Syllabus Listing of Course Objectives / Outcomes: Students in this course will:

• become familiar with Western theatre history from its origins to 1800, including key personalities, theories, and staging practices, techniques, and conventions; • become familiar with Western dramatic literature of these periods, including the plots and principal characters of representative classics, and similarities and differences between plays of a given period or genre and those which precede or follow them; • explore the interrelationships between changes in theatrical practices, theories, and conventions; dramatic literature; and the larger society in which the theatre exists; • practice liberal arts values and skills, including an appreciation of the continued pertinence of the classics of dramatic literature, the value of critical and analytical activity as applied to playscripts, and doing and reporting on research, both orally and in writing.

The University Studies Program specifies that Humanities courses must include requirements and learning activities that promote students' abilities to:

a. identify and understand specific elements and assumptions of a particular Humanities discipline Various assignments introduce students to the assumptions of those who study theatre history and dramatic literature, particularly the latter. These include the persistence of ‘human nature’ through time and across cultures; the inductive and indirect nature of the communication between author and audience; the active, constructive role of the viewer in the creation of meaning; the uniqueness of the world created by each playscript; and the corresponding need to attend to idiosyncratic features of the text. b. understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations As noted in the Syllabus Listing of Course Objectives/Outcomes, above, one of the course’s primary aims is to "explore the interrelationships between changes in theatrical practices, theories, and conventions; dramatic literature; and the larger society in which the theatre exists." Students also study the "similarities and differences between plays of a given period or genre and those which precede or follow them." Both these objectives speak to the issue of the influence of historical context and cultural values upon perceptions and interpretations. As students analyze plays from a variety of historical periods, they are explicitly and repeatedly enjoined to support their conclusions with data from the playscript, not simply from their own preferences and prejudgments. c. understand the role of critical analysis (e.g. aesthetic, historical, literary, philosophical, rhetorical) in interpreting and evaluating expressions of human experience The course surveys both the history of Western theatre (including staging practices, economic relationships, and key statements and manifestoes) and the development of dramatic literature (i.e., a species of literary art). Students also write a research paper on a topic in of these areas. Thus, students are introduced to both historical and aesthetic/literary analysis in their classroom work and practice one of these forms of analysis in their research paper.

THAD 210-Theatre History and Dramatic Literature I

Instructor:

David Bratt PAC 206 X 5241 e-mail: dbratt@winona.edu Office Hours: MTWHF 10-11; or by appointment (sign up on office door)

University Studies: This course satisfies the Humanities requirement in the Arts and Sciences Core of WSU’s University Studies program. It includes requirements and learning activities that promote students' abilities to:

a. identify and understand specific elements and assumptions of a particular Humanities discipline b. understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations c. understand the role of critical analysis (e.g. aesthetic, historical, literary, philosophical, rhetorical) in interpreting and evaluating expressions of human experience

Course activities and assignments that most specifically address these Humanities Requirements will be identified in the syllabus by letter, thus: (A), (B), (C).

Course Objectives: students in this course will

• become familiar with Western theatre history from its origins to 1800, including key personalities, theories, and staging practices, techniques, and conventions; • become familiar with Western dramatic literature of these periods, including the plots and principal characters of representative classics, and similarities and differences between plays of a given period or genre and those which precede or follow them; • explore the interrelationships between changes in theatrical practices, theories, and conventions; dramatic literature; and the larger society in which it exists; • practice liberal arts values and skills, including an appreciation of the continued pertinence of the classics of dramatic literature, the value of critical and analytical activity as applied to playscripts, and doing and reporting on research, both orally and in writing.

Textbooks:

Machiavelli, Mandragola Plautus, Pot of Gold and Other Plays Possin and Hansen, Self-Defense: A Student Guide to Writing Position Papers Sheridan, School for Scandal and Other Plays Watson and McKernie, A Cultural History of Theatre Worthen, Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama (3rd edition; no, you may not use the 2nd edition instead) Wycherley, Country Wife Reserve readings (at Maxwell Library Circulation Desk)

Suggested: Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers or The MLA Style Sheet

All these books will probably be used when the course is next taught in the Spring of 2001. In addition, Possin and Hansen, Turabian, Watson and McKernie, and Worthen will be used in THAD 310-Theatre History and Dramatic Literature II in the Fall of 2000.

Course Requirements:

Read: assigned playscripts, theatre history textbook chapters, reserve readings

Take: quizes, three tests (one of them during the final exam period)

 

Additional requirements for THAD majors and minors: 1. In addition to the playscripts studied in class, THAD majors will read and submit written reports on two additional playscripts from among the historical eras covered in the course. One report will be in the form of an action chart, completed according to the format learned in THAD 119-Play Reading; the other report will be in the form of a 2-page essay discussing the 'goal' of a major character, also according to the format learned in Play Reading. Due dates for these reports are on the Schedule page of this syllabus. 2. THAD majors are required to keep and submit a journal: see the ‘Journal’ section of this syllabus. 3. THAD majors and minors will complete a certain number of lab/studio hours: see the ‘Lab hours’ section of the syllabus.

Grading: Oral reports and quizes each count 10% toward the course grade; the three tests each count 20%; the research paper counts 20%. Failure to complete any one of these elements may result in a course grade of F.

The research paper may not be about a play we study in the course or which you write about in one of your THAD Major reports. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following topics about which there is controversy:

• the genre of a playscript about which critics disagree • the "goal" or "spine" of a character (or of a playscript as a whole) about which critics disagree • what Aristotle meant by "catharsis," "flaw," or some other disputed term • whether there was a raised stage in the Greek classical theatre • whether Roman actors wore masks • the origins of medieval cycle plays: did they develop directly from liturgical drama? • the physical layout and elements of the Elizabethan (or Shakespearean) theatre • the correctness, pertinence, or accuracy of some aspect of Neoclassical theory (for example, one or more of the three unities, the need for theatre to give examples of proper conduct, etc.)

Due dates for elements of the paper-writing process are listed on the schedule. These include submission of topic, preliminary list of sources, notes taken from sources, outline (including thesis statement, major points, and subpoints), and submission and resubmission of the final draft. Except for the last two of these, all are to be presented to the instructor during an appointment in his office.

Topical reports: Each topical report should:

• include hand-outs for class members to help them retain your most important points. At the very least, the hand-outs should include an outline of the points that will be covered in the report (to guide listeners' note-taking) and a bibliography of sources consulted for the report. Hand-outs which do more than this will have a positive effect on your grade. • include a section which points out the relevance the topic has for theatre practice in the years before or after...in other words, "What are the links or connections between the topic and what happened before or happens later in theatre?" • use a minimum of 4 research sources besides the course textbook. Of these 4 sources, (a) no more than one may be a web site or an article in an encyclopedia or dictionary; and (b) no more than one may be a theatre history textbook.

Choices for the topical reports include the following (you may suggest alternative topics):

Classical Greek Theatre A playwright (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Menander) Aristotle Democracy in Athens City Dionysia and play contests Development of Greek theatre buildings Medieval Theatre Medieval staging options Feudalism The influence and power of the Church Gothic cathedrals Feast of Corpus Christi Italian Renaissance Theatre Development of proscenium arch Development of perspective painting Commedia dell'arte Medici family Sebastiano Serlio Nicola Sabbattini Giacomo Torelli Bibiena family Development of opera English Renaissance (Elizabethan) Theatre Queen Elizabeth I Humours psychology English Civil War Size and shape of Globe Theatre A playwright (Marlowe, Kyd, Shakespeare, or Jonson) French Renaissance (Neoclassical) Theatre A playwright (Corneille, Moliere, Racine) The French Academy and Le Cid Richelieu and the development of the French monarchy Giacomo Torelli Neoclassical music or painting English Restoration and 18th Century Theatre An actor (such as David Garrick) A playwright (Dryden, Wycherley, Lillo, Sheridan, Goldsmith) Jeremy Collier The 'Glorious Revolution' (or ‘Bloodless Revolution’) 'Sentimental' vs. 'laughing' comedy or ‘Sentimentalism’ and TV soap operas The Licensing Act of 1737 Diderot and the ‘Paradox of Acting’

Plagiarism: All work produced by a student must represent that student's personal effort, unless the instructor specifically permits or requires that it be done by a group. Papers and other work which a student prepares for class (including quiz questions) will contain only the student's own words or, if the material originated with someone else, will enclose the quoted words in quotation marks and supply complete bibliographical information in a footnote or endnote.

Theatre majors and Dance minors are required to make at least five entries per week in course journals and to submit them to their instructors at least twice during the semester.

Note: If you wish, you may keep a single journal during the semester, consisting of entries that cover all your THAD-related classes and other experiences. If you choose this option, you should expect to write longer entries than you would for any single course’s journal. In addition, some of your instructors may continue to require that you write about certain sorts of things in your entries. Design course sketch books are not included in this provision.

Purpose

Writing journal entries can serve a number of important functions. For instance, they can help you:

• do better on some course assignments. • become a better writer. • reflect on things you encounter in class and 'give a name to' them. • speak about ideas with more clarity and confidence. • make connections between things you encounter in this course and other courses.

In addition, your instructor can read your journal to learn what is and isn't working in the course.

Note: At the end of each semester, save your journal and all other writing you do in every course you take. You will need these things when you take a later THAD course that is required for graduation (see the "Portfolio" section of your THAD Student Handbook for details). If you wish, you may store your journal and other written material from the course in the THAD Department Office for safekeeping at the end of the quarter. Better yet, get acquainted with the Skillview computer software and use it to keep a permanent record of your portfolio materials.

Grading

When composing your journal entries, do the following:

• either type them or write them in ink; only sketches or drawings may be done in pencil • use paper that is 3-hole punched and clean-edged, not torn from a pad with tattered edges • follow whatever instructions your instructor gives you about your entries' length and quality (for instance, is 'first-draft' OK, or should entries be more extensively polished and revised?)

Suggestions

The following ideas may help you make better journal entries:

• If the journal entry is about class activities, write it soon after class is finished. Perhaps even bring the journal to class with you. • Get in the habit of writing your entries in the same place and at the same time of day. • When writing an entry about a reading assignment, keep the journal next to you while you are reading. That way, you can write something down immediately as it occurs to you • Write your entries to yourself —or, as someone has said, 'Write to the person you will be three months from now.'

Topics for Journal Entries

Journals may include many different kinds of entries. Your instructor will tell you which of the following materials and topics you should include as journal entries for this course:

a. drawings, pictures, and other non-verbal materials b. notes you take in class c. notes you take about reading or observation assignments d. handouts you receive in class e. papers you write as class assignments, including research papers, abstracts of articles, and reviews or critiques of films, videos, or live productions you see in or outside class f. a log of your activities as a crew head or performer in a THAD production g. your perceptions about class assignments or activities in class. (For instance, you might discuss what you think was the major point of an instructor's lecture or what in an instructor's lecture was unclear to you) h. "Response" journal entries about reading assignments: 1. first thoughts: write down anything that comes to you in relation to the text 2. connections between the reading and your own experience: does the reading remind you of anything or anyone? do you see any similarities between this material and other books or issues? 3. questions you ask about the text: what perplexes you about some passage or point? Try beginning your entry with "I wonder why..." or "I'm having trouble understanding how..." or "I was surprised when I read that..." 4. try agreeing with the writer (or arguing with her): think of all the things you can say to support her ideas. Or identify the points or issues on which you disagree with her. Or write about what happens when you put yourself in her shoes. 5. words, images, phrases, or details that strike you. Speculate about them: why are they there? what do they add? why did you notice them? 6. identify the author's point of view, his attitude toward what he is saying. i. your reactions to others' critiques of your work. For instance: 1. what points did they make? 2. did you agree or disagree? why? 3. what specifically will you do as a result of their feedback? j. your thoughts about a process you're engaged in during the course. Some common topics may include: 1. comments about your progress through various steps you take to complete an assignment such as studying for a test or writing a research paper: •ideas? where did you get • how did you explore the subject? • what problems did you encounter? • what revision strategies did you use? 2. changes you might make in order to do an assignment or study for a test better next time 3. what are the strengths of your work? what still makes you uneasy with it? 4. what makes your most effective pieces of work different from your less effective pieces? 5. what qualities can you eliminate or include more of in order to improve your writing or other work? k. your thoughts now about a journal entry you made earlier in the quarter l. your reactions to a comment your instructor made about your journal entries m. your perception of connections between material in this course and other courses n. your perception of connections between material in this course and experiences you've had outside your college coursework o. your perception about connections between this course and the work you hope to do after you graduate