Modern and Contemporary Drama
Essential Questions:
- How can we best define the idea of a Modern dramatic tradition?
- Where might the roots lie?
- In what ways have these roots been developed, modified, or usurped by later playwrights?
- In what ways do the texts reflect the historical and cultural contexts in which they are constructed?
Content:
- Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, The Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull
- August Strindberg's Miss Julie
- Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and A Doll's House
- Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and her Children
- George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man
- Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Endgame
- Harold Pinter's Betrayal
- Tennessee William's Night of the Iguana
- Suzan Lori-Parks' Topdog/Underdog
- Anna Deveare Smith's Twilight, Los Angeles: 1992
- Handouts and selected texts
Skills and Processes:
- Prepare and present class meetings, both in collaborative groups and as individuals.
- Apply principles of peer reviewing and metacritical self-review for both content and style
- Develop critical abilities as readers and patrons of drama
- Acquire the vocabulary and skills required for literate discussion of drama
- Active reading
- Improve skills as writers of critical prose about drama
- Class note-taking
- Fine tune guidelines for collaboration in written work and class participation
- Memorizing text
- Acting and directing
- Set and scene design
Assessment:
- 2 analytical essays, assessed for content and style in individual conference
- 2 performances, evaluated for memorization, commitment to the style of play at hand, ambition of production, engagement with the material, and cooperation with scene partners
- Tests emphasize reading comprehension and synthesis
- Peer reviews
- Metacritical writing
- Discussions about critical analysis and persuasive writing
- Presentations are evaluated for persuasiveness, novelty, unity, ability to involve the entire group, and effectiveness in achieving the student-instructor’s stated goals