript(s) and letters of recommendation be sent directly to him, by any of these means:     

  • U.S. mail: NSU-Broken Arrow, 3100 E. New Orleans St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014
  • E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu
  • Fax (with cover sheet with Dr. Mercer’s name): 918-449-6571

 

For more information, contact Dr. Mercer at (918) 449-6541 or mercer@nsuok.edu.

All applications, essays, transcripts, and letters must be received no later than March 4, 2010.