Courses

CVSP 295DR

Syllabus
 

DRAMA IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT

1. Course Learning Outcomes

In this course we will examine various modern theatre traditions, beginning with plays written by Chekhov and Ibsen in the late 19^th century and including contemporary works by Federico Garcia-Lorca, Wole Soyinka and Bertolt Brecht. As we read and analyze modern and contemporary plays from a number of traditions --European, Russian, African, etc. -- in both written and visual form, we will pay particular attention to the ways in which theatrical forms in the 20^th century have crossed cultural boundaries and in so doing created new modes of theatrical expression.

2. Resources Available to Students

Books and Texts

Brecht, Bertolt. Mother Courage and Her Children 

(Eric Bentley, translator). New York: Grove Press, 1991.

Chekhov, Anton. Plays: Ivanov, the Seagull, Uncle Vania, Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard (Peter Carson, 
translator). New York: Peguin USA, 1959.

Frayn, Michael. Copenhagen. NY: Anchor Books, 1998.

Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays: A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabbler, the Master Builder by 
(James McFarlane, translator). (Oxford World's Classics) Oxford UP, 1998.

THESE TEXTS SHOULD BE AT AUB BOOKSTORE. OTHER REQUIRED READINGS WILL BE AT 
FUTURE GRAPHICS. WE WILL ALSO VIEW FILMED VERSIONS OF SOME PLAYS.

3. Grading Criteria

Class attendance and participation          20%
Journal                                                      20%
Mid-term                                                   20%
Presentation                                             20%
Final                                                          20%

4. Schedule

5. Course Policy

Assigned readings must be completed before class. You should keep a journal with your responses to all of the plays and other texts we read and view (approximately 250 words minimum; include the date the entry was written). These entries should be completed before class and they should not be general, impressionistic responses (i.e. “I liked this play. I thought it was good.”). You should, for example, pick two passages in the assigned reading and analyze them in detail and write about how they relate to the entire play or to other plays we have read. You will have one mid-term exam, one group presentation and a final paper. Class attendance is required. If you miss class more than two times, your grade will be lowered accordingly. ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TURNED IN ON TIME. (Do NOT turn in responses that are paraphrased or cut-and-pasted from internet sites. If you need more time to complete an assignment, tell me in advance and I will make a reasonable effort to accommodate. Plagiarism is a serious offense and will be dealt with according to university regulations.)

Academic integrity and honesty are central components of a student's education. Ethical conduct maintained in an academic context will be taken eventually into a student's professional career. Academic honesty is essential to a community of scholars searching for and learning to seek the truth. Anything less than total commitment to honesty undermines the efforts of the entire academic community. Both students and faculty are responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of the University. (AUB Student Handbook, p. 33)

For definitions of cheating and plagiarism as well as the consequences for such, see the AUB "Student Code of Conduct" as found in the Student Handbook (esp. pp. 85-86 and 88) and on the AUB website. http://pnp.aub.edu.lb/general/conductcode/158010081.html

At minimum, anyone caught in violation of academic integrity will receive, as per the "Student Code of Conduct," a failing grade of forty points for the assignment in question. Should the violation deserve greater punishment, it will be referred to the Dean and the Dean's Administrative Committee.
Classes meet three times a week: one common lecture and two discussion sessions.