THEA 100F Introduction to the Theatre (3 units)
Course Syllabus
Spring 2010
March 22, 2010-May 27, 2010
CRN 24149
Instructor: Steven Pliska, Office Phone: 714-992-7293, Office Room 1316P, Email:
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a comprehensive study and general survey of theatrical styles and forums with units in directing, acting designing , technical theatre, playwriting and genres, and is designed for students who wish to explore the art of theatrical performance with special attention given to all the contributing elements. This course will acquaint the student with the diverse nature of theatre leading to an appreciation and understanding of the theatre as a separate and distinctive are form. This course will examine all areas of theatrical production and is taught entirely online. All lectures, assignments, discussions, instructor feedback and examinations will take place online. There are no prerequisites for this course.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
· Instructor is available online M-SA from 10am-10pm. This means that the instructor checks in a few times each day during these hours but is not online continuously. Instructor is unavailable online M-F from 10pm-10am and all day on Sundays. Instructor availability is subject to change.
· Every effort will be made to respond to all communications from students within 24 hours.
· Instructor will accept the following file types for all attached documents:
o Microsoft Word documents (MSWord)
o RTF (Rich Text Format)
o PDF
o Microsoft Excel
· Instructor will not accept the following types of documents
o Microsoft Works
o Notepad
· Students enrolled in this course are required to log onto this course a minimum of four times per week.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course is a general survey of acting, directing, playwriting, and design for the theatre and is designed for students who wish to explore the art of theatrical performance with special attention given to all the contributing elements.
· To provide students with a conceptual basis for continued studies in theatre
· To raise student’s understanding and appreciation of theatre
· To assist the students in assuming a more critical and active role in the world of theatre.
· To familiarize students with the unique vocabulary of the theatre.
· To provide students with diverse reading, play viewing, writing and presentation experiences.
· To provide a transferable unit class in the Humanities that meets General Education graduation requirements for Fullerton College, California State Universities, Universities of California and other universities nationwide.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
The successful online student is:
· Self-reliant
· Self-motivated and focused
· Willing to learn in isolation
· Willing to ask questions as soon as questions arise
· Good with following written instruction
· Good at expressing their thoughts in writing
· Aware that technology is a convenience
· Aware the technology can sometimes be a barrier
The successful online student should know:
· That regular, active and enthusiastic participation in all assignments is expected and essential for this online course
· Students are required to log onto this course a minimum of two times per week.
· Students are expected to acquire textbooks and all other required course materials
Students that understand and subscribe to the above listed statements will have a successful adventure in this course and will come away with a greater understanding of the world of the theatre.
COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS:
Students will need to access a computer that meets system (CE6/8) requirements. For a listing of all computer and browser requirements log onto www.fullcoll.edu and pull down the quick link for Distance Learning/CE6/8. Click on the icon for CE6 and follow the promps for logging in. Computer access is available at the computer labs on the Fullerton College campus. For information regarding computers and Distance Learning call 714-992-7059. For log in help and information send emails to or phone 714-992-7111.
Students will need to know how to use a computer, use a web browser to navigate the internet, use a word processing program, attach documents and send and receive email.
COURSE PROCEFURES:
· All assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports must be free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. College level writing is expected on all submitted assignments. Submitting assignments with spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors will affect the student’s grade .
· When attaching documents to assignments the attachment must be clearly labeled with the assignment number and the student’s name. Example: Homework # 2, Pliska, Steven.
· Assignments can be found in the Course Schedule, Content by Week and in the Assignment tab under Curse Tools.
· All assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports have specific due dates. Submissions of assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports will not be accepted after the due dates. Due dates are posted on each individual assignment and in the calendar section of the course. It is not possible to submit assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports after the due date.
· If a student wants to work ahead in the course, most assignments, quizzes, reviews and reports are available at the beginning of the semester.
· The final exam is usually available for a limited time only (one week), near the end of the semester.
· All assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports are open book and open note. Students should feel free to use any research material available to complete the particular assignments.
· Generally, all assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports are due on Thursdays at 11:55pm (Pacific Time Zone). It is not possible to submit assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports after the due date
· It is the expectation of this course that students enrolled in this course individually and personally post their own comments on the Discussion Board topics.
· It is the expectation of this course that students enrolled in this course individually and personally complete their own assignments, quizzes, exams, reviews and reports.
· Students should become familiar with and adhere to the Academic Honesty Policies found in the Fullerton College catalogue.
· REQUIRED TEXTS & OTHER MATERIALS:
· Text book: Wilson, Edwin. The Theatre Experience, 11th ed., New York, NY:McGraw Hill 2009. Available in the Fullerton College Bookstore www.fullcoll.edu
Play Scripts:
o Kaufman, Moises. The Laramie Project. Available in the Fullerton College Bookstore www.fullcoll.edu
o Shakespeare, William. Macbeth (this course uses excerpts only, the full script can be found free of charge online)
o Wilson, August. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Available in the Fullerton College Bookstore www.fullcoll.edu
· DVD/Videos: it is a course requirement to view theatrical films, television shows and DVD’s related to course materials, activities and assignments. These materials can be found at most college or community libraries, Netflix.com, Blockbuster.com or Amazon.com.
o Beauty and the Beast (Disney-1991)
o Chicago (Miramax-2003)
o Dream Girls (Dreamworks Pictures-2006)
o Hairspray (New Line Warner-2007)
o Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Universal-1999)
o Noises Off (Touchstone Pictures-1992)
o The Phantom of the Opera (Warner Brothers-2005)
o The Producers (Universal-2005)
o Rent (Revolution Studios-2006)
o Rodgers & Hammerstein-The Sound of Movies (A&E Entertainment-1996)
o Singin’ in the Rain (MGM-1952)
o A Street Car Named Desire (Warner Brothers-1951)
o That’s Entertainment (MGM-1974)
Grading Policies:
Quantity / Assignment / Point Value / Total Available Points21 / Homework Assignment / 2 points each / 42
10 / Discussion Topics / 1 point each / 10
1 / Midterm Report / 13 points / 10
1 / Midterm Exam / 10 points / 10
1 / Final Exam / 15 points / 15
1 / Theatrical Review / 13 points / 13
GRAND TOTAL / 100 points
o Points relate to grades in the following manner
Point Totals / Grade100-90 / A
89-80 / B
79-70 / C
69-60 / D
59 or below / F
o The midterm exam can include true/false, multiple choice and short essay questions. Grades for the midterm exam (total of 10 points available) are converted in the following manner:
% Point Totals / Grade Points100-90 / 10
89-80 / 8
79-70 / 7
69-60 / 6
59-50 / 5
49 or below / 0
o The final exam can include true/false, multiple choice and short essay questions Grades for the final exam (total of 15 points available) are converted in the following manner:
% Point Totals / Grade Points100-90 / 15
89-80 / 13
79-70 / 11
69-60 / 9
59-50 / 7
49 or below / 0
MIDTERM REPORT: (total of 13 points available)
Students will write and submit as an attachment at least a three (3) page report (1” margins, top bottom, sides with 12 point font and double spaced) on Theatre of Diversity.
1. Read Chapter 17 (Global Theatre) in the textbook
2. Read Chapter 19 (Contemporary American Theatre) in the textbook
3. Review the web links for Midterm Report found in Content by Week, Week 8
4. Review key terms for Midterm Report found in Content by Week, Week 8
5. Select one of the following topics:
a. African Theatre
b. African-American Theatre
c. Indian (India) Theatre
d. Chinese-American Theatre
e. Japanese-American Theatre
f. Chicano Theatre
g. Native American Theatre
h. Feminist Theatre
i. Gay and Lesbian Theatre
6. The midterm report should include
a. Theatrical roots and complete history
b. Leading theatrical groups, artists and plays
c. The impact that the group has had on American Theatre
d. The elements of that group that interest you
e. The elements of that group that have improved relationships between people(s)
f. How the elements of that group have improved relationships between people(s)
g. Bibliography of all sources utilized in the midterm report
THEATRICAL REVIEW: (total of 10 points available)
Students are required to attend and write and submit, as an attachment, at least a two (2) page review (1” margins, top bottom, sides with 12 point font and double spaced) on the Fullerton College Theatre Arts Department production of The Seagull .
o The Seagull, April 28-May 2, 2010, Bronwyn Dodson Theatre
Fullerton College Box Office Information:
o Address: 321 E. Chapman Ave, Fullerton, CA 92832-2095
o Phone: 714-992-7150
o Hours: M-F 9:30am-3:30pm and one (1) hour prior to curtain
o Website: http://Theatre.Fullcoll.edu or http://fcfinearts.fullcoll.edu
If a student is unable to attend performances of The Seagull at Fullerton College, the student should choose and attend another theatrical production and submit a review on that production. Contact the instructor for further information.
Guideline for writing reviews:
1. Follow review guidelines found in the Orientation folder under Theatrical Reviews
2. The first time a character is referred to, list the character name along with the name of the actor playing that character in this manner: Hamlet (Steve Pliska).
3. Obtain the correct spelling of production staff and performers names from the program of the production.
4. Indicate the date you viewed the production, the name of the theater, and provide your seat location (row, seat and section number as applicable).
5. Be a minimum of two-pages, 12-point font, double-spaced, (1” margins, top, bottom, sides) with no spelling or grammatical errors.
Additional Information
· In its commitment to academic honesty and accurate assessment of student work, Fullerton College uses Turnitin.com to prevent and detect plagiarism (see Fullerton College Course Catalogue pg. 33 for a definition of plagiarism). This instructor reserves the right to submit student assignments to Turnitin.com to check for similarities between student submissions and the internet, various research databases, and the Turnitin.com database of previous student submissions. Furthermore, this instructor may also submit essays to other instructors seeking plagiarism matches. Students may be required to electronically submit their written work to the instructor or to Turnitin.com, and by taking this course, students agree that all assignments are subject to plagiarism detection processes and plagiarism penalties (see College Catalogue pg. 33 for academic penalties). Assignments submitted to Turnitin.com by the student or instructor will become part of their database and will be used for plagiarism prevention and detection. Student papers, however, will remain the intellectual property of the author.
· Fullerton College is committed to providing educational accommodations for students with disabilities upon the timely request by the student to the instructor. Verification of the disability must also be provided. Disability Support Services functions as a resource for students and faculty in the determination and provision of the accommodations.
· Information regarding Student Grievances, Student Services, Academic Counseling and Advising, Library Learning Resources, and Tutoring can be found at www.fullcoll.edu and http://online.fullcoll.edu.