THEATRE HISTORY II– THEA 4457 01 W
Spring
Semester 2004
Instructor: Dr. Amy Cuomo
Office:
207 D Martha Munro
Phone: 770-838-3116
e-mail:
Office
Hours: W
Texts: Worthen, W. B. The Harcourt Brace
Anthology of Drama (3rd Edition),
TX, 2000.
NOTE: A "W" designation after a section number
of a 3000 or 4000 level course signifies that the course is a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) course. WAC accepts as a guiding
principle the idea that writing is a valuable tool for learning and
communication. Therefore, the writing
components of a course so designated are designed to help students learn the
material and communicate what they have learned. Students are required to take two
"W" courses for an undergraduate degree in the
Degree Learning Outcomes:
·
Students will demonstrate that they are familiar with a representative
selection of plays, indicated by a demonstrable knowledge of selected plays,
theatrical conventions, and theatrical movements
important in the modern theatre.
·
Students will be able to critically understand basic knowledge of
theatre history, theory, and criticism, as well as research sources and
methodology.
·
Students will develop skill in analyzing plays, using theatre
technology, and conducting research.
·
Students will express through performance, writing, speaking, and other
modes of communication the results of research and critical judgment, indicated
by a demonstrable ability to reach an audience effectively through at least one
of the components of theatrical art (acting, directing, designing, playwriting).
·
Students will have the ability to apply the skills they learn in
courses to a variety of work and social environments.
Learning Objectives:
·
To gain an understanding of the historical significance of the theatre.
·
To understand the roll of writing as part of a learning process
Student Responsibilities
--Please
be on time for class and plan to stay for the entire period.
--Be
a courteous listener and present your ideas in a way that show respect for your
colleagues.
--Read
the assigned material and be prepared to contribute to the class discussion
--You
are responsible for all the material presented in class. If you miss class, please make sure you get
the notes.
--Changes
in the syllabus or schedule will be announced in class -- make sure you note
these changes.
--Keep
copies of all your written work and file your returned assignments in a
safe place.
--If
you have scheduling conflicts with the plays or have a documented absence that
prevents you from completing an assignment, please make arrangements with me as
soon as possible to make arrangements for completing your work.
--If
you have any special needs or if there is anything I can do to assist you in
succeeding in this course do not hesitate to let me know.
This
class relies on group discussion and therefore attendance is required.
Presentations (WTC)
During the course of the semester, students will be assigned two short presentations. These presentations are designed to expand on the material presented in the text. The presentation schedule will be posted on WEB CT. Students must distribute a handout on his/her topic to the class on the day that they present. Students MUST present on the day assigned or they will receive a zero for the assignment. Illness on presentation days will only be excused with a doctor’s note. The written assignments will be classified as “writing to communicate” (WTC)
Quizzes (WTC)
There
will be a series of quizzes and discussion questions on the plays and assigned readings. Quizzes will cover material listed as due
on your syllabus. There will be no make
up quizzes; I will drop your two lowest quiz grades.
WEB CT Discussions (WTL)
Discussion
questions will be posted on
Each student will write
Midterm (WTC)
There will be a midterm exam covering all the material assigned and/or covered in class from the beginning of the semester until midterm.
There
will be a final exam covering all the material assigned and/or covered in class
from the midterm to the end of the semester.
Grading Scale
A 100-90
B 89-80
C 79-70
D 69-60
F 59 and below
Discuss
Questions (WTL) 20%
Quizzes
(WTC) 10%
Presentations (WTC) 10%
Formal
Paper (WTC) 20%
Final (WTC) 20%
Attendance (WTL) 10%
Please note that the
syllabus is subject to change.
T 1/6 Course Introduction
TH 1/8 Due: Hedda Gabler*
TH 1/15 Due: “Theatre and Culture to
1950” p. 579
&
“Naturalism
in the Theatre” p.886
T 1/20 Due:
Trifles and “The American Theatre” p.935-938
Due: Response #1:
How would you define the
difference between Realism and Naturalism?
TH 1/22 Due: The Hairy Ape
T 1/27 Due: Six Characters in
Search of an Author
TH 1/29 Due: Paper Proposals
TH 2/5 ACTF
T 2/10 Due: “Theatre for pleasure or Theatre for
Instruction” p. 889
Mother
Courage
TH 2/12 Due: Response #2: Explain what Brecht
was trying to achieve with his alienation effect? Do you think he was successful in Mother
Courage? How did he succeed? How did he
fail?
T 2/17 Due: The Federal Theatre Project p. 940
European Influence and American
Innovation p. 936-938
TH 2/19 Due: Street Car Named Desire*
T 2/24 Due: “Theatre of the Absurd” p.874 and
“The
Theatre and Its Double” p. 894
Due:
Annotated Bibliography
TH 2/26 Due: Endgame
F 2/27 Last Day to Withdraw with Grade
of “W”
T 3/2 Midterm
T 3/9 Due: “Theatre and Culture Since
1950” p. 589
Due: Response #3 Theatre of the Absurd was defined by Martin Esslin as a movement that was ultimately hopeful? Looking at End Game do you agree or
disagree? Why
TH 3/11 Due: The Homecoming
TH 3/18 Due: Los Vendidos
T 3/22 Spring Break
TH 3/24 Spring Break
T 3/30 Due: Draft of Research Paper
TH 4/1 Due: “American Drama in Performance History” p.
943-946
True
West
T 4/6 Due: Response #4 How
does Luis Valdez use theatre to demonstrate
a social
problem? What issues is he trying to
address in Los Vendidos?
TH 4/8 Due: Cloud Nine
TH 4/15 Due: Death
and the King’s Horseman
T 4/20 Due: Dry Lips Oughta MoveKapuskasing
TH 4/22 Due: Angels in
Due: Response #5 How does Cloud Nine, Death and the
King’s Horseman, and Dry Lips Oughta Move
address Post Colonialism?
T 4/27 Final Paper Due
Research Paper Grading
Criteria THEATRE
HISTORY
This
is a formal writing assignment (WTC).
Your
paper will be graded on a 100 point scale.
A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79
D=60-69 F=59 and below
The
proposal is worth 5 points. The
annotated bibliography is worth 5 points.
The first draft of the paper is worth 10 points. The final draft of the
paper is worth 80 points for a total of 100.
The final draft will be evaluated using the chart listed below. Each
item listed below is worth 8 points.
Introduction
1. The opening paragraph provides specific
information needed for the reader
to understand
the paper’s topic. (Answer the questions
Who, What When and
Where) ______
2. The thesis is including in the paper's
introduction and
presents an
original idea or argument. ______
Body
3. The body of the paper has two or more
separate support points that advance the
argument of the
thesis. _____
4. Specific concrete example/evidence is
provided to support each point,
and the evidence
is well documented.. _____
5. The argument is well developed, thoroughly
discusses the thesis and
progresses in a
clearly organized and logical fashion. _____
Conclusion
6. The conclusion answers the question, argument
or problem posed in the thesis
and is adequate
in length to bring the argument to competition. _____
Mechanics
7. The grammar, punctuation, and spelling are
correct and the sentence structure is
sophisticated, varied and to the point. _____
Overall
8. The facts presented in the paper are correct
and the assertions are well supported. ______
9. The papers is properly documented and
contains both endnotes and a
complete
bibliography. ______
10. The paper is interesting and well written . ______
Note: Failure to document an author’s ideas or
words can be construed as plagiarism an may result in
a grade of 0 for your paper. If you have
any questions, please see me.
A: The essay will receive a grade of A if it has
mature, thoughtful, original, clearly expressed and well-developed ideas; it
concentrates on a strong central idea, is well organized, and has a
well-developed thesis. The major ideas
are developed logically and supported by concrete, specific evidence. The essay has an effective style and uses a
sophisticated, appropriate vocabulary; it has appropriate topic sentences,
transitions, a consistent tone; it addresses a clear audience. The prose is apt and sometimes
memorable. Finally, it contains few
errors, none of which seriously undermines the effectiveness of the paper for
educated readers.
B: The essay will receive a B if it has clearly
stated ideas in the form of a thesis and topic sentences and is logically and
concretely developed. it
should contain an effective introduction and conclusion. The ideas are presented in a thorough,
complex manner and in logical, organized order; sentence structure is clear and
varied; finally, it has no serious sentence errors such as comma splices,
fragments, fused sentences, or errors in agreement. It may, however, lack the sophistication,
vocabulary, or maturity of thought of an A paper.
C: The essay will receive a grade of C if it
demonstrates college-level proficiency.
It adequately conveys a thesis, supports the central idea by some
evidence, and is organized clearly and logically. The evidence is perhaps obvious and lacks
originality. Paragraphs are clearly
divided; although the transitions may be mechanical, the do foster coherence.
The sentence structure may be correct but shows limited competence with
sentence variety. The paper may have few
serious but some mechanical errors that betray an inadequate sentence
sense. Finally, it may contain
grammatical errors that reveal an unfamiliarity with
the conventions of edited American English.
D: The essay will receive a grade of D if it
fails to convey or sustain a central idea.
The ideas may be poorly chosen or insufficiently limited. There may be no sense of a particular
audience addressed, evidenced by inconsistent vocabulary and tone. Organization
may be seriously flawed in the following areas:
paragraphs may not be logically divided or appropriately developed;
topic sentences may be unclear or missing; transitions are missing or
incorrect; introductions are misleading, and conclusions may stray off the
argument or are simply nonexistent.
Frequently, it may have consistent and numerous mechanical or
grammatical errors. The syntax and
diction may be so flawed that sentences become incomprehensible. Lack of proofreading can turn an otherwise
adequate paper into a D paper.
F: The essay will receive an F if it does not
deal with an assigned topic; even if it is coherently and correctly
written. it may
have not stated or may not have sustained a central idea; it goes off in
several directions. The paper may read
choppily, lack sentence variety, is not developed adequately and so falls
seriously short of minimum length requirements.
It may be plagiarized. it is plagued by one or more of the organizational
deficiencies of the D paper. it will most probably contain numerous and consistent errors
in grammar or mechanics that hamper understanding by the reader.
Presentation
Topics
Emile Zola and Naturalism
Wagner and
the Unified Production
TH 1/15 Antoine and the Teatre Libre
Braham
and the Freie Buhne
T 1/20 The
Syndicate
Vaudeville
Eugene
O’Neill
TH 1/22 Expressionism in
Expressionism
in
Appia
and Craig
T 1/27 Meyerhold-- Constructivism and
Biomechanics
Max
Reinhardt
Pirandello
TH 1/29 ****
TH 2/5 ACTF
T 2/10 Tenets of Epic Theatre
Erwin
Piscator
Bertolt
Brecht
TH 2/12 ******
T 2/17 Hallie Flanagan and The Federal Theatre Project
The Group
Theatre
Margo Jones
TH 2/19
Paul
Green
Arthur
Miller
T 2/24 Existentialism
Sartre
Genet
TH 2/26 Tenets of Theatre of the Absurd
Samuel
Beckett
Eugene
Ionesco
T 3/2 Midterm
T 3/9 The
John
Osborne
Jerzy
Grotowski
Soviet
Drama of the 1960s
Peter Brook and The Empty Space
TH 3/18 Ellen Stewart and La Mama
Caffe
Chino
Joseph
Papp
T 3/22 Spring Break
T 3/30 The
Negro Theatre Ensemble
TH 4/1 Megan
Terry
Jean
Claude van Itallie
T 4/6 Luis Valdez and Teatro
Campisino
Stephen
Sondheim
TH 4/8 Caryl Churchill
Adrienne
Mnouchkine
Mishima
Yukio’s The Lady Aoi
Post Colonialism
T 4/20 Tomson Highway
TH 4/22 Post Modernism
Tony
Kushner