THE 374. Contemporary World Drama

Dr. Cindy Gendrich x3940

Office hours: MWF 10-11 or by appointment

Dr. David Phillips x4951

Office hours: TR 11am – 12 pm

Course Outline and Objectives: This is a course in Contemporary East Asian Dramatic Literature. We’ll be reading recent plays from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, and China. Because Americans’ knowledge of these places tends to be rather superficial, we’ll also be reading about the plays’ broader context: the countries’ history, their culture, and their theatre. We’ll also read a few older plays and watch videos that give us specific theatrical context. In the case of Korea and Hong Kong, where our access to film is so much greater than our access to plays, we’ll also take a look at a representative film for each place. We’ll have a midterm, and in addition you’ll write a paper, complete two writing exercises and lead a discussion on one of the plays and playwrights. The course will conclude with a final exam.

Engage with the materials and you will leave the course with a greater understanding of the cultures, the literature, and the theatre of these countries. We hope you’ll enjoy the journey.

Assignments:

  • Quizzes: We will have short quizzes each day that a play is due to have been read. You may use your notes on the plays for these quizzes. It will be to your advantage to get in the habit of taking good notes, especially including names/character descriptions, since these can get a bit confusing for American readers. Notes will also help us pinpoint striking moments in the plays, questions you may have, and recurrent themes encountered in the course.
  • Exams:We will have two exams, one at the midterm, and one during our final exam period. These exams will ask you to both synthesize knowledge and retain important information from the plays, student presentations, videos, and our contextual readings.
  • Writing Exercises: One of the best ways to get to know a writer’s style is by copying it, so we will be doing two short playwriting exercises in which you’ll choose an author to mimic in a scene of your own creation. We’ll begin writing one day; you’ll complete the scene outside of class, and then we’ll share them at the next class meeting. Because they’re quick, you should think of these as exercises, not polished pieces.
  • Discussion: You will give a presentation on one of the playwrights and plays we’re reading. You’ll provide a handout on your topic, provide information on the playwright, and ask probing discussion questions. You’ll be expected to provide a bibliography of at least three sources, one of which can be an internet source. However, please rely on the internet only to get you started on your research. Wikipedia is a great starting place but not a real source. We’ll give you more guidance on this assignment soon.
  • Research paper: You will write a short, 7-8 page, paper for this class, either on a playwright, a theatre group, or a recurrent theme in the plays we’re reading. We’ll provide a handout on the research paper in early September; your topic is due in mid-October (or ten points will be deducted from your participation grade); a draft is due in early November (again, with ten points deducted if you don’t turn a reasonable one in). The final draft of the paper is due the day before Thanksgiving break begins, when you will also share your research findings with the class.

A few notes on class participation and other important stuff:

  • Discussion: Speak up! There are no stupid questions, and we’re all learning these plays together. Many of them your professors have only read once or twice, so we’ll be exploring—and hopefully making interesting discoveries—together. Listen to your peers and your professors, and respect each others’ contributions, but in any case, do contribute. This is a small group of students, so all your voices are needed, appreciated, even craved! Participation points are at our discretion alone, so be a real part of the group. Also, make good use of your notes. Prepare them so that you have easy access to important scenes and quotes.
  • Honesty: As always, the honor code applies.
  • Late assignments: Because you always have some kind of class activity connected to your assignments (a presentation of some kind, either for the scenes you write or for your research paper), we will not accept late assignments.
  • Stay Flexible: The syllabus is subject to change. We hope we’ve built enough time in for everything, but we may need to make adjustments. It is your responsibility to stay abreast of changes.
  • Travel:Our final is December 4th at 9:00 a.m. You have your research presentation on the day before Thanksgiving break. Please make your travel arrangements accordingly.

Attendance Policy: In addition to your participation points being on the line, you will be taking quizzes at many of our class meetings, and you can’t make up those quizzes except with a doctor’s excuse or documented family emergency, so missing class will be hard on your grade. Also, any videos we watch are legitimate sources for exam material, so even those days aren’t easily skipped. It is therefore to your advantage to keep an excellent attendance record. However, if you must, you are allowed up to three unexcused absences. Any unexcused absence will be reflected in your class participation grade. Each additional absence beyond the initial three will lower your final grade by ½ letter grade (i.e. if you have four unexcused absences and would otherwise have earned a B, you’ll earn a B-.) Three significant tardy marks ( over 5 minutes late to class) will count as one absence, so be on time.

Your Contemporary World Drama grade will be based on a 750 point scale:

Class Participation (10 points of this include topic for research

paper turned in on time; 10 for draft turned in on time) 60 points

Midterm Exam100 points

Final Exam100 points

Play Quizzes (12 plays- 20 points each – lowest grade dropped)220 points

Writing exercises (2 @ 40 each) 80 points

7-8 page research paper 100 points

Student-led discussion with handout 70 points

Presentation of research to class 20 points

Grade break-down is as follows: 750-698=A; 697-687=A-; 686-675=B+; 674-634=B; 633-623=B-; 622-611=C+; 610-570=C; 569-559=C-; 558-548=D+; 547-499=D; 498-488=D-; 487 or less=F

Tentative course schedule (subject to revisions):

8/24: Intro, syllabus. WatchKabuki video; discuss. For next time read

The introduction to Japan’s Modern Theatre, “On the Art of Noh,” and

“Path to the Flower”

8/29: Finish watchingvideos; discuss. Discuss context readings

8/31: Noh and Kyogen:Matsukaze, Busu, and The Birdcatcher in Hades.Quiz

9/5: Yukio Mishima: Yoruboshi (contemporary Noh drama) (1965) and

selection on Wabi SabiQuiz

9/7: Mazakazu Yamazaki: The Boat is a Sailboat(1973)Quiz

9/12: Kobo Abe: You too are Guilty(1978)Quiz

9/14: Ai Nagai: Time’s Storeroom(1994) andselection from

Zen and Japanese ArtQuiz

9/19: Finish discussions, including the reading for today, a selection

From With Respect to the Japanese (p. 13-36); Begin playwriting exercise

in the style of Japanese drama

9/21:Share your scenes; watch part of dumb type video

9/26:Taiwan: National Salvation Corporation, Ltd. (1991)Quiz
9/28: Discuss readings on Taiwan (TBA); exam review.

10/3: Midterm exam
10/5:Joint Security Area (an awesome Korean film)

10/10:Finish Joint Security Area;

10/12:Discuss Korean cultural handouts (TBA) and the film;

10/17:Korea: Away, Away, Long Time Ago(1976)Ch'oe InhunQuiz

Paper topic is due

10/19: Discuss Hong Kong handouts (TBA)

10/24: Hong Kong: American House (1990)Quiz

10/26: Chung King Express(film) (make sure you’re doing readings

on China and working on your paper this weekend)

10/31: Finish film;discuss

11/2: Begin unit on China: video, discuss readings on China(Jay Ford?)

Draft of paper is due

11/7: Bus Stop (1981)Gao XingjianQuiz

11/9: If I Were Real (1979) Quiz

Drafts returned with comments

11/14: Day with Dr. Yaohua Shi

11/16: Uncle Doggie’s Nirvana(1986) Jin YunQuiz

11/21: Final version of your paper is due; share your research with the class

Thanksgiving

11/28: The World’s Top Restaurant (1988) He JipingQuiz

Finish China; begin playwriting exercise

11/30 Last day: Share your scenes; exam review.

Final Exam: 9:00 a.m., December 4.