Sophie Ward – författare

Shakespeare is revered as the greatest writer in the English language, yet education reform in the English-speaking world is informed primarily by the ‘market order’, rather than the kind of humanism we might associate with Shakespeare. By considering Shakespeare’s dramatisation of the principles that inform neoliberalism, this book makes an important contribution to the debate on the moral failure of the market mechanism in schools and higher education systems that have adopted neoliberal policy.

The utility of Shakespeare’s plays as a means to explore our present socio-economic system has long been acknowledged. As a Renaissance playwright located at the junction between feudalism and capitalism, Shakespeare was uniquely positioned to reflect upon the nascent market order. As a result, this book utilises six of his plays to assess the impact of neoliberalism on education. Drawing from examples of education policy from the UK and North America, it demonstrates that the alleged innovation of the market order is premised upon ideas that are rejected by Shakespeare, and it advocates Shakespeare’s humanism as a corrective to the failings of neoliberal education policy.

Using Shakespeare''s Plays to Explore Education Policy Today will be of key interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of education policy and politics, educational reform, social and economic theory, English literature and Shakespeare.

Shakespeare is revered as the greatest writer in the English language, yet education reform in the English-speaking world is informed primarily by the ‘market order’, rather than the kind of humanism we might associate with Shakespeare. By considering Shakespeare’s dramatisation of the principles that inform neoliberalism, this book makes an important contribution to the debate on the moral failure of the market mechanism in schools and higher education systems that have adopted neoliberal policy.

The utility of Shakespeare’s plays as a means to explore our present socio-economic system has long been acknowledged. As a Renaissance playwright located at the junction between feudalism and capitalism, Shakespeare was uniquely positioned to reflect upon the nascent market order. As a result, this book utilises six of his plays to assess the impact of neoliberalism on education. Drawing from examples of education policy from the UK and North America, it demonstrates that the alleged innovation of the market order is premised upon ideas that are rejected by Shakespeare, and it advocates Shakespeare’s humanism as a corrective to the failings of neoliberal education policy.

Using Shakespeare''s Plays to Explore Education Policy Today will be of key interest to researchers, academics and students in the fields of education policy and politics, educational reform, social and economic theory, English literature and Shakespeare.

Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020Longlisted for the Desmond Eliot Prize 2020Longlisted for the Polari Prize 2021Featuring on BBC 2''s Between the Covers''Sophie Ward is a dazzling talent who writes like a modern-day F Scott Fitzgerald'' Elizabeth Day, author of How To Fail''An act of such breath-taking imagination, daring and detail that the journey we are on is believable and the debate in the mind non-stop. There are elements of Doris Lessing in the writing - a huge emerging talent here'' Fiona Shaw''A towering literary achievement'' Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost ThingsRachel and Eliza are planning their future together. One night in bed Rachel wakes up terrified and tells Eliza that an ant has crawled into her eye and is stuck there. Rachel is certain; Eliza, a scientist, is sceptical. Suddenly their entire relationship is called into question. What follows is a uniquely imaginitive sequence of interlinked stories ranging across time, place and perspective to form a sparkling philosophical tale of love, lost and found across the universe.

''A compelling, fast-moving narrative . . . delivers real emotional impact'' Telegraph''A literary provocateur'' GuardianSHORTLISTED for the POLARI PRIZE 2023WINNER of DIVA Magazine''s 2023 ''Author of the Year'' AwardIsobel lives an isolated life in North London, where she works at a nearby library. She feels safe, so long as she keeps to her routines and doesn''t let her thoughts stray too far into the past. But a newspaper photograph of a missing local schoolgirl and a letter from her old teacher send her spiralling and bring back the trauma of what happened years ago, when she was a pupil at The Schoolhouse. The Schoolhouse was a 1970s experimental school where Isobel''s days were a dark interplay of freedom and adventure, violence and fear. The only record of what happened there lies in the pages of her teenage diary. The Schoolhouse taught Isobel that some truths must never be revealed, but as police investigating the missing girl start to ask uncomfortable questions, she realises the truth is coming for her - and it will put her, and everyone she has tried to protect, at risk.From the Booker Prize-longlisted author of Love and Other Thought Experiments comes a masterful and gripping thriller about truth, silence, and the dead weight of the past.

A fascinating exploration of the psychology behind the seven deadly sins

Why have we evolved these ugly emotions? What’s going on in the brain and the body when we feel them? And how best can we live alongside them - in ourselves and with others?

Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward take a humorous and compelling look at the psychology behind each of the seven deadly sins. Rolling with the order established by Pope Gregory the Great, first up is pride, followed by greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and (finally) lazy old sloth.

With contributions from leading experts in the field, including geneticist, writer and presenter Dr Adam Rutherford, Dr Anna Machin from the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and sexologist Dr Anand Patel, this is a fascinating, funny and revelatory series that explores what makes us who we are and busts some myths along the way.

Pride - How can we have confidence without veering into arrogance? Pride can be motivating and self-affirming. But then there’s the ugly side: thinking you’re better than others. How can we have one without the other?

Greed - Why do we want money, land, material things – and ultimately control, status, dominance, power? And can we be greedy for the good?

Lust - Lust is crucial to the continuation of our species, but it''s also a form of neurochemical madness that can lead us astray. How can we best live alongside our drives and desires?

Envy - Is the grass always greener? Can we want what others have without being riddled with resentment?

Gluttony - Why do we crave what we crave? The odd bit of indulgence isn''t such a bad thing - but sometimes we overdo it. We short circuit our dopamine reward systems, and before we know it, we can''t stop. Can we control our cravings? And when does a little bit of binging become too much?

Wrath - Things can get pretty ugly when our blood starts to boil. Some of us are quick to flip, some of us brood, and some of us push down our anger. Anger is a motivator, a driver for change in the face of a perceived injustice. The question is, how are you going to act on it?

Sloth - Is there a place for rest in today’s hyper-productive world? Our brains and bodies need rest in order to recharge. But too much sloth, and you can get stuck in a downward spiral of apathy or depression. How can we get the balance right?

Join Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward on a fascinating journey through what it means to be human in today’s modern world.

Written and presented by Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward

Produced by Becky Ripley

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 November 2023 – 2 January 2024

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