ENGLISH 2390: INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA—FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR (CRN 18628)
Fall 2013, 2:40-3:55 pm, Irby Hall 304
Dr. Mike Schaefer Office phone: 450-5119
Office: Irby 408 Home phone: 329-0538
e-mail:
Office Hours: 10:00 am-12:00 pm MWF;11 am-12:30 pm TTh; and by appointment
COURSE GOALS:
- An understanding of the structure and purposes of the UCA Core education program, of which this course is a part
- Through the study of various dramatic traditions, the ability to analyze the major ideas, techniques, and processes that inform creative works within different cultural and historical contexts ; and the ability to analyze our own cultural assumptions in the context of the world’s diverse values, traditions, and belief systems as we encounter those in various plays
- Through discussion, individual writing assignments, and group presentations in class, the ability to develop and present ideas logically and effectively to enhance communication and collaboration with diverse individuals and groups
TEXT:
The Compact Bedford Introduction to Drama, seventh edition, edited by Lee A. Jacobus
READING SCHEDULE:
“To read well, that is, to read true books in a true spirit, is a noble exercise, and one that will task the reader more than any exercise which the customs of the day esteem. It requires a training such as the athletes underwent . . .. Books must be read as deliberately and reservedly as they were written.”—Henry David Thoreau
8/22Introduction to class and the UCA Core
8/27Introduction to drama as a subject of study—pp. 1-29 of our text
8/29Oedipus—pp. 30-79 (Note: This reading assignment comprises not just the play itself but also some contextual material that we’ll use in class. That will be the case with all our reading assignments—be sure to read not just the play but also the secondary material specified.)
9/3Oedipus continued
9/5Oedipus continued
9/10Everyman—pp. 122-45
9/12Everyman continued
9/17Tartuffe—pp. 300-01, 313-41
9/19Tartuffe continuedShowing of Tartuffe in Irby 303, 7 pm (explained below)
9/24Tartuffe continued
9/26Tartuffe continuedTeams formed for class presentations (explained below)
10/1Trifles—pp. 494-521
10/3Trifles continuedFirst performance review due (explained below)
10/8Eurydice—pp. 812-30, 996-1016
10/10no class
10/15Eurydice continuedMidterm essay due (explained below)
10/17Fall break
10/22Eurydice continued
10/24Fences—pp. 889-925
10/29Fences continued
10/31Fences continued
11/5Death of a Salesman—pp. 668-738
11/7Death of a Salesman continuedShowing of Death of a Salesman in Irby 303, 7 pm
11/12Death of a Salesman continued
11/14Death of a Salesman continued
11/19Angels in America: Millennium Approaches—pp. 926-65
11/21Angels in America: Millennium Approaches continuedShowing of Angels in America in Irby 303, 7 pm
11/26Angels in America: Millennium Approaches continued
11/28Thanksgiving break
12/3Group presentations
12/5Group presentations
12/12Final essay (explained below) due at exam period—11:00-1:00 pm
ATTENDANCE: Attendance—on time—is mandatory. Absences will lower your class participation grade, as will recurrent late arrival. If you miss four classes, you'll have one week after the last absence to see me with a believable excuse and a promise to sin no more; if you don't make this deadline, you'll be dropped from the course with a WF (Withdrawn Failing) grade. And if you miss a fifth class following our conference about the four absences, you'll likewise be dropped with a WF. Important note: “Attendance” in this class is defined as being present mentally as well as physically. If you spend the greater part of a class period sleeping, chatting with those around you, doing homework for another class, or in any other way failing to engage with the class discussion, you’ll be marked absent for that period. All materials not essential to your participation in the class must remain in your backpack during class; this includes cell phones and other communication devices, books and notebooks for other classes, newspapers, etc. You may use a laptop or tablet to take notes if you wish, but using it for any other purpose will be penalized.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
JOURNALS: Each student must keep a journal of his or her thoughts on the assigned readings, with one entry devoted to each reading before we discuss it in class. I’ll always let you know when a journal is due: ordinarily, I’ll pose a question for you to respond to in each entry, with that response consisting of at least three paragraphs, but beyond that requirement you're also free to write as much more as you wish about whatever intrigues you, inspires you, confuses you, or upsets you about the work in question, and about this work's relationship to other works you've read and its relevance to human life in general and your own life in particular. There are two goals to this assignment, both of which you're probably already aware of. First, the act of writing stimulates thinking: even if at the outset you feel you have nothing at all to say about a given work, you'll find that putting fingers to keyboard will bring ideas forth; if you do have some ideas to start with you'll find that writing them down will cause you to extend and refine them. Second, as is obvious from what's just been said, these entries will provide a rich source of class discussion and exam topics.
You'll submit these journals by e-mail to the address listed for me at the top of the syllabus. Each entry must reach me no later than 24 hours prior to the first class meeting during which we'll discuss that work; I’ll provide specific due dates as we go forward. I won’t accept a journal entry after the due date, but you are allowed to miss one journal with no penalty. I'll grade you for each submission: if your entry shows an honest, thoughtful effort to come to grips with the work, you'll get somewhere from 8 to 10; if it shows a solid but not all that insightful effort, you'll get somewhere from 4 to 7; if you don't do the entry, or if you blow it off with superficial comments, or if you just crib ideas from websites and label them as your own, you'll get somewhere from 0 to 3. This does not mean that you're forbidden to look at websites to get your ideas going; you're welcome to do so if you feel stuck, and to address the sites' ideas in your journal, as long as you clearly identify which ideas are the sites’ and which are your own in response to what the sites have to say. At the end of the semester, I’ll figure your final journal grade by taking the ratio of the total points you’ve earned to the total points possible. If we do twelve journals, for instance, then the total possible score will be 120; if you earn 100, then your percentage is 84, which means a B for your final journal grade. (My grading scale is 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, below 60=F.)
MIDTERM AND FINAL ESSAYS: Both of these assignments will be take-home rather than in-class. The midterm will be a conventional sort of essay exam, asking you to respond to some issues that we’ll have discussed in relation to the plays that we’ve covered through October 3rd; I’ll hand out this exam a week before its due date. The final will be somewhat different, asking you to address not just the plays we’ve covered but also the relationship of our work this semester to your own larger goals as a student involved in the UCA Core, which is a subject we’ll take up at the beginning of the term and then periodically return to. As with the midterm, I’ll hand out a detailed assignment a week before this essay is due.
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS: As should be clear by now, we’re going to spend a great deal of time reading, discussing,and writing about drama. In order to enrich that classroom experience, you’re required to attend at least two live theater performances during the semester. You’ll write a 3-5 page critical review of each production and hand it in along with a ticket stub(to prove you didn’t just watch it on tv or a computer). In each review, you’ll describe the performance and give your opinion of its effectiveness. Here are some questions, courtesy of my colleague Dr. Paige Reynolds, to consider as you watch the play and prepare to write your analysis. You don’t have to answer all of these questions; instead, use them to guide you as you think and write about the production and then write about the ones that seem most significant to you. The analysis should show that you have watched the performance carefully and have considered how these various elements of the theatrical experience were employed. (We’ll also look at a couple of samples of this kind of essay in class to help you get a feel for what you need to do in this assignment.)
- What were the stage space and audience space like?
- What was immediately striking about the “look” of the production?
- What was the set like? If it was changed during the performance, how was this done?
- What kinds of sound were you aware of (include silences, nonvocal noise, etc.)?
- What did you notice about the lighting?
- Were any costumes especially significant? Could you tell what the period was meant to be?
- How would you describe the pace of the production? If there was an intermission, describe any differences between the parts (for example, did the pace move more quickly after the intermission)?
- What moments gave you particular pleasure or delight? What moments gave you particular discomfort or unease?
- In what ways, if any, did the director’s interpretation differ from what you had expected? As far as you could tell, was the text of the play cut or altered in any way?
- How would you describe the use of space, including blocking and movement?
- Comment on casting, including gender, race, age, body types, and agility.
The schedule above gives you the dates by which these reviews must be turned in, but you’re welcome to turn them in earlier than these dates if you wish—if, for instance, you attend either or both of your plays early in the term and want to write about them while they’re still fresh in your mind.
There are lots of close-by opportunities to see live plays at little or no cost this semester; here are some choices:
UCA:
Venus in Fur, by David Ives, September 9-13, 2013, 7:30 pm, Studio Theatre, Snow Fine Arts Center. Admission is free, but tickets are required.
Caucasian Chalk Circle, by Bertolt Brecht, November 7-8, 13-15, 2013, 7:30 pm, Bridges/Larson Theatre, Snow Fine Arts Center. Tickets are free with a current UCA I.D.
Hendrix College:
The Hendrix Theatre program will post its fall schedule soon; check
UALR:
The UALR Theatre program will post its fall schedule soon; check
Arkansas Repertory Theatre:
Pal Joey, September 04, 2013-September 29, 2013
Red, October 23, 2013-November 10, 2013
The Rep’s tickets are fairly expensive, but each of these shows offers a “pay-what-you-can” night; it’s September 4th for Pal Joey and October 23rd for Red; for further details, check or just
The Lantern Theatre, Conway:
Amateurs, September 20, 21, 22 and 27, 28 and 29
Check for ticket information and for dates of later productions
The Weekend Theater, Little Rock
100 Saints You Should Know, by Kate Fodor, September 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
Nora, by Ingmar Bergman, October 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, November 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16
Shows usually start at 7:30; for ticket information—normally $12-16—check or just for location and further information
GROUP PRESENTATIONS: During the last week of the term, I’m going to give you a chance to teach the class. You’ll form into several groups—numbers to be determined by the size of our class—and engage in one of the following types of presentation:
- Your group can act out a scene from any play in our text, whether we’ve covered it in class or not, and then explain the choices you made in performing the scene as you did—for example, how each role is acted, how the characters move in relation to one another, and what you’re trying to make the audience think and feel by those choices. (Because the presentation time will be twenty minutes, you’ll need to limit your scene to about ten minutes and devote the other ten to your explanation.) You’ll also hand in a group-written version of your explanation.
- Your group can select a play from our text, whether we’ve covered it in class or not, and discuss how you’d create a production of the whole thing—what kind of stage setting and lighting design you’d use, what kinds of costumes you’d design, how the actors would perform their roles (in a natural way? a stylized way? something else?), what sort of music you might use, etc.—and what point you’d want to make through this approach. Why, for instance, might it be interesting or thought-provoking to put on a Steampunk version of Hamlet or a version of Oedipus with the male roles played by women and vice versa? For this assignment, each group member will take a specific role in the production team—director, set and lighting designer, costume designer, etc. You’ll also hand in a group-written version of your production design.
- Your group can select a play from our text that we haven’t covered in class and do a more traditional kind of “academic” analysis of it, modeled on what we’ll have done in class earlier in the term—discussing the cultural context of the play, the significance of its specific dramatic techniques, and your interpretation of its meaning. You’ll also hand in a group-written version of this analysis.
As noted above in our reading schedule, we’ll form these teams in class on September 26th. Between now and then, think about which kind of presentation you’re most interested in being part of, and we’ll try to work things out so that everyone is able to get his or her first choice. After those decisions are made, I’ll meet periodically with each group, on a schedule that works for you, to talk about your progress and offer any help you may want.
DVD SHOWINGS OF PLAYS: As you can see on the reading schedule, over the course of the semester I’ll be showing versions of three of our plays on dvd in a media room in Irby Hall (other sections of this course will be invited as well). You’re not required to attend these screenings, but I encourage you to come if you’re able, since it’s always interesting to see plays as well as read them, given that they’re really meant be experienced in performance, and since seeing the choices that the directors, designers, and actors have made in these cases will help you think about those issues as you’re working on your group presentations. (These same reasons apply to our performance review assignments; those should also help you get a handle on what you need to think about in your groups.)
GRADES: Your final grade will come from the following percentages:
Attendance/Participation:15%
Journals:10%
Midterm essay:15%
Final essay:15%
Performance reviews:15% each
Group presentation:15%
COURSE EVALUATIONS: (in which you get to grade me): Student evaluations of a course and its professor are a crucial element in helping faculty achieve excellence in the classroom and enabling the university to demonstrate that our students are gaining knowledge. You can evaluate the courses you’re taking this semester starting on the Monday of the fourteenth full week of instruction—November 25th—through the end of finals week by logging in to myUCA and clicking on the Evals button on the top right.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Knowingly presenting someone else’s work as your own, whether in an exam, journal, or any other format, constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism carries serious penalties, from failure on a particular assignment to failure for the course. If you ever have any questions on this subject, please feel free to ask me about them, without fear of embarrassment, and/or consult this page and its links for more information:
Here is UCA’s official policy statement regarding academic integrity: The University of Central Arkansas affirms its commitment to academic integrity and expects all members of the university community to accept shared responsibility for maintaining academic integrity. Students in this course are subject to the provisions of the university’s Academic Integrity Policy, approved by the Board of Trustees as Board Policy No. 709 on February 10, 2010, and published in the Student Handbook. Penalties for academic misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade in the course, or any other course-related sanction the instructor determines to be appropriate. Continued enrollment in this course affirms a student’s acceptance of this university policy.
OTHER UNIVERSITY POLICIES: If you have questions about the university’s academic policies, guidelines regarding sexual harassment, or any other matters, please consult the relevant sections of the UCA Student Handbook. UCA adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this act due to a disability, contact the UCA Office of Disability Services at 450-3135.
An Emergency Procedures Summary (EPS) for the building in which this class is held will be discussed during the first week of this course. EPS documents for most buildings on campus are available at Every student should be familiar with emergency procedures for any campus building in which he/she spends time for classes or other purposes.