Course Description for Dramatic Analysis (Thea 2423)
Proposed Syllabus
COURSE DESCRIPTION FOR DRAMATIC ANALYSIS (THEA 2423)
Instructor
Dr. Ron Fischli, Fain Fine Arts Center, B128
Office phone: 397-4274 or 397-4243. iPhone: 232-3066.
Email address:
Office hours: Except for class and lunch hours, I am usually available to see students
in my office on all weekdays. Furthermore, I maintain an open door policy. However,
because my schedule of administrative obligations is unpredictable, it is best to make an
appointment to see me.
Catalog Description of Course
Analysis of the dynamics, messages, themes, images, language, and historical/biographical background of a number of plays drawn from different periods, genres, and styles.
Texts
Scripts and handouts for a play written by one of the leading writers of the Greek Golden Age, a play from the English Renaissance, a play from the French Neo-Classical period, a play from the Rise of Realism, and 2-3 plays from the post-modern era. STUDENTS SHOULD OBTAIN THE PARTICULAR SCRIPTS CHOSEN FOR THE CLASS TO AVOID CONFUSION AND WASTED TIME DURING CLASS DISCUSSIONS.
Objectives
To read and analyze a number of representative plays from ancient Greece to contemporary times. [Related departmental learning outcome: knowledge of the development of theatre]
To apply various methods of play analysis—dynamic, rhetorical, thematic, imagistic, linguistic, and historical/biographical—to the plays and to discover the different results that each type of analysis will yield. [Related departmental learning outcome: theoretical/conceptual knowledgeand application]
To contemplate how various analytical discoveries might translate, or have translated, into the design, direction, and performance of a play. [Related departmental learning outcome: theoretical/conceptual knowledge and application]
To articulate essential differences between realistic, pre-realistic, and non-realistic post-modern modes of dramatic expression, such as expressionism, symbolism, surrealism, and absurdism, and to discover how they have been or might be used in writing and/or producing a play. [Related departmental learning outcomes: (1) knowledge of development of theatre and (2)theoretical/conceptual knowledge and application]
To discern the distinguishing features of tragedy, comedy, drame, melodrama, and tragicomedy. [Related departmental learning outcome: knowledge of development of theatre]
To evaluate how the political, social, religious, and economic milieu affect a writer’s creative process, and to develop a defensible position on a writer’s responsibility to society. [Related departmental learning outcome: professionalism]
Graded Assignments
There will be twomajor examinations.
Quizzes will be administered periodically.
For each of the plays read in class, the student will prepare a critical commentary. The commentaries should be 3-5 pages long andshould be prepared electronically (double-spaced). Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and neatness, as well as substance and clarity, will be taken into account in grading the commentaries. The commentaries should include accurate information and must be free of plagiarism (see “Student Rights and Responsibilities” below) with all ideas from outside sources cited.
Each student will be required to participate in the rehearsal and performance of one scene from one of the plays studied.
Other Requirements
Students are required to attend, or participate in, the MSU Theatre’s productions during the semester.
Students are encouraged to attend the Dallas Theatre Center’s productions during the semester. When relevant, with the instructor’s approval, a student may substitute a commentary on a live performance at the DTC for a commentary on one of the postmodern plays studied in the class.
Attendance
(1)Students should follow the syllabus to keep track of assignments and should take thorough notes during class discussions and lectures. Keeping up with assigned reading is imperative.
(2)Attendance at class sessions is expected. Upon his/her fifth absence, excused or not, the student may be dropped from the class by the instructor.
(3)The instructor will not be held responsible for recording attendance for a student who is tardy, and he reserves the right to disallow counting a student present who is extremely tardy.
(4)Make-up work may be given if – and only if:
(a)The student notifies the instructor before class or presents a doctor’s excuse upon returning, and
(b)The student takes responsibility for scheduling a make-up test (or other missed graded assignment) with the instructor on the first day of return.
(5)All graded assignments should be submitted on or before the deadline. The instructor reserves the right to reject late assignments. Grade deductions will be applied to late assignments that are accepted.
Student Rights and Responsibilities
PRIVACY
Federal law prohibits the instructor from releasing information about students to parties
outside of the university without the signed consent of the student. Thus, in almost all
cases the instructor will not discuss a student’s academic progress or other matters with
his/her parents.
ADAPTATIONS AND ACCOMMODATIONS
If a student (1) needs course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability,
(2)has emergency medical information that needs sharing, or (3)requires special
accommodations in case the building must be evacuated, he/she should make an
appointment with the professor as soon as possible.
CONDUCT
Classroom behavior that interferes with either the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to profit from the instruction will result in the instructor’s removing the disruptive student(s) from the class.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Social justice is one of Midwestern State University’s stated core values, and the professor considers the classroom to be a place where students will be treated with respect as human beings, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Moreover, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided the student can agree to disagree. It is the professor’s expectation that ALL students be able to consider the classroom a safe environment.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is (1) the use of source material of other persons (either published or unpublished, including the Internet) without following the accepted techniques of giving credit or (2) the submission for credit of work not the individual’s to whom credit is given. If a student in the class is caught plagiarizing, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. The Student Creed developed and adopted by the MSU Student Government reinforces the discouragement of plagiarism and other unethical behaviors. The first statement of the creed reads, “As an MSU student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else to do so.” Plagiarism is lying, cheating, and stealing.
CELL PHONES AND COMPUJTERS:
The use of cell phones in any way during class is forbidden. The use of computers to take notes is permissible unless the student is tempted to take the opportunity to go online and “disconnect” from class activities and discussions.
Evaluation
Attendance/Participation...... 100
0 misses =100 points
1 miss = 95 points
2 misses=85 points
3 misses=70 points
4 misses= 60 points
5 misses=40 points
More than 5 misses = 0 points
Quizzes...... 100
Play Commentaries (100 points each)...... 500
Scene Presentation...... 50
Test 1...... 125
Test 2...... 125
*Total: 1000
Final Grade: 895-1000 = A, 795-894 = B, 695-794 = C, 595-694 = D, 0-594 = F
Scale for Grading Daily Work (grades assigned to nearest percentage point):
A= 96-100%B+= 87-89%C+= 77-79%D+= 67-69%F = 60%
A-= 90-95 %B= 83-86%C= 73-76%D= 63-66%
B-= 80-82%C-= 70-72%D-= 60-62%
*Note: The instructor reserves the right to adjust or cancel assignments as the course progresses. If, for some reason, assignments administered total somewhat more or fewer than 1,000 points, the method of obtaining the final grade will remain essentially the same: the total points achieved will be divided by the total points possible to obtain a percentage, and a grade will be assigned according to the scale outlined above.
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