Research Profile

Edel Semple

Biography

          Edel Semple is the co-editor of three collections and one Special Issue: Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen with Ronan Hatfull with Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare (2023), of Staged Normality in Shakespeare’s England (Palgrave, 2019) and Staged Transgression in Shakespeare’s England (Palgrave, 2013) with Rory Loughnane, and of “European Women in Early Modern Drama”, a special issue of Early Modern Literary Studies (2017) with Ema Vyroubalová. 
          Edel has recently published on gender in Shakespearean drama, Shakespeare on film and TV, and the 17th century pamphlets A Common Whore and An Arrant Thief by John Taylor the Water Poet. Current research projects include a monograph on Shakespeare on screen, and explorations of fictional depictions of Shakespeare's family on screen and stage, gender in Shakespeare, and sex-workers in early modern city comedy. Edel held an Irish Research Council New Foundations award in 2016 for the project "Celebrating Shakespeare 400: Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre." She has presented her research on early modern literature, gender studies, and adaptations and appropriations of Shakespeare across Ireland, the UK, Europe, and North America. For several years, Edel has coordinated the “Shakespeare in Ireland” scholarly blog which promotes, records, and reports on early modern events and research across the island.
          Edel is the Programme Director of the MA: Medieval and Renaissance Literatures (CKE31) and welcomes enquiries on this programme. She was the Programme Director of the BA in English (2018-2023). Edel's contributions to teaching were recognised with a UCC President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022. This award celebrated her promotion of learning through the use of Problem Based Learning (PBL) in the BA in English curriculum.          

Research Interests

My research focuses on gender in Shakespearean drama and Shakespeare on film, including adaptations, appropriations, and the portrayal of Shakespeare as a character (biofiction). More broadly, my research interests encompass early modern drama; the early modern city; transgression and criminality in the Renaissance; 'cheap print' and the work of John Taylor, the Water Poet.

Research Grants
I was awarded an Irish Research Council New Foundations grant in 2016 for a project entitled "Celebrating Shakespeare 400:  Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre." This project made a unique contribution to the worldwide celebrations of the Shakespeare quartercentenary in 2016; inspired interest in Shakespeare’s lesser-known drama; and cultivated collaborative networks between scholars, theatre practitioners, and the general public. These objectives were achieved through 1) a staged reading of Shakespeare’s critically neglected play Pericles, Prince of Tyre (c.1606), 2) a linked public lecture, and 3) College of Arts masterclass / graduate workshop. Directed by Sinead Dunphy, the dramatic reading was performed by students from UCC's Drama department and LittleShoes Productions drama group, and played to a packed house in the Unitarian Church, Cork city. The production is available to view online. The interdiscplinary masterclass and public lecture explored Shakespeare's drama, world, and legacy, and promoted dialogue between stakeholders in the public sphere and creative and academic communities, and thus contributed to the international discussions of the literary heritage of Shakespeare in 2016. The public lecture was delivered by Dr Peter Kirwan (Assistant Professor in Shakespeare, University of Nottingham). A report on the project can be found on the "Shakespeare in Ireland" scholarly blog at:
https://shakespeareinireland.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/report-celebrating-shakespeare-400-performing-pericles-prince-of-tyre-in-cork/

Research Grants

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
Celebrating Shakespeare 400: Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre.Irish Research Council01-MAR-1630-NOV-16€3,114.00

Publications

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2023)'Shakespeare’s dead, long live his widow! One-woman plays about Anne Hathaway'
Edel Semple (2023) 'Shakespeare’s dead, long live his widow! One-woman plays about Anne Hathaway' In: Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull (eds). Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen. London and New York: Bloomsbury.   [Details]
(2023)'Introduction: Shakespeare and his social circle on the stage and screen, 1998-2023'
Edel Semple (2023) 'Introduction: Shakespeare and his social circle on the stage and screen, 1998-2023' In: Edel Semple (UCC) and Ronan Hatfull (Warwick) (eds). Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen. London and New York: Bloomsbury.   [Details]
(2023)'Interview on co-writing and performing in Bill (dir. Richard Bracewell, 2015), Laurence Rickard (BAFTA-winning comedy writer and actor) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple'
Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull in conversation with Laurence Rickard (2023) 'Interview on co-writing and performing in Bill (dir. Richard Bracewell, 2015), Laurence Rickard (BAFTA-winning comedy writer and actor) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple' In: Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull (eds). Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen. London and New York: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2023)'Interview on playing Sue Shakespeare in Upstart Crow (BBC, 2016-2021), Helen Monks (writer, actor, and comedian) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple'
Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull in conversation with Helen Monks (2023) 'Interview on playing Sue Shakespeare in Upstart Crow (BBC, 2016-2021), Helen Monks (writer, actor, and comedian) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple' In: Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull (eds). Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen. London and New York: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2023)'Interview on writing the play Shakespeare's Sister (2015), Emma Whipday (Newcastle University, UK; playwright) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple'
Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull in conversation with Emma Whipday (2023) 'Interview on writing the play Shakespeare's Sister (2015), Emma Whipday (Newcastle University, UK; playwright) in conversation with Ronan Hatfull and Edel Semple' In: Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull (eds). Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen. London and New York: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2023)'Hamnet Shakespeare: a difficult dead celebrity child'
Edel Semple (2023) 'Hamnet Shakespeare: a difficult dead celebrity child' In: Beth Coleclough, Renske Visser, and Sharon Michael-Fox (eds). Difficult Death, Dying and the Dead in Media and Culture. UK: Palgrave.   [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Authorial Identity and Print in John Taylor’s Common Whore and Arrant Thiefe Pamphlets'
Edel Semple (2020) 'Authorial Identity and Print in John Taylor’s Common Whore and Arrant Thiefe Pamphlets' In: Andrew J. Power (eds). The Birth and Death of the Author: A Multi-Authored History of Authorship in Print. New York: Routledge.   [Details]
(2019)'Transgressive Normality and Normal Transgression in Sir Thomas More'
Edel Semple (2019) 'Transgressive Normality and Normal Transgression in Sir Thomas More' In: Rory Loughnane and Edel Semple (eds). Staged Normality in Shakespeare's England. UK: Palgrave. [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Looking (at) women in the BBC Pericles'
Edel Semple (2017) 'Looking (at) women in the BBC Pericles' In: Sarah Hatchuel and Nathalie Vienne-Guerrin (eds). Shakespeare on Screen: The Tempest and other romances. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.   [Full Text] [Details]
(2016)'The Critical Backstory'
Edel Semple (2016) 'The Critical Backstory' In: Thomas Rist (eds). Arden Early Modern Drama: The Spanish Tragedy. London: Arden. [Details]
(2013)'Rethinking Transgression with Shakespeare's Bawds'
Edel Semple (2013) 'Rethinking Transgression with Shakespeare's Bawds' In: Rory Loughnane and Edel Semple (eds). Staged Transgression in Shakespeare's England. UK: Palgrave.   [Details]

Edited Books

 YearPublication
(2023)Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen
Edel Semple (UCC) and Ronan Hatfull (Warwick) (Ed.). (2023) Shakespearean Biofiction on the Contemporary Stage and Screen UK: Bloomsbury - Arden Shakespeare.   [Details]
(2019)Staged Normality in Shakespeare’s England
Rory Loughnane (Kent) and Edel Semple (UCC) (Eds.) (Ed.). (2019) Staged Normality in Shakespeare’s England UK: Palgrave.   [DOI] [Details]
(2013)Staged Transgression in Shakespeare's England
Rory Loughnane (Indiana) and Edel Semple (UCC) (Ed.). (2013) Staged Transgression in Shakespeare's England UK: Palgrave.   [Details]

Journal Volume Edited

 YearPublication
(2017)Early Modern Literary Studies (journal) - co-edited a Special Issue entitled European Women in Early Modern Drama.
Edel Semple and Ema Vyroubalova (2017) Early Modern Literary Studies (journal) - co-edited a Special Issue entitled European Women in Early Modern Drama. Online journal - http://purl.oclc.org/emls/emlshome.html: Journal Volume Edited   [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2024)'Anti-Shakespeare shrews: women, sexism, and talking back to the Bard in Upstart Crow and All Is True'
E. Semple (2024) 'Anti-Shakespeare shrews: women, sexism, and talking back to the Bard in Upstart Crow and All Is True'. Transformative Works and Cultures, 43 [Details]
(2023)''A darker story': Two Shakespeares, art, and history in Emmerich’s Anonymous'
E. Semple (2023) ''A darker story': Two Shakespeares, art, and history in Emmerich’s Anonymous'. Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation, 15 (1)   [DOI] [Details]
(2022)'Teaching John Taylor, the Water Poet: A Renaissance Celebrity Author and His Paratexts'
E. Semple (2022) 'Teaching John Taylor, the Water Poet: A Renaissance Celebrity Author and His Paratexts'. Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Teaching, 29 (2):17-28   [Details]
(2020)''Seeds of time': Women, children, and the nation in Kurzel’s Macbeth (2015)'
E. Semple (2020) ''Seeds of time': Women, children, and the nation in Kurzel’s Macbeth (2015)'. Shakespeare Bulletin: A Journal of Performance Criticism and Scholarship, 38 (4)   [Details]
(2018)'“'Make you a sword of me': Military masculinity in Coriolanus (2011) and Macbeth (2015)'
E. Semple (2018) '“'Make you a sword of me': Military masculinity in Coriolanus (2011) and Macbeth (2015)'. Literature/Film Quarterly, 46 (2)   [Details]
(2018)'“Shakespeare and Early Modern Europe: A Critical Survey'
E. Semple and E. Vyroubalová (2018) '“Shakespeare and Early Modern Europe: A Critical Survey'. Shakespeare, 17 (1):80-96   [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2017)'Introduction to European Women in Early Modern English Drama'
E. Semple and E. Vyroubalová (2017) 'Introduction to European Women in Early Modern English Drama'. Early Modern Literary Studies, 27   [Details]

Electronic Article

 YearPublication
(2020)Stay home and watch Shakespeare.
Edel Semple (2020) Stay home and watch Shakespeare. Electronic Article   [Details]
(2020)You give love a bad name: pop music and Renaissance love poetry.
Edel Semple (2020) You give love a bad name: pop music and Renaissance love poetry. Electronic Article   [Details]
(2019)A short history of cats on screen.
Edel Semple (2019) A short history of cats on screen. Ireland: Electronic Article   [Details]
(2019)Shakespeare's world of deaths, corpses and ghosts.
Edel Semple (2019) Shakespeare's world of deaths, corpses and ghosts. Electronic Article   [Details]
(2019)The bawdy world of Shakespeare's sex workers.
Edel Semple (2019) The bawdy world of Shakespeare's sex workers. Electronic Article   [Details]
(2015)Playing the whore: performing and contextualising prostitution in The Three Ladies of London.
Edel Semple (2015) Playing the whore: performing and contextualising prostitution in The Three Ladies of London. http://threeladiesoflondon.mcmaster.ca/contexts/EdelSemple.htm: Electronic Article   [Details]
(2016)Shakespeare and Love - op.ed. for UCC News.
Edel Semple (2016) Shakespeare and Love - op.ed. for UCC News. Electronic Article   [Details]
(2014)Edward Webbe’s The rare and most wonderfull things which Edw. Webbe an Englishman borne, hath seene and passed in his troublesome travailes (London, 1590).
Edel Semple (2014) Edward Webbe’s The rare and most wonderfull things which Edw. Webbe an Englishman borne, hath seene and passed in his troublesome travailes (London, 1590). Electronic Article   [Details]

Book Reviews

 YearPublication
(2024)Book review: Annalisa Castaldo. Fictional Shakespeares and Portraits of Genius. Arc Humanities Press, 2022.
Edel Semple (2024) Book review: Annalisa Castaldo. Fictional Shakespeares and Portraits of Genius. Arc Humanities Press, 2022. Book Reviews [Details]
(2023)Book review: Katja Pilhuj. Women and Geography on the Early Modern English Stage. University of Amsterdam Press, 2019.
Edel Semple (2023) Book review: Katja Pilhuj. Women and Geography on the Early Modern English Stage. University of Amsterdam Press, 2019. Book Reviews   [Details]
(2023)Book review: Andrew Hiscock. Shakespeare, Violence and Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
Edel Semple (2023) Book review: Andrew Hiscock. Shakespeare, Violence and Early Modern Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2022. Book Reviews [DOI] [Details]
(2015)Book review of The Spanish Bawd, by James Mabbe. Ed. José María Pérez Fernández.
Edel Semple (2015) Book review of The Spanish Bawd, by James Mabbe. Ed. José María Pérez Fernández. Book Reviews [Details]

Review Articles

 YearPublication
(2019)Review of DruidShakespeare: Richard III, by Druid.
Edel Semple (2019) Review of DruidShakespeare: Richard III, by Druid. Review Articles   [Details]
(2016)Blog report on research and the public lecture Shakespeare's Sources and the Boole Library's Resources in Boole Library, UCC, 16/09/2016.
Edel Semple (2016) Blog report on research and the public lecture Shakespeare's Sources and the Boole Library's Resources in Boole Library, UCC, 16/09/2016. The River-side Blog, UCC Library: Review Articles   [Details]
(2016)Review essay: Othello at the Abbey and Shakespeare in Ireland.
Edel Semple (2016) Review essay: Othello at the Abbey and Shakespeare in Ireland. Review Articles   [Details]
(2015)The Adventures of Pericles presented at the Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, 19 June 2015. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies.
Edel Semple (2015) The Adventures of Pericles presented at the Tom Patterson Theatre, Stratford, Ontario, 19 June 2015. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies. UK: Review Articles   [Details]
(2014)Twelfth Night, Or What You Will presented at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 24 May 2014. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies 17.2 (2014).
Edel Semple (2014) Twelfth Night, Or What You Will presented at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 24 May 2014. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies 17.2 (2014). UK: Review Articles   [Details]
(2013)King Lear presented at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 22 February 2013. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies 16.3 (2013).
Edel Semple (2013) King Lear presented at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 22 February 2013. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies 16.3 (2013). UK: Review Articles   [Details]
(2010)Review of John Ford, Tis Pity She's A Whore, a rehearsed reading presented at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, Trinity College Dublin. 9th June 2011. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies. 16.1 (2012): 20.
Edel Semple (2010) Review of John Ford, Tis Pity She's A Whore, a rehearsed reading presented at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, Trinity College Dublin. 9th June 2011. Published in: Early Modern Literary Studies. 16.1 (2012): 20. Review Articles   [Details]

Reviews

 YearPublication
(2018)Review: Julius Caesar – National Theatre Live.
Edel Semple (2018) Review: Julius Caesar – National Theatre Live. Reviews   [Details]
(2017)Review: Hamnet at the Peacock/Abbey – Dublin Theatre Festival 2017.
Edel Semple (2017) Review: Hamnet at the Peacock/Abbey – Dublin Theatre Festival 2017. Reviews   [Details]
(2017)Review: Hamlet by Icarus Theatre Collective at Cork Opera House.
Edel Semple (2017) Review: Hamlet by Icarus Theatre Collective at Cork Opera House. Reviews   [Details]
(2016)Review: Measure for Measure – Ireland 1916 at Dublin Castle.
Edel Semple (2016) Review: Measure for Measure – Ireland 1916 at Dublin Castle. Reviews   [Details]
(2016)Review: Measure for Measure – Globe on Screen.
Edel Semple (2016) Review: Measure for Measure – Globe on Screen. Reviews   [Details]
(2016)Review: King Lear by the Cork Shakespearean Company at the Unitarian Church, Cork. 30th October 2015.
Edel Semple (2016) Review: King Lear by the Cork Shakespearean Company at the Unitarian Church, Cork. 30th October 2015. Reviews   [Details]
(2015)Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Abbey.
Edel Semple (2015) Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Abbey. Ireland: Reviews   [Details]
(2014)Review: RSC’s The Rape of Lucrece, performed by Camille O’Sullivan – Cork Opera House 7th June 2014.
Edel Semple (2014) Review: RSC’s The Rape of Lucrece, performed by Camille O’Sullivan – Cork Opera House 7th June 2014. Ireland: Reviews   [Details]

Podcast - Media

 YearPublication
(2021)Analyzing Shakespearean Biofiction.
Edel Semple and Ronan Hatfull (Warwick), interviewed by Austin Tichenor of the Reduced Shakespeare Company (2021) Analyzing Shakespearean Biofiction. Podcast - Media   [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2023SATLE funding for seminar "Promoting learning through effective assessment" Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding (SATLE) initiative, funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning and the Higher Education Authority
2022President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching UCC's Office of the Vice-President for Learning & Teaching
2022CACSSS Research Support Fund, UCC CACSSS, UCC
2019CACSSS Research Support Fund, UCC CACSSS, UCC
2017CACSSS Research Support Fund, UCC CACSSS, UCC
2016New Foundations award for project "Celebrating Shakespeare 400: Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre" Irish Research Council
2015Travel Bursary for conference: "The Three Ladies of London" in Context McMaster University, Canada
2015CACSSS Research Support Fund, UCC UCC CACSSS
2014CACSSS Research Support Fund, UCC UCC CACSSS
2013CACSSS Research Support Fund, UCC UCC CACSSS
2008IRCHSS GOI Postgraduate Scholarship (2008-2010) Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
2008Travel Bursary for Research Dissemination and Outputs UCD Seed Funding Scheme
2008Travel Bursary for Graduate Research Purposes UCD Arts and Celtic Studies Graduate School

Professional Associations

 AssociationFunctionFrom / To
Shakespeare Association of America Member01-JUN-14 / 01-JUN-26
Literature/Film Association Member16-NOV-23 / 16-NOV-24
European Shakespeare Research Association Member01-JAN-11 /
British Shakespeare Association Member01-JAN-23 / 01-JAN-24
Irish Renaissance Seminar Member01-JAN-09 /
International Association of University Professors of English Member01-SEP-15 / 31-DEC-18
International Shakespeare Association Member01-JAN-14 / 01-JUN-16
Forum for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in Ireland (FMRSI) Member01-JAN-11 /
Society for Renaissance Studies (SRS) Member01-JAN-10 / 01-JAN-11
Pacific Northwest Renaissance Society (PNRS) Member01-JAN-08 / 01-JAN-09

Conference Contributions

 YearPublication
(2024)Adapting In and Out of the Classroom - Third Annual Joint Literature/Film Association and Association of Adaptation Studies Conference,
E. Semple (2024) Paper: “'Who are these people? And why are there acrobats in the garden?' Teaching two films of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. [Oral Presentation], Adapting In and Out of the Classroom - Third Annual Joint Literature/Film Association and Association of Adaptation Studies Conference, Online , 22-FEB-24 - 24-FEB-24. [Details]
(2023)Relocating Shakespeare, annual conference of the British Shakespeare Association,
E. Semple (2023) Paper: 'I’m not sorry': the avenging teen girl in Capin’s Young Adult novel Foul is Fair . [Oral Presentation], Relocating Shakespeare, annual conference of the British Shakespeare Association, University of Liverpool, UK , 25-JUL-23 - 28-JUL-23. [Details]
(2023)Shakespeare Association of America,
E. Semple (2023) Paper: “‘Its beauties and its dangers’: the other and gender in Branagh’s As You Like It (2006)”. [Oral Presentation], Shakespeare Association of America, Minneapolis, MN, USA , 29-MAR-23 - 01-APR-23. [Details]
(2023)Irish Renaissance Seminar,
E. Semple (2023) Paper: “Hamnet Shakespeare: a difficult dead celebrity child”. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Irish Renaissance Seminar, Queen's University Belfast , 28-JAN-23 - 28-JAN-23. [Details]
(2022)Irish Renaissance Seminar,
E. Semple (2022) Organised and chaired the biannual meeting of the IRS. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Irish Renaissance Seminar, From UCC, online , 21-MAY-22 - 21-MAY-22. [Details]
(2022)Guest lecture in the Dept of Anglophone Literatures & Cultures, Charles University,
E. Semple (2022) Paper: Aging maternity in Taymor’s Tempest and Fiennes’ Coriolanus. [Invited Seminars/Guest Lectures], Guest lecture in the Dept of Anglophone Literatures & Cultures, Charles University, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic , 03-MAY-22 - 03-MAY-22. [Details]
(2022)Shakespeare Association of America,
E. Semple (2022) Paper: Whoredom and marriage in Dekker’s The Honest Whore, Part 2. [Oral Presentation], Shakespeare Association of America, Jacksonville, Florida, USA , 06-APR-22 - 09-APR-22. [Details]
(2021)Dept.of English Research Seminar Series, UCC,
E. Semple (2021) Paper: Shakespeare’s Badass Moms on Screen: Prospera and Volumnia. [Invited Seminars/Guest Lectures], Dept.of English Research Seminar Series, UCC, UCC , 01-DEC-21 - 01-DEC-21. [Details]
(2021)Shakespeare In/Action, British Shakespeare Association online Conference,
E. Semple (2021) Paper: Badass Moms: Aging maternity in Taymor's Tempest and Fiennes’ Coriolanus. [Oral Presentation], Shakespeare In/Action, British Shakespeare Association online Conference, Online , 05-AUG-21 - 07-AUG-21. [Details]
(2021)Shakespeare Association of America,
E. Semple and R. Hatfull (Warwick) (2021) Designed, proposed, and convened seminar Shakespearean Biofiction on the Stage and Screen. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Shakespeare Association of America, Online , 31-MAR-21 - 04-APR-21. [Details]
(2020)Bugs and books: Disease, infection, and Contagion in culture,
E. Semple (2020) Roundtable Discussion on Teaching and Learning in the time of Covid-19. [Invited Oral Presentation], Bugs and books: Disease, infection, and Contagion in culture, Online , 12-DEC-20 - 12-DEC-20. [Details]
(2020)Fan Studies Network (North America) conference,
E. Semple (2020) Paper: “Anti-Shakespeare shrews: feminism and sexism in Shakespeare biopics”. [Invited Oral Presentation], Fan Studies Network (North America) conference, Online , 13-OCT-20 - 17-OCT-20. [Details]
(2019)Shakespeare on Screen in the Digital Era,
E. Semple (2019) Paper: Two Shakespeares, art, and history in Emmerich’s Anonymous. [Oral Presentation], Shakespeare on Screen in the Digital Era, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, France , 26-SEP-19 - 28-SEP-19. [Details]
(2018)Earth Songs: Eco-Criticism and Early Modern Studies - Irish Renaissance Seminar, 20th meeting,
E. Semple (2018) Chaired panel. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Earth Songs: Eco-Criticism and Early Modern Studies - Irish Renaissance Seminar, 20th meeting, Maynooth University , 10-NOV-18 - 10-NOV-18. [Details]
(2018)Medieval & Early Modern Studies Festival,
E. Semple (2018) Paper: Women, children, and the nation in Kurzel’s Macbeth (2015). [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Medieval & Early Modern Studies Festival, University of Kent , 15-JUN-18 - 16-JUN-18. [Details]
(2018)Shakespeare Association of America,
E. Semple (2018) Paper: Women, children, and this 'bloody-scepter’d' isle in Kurzel’s Macbeth (2015). [Oral Presentation], Shakespeare Association of America, Los Angeles, USA , 28-MAR-18 - 31-MAR-18. [Details]
(2017)Early Shakespeare, Late Shakespeare: collaboration and adaptation,
E. Semple (2017) Paper: Military masculinity in Coriolanus (2011) and Macbeth (2015). [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Early Shakespeare, Late Shakespeare: collaboration and adaptation, St Louis University, Madrid campus , 26-MAY-17 - 26-MAY-17. [Details]
(2017)Borderlines: Authority in the Medieval and Early Modern World,
E. Semple (2017) Chaired session on Municipal Authority for this annual Postgraduate and ECR Conference. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Borderlines: Authority in the Medieval and Early Modern World, University College Cork , 14-APR-17 - 16-APR-17. [Details]
(2016)“Celebrating Shakespeare 400: Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre”,
E. Semple (2016) Paper: Looking (at) women in the BBC Pericles (1984). [Invited Lectures (Conference)], “Celebrating Shakespeare 400: Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre”, University College Cork , 15-NOV-16 - 15-NOV-16. [Details]
(2016)Shakespeare Day,
E. Semple (2016) Participated in a roundtable discussion on Shakespeare. [Invited Oral Presentation], Shakespeare Day, Trinity College Dublin , 08-OCT-16 - 08-OCT-16. [Details]
(2016)Public lecture entitled Shakespeare's Sources and the Boole Library's Resources,
Edel Semple (2016) A special public lecture for Culture Night 2016 and to comemmorate Shakespeare 400. [Oral Presentation], Public lecture entitled Shakespeare's Sources and the Boole Library's Resources, Boole Library, UCC , 16-SEP-16 - 16-SEP-16. [Details]
(2016)World Shakespeare Congress,
E. Semple (2016) Co-organised and chaired seminar entitled Paratheatrical Entertainments in Shakespeare's London and London's Shakespeare. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], World Shakespeare Congress, Stratford and London, UK , 31-JUL-16 - 06-AUG-16. [Details]
(2016)Irish Renaissance Seminar,
E. Semple (2016) Paper: Men, Women and the Nation in Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Irish Renaissance Seminar, Queen's University Belfast , 07-MAY-16 - 07-MAY-16. [Details]
(2016)Shakespeare Association of America,
E. Semple (2016) Paper: “Make you a sword of me”: Military masculinity in Coriolanus (2011) and Macbeth (2015) For the seminar: Masculinity and the Body in Contemporary Shakespearean Film and Performance. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Shakespeare Association of America, New Orleans, USA , 23-MAR-16 - 26-MAR-16. [Details]
(2016)Public lecture entitled Introducing Shakespeare,
E. Semple (2016) Public lecture: Introducing Shakespeare. [Invited Oral Presentation], Public lecture entitled Introducing Shakespeare, University College Cork, and Knocknaheeny Library, Cork , 12-APR-16 - 26-APR-16. [Details]
(2015)Moments of Becoming: Transitions and Transformations in Early Modern Europe,
E. Semple (2015) Paper: From whore to martyr, and voyeur to saviour: Thomas Cranley’s Amanda Or, The Reformed Whore (1635). [Oral Presentation], Moments of Becoming: Transitions and Transformations in Early Modern Europe, University of Limerick , 20-NOV-15 - 21-NOV-15. [Details]
(2015)Moments of Becoming: Transitions and Transformations in Early Modern Europe,
E. Semple (2015) Chaired panel: Becoming a Martyr. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Moments of Becoming: Transitions and Transformations in Early Modern Europe, University of Limerick , 20-NOV-15 - 21-NOV-15. [Details]
(2015)UCC English Society,
E. Semple (2015) Paper: Macbeth on Stage and Screen. [Invited Oral Presentation], UCC English Society, UCC , 15-OCT-15 - 15-OCT-15. [Details]
(2015)Collaborative Research in Early Modern Studies - Symposium,
E. Semple (2015) Paper: In the Tavern, at the University, and Online: Collaborating on the Early Modern in Ireland. [Invited Oral Presentation], Collaborative Research in Early Modern Studies - Symposium, University of Limerick , 25-SEP-15 - 25-SEP-15. [Details]
(2015)Shakespeare’s Europe – Europe’s Shakespeare(s) - ESRA conference 2015,
E. Semple and E. Vyroubalová (TCD) (2015) Co-organiser of the seminar European Women in Early Modern Drama for the conference of the European Shakespeare Research Association. [Other], Shakespeare’s Europe – Europe’s Shakespeare(s) - ESRA conference 2015, University of Worcester , 29-JUN-15 - 02-JUL-15. [Details]
(2015)Performance as Research: The Three Ladies of London in Context,
E. Semple (2015) Contributor to seminar Two 1592 Plays and the Performance of Gender. [Invited Seminars/Guest Lectures], Performance as Research: The Three Ladies of London in Context, McMaster University, Toronto, Canada , 23-JUN-15 - 25-JUN-15. [Details]
(2015)Desire, Death, and Dialogue: In [Death-] Bed with the Text,
E. Semple (2015) Paper: “Togeather let us live and dye”: desire in “The Choice of Valentines”. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Desire, Death, and Dialogue: In [Death-] Bed with the Text, Saint Louis University - Madrid Campus , 22-MAY-15 - 23-MAY-15. [Details]
(2014)Process & Practice: Adaptation Considered as a Collaborative Art,
E. Semple (2014) Respondent to plenary paper. [Other], Process & Practice: Adaptation Considered as a Collaborative Art, University College Cork , 03-OCT-14 - 04-OCT-14. [Details]
(2014)Shakespeare 450,
E. Semple (2014) Paper: Looking at Good Daughters and Bad Mothers: Women in the BBC Shakespeare Series’ Pericles (1984). [Other], Shakespeare 450, Paris , 25-APR-14 - 25-APR-14. [Details]
(2014)School of English Research Seminar Series, UCC,
E. Semple (2014) Paper: The writer, the queen, and the director: Shakespeare, Elizabeth I, and Emmerich’s Anonymous. [Invited Oral Presentation], School of English Research Seminar Series, UCC, University College Cork , 26-MAR-14 - 26-MAR-14. [Details]
(2013)‘These are the Youths that thunder at the Playhouse’ Seminar Series,
E. Semple (2013) Paper: “Make the doors upon a woman’s wit”: Wit, Wisdom, and Gender. [Invited Seminars/Guest Lectures], ‘These are the Youths that thunder at the Playhouse’ Seminar Series, Shakespeare's Globe, London , 27-NOV-13 - 27-NOV-13. [Details]
(2013)8th International Conference of the Tudor Symposium,
E. Semple (2013) Paper: Appropriating Shakespeare and Elizabeth I in Anonymous. [Oral Presentation], 8th International Conference of the Tudor Symposium, Northumbria University , 03-JUL-13 - 04-JUL-13. [Details]
(2013)Irish Renaissance Seminar,
E. Semple (2013) Paper: 'How would you live?' Bawds in Measure for Measure. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Irish Renaissance Seminar, Trinity College Dublin , 11-MAY-13 - 11-MAY-13. [Details]
(2013)Irish Cinema: Culture and Contexts,
E. Semple (2013) Chaired session on Foreign Perspectives. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Irish Cinema: Culture and Contexts, UCC , 18-APR-13 - 20-APR-13. [Details]
(2011)Irish Renaissance Seminar series,
E. Semple (2011) Chaired session. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Irish Renaissance Seminar series, UCD , 05-NOV-11 - 05-NOV-11. [Details]
(2011)Home and Exile,
E. Semple (2011) Chaired session for Annual Conference of UCD's English Graduate Society. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Home and Exile, UCD , 07-MAR-11 - 07-MAR-11. [Details]
(2011)Irish Renaissance Seminar,
E. Semple (2011) Paper: “Educating the reader: Markham’s The Famous Whore”. [Oral Presentation], Irish Renaissance Seminar, University of Ulster, Belfast , 14-MAY-11 - 14-MAY-11. [Details]
(2011)English Graduate Society Seminar Series, UCD,
E. Semple (2011) Paper: “‘This Booke my Whore’: John Taylor on publishing, poetry and prostitution”. [Oral Presentation], English Graduate Society Seminar Series, UCD, UCD , 05-APR-11 - 05-APR-11. [Details]
(2010)Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period,
E. Semple and R. Loughnane (TCD) (2010) Co-organised with Dr Rory Loughnane (TCD), Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period, was an inter-institutional and international conference held in Trinity College Dublin. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period, Trinity College Dublin , 06-AUG-10 - 07-AUG-10. [Details]
(2010)Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period,
E. Semple (2010) Paper: “‘A gentlewoman of my fashion’: (Ad)dressing the whore”. [Oral Presentation], Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period, Trinity College Dublin - UCD-TCD joint conference , 06-AUG-10 - 07-AUG-10. [Details]
(2010)Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period,
E. Semple (2010) Chaired session on “Mock trials and comic transgressors”. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Staging Transgression in the Early Modern Period, TCD , 06-AUG-10 - 07-AUG-10. [Details]
(2009)Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Seminar Series,
E. Semple (2009) Paper: “‘What shall I do to shewe my self a man?’: Masculinity and liminal space in Nashe’s Choice of Valentines”. [Invited Oral Presentation], Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Seminar Series, Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, TCD , 27-FEB-09 - 27-FEB-09. [Details]
(2009)Sexing the Book: Bodies, Texts, Practices: Graduate Conference on Language and Literature, McGill University,
E. Semple (2009) Paper: “‘This Booke my Whore, or else this whore my Booke’: The author as pimp in John Taylor’s A Common Whore”. [Oral Presentation], Sexing the Book: Bodies, Texts, Practices: Graduate Conference on Language and Literature, McGill University, McGill University, Montreal, Canada , 27-MAR-09 - 29-MAR-09. [Details]
(2008)School of English, Drama and Film Seminar Series, UCD,
E. Semple (2008) Paper: “How to spot a whore: Identifying the sexually transgressive woman in Early Modern literature”. [Oral Presentation], School of English, Drama and Film Seminar Series, UCD, UCD , 13-FEB-08 - 13-FEB-08. [Details]
(2008)Early Modern Performance: Current Approaches,
E. Semple (2008) Paper: “‘Open thy wardrobe, and fit ’em to their calling’: (Per)forming prostitution on the Jacobean stage”. [Invited Oral Presentation], Early Modern Performance: Current Approaches, UCD , 21-JUN-08 - 21-JUN-08. [Details]
(2008)Building Breaches: The Negotiation of Boundary in Premodern Culture,
E. Semple (2008) Chaired session on Social Ills for this Borderlines Postgraduate Conference. [Chair Sessions at Symposia], Building Breaches: The Negotiation of Boundary in Premodern Culture, TCD and UCD , 19-MAR-08 - 20-MAR-08. [Details]
(2008)Renaissance In-Betweeness: Conference hosted by the Pacific Northwest Renaissance Society (PNRS),
E. Semple (2008) Paper: “‘What shall I do to shewe my self a man?’: Masculinity and liminal space in Nashe’s Choice of Valentines”. [Oral Presentation], Renaissance In-Betweeness: Conference hosted by the Pacific Northwest Renaissance Society (PNRS), Vancouver, Canada , 03-APR-08 - 05-APR-08. [Details]
(2007)Sibéal Speaks: Postgraduate Conference on New Directions in Feminist, Sexuality, and Gender Research,
E. Semple (2007) Paper: “‘I went to see and be seen’: Boundaries, display and the whore in Renaissance England”. [Oral Presentation], Sibéal Speaks: Postgraduate Conference on New Directions in Feminist, Sexuality, and Gender Research, University of Limerick , 06-OCT-07 - 06-OCT-07. [Details]

Committees

 CommitteeFunctionFrom / To
School of English and Digital Humanities Teaching and Learning Committee Representing the Dept. of English2023 / 2024
School of English and Digital Humanities Graduate Studies Committee Member as MA: Medieval and Renaissance Literature Programme Director2023 /
CACSSS T&L sub-Committee: Recruitment and Employability Member2022 /
Dept of English: Working Group for First Year English curriculum reform Member (in capacity as Programme Director of BA in English)2021 / 2023
School of English: Working Group for Teaching 2020-2021 (during the Covid-19 pandemic) Member (in capacity as Programme Director of BA in English)2020 / 2021
CACSSS Space Review Working Group Member2020 /
School of English BA in English Committee Chair2018 / 2023
CACSSS Teaching and Learning Forum Participant at sessions on Employability and on Tutoring2018 / 2019
School of English Teaching and Learning Committee Member in capacity as Programme Director of BA in English (CK109)2018 /
School of English Executive Management Committee Member2018 / 2022
School of English Postgraduate Tutor Liaison Officer Postgraduate Tutor Liaison Officer2014 / 2019
School of English Health and Safety Officer School of English Health and Safety Officer2014 / 2022
School of English First Year Committee Member2014 / 2023
School of English Second Year Committee Member and Coordinator of the Second Year Seminar registration2012 / 2018
School Graduate Studies Committee Member2014 / 2018
School of English Prizes Committee Member2013 /
School of English Research Committee Member2014 / 2018
School of English BA in English / Denominated Entry Committee Member2012 / 2013
School of English First Year Curriculum Reform Committee Member2012 / 2013

Employment

 EmployerPositionFrom / To
School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin Teaching Fellow01-JAN-12 / 31-AUG-12
Oscail Distance Education, Dublin City University Module group coordinator01-SEP-10 / 01-SEP-13
School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin Occasional lecturer, tutor, and workshop leader01-JAN-07 / 31-DEC-11

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
2023National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Digital Badge: Universal Design in Teaching and LearningUniversal Design in Teaching and Learning
2022University College Cork Digital Badge: The Successful Team LeaderSuccessful Team Leader
2022University College Cork Digital Badge: Problem Based Learning Tutor TrainingProblem Based Learning Tutor Training
2020University College Cork Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Higher EducationTeaching & Learning in Higher Education
2011University College Dublin PHDEarly Modern Literature
2005University College Dublin MASTERSEarly Modern Literature
2004NUI Maynooth BACHELOR OF ARTSEnglish and Anthropology
2013FETAC CertificateFETAC Level 5 Certification in Occupational First Aid
2007Irish Academy of Public Relations CertificateIntroduction to Public Relations

Outreach Activities

 Description

Contributed to this Podcast by discussing my chapter in the edited collection Difficult Death, Dying and the Dead in Media and Culture (ed. Coleclough, Michael-Fox, and Visser). This episode was released 7 Dec. 2023 and is accessible online here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3fbCtvZQwGoubvXhKZDyUY

Secondary schools outreach: Invited to act as an Adjudicator for the prestigious "Gold Debate and Prize Debate" at the Christian Brothers College, Cork (May 2022).

Media Engagement: Interviewed for the Reduced Shakespeare Company podcast, after I co-convened the seminar “Shakespearean Biofiction on the Stage and Screen”, at the 2021 conference of the Shakespeare Association of America, with Ronan Hatfull. The interview was conducted by Austin Tichenor (co-director of the RSC) for the RSC podcast. Listen on Apple podcasts and the RSC website here: https://www.reducedshakespeare.com/2021/04/analyzing-shakespearean-biofiction/

Secondary schools outreach: Invited Adjudicator for the prestigious "Gold Debate and Prize Debate" at the Christian Brothers College, Cork (May 2019).

Interviewer and chair: interviewed the director Ronan Phelan and cast of Rough Magic's production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", and chaired audience Q&A, in the Everyman Theatre, Cork (November 2019). https://www.facebook.com/EverymanCork/photos/we-are-delighted-that-dr-edel-semple-lecturer-in-shakespeare-studies-ucc-will-be/10156456908936689/

Media Engagement: Interviewed for BBC News article "Shakespeare 'belongs to Ireland and the world'" by Vincent Dowd, BBC Arts reporter (July 2019): See https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49031179

Lectures for summer school: Delivered a lecture in June 2018 and at the inaugural UCC CACSSS Summer School in June 2016. These lectures discussed studying English at UCC and explored "Hamlet", one of the Leaving Certificate's set plays.

Lectures for summer school: Devised and delivered a 'taster lecture' on the CK109 BA in English programme as part of UCC's "Discover Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences Summer Programme", aimed at Transition and Fifth Year students, in June 2019.

Organiser and chair: Initiated and organised a public lecture for Shakespeare 400 by Prof Goran Stanivukovic (Saint Mary's University, Canada), entitled “Shakespeare’s First Act: literature, theatre, and the earliest years”, held in UCC in November 2016. Prof Stanivukovic also led a masterclass for BA English students.

Public lectures: Researched, designed, and delivered a lecture entitled "Shakespeare's Sources and the Boole Library's Resources" for Culture Night 2016 and as part of the global commemorations for Shakespeare 400.

Organiser and chair: Initiated, organised, and hosted a public lecture as part of "Shakespeare and the Easter Rising", a series of events that commemorated Shakespeare 400 and the unique experience of Shakespeare 300 in Ireland, during Easter in 1916, across the island of Ireland. Dr Ger Fitzgibbon (playwright, director, emeritus Head of Drama, UCC) delivered a lecture on “Shakespeare, O'Casey and ‘the Nature of an Insurrection’.”

Public lectures: for Cork's "Learning Neighbourhoods" initiative (April 2016), which formed part of the UNESCO Cork Learning City programme, I devised and delivered a lecture to the public on Shakespeare. In 2015, Cork achieved a UNESCO award as a Learning City, one of only three cities in Europe and one of twelve cities worldwide. This award recognises Cork's continuing excellence and commitment to lifelong learning.

Organiser and chair: devised and coordinated a School of English event for Culture Night in 2014 and 2015. The event, "Ten-Minute Tales", saw staff and postgraduate students present a literature extravaganza to the general public. Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity, and the arts.

Director and performer: I coordinated, acted in, and promoted a staged reading of "Tamburlaine" for Christopher Marlowe's 450th anniversary. The play was read by the students and staff of the School of English before a live audience in February 2014.

Coordinated guest speakers: In 2013-2014, I organised reciprocal visits between UCC's School of English and Shakespeare's Globe, with members of the Globe Education.

Competition coordinator: Designed and organised a Shakespeare Writing Competition for First Years in the School of English to promote interest in Renaissance literature and encourage creative writing (2013-2014).

Admissions and recruitment: Guest speaker on several occasions to secondary school as part of the UCC Admissions Office schools outreach project (2013-2015).

Committee: Member of the steering committee for the planned Young Writer of the Year Awards 2014-2015, aimed at secondary school students and led by local creative practitioners.

Judge and collaborator: assisted with the organisation and promotion of the inaugural Green Campus writing competition, UCC Green Campus Committee, and judged the entries. The theme was "Oikos - Secret Places" which marked UCC's unique status as a Green Campus (May 2014).

Interviewer and chair: interviewed the actor James DeVita and chaired audience Q&A, with Dr. Marie Kelly (Drama and Theatre Studies) in the Everyman Theatre, Cork (October 2014). https://www.ucc.ie/en/english/news/performing-shakespeare-show-and-post-show-discussion.html

Judge for student society: attended performances, offered feedback, and participated in an adjudication panel for UCC's student Dramat Society for the Irish Student Drama Association, throughout the academic year (2013-2014).

Reading group convener: From 2008-2009, I acted as Seneschal of the Dublin-based inter-institutional reading group, the Early Modern Tavern Society. I remained an active member of the society for many years.

Performances: As part of the Early Modern Tavern Society's 'Read, not Dead' programme, I have performed in and directed the staged readings of a range of medieval and early modern plays including: Everyman, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, The Cardinal, A Mad World, My Masters, The Wise Woman of Hoxton, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Mankind, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, Cola's Fury, King Johan, Michaelmas Term, Arden of Faversham, and A Woman Killed with Kindness.

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / From
Borrowers And Lenders: The Journal Of Shakespeare And Appropriation Peer Reviewer-
Shakespeare Bulletin: A Journal Of Performance Criticism And Scholarship Peer Reviewer-
Early Modern Literary Studies Guest Editor-
Popular Culture Studies Journal Peer Reviewer-
Huntington Library Quarterly Peer Reviewer-

Other Activities

 Description

Peer-reviewer for academic publishers for both book proposals and full manuscripts, and for journals reviewing submitted articles. In recent years, I have reviewed material for Cambridge University Press, Palgrave, Routledge, Shakespeare BulletinBorrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation, the Popular Culture Studies Journal, the Huntington Library Quarterly, and Aigne: Journal of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC.

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

I am the Programme Director of the MA: Medieval and Renaissance Literature  (CKE31) and welcome enquiries on this programme. (https://www.ucc.ie/en/cke31/)
         
In December 2022, I was recognised with a President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for promoting learning by using Problem Based Learning (PBL) in the BA in English curriculum. Since I joined UCC, I have championed PBL as an innovative pedagogy which inspires and enhances student learning. PBL has been central to the BA in English since its inception in 2014, forming the basis of the 10-credit core module EN1103: Problems in Literature. As I demonstrated during the design-stage of the BA programme and as each new student cohort proves, PBL is a student-centred curriculum that can promote learning outcomes fundamental to the discipline of English: independent and collaborative research, critical thinking, digital literacy, and communication and writing proficiency across different modes (e.g. oral presentation, report, creative writing). PBL fosters deep learning as students encounter relevant, real-world ‘problems’ which they cannot solve with their existing knowledge, and so it inspires self-directed enquiry and skills development.
          From 2018-2023, I was the Programme Director of the BA in English (CK109). UCC's BA in English provides students with a broad foundation in the study of literature and hones their skills in communication, research, and critical thinking through a three-year programme of challenging and enriching range of modules. The programme allows students to shape their degree according to their interests and produce independent as well as group work. BA English students explore literature in all its varieties – from the era of Old English in the 7th century to the digital age of the 21st century – and from poetry to plays to novels to film and comic book adaptations and beyond. Through reading, writing, discussion, and team and individual research, students learn about literary genres, movements, and historical periods, and develop a deep understanding of critical theories and current cultural debates.
          BA in English students have several opportunities unique to their programme. Firstly, the students take modules that employ the innovative Problem Based Learning (PBL) method of teaching; these modules enable students to acquire key transferable skills such as teamwork, independent research, organisation, and presentation skills. These modules also empower students to pursue their interests, to create unique projects, and become lifelong learners passionate about literature, the arts, and culture. Secondly, BA in English students have the option of taking Creative Writing seminars with our expert staff, which include established, award-winning authors with years of experience in publishing in creative fields. These classes take advantage of Cork’s rich literary heritage and students often enjoy talks from visiting and local writers and creative practitioners. Thirdly, in the final year of the programme, BA in English students write a dissertation, working closely with our expert staff on a project of the student’s design. This dissertation strengthens the skills and knowledge they have acquired, and again provides students with a project which showcases their interests and abilities. Each of these modules are research-led and our students join and participate in a thriving community of scholars and practitioners.
          In sum, these programme specific modules involving PBL, Creative Writing, digital literacy, and independent research foster a lifelong love of literature and enable students to develop marketable skills vital in a range of professions. In particular, our students gain valuable knowledge, experience, and skills in communication, research, creative and critical thinking, organisation, and teamwork. For more information on the BA in English, see: https://www.ucc.ie/en/ck109/

Enhancing learning and teaching within and beyond UCC
I endeavor to enhance teaching within my School and university, and beyond UCC, to showcase the quality and impact of research-led teaching, and to connect with cultural and learning institutions and initiatives. My contributions to teaching were recognised with a UCC President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022 (read more here). My L&T contributions also include:
  • Organised a SATLE-funded workshop "Promoting learning through effective assessment design," with guest experts from the UK and University of Limerick, open to all UCC (Dec. 2023)
  • Completed a Digital Badge: Universal Design in Teaching and Learning
  • Designed and delivered a talk on "Writing and reading abstracts" as part of the School of English "Skills Lunch" series for postgraduates and early career researchers (January 2023).
  • Devised and delivered a talk promoting the BA English programme to USA High School Counsellors, visiting UCC (June 2022).
  • An Erasmus+ Teaching Staff visit to Charles University, Prague, exchanging knowledge with colleagues and teaching students in the Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures, in May 2022. This visit included a lecture on my current research.
  • Digital Badge: The Connected Curriculum.
  • Digital Badge: The Successful Team Leader.
  • Digital Badge in Problem Based Learning Tutor Training: An Introduction, cementing several years of experience teaching and coordinating courses taught through PBL.
  • A Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education (UCC, 2020).
  • Mentor for the conveners of UCC's English Society's annual symposium Inkwell: Medieval and Renaissance, which is run by students for students. I am proud to have mentored the student team who began this symposium in 2016, and pleased to foster the professional development of subsequent conveners and see Inkwell grow each year. The sixth Inkwell was held in March 2022 online with the fitting theme of "Malady and Medicine" and the keynote guest was Prof. Faith Wallis (McGill University, Canada.) 
  • Judged, with colleagues, essays submitted for the School of English Undergraduate Awards 2022-2023; 2021-2022; 2017-2018.
  • Speaker on Teaching and Learning in the time of Covid, an inter-institutional roundtable at the "Bugs and Books" interdisciplinary symposium (Dec. 2020)
  • Coordinated and hosted a scholar on an Erasmus teaching visit, from the University of Bonn, in March 2020. This visit took advantage of Cork's history as we toured with MA students Elizabeth Fort, the 17th century star-shaped fort located within a short distance of UCC, and other early modern sites in the city.
  • Designed and delivered a lecture about the CK109 BA in English programme to Transition Year students as part of the CACSSS Discover Humanities and Social Sciences event, March 2020.
  • Planned and conducted a visit to Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, to meet with staff in the Faculty of Languages and Literatures regarding Erasmus exchanges between our departments (May 2019).
  • Designed and delivered a talk on editing and editing collections as part of the School of English "Skills Lunch" series for postgraduates and early career researchers (January 2019).
  • Designed and delivered a 'taster lecture' on the CK109 BA in English programme as part of UCC's Discover Arts Summer Programme in June 2019.
  • Adjudicator of the prestigious annual Gold Medal Debating competition at the Christian Brothers College, Cork (May 2019 and May 2022).
  • Designed and delivered a lecture in June 2018 and at the inaugural UCC CACSSS Summer School in June 2016 on studying English at UCC, using Hamlet, one of the set plays on the Leaving Certificate English exam, as a case study.
  • Interviewed about effective exam preparation on the Skills Centre show "Write Here, Write Now" on UCC Radio in November 2017.
  • Designed and coordinated a CACSSS masterclass as part of my IRC New Foundations project “Celebrating Shakespeare 400: Performing Pericles, Prince of Tyre in November 2016, a project which involved students of UCC Drama and LittleShoes Productions drama group.
  • Initiated and organised a masterclass on Shakespeare and friendship for BA English students by Prof Goran Stanivukovic (Saint Mary's University, Canada), in November 2016, along with a public lecture
  • Researched, organised, and delivered for Culture Night 2016 an illustrated talk entitled “Shakespeare’s Sources and the Boole Library’s Resources” in UCC, and this talk also contributed to the global commemorations for Shakespeare 400 in 2016. The talk was free to attend and I later wrote about my research for The River-side: Reflections on Research Collections, the blog of UCC Boole Library's Special Collections.
  • Delivered public lectures in Knocknaheeny to schoolchildren and in UCC to the general public on Shakespeare as part of the pilot Learning Neighbourhoods Programme in April 2016, which formed part of the UNESCO Cork Learning City programme. 
  • Assisted and oversaw a student on the MA in Creative Writing in UCC (2015-16) in coordinating a Writing and Publishing workshop for BA in English students with guests Ide Ní Laoghaire from O’Brien Press; author and blogger Jamie O’Connell; author and journalist Rachel Andrews; and novelist Louise O’Neill, in March 2016.
  • Designed and co-taught an interactive postgraduate workshop on editing and edited collections with Dr Andrew Power (Program Director of the English Dept., Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus) in March 2016. This workshop explored the work of the editor and the process of editing from initial conception to the printing and promotion of an edited volume. Discussion and practical exercises formed part of the workshop.
  • Organised a tour of Elizabeth Fort and delivered a talk on Shakespeare and early modern Ireland for BA in English students, in October 2015.
  • Directed a staged reading of the tragedy Tamburlaine to mark the 450th birthday of Christopher Marlowe, performed by the undergraduates, postgraduates, and staff of the School before a live audience (February 2014).
  • Designed, organised, promoted, and hosted a literary event for Ireland's national Culture Night in 2014 and 2015, entitled "Ten-Minute Tales", which saw the Dept's PhD students and staff present introductory talks to the general public to their research on literature from the era of the Vikings to the 20th century. 
  • Initiated, designed, and organised a Shakespeare creative writing Competition for First Years in the School of English (2012-2013, and 2013-2014).             
  • Initiated and organised reciprocal teaching visits between the School of English and Shakespeare's Globe, London, with members of the Globe Education in 2013-2014.
  • See also the 'Outreach Activities' listed above. 

Teaching and course coordination (undergraduate):

  • EN1010: Critical Reading and Writing (Co-coordinator; Tutor Mentor; curriculum design)
  • EN1011: Literature in Time (Co-lecturing)  
  • EN1101: Contexts: The Production and Reception of Literature (Co-lecturing)  
  • EN1103: Problems in Literature and Film (Coordinator; Tutor Mentor; Co-teaching)  
  • EN2080: Introduction to Renaissance Literature (Coordinator; sole Lecturer)
  • EN3003: Special Studies seminar: Shakespeare on Screen (sole Teacher of small-group Seminar) 
  • EN3107: Studies in Shakespeare (Coordinator; sole Lecturer)  
  • EN3110: Dissertation, BA in English programme (Co-lecturing; dissertation supervision) 
I was previously the BA in English Programme Director (2018-2023). I have previously taught and assessed EN1002: Literature and Society: Medieval to Renaissance (co-lectured); EN2066 Drama: Medieval to Renaissance (co-lectured); EN2073: Introduction to Shakespearean Drama (Course Coordinator and sole Lecturer); EN2006: Seminar on "Rebels, Revengers, and Deviants in Renaissance Drama"; EN3003: Seminar on "Women in Renaissance Drama"; and in UCC's Department of Drama, I co-taught on the course DR1005: Texts and Contexts: Greek to Modern Theatre. 

MA: Medieval and Renaissance Literature: 

I am the Programme Director of the MA: Medieval and Renaissance Literature (2023-2026), a role I also held in 2015-2018. In any given year, my MA teaching may include:
  • EN6052: New Histories of the Book (Coordinator 2023; Co-teaching)
  • EN6054: Renaissance Literature (Coordinator; Co-teaching)  
  • EN6063: Earlier Literature and its Modern Reception (Co-teaching)  
  • EN6009: Contemporary Research: Skills, Methods and Strategies (Co-teaching)
  • EN6017: MA Dissertation (40 credits) (Supervisor).

Previous teaching: 

Before joining UCC, I taught courses on Renaissance drama, poetry, and prose, early modern London, literary genres, and writing and research skills. For several years, I also worked for Oscail, Ireland's Distance Learning institution, teaching the literature of the long eighteenth century (c.1640-1800 poetry, novels, prose, drama), editing course textbooks, and devising and marking assessments. 

Teaching philosophy:

I became a teacher and researcher because I love to learn about literature, and in each class I strive to impart this curiosity and enthusiasm to every student. To achieve this, I encourage questioning and critical thinking in my students at all times. I orientate my classes towards inquiry by urging students to explore new ideas, to probe their assumptions, and to push boundaries. This approach is instrumental in helping them to read and write analytically and stimulates the students to be reflective and resourceful. I want students to experience the pleasure and value of seeing things in a new light, of developing their own ideas and expressing their arguments, and of understanding the complexities of the material. With this approach, I also endeavour to help students to become active learners.

Throughout my teaching, I have found that when students fully participate in the class they retain more information, they enjoy learning, and they develop strategies to continue learning independently. My role as a teacher is to guide and support; in each class I encourage students to be active, and when they are involved in individual or group exercises, students recognise that my view is not the only one, or the ‘right’ one. I believe it is important that students find their own voice and learn to value their own opinions and those of their peers. Moreover, I believe that students should be comfortable asking questions and testing ideas, and so I endeavour to create a learning environment where they can feel at ease.

In each course I design and teach, I am committed to helping students achieve their goals and reach their full potential. To this end, I believe it is vital to be responsive to the diverse needs of different classes and individual students, be they undergraduate or postgraduate, mature students or distance education learners. Thus, flexibility and adaptability are fundamental to my teaching. No two classes are ever the same and I modify my approach accordingly – sometimes I simply act as moderator for a lively discussion, on other occasions I prompt students to engage with the material and direct their enquiry. My teaching methods also vary: I use techniques such as rounds so each student has a chance to speak, snowball or pyramid discussion to promote the production of considered arguments, and group work to facilitate the exchange of ideas between students. When I set team exercises, I remind the group of the value of collaboration and the importance of respecting others, but I also emphasise that, as in discussion and in written work, students must support their claims, explain their rationale, and consider alternatives. While group work enhances students’ skills of teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, I also design exercises which give students the opportunity to be creative. For instance, in the past I have set groups the task of proposing a modern adaptation of an early modern play and the students produced inventive ideas which strengthened their grasp of key scenes; thus, this activity proved to both enjoyable and instructive.

I believe that teaching is a dynamic process; for me, this means that I learn as I teach, I draw on each experience to improve the next, but this also means that I take every opportunity to build on my teaching skills and be open to advances in pedagogy. Part of my job as a teacher is to adjust and develop different strategies to promote learning – trying out new techniques keeps my classes interesting for me and my students, and provides a framework for development. Simple exercises such as debates can, in my experience, help students find a way into a difficult text, while group performances can further students’ understanding of dramatic language and theatrical conventions.

I have found that the most effective classes, lectures, and scholarly papers are the ones that engage the audience, challenge them to think critically, and communicate complex ideas in a way that is accessible; this is what I try to do whenever I teach. In the end, my goal is to have students walk away having pushed themselves at every turn, with advanced skills in reading and writing, and with the knowledge that learning about literature is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. 

Recent Postgraduates

 Graduation YearStudent NameInstitutionDegree TypeThesis Title
2023Y. Chan University College CorkMASTERSConstructs of Gender and Sexuality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde and Robert Henryson’s The Testament of Cresseid
2022A. Bellini University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: "Hell is empty and all the devils are here”: the myth of Italy in English Renaissance Literature
2022D. Buckley University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: The Representation of Virgins, Wives and Widows in Renaissance Literature
2022C. Cowhig University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: Tainted Love: Desiring the Dead in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature
2020L. Murphy University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: "In Every Ending There Is A New Beginning": Reimagining the Early Modern in Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy.
2019A. O'Mahony University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: “He was a man”: A study of gender in film adaptations of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, 1899-2000
2019E. Lonergan University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: “I cried to dream again”: The representations of servitude and slavery in film adaptations of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, 1908-2010
2019S. O'Reilly-Cussen University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: “Commanding the beggar’s knee”: Abuse of authority and class animosity in Shakespeare’s Second Tetralogy
2019C. Reddy University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: “Something wicked this way comes”: An exploration of the female supernatural in the natural world
2017M. O'Halloran University College CorkPHD"Marlowe's Medievalism: Subversion and Medieval Literature in Christopher Marlowe's Drama"
2016M. Murphy University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: “‘Why, shall I always keep below stairs?’: Shakespeare female servants on screen, 1990-2014”
2016E. Murphy UCCMASTERSMA thesis: "Katherina Minola's on Screen Transition from Daughter to Wife"
2016D. Browne University College CorkMASTERSMA Thesis: "On This Island: A Study in Shakespeare’s Late Romances Through the Poetic and Critical Interpretations of W.H. Auden"
2014R. Hunt University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: "The Influence of the Mind, Body and External Environment on the Philosophical Self in Book II of The Faerie Queene"
2014M. Power University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: “The Family in Shakespeare’s Revenge Tragedies: A Comparative Study of Titus Andronicus and Hamlet”
2013S. Gunning University College CorkMASTERSMA thesis: "Female Transgression and the Challenges of Patriarchal Ideology in the Tragedies of John Webster"
2012S. Dollard University College Dublin, IrelandMASTERSMA thesis: “The complex morality of cuckoldry in Middletonian drama”

Current Postgraduate Students

 StudentDegree Type
Cowhig Catharine Ann Doctoral Degree
Fylan Kevin Joseph Doctoral Degree
Mc Auliffe Robyn Anne Doctoral Degree

Research Information

Internal Collaborators

 NameInstituteCountry
Dr Éadaoin Regan UCC Skills CentreIRELAND
Elaine Harrington UCC Boole Library Special CollectionsIRELAND
Ashling O'Sullivan UCC CACSSS
Dr Marie Kelly UCC Department of TheatreIRELAND

External Collaborators

 NameOrganisation / InstituteCountry
Prof Katherine Scheil University of MinnesotaU.S.A.
Dr Elaine Walshe University of LimerickIRELAND
Dr Rory Loughnane, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Studies University of KentUNITED KINGDOM
Dr Ronan Hatfull University of WarwickUNITED KINGDOM
Prof Donald Hedrick Kansas State UniversityU.S.A.
Dr Andrew Power Saint Louis University - Madrid CampusSPAIN
Dr Ema Vyroubalová, Assistant Professor in Early Modern Literature Trinity College DublinIRELAND

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English Department

Roinn an Bhéarla

O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork, Cork. Ireland

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