How much should Shakespeare be a part of a college English major's life? Tough question. How about this? Should an English major be required to take at least one course focused on Shakespeare?
Not according to the powers that be in higher education, apparently.
Though it may come as a surprise to the average person, a course in Shakespeare is not required in most highly regarded U.S. colleges. In the Ivy League alone, only one college requires it.
A 2015 study for The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that only 4 colleges - out of at least 50 of the highest rated colleges in the U.S. News & World Report rankings - required their English majors to take a course focused on Shakespeare. That means, of course, that 92% of those highly ranked colleges would not have such a requirement.
The study - referred to by ACTA as "The Unkindest Cut" - included the top 25 schools in the category of Liberal Arts Colleges, and the top 25 in the category of National Universities. Two colleges in each of those categories require the Shakespeare course.
According to the study, the four colleges that do require a Shakespeare course for their English majors are Harvard, UC Berkeley, The US Naval Academy, and Wellesley.
In regard to actual requirements for English majors, the research reported that some of the no-Shakespeare-required colleges give equal weight to courses in Shakespeare and courses such as "Gender, Sexuality, and Literature: Our Cyborgs, Our Selves", "Pulp Fiction: Popular Romance from Chaucer to Tarantino", "Renaissance Sexualities", and "Love and Ecstasy: Forms of Devotion in Medieval English Literature".
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