At the end of this course, the students; 1) will be able to discuss various dramatic genres and the role of the audience through textual analysis, 2) will be able to discuss ideas and concerns characteristic of modernism in American drama and to focus on contemporary texts as a way of understanding the connections and discontinuities between modern and postmodern American drama.
MODE OF DELIVERY
Face to face
PRE-REQUISITES OF THE COURSE
No
RECOMMENDED OPTIONAL PROGRAMME COMPONENT
None
COURSE DEFINITION
The course will be thematically built around such headings as Realist Drama, Expressionist Drama, Political Drama (including perspectives from ethnic, racial and gender positions), Absurd Drama, and the Postmodern Theater, and will include a wide selection of American dramatists from O'Neill to Kushner.
COURSE CONTENTS
WEEK
TOPICS
1st Week
Introduction: Origins of American Drama
2nd Week
European Traditions and American Drama
3rd Week
Experimental Drama in the Early Twentieth Century
4th Week
American Drama 1920-30
5th Week
American Drama of the 1930s: The Development of a Political Voice
6th Week
Student Presentations
7th Week
Student Presentations
8th Week
The 1940s: The Second World War and the Communist 'Threat'
9th Week
New Forms of American Drama: Expressionism and the Theater of the Absurd
10th Week
New Forms of American Drama: Expressionism and the Theater of the Absurd
11th Week
American Drama of the Late Twentieth Century
12th Week
American Drama of the Late Twentieth Century
13th Week
Student Presentations
14th Week
Student Presentations
RECOMENDED OR REQUIRED READING
Adler, Thomas P. American Drama 1940-60: A Critical History. New York: Twayne, 1994.
Bigsby, C. W. E. A Critical Introduction to American Drama. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000.
---, Contemporary American Playwrights. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999.
---, Modern American Drama 1945-90. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992.
Cohn, Ruby. Modern American Dramatists 1960-90. New York: St. Martin's , 1991.
Wilmeth, Don. The Cambridge History of American Drama. Cambridge: Cambridge UP 1998.
Arnold, Aronson. American Avant-Garde Theater: A History. London and New York: Routledge, 2000.
Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Black American Poets and Dramatists. New York: Chelsea, 1994.
Geis, Deborah R. Postmodern Theatric(k)s: Monologue in Contemporary American Drama. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1995.
Hay, Samuel A. African-American Theatre: A Historical and Critical Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994.
Ramirez, Elizabeth C. Chicanos/Latinas in American Theater: A History of Performance. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2000.
Reynolds, Clay. Stage Left: The Development of American Social Drama in the 30s. New York: Whiston, 1986.
Schlueter, June. Modern American Drama: The Female Canon. Rutherford: Farleigh Dickinson UP, 1990.
Sinfield, Alan. Out on Stage: Lesbian and Gay Theatre in The Twentieth Century. New Haven: Yale UP, 1999.
PLANNED LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS
Lecture,Discussion,Presentation
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA
Quantity
Percentage(%)
Project
1
30
Attendance
1
10
Presentation of Article
2
20
Total(%)
60
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%)
60
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%)
40
Total(%)
100
ECTS WORKLOAD
Activities
Number
Hours
Workload
Midterm exam
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work
14
5
70
Preparation for Final exam
1
10
10
Course hours
14
3
42
Preparation for Midterm exam
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam
1
3
3
Homework
Project
1
60
60
Article Presentation
2
25
50
Weekly Articles and Resource Research
14
5
70
Total Workload
305
Total Workload / 30
10,16
ECTS Credits of the Course
10
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
English
WORK PLACEMENT(S)
No
KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES (KLO) / MATRIX OF LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO)
