NW Missouri Times

Dr. Joseph Haughey, an assistant professor of English at Northwest Missouri State University, has authored a new educational book designed to aid teachers in making Shakespeare's "Hamlet" more accessible to students. The book, titled “Teaching Hamlet in the Twenty-First Century Classroom,” is published by Rowman & Littlefield and targets both novice and veteran educators.

Haughey explains his approach: “I don’t think a play like ‘Hamlet’ is one that you read and then are finished. My goal is for students to see themselves in a different light because of it. I hope it’s a text that all people come back to and see new things.”

The idea for the book was proposed by Roman & Littlefield, prompting Haughey to begin research during the COVID-19 pandemic and start writing in 2022. The book was released last month after extensive research, including attending numerous performances of “Hamlet” and reviewing critiques and teaching materials on Shakespeare.

Haughey expresses the significance of his work: “It’s decades of my ideas of teaching, and this book is going to exist after me. I think that’s pretty special. I hope maybe 100 years from now, somebody looks at this book and gets some sense of who I was.”

Despite "Hamlet's" dark themes, Haughey aims for teachers to make learning enjoyable: “If you can make them have a positive experience with it – that makes them curious and interested to come back – then that’s successful.” He also believes "Hamlet" offers comfort through its exploration of purpose in life: “That’s a dark message, but a valuable message too.”

His daughter Dakotah contributed artwork for the book, designing the cover as part of her studies as a junior digital media major at Northwest.

Haughey joined Northwest faculty in 2013 with academic interests spanning English education, critical literacy, educational history, Shakespeare, and theatre. His academic background includes degrees from Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and Grand Rapids Community College.