Communication Studies 633Spring 2015
Seminar in Interpretive Communication: “Performing the Cultures of Antiquity” Tues. 7:00-9:45 pm. LA-1 Room 306
Dr. James Manseau-Sauceda Office: Multicultural Center
Phone: (562) 985-8151 Faculty Office Bldg. 3, Room 3
Office Hours:Tues. 4:00-6:30 p.m.(or by appointment)______
This course is a “Call to go Questing”; a scholarly search and a profound pursuit for the galvanizing power of performance. The history and theories of text and performance that we encounter will take us on an expedition of inquiry, both of soul and intellect. “Performance” for us is not simply an act of “knowing,” it is indeed a way of “Being.”
Throughout the seminar we will immerse ourselves into various theories and aesthetic appraisal systems, always viewing “text” and “performance” as both process and products of art and pedagogy. Moreover, we will also seek to unveil the spiritual dimension of performance. For, indeed, the earliest “theories” regarding performance are truly “theos-centric,” that is, deeply felt expressions of religious spectacle, ecstatic utterances and sacred-shamanistic ritual enactments. Thus, the history of mytho-poetic and oral epic performance is a “sacred” one, revealing archetypical patterns that have informed and nourished spirituality worldwide. Furthermore, this complex dimension reflects cultural identity and cultural value systems often dramatically different from our own. Yet, an inter-connectedness will be sought, a bridge that enhances and broadens our scope of artistic appreciation, and heightening of heart.
Our “Questing” will begin over 3,000 years before Greek antiquity, in Mesopotamia (the Sumerian culture to be more precise.) We will then experience the national oral epic of India; The Rāmāyana (“The Journey of Rāma”, circa 8th-6th centuries BCE.) Eventually we will arrive at Greek antiquity exploring the oral epics of Homer and Hesiod as well as the playwright, Aristophanes, plus the Socratic/Platonic dialogues and poetry of Sappho. Throughout the course we will be examining pedagogical and aesthetic theories of poetry and performance drawn from the discourses of The Buddha, Master Kong Fuzi (aka “Confucius”) M’eng Ke (aka “Mencius”) and Plato.
Our final Port of Call will be discoveries made from interrogating Postmodern Performance Theory, Theories of Intertextuality and Performance Art (our innovative escorts being Lewis Carroll and James Joyce.)
The coursework is designed to be highly interactive; small group presentations, creative reports, performances, (both live and in multi-media formats) etc.
I.Performances:
1. Each of these papers will include a 15-20 page performance centered study; an illustrative “script,” and an in-class “ritual enactment/performance analysis.” (20 min.)
2.Paper/PerformanceOne due:February 24th Paper/Performance Two due:April 7th Paper/PerformanceThree due:May 12th
Note: The performances will not be solo, but rather Ensemble (comprised of 3-4 members forming a Troupe of Transcendence. The papers, however, will be single author.)
Eachpaper/performance constitutes 30% of final grade (15% for the performance; 15% for the paper.)
II.In-Class reports/presentations:
a. Oneoral report will be required of each student drawn from the suggested list or your own choice. These will be concise discussion/presentations. b. The report constitutes 10% of final grade.
Reading Encounters/Enactments
Community Texts (Everybody shares this core)
[In Bookstore]
1.Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth, by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer (Harper & Row, New York), 1983.
2.The Bards of God: A Sacred History of the Oral Epic Tradition as Preserved in the Mythos of Sumer and Ancient Greeceby James Manseau-Sauceda, PhD. (2014) (B of G includes: “Seeking the Sacred in The Odyssey: Mentor, Mentoring and the Spiritual Journey Home” by James Manseau Sauceda(pgs.107-132 of B of G)
[On Beachboard]
1.Pedagogy and Performance:
A.The Pedagogy of The Buddha B. The Upanisads of Hinduism
C.The Pedagogy of Master Kong Fuzi (aka Confucius)
D. On the “Way” of Teaching, M’eng Ke (aka Mencius)
E.“Vocalism”: Walt Whitman
F.“The Exaltation of Inanna”
2.The Rāmāyana: The National Oral Epic of India
3. “The Songs of Sappho”
4. The Lost Archives of Lewis CarrollVolume I:“Discovering the Lost Adventures of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland”By James Manseau Sauceda, PhD.(2015)
A. “Evocations of a Golden Afternoon”
B. “The Mathematician as Stand-Up Comic”
C. “Jabbering On About Jabberwocky”
Held On Reserve in Library (Note: You could do an oral report on these if you wish)
1. Performing the Works of James Joyce by James Manseau Sauceda, PhD.
A. “His Silvery Incantation”: Assessing James Joyce as a Performer of His Works
Text and Performance Quarterly, Vol. II, No. 2, April 1991.
B. The “Wordloosed Soundscript”: Performing James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake By James Steven Sauceda; Text and Performance Quarterly, 10 (1990)
Some Suggestions For Oral Reports
- “The Uses of Theory” Paul H. Gray Text and Performance Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3, July, 1991.
2.“Seamless Intertexts: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Intertextuality and Emily Mann’s “Execution of Justice” Karen Mitchell Text and Performance Quarterly. Vol. 13, No. 1, January, 1993.
3.“Homer and Modern Oral Poetry: Some Confusions” G. S. Kirk in Classical Quarterly, NS 10 (1960).
4.“Studies in Early Greek Oral Poetry” James A. Notopoulos in Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, Vol. 68 (1964).
5. “Homer as Artist” Anne Amory in Classical Quarterly, NS 21 (May, 1971).
6. “Performing Theory/Embodied Writing” D. Sogini Madison inText and Performance Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2, April 1999.
7. “An Aesthetics of Performance” Wallace Bacon, A. Bacon in Literature andPerformance, Vol. 1, No. 1 November (1980).
8.“Between Singer and Rhapsode” by Lee Hudson in Literature and Performance, Vol. 1, No. 1, November (1980).
9.Text and Performance Quarterly, October 2009 (a number of potential articles to draw from are On Reserve in my office.)
Consciousness Expansion Calendar
Jan. 20th
1. Invocations: A Call to go Questing
a. “How Far?This Far!”
b. The Pedagogy of Buddha: Mindful Listening
c. “Incantation of Inanna” [B of G, p. 5]
d. “Sacred Songs and Spells”[B of G, p. 6]
2. Who’s Who When Everybody Seems Like Somebody Else: Performance Roll Call.
a. Dem Rules & Regs: The Sybil-us!
3. “Vocalism” by Walt Whitman [Handout] Group Performance
4. The Buddha on Poetry: The Sacred Story of Kokanandā
a. Cultural and Performance Rituals from Ancient India (circa 6th century BCE) drawn from the Samyutta and DighaNikāyas (“Discourses of the Buddha”)
5. Who is the first writer known by name in world history?
Jan. 27th
1. Invocations: Bards of God(B of G), pgs. 5-10
a. “The First Voice of the Divine”
b. “Hymn to the Holy One”
c. “Wisdom Texts”
2. Definitions drawn from Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Hero’s Journey (found in The Bards of God, pgs. 13-14)
3. The Archeology of Art:
a. The Scaffold of Our Searching
b. Excavations:
1. “A Mysterious Object” (The Wizard of Ur)
2. “The Truth of the Lyre”
c. Ornament or Orality? (B of G pgs. 15-20)
4. Sumerian Myths/Theology (B of G; pgs. 15-20)
5. “The Con-Text of the Mythic Cycle of Inanna” (B of G, pgs. 21-26)
Feb 3rd
Readings and In-Class Performances
1.Inanna (pgs. 29-89)
A. The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi
B. The Descent of Inanna
C. The Dream of Dumuzi
D. The Return
2. Select a scene-section from A-D for a “spotlight” performance (Duo performances are encouraged! Also open for Trios! Quartets, Sextets, etc., et Cicero!)
Use analysis below to help you prepare!
I. Commentary on “The Courtship” (pgs. 150-155)
II. Commentary on “The Descent of Inanna” (pgs. 127-135; 155-163) III. Commentary on “The Dream of Dumuzi” (pgs. 163-165)
IV. Commentary on “The Return” (pgs. 165-169)
Feb. 10th
1. Inanna: Seven Hymns (pgs. 91-110)
3. Commentaries: (pgs. 169-173)
4. Film: “Inanna” performed by Diane Wolkstein
5. Reflections and Resurrections
a. The Great Vase of Uruk
b. The Temple of Inanna
Feb 17th
1. PERFORMANCE #1: Mythic Power and Innovative Wonder! 2. Performance Centered Analysis Paper Turned in!
Feb. 24th
1.The Rāmāyana: “The Journey of Rāma” The National Oral Epic of India
a. The Mother of Mantras
b. “The Birth of Poetry”; Vālmīki (Performance text)
c. “Exploring the Non-Western Elements of Plot Structure and Theme in The Rāmāyana of Vālmīki or Why Americans Misread, Misunderstand, and Miss-Out on the Spiritual Power of India’s Great Epic Poem.”
d. The Dharma
Mar. 3rd
1. “Sacred Saints and Ritual Sites inThe Rāmāyana”
a. “Anasuya’s Gift” (Performance Text)
b. “The Aranya Kānda (Performance Text)
c. “The Lakeside Shrine” (Performance Text)
2. Religious Metaphors
3. Examples of Poetry (Performance Text)
4. On Illusion and Reality
Mar. 10th
1.Invocation:“Songs of Sappho”[Beachboard]
2. The Archeology of an Artful Journey
a. Personal Excavation Experience: (ApplyThe Scaffold of Our Searching to Homeric Oral Epics.
3. The Bards of God: Part II (pgs.; 28-46)
a. Class Performance of the “Incantation of the Iliad” (In Solos, Duos, Trios, and Readers Theater style)
b. The Dance of Death: The Ritual Dirge
c. Performing “The Three Songs of the Shield” (pgs. 39-44)
Mar. 17th
Invocation: Incantation to The Odyssey (Solo and Choral; B of G, pgs. 28-31)
1. Analysis and Enactment of “The Five Bards” (B of G, pgs. 45-58)
2. The Four Performances of Demodicus (B of G, pgs. 51-56)
3. Philosophical Critiques by Socrates and Plato of The Bards of God.
a. The Character of Socrates (B of G, pgs. 68-105)
Mar. 24th
1. Aristophanes “The Birds”
2. Performing Theogony (B of G, pgs. 59-67
3. Performing Works and Days
4. Performing “The Trial of Socrates”
March 30-April 5th SPRING BREAK !! (Perfect for Rehearsals)
Apr. 7th
Performance Too!
Paper #2 Du-2!
Apr. 14th Carrollian Invocations
1. Class Performance/Reader’s Theater of “Evocations of a Golden Afternoon” [BB]
2. “Jabbering on About Jabberwocky” Or The Lay of the Land for the Lay of the Jabberwock [Beachboard]
a. Class Performance
3. “The Mathematician as Stand-Up Comic” [Beachboard]
4. “The Wonderland Postage-Stamp Case”
5. The Storytelling Performances of Lewis Carroll
Apr. 21st
1. Performing the Worlds of James Joyce [Library Reserve/MCC]
a. “His Silvery Incantation”: Assessing James Joyce as a Performer of His Works.
b. The “Wordloosed Soundscript”: Performing James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake.
Apr. 28thOral Book Reports Reflections and Resurrections: “Seeking the Sacred in the Odyssey; Mentor, Mentoring and the Spiritual Journey Home:” (B of G pgs. 107-132)
May 5thCinco De Eastern Ethical Consciousness!
a. Master Kong Fuzi (The Lun Yu)
b. Mencius (The Meng-tzu)
c. The Upanisads
d. The Buddha Returning to the Beginning
May 12th
7:15-9:15 p.m.
Final Performances
Final Paper
Fin-again
Course Policies:
Attendance: In accordance with the University catalog, students are expected to attend class regularly. The success of your learning experience depends on the active contributions of everyone; therefore, your attendance is important. If your absence is excused, you should bring a verifiable excuse for the absence to be accepted. See the University catalog for what is considered an excused absence. Your attendance is particularly crucial on speaking days for both the presentation of your own speech and your participation as an audience member. Please do not be late to class (especially on speech days). Coming to class late or leaving early may be counted as an absence. *Note-instructors should indicate if there are any point deductions for unexcused absences.
Make ups-Students with verifiable,excused absences can make-up a version of exams or turn in an assignment at an arranged time. In a public speaking course, rescheduling a speech is very difficult. If you must miss your speaking day and your absence is excused, you may make up your speech at a time arranged by your instructor during the semester. This may mean that you should be prepared to give your speech at the arranged time.
Withdrawal: Please see the course catalog for the university withdrawal policy. The catalog provides information and deadlines for withdrawing from the course. Please note that students are responsible for withdrawing from courses they do not intend to complete. Check the school calendar for withdrawal dates and signature requirements.*Note- There may be fees for late withdrawals.
Special Circumstances: Students with learning or physical challenges that could affect your performance in this class should notify the instructor as soon as possible.
Honesty: Academic dishonesty encompasses both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes obtaining or attempting to obtain or aiding another to obtain academic credit for work by the use of any dishonest, deceptive or fraudulent means. Plagiarism involves submitting the works of others as your own and includes improper source citation, no source citation, using materials prepared by another student, and using fictitious sources. The penalties for academic dishonesty range from receiving an “F” on the assignment or exam, to receiving an “F” in the course and may be reported to the university.
Cell phone and Laptop Computer Use in Class:
Please silence your cell phones during the class period. Do not use them in any way, unless it’s a verifiable emergency. I will only approve the use of computer stations or laptop computers during class if:
A. You are specifically directed to do so. [e.g. taking notes for disabled student]
B. Can prove to me that you have immediate instructional relevance by using a laptop, i.e. taking notes, verifying information that came up during lecture.
C. All technology present in the classroom can only be used for the purposes of this class—no unrelated checking of email, chatting, texting, browsing, or YouTube, etc.
D. If I consider someone’s electronic device to be distracting or disruptive during instruction, I will ask this student to leave the room or surrender the device until the end of class.
E. Finally, I require that during our in-class viewing of films or other presentations, that laptops stayed closed, and all computers monitors off, unless I have directed you to do otherwise.
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