Kim Hall: How well does Othello speak to our culture?

Is Othello Shakespeare's American Play? is, I believe, an unfair, misguided question to ask, mainly because it's a closed-ended one.  As such, it begs simplistic, one-sided responses, and aborts what may very well be a very rich conversation or debate.  The better (open-ended) question is How well does Othello speak to our culture, our relations, our Zeitgeist?  Moreover, while there may be situations where a teacher ought to hold off on putting Othello or Merchant of Venice in the curriculum, I agree with Professor Kim Hall: The very open, even blunt rendering of race makes these plays terrific fodder for impassioned conversation and meaningful learning.