Course Outline for Theater Arts 10, Page 2

Chabot College

Course Outline for Theater Arts 10, page 2

Fall 2005

Chabot College Fall 2005

Course Outline for Theater Arts 10

THEATER HISTORY AND APPRECIATION

Catalog Description:

10 – Theater History and Appreciation 3 units

Basic components of the Theater, including its history and development over time and in various cultural contexts. Theatrical texts and performance techniques from the Greeks to contemporary American artists, with particular emphasis on multi-cultural theater of the 20th Century. Works from at least three of the following categories will be considered: African-American, Asian-American, Latino-American, Pacific Islander-American, Native-American, Middle-Eastern American theater artists. 3 hours.

[Typical contact hours: 52.5]

Prerequisite Skills:

None

Expected Outcomes for Students:

Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:

1.  read plays aloud;

2.  analyze dialogue in terms of characters, ideas, language, and pace;

3.  identify European antecedents of American Theater, including Classical Greek, Renaissance and Realistic texts and performance spaces;

4.  identify multicultural influence on American Theater;

5.  see the relationship of American cultural values and artistic expressions;

6.  analyze contemporary, multi-cultural American playwrights’ work;

7.  present analysis of American plays both orally and in writing.

Course Content:

1.  Oral Interpretation

2.  Analysis of dialogue

3.  Antecedents of American Theater: Classical Greek Drama, the English Renaissance, and 19th Century Realism

5.  Multi-cultural influences on American Theater

6.  Seeing the relationship of cultural values and artistic expressions

7.  Contemporary, multicultural American playwrights’ work

8.  Presenting research and analysis of American artists in writing and/orally

Methods of Presentation:

1.  Lecture/discussion

2.  Film/video/DVD viewing and discussion

3.  “Staging” scenes of various plays.

4.  Guiding group work

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1.  Typical Assignments

a.  Write an essay that analyzes a character from a classical text and shows how this character affects the main ideas in the play.

b.  Research a contemporary American playwright and show how his/her cultural identity is evident in his/her work, or NOT evident.

c.  Compare and contrast the plays of an African American playwright with an Asian American playwright.

2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress

a.  Grading of written work with letter grades and/or points

b.  Written comments to accompany letter grades

c.  Grading oral presentations and research presentations

d.  Quizzes and/or exams, including a final exam.

Textbook(s) (Typical)

An Anthology of Drama, W.B. Worthen. University Press, 2003 or later

Editor of Multicultural Theatre II Contemporary Hispanic, Asian and African-American Plays, Roger Ellis. Meriwether Publish Ltd., 1998

Editor of Asian American Drama 9 plays from the Multiethnic Landscape, Brian Nelson, Applause Theatre Book Publishers, 1997.

Editors of Contemporary Plays by Women of Color, An Anthology, Kathy A. Perkins. Rouledge Press, 1996.

World Drama: An Anthology, W. B. Worthen. Harcourt Brace and Company, 2003.

Individual playscripts

The Color of Theater: Race, Culture, and Contemporary Performance, Roberta Uno and Lucy Mae San Pablo Burns, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002.

Special Student Materials:

None

RL g:\Curriculum1005\Theater Arts10

Revised: dz 11/19/04