AMERICAN PLAYWRIGHTS ENG 108-01, Spring 2015 M / W / F, 3:10–4:10 p.m. 210 Thompson-Clark ______
Dr. Andrew Ade Office: 407 Thompson-Clark [email protected] Office hours: Mon. 10-11:30 a.m. x7349 Tue. 3-4:30 p.m.; Th. 9:30-11 a.m. or by appointment
Course Texts
Akhtar, Ayad. Disgraced. New York: Back Bay Books, 2013. Albee, Edward. Three Tall Women. New York: Plume, 1995. Barlow, Judith E., ed. Plays by American Women: 1900-1930. New York: Applause, 2001. Guare, John. Six Degrees of Separation. New York: Vintage, 1990. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Vintage, 1988. Kennedy, Adrienne. Funnyhouse of a Negro. New York: Vintage, 1988. (handout) Kushner, Tony. Angels in America. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2003. Mamet, David. American Buffalo. New York: Grove, 1996. Miller, Arthur. All My Sons. New York: Penguin Classics, 2000. Norris, Bruce. Clybourne Park. New York: Faber & Faber, 2011. Nottage, Lynn. Intimate Apparel/Fabulation. New York: TCG, 2006. O’Neill, Eugene. Long Day’s Journey into Night. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale UP, 2002. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. 5th ed. New York: New Directions, 1999. Wilson, August. Fences. New York: Plume, 1991.
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Course Goals and Outcomes
Students in ENG 108 shall:
• read representative and, in many cases, groundbreaking dramatic works by acclaimed American playwrights of the twentieth century and the contemporary theater scene • consider these plays as reflections of their times in American social (and theater) history • apply essential concepts of dramatic composition and theater production to our in-class discussion of the selected plays • interpret film and video selections of the plays and explore possibilities in staging, directing, and acting key scenes • analyze the play texts not only as representations of the human relationship issues of gender, marriage and family but also of the larger national health (e.g., politics, class structure, economic disparity)
______ENG 108: American Playwrights Ade—Spring 2015
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Outcomes Assessment: The instructor will assess your learning and acquisition of the course material by means of the following:
• your daily contributed discussion of the assigned play and textbook readings • your work in periodic quizzes/exercises on the readings and presentations • your ability to answer questions and build on your cumulative knowledge of modern American cultural and theater history • your grasp of major playwriting terms, basic concepts and theater staging milestones • your ability to follow the instructions for the short papers and discussion leader assignment • your engagement in the plays under discussion and the presented video clips • your careful rewriting of returned papers based on the course Style Sheet and instructor’s editing marks for style, grammar and organization • your diligent application of the skills you have learned in WRI 111 and SP 111 in your final project paper and in-class oral presentation ______
Course Requirements
Short Papers: 45% (10, 15, 20%). You will write three very short papers analyzing the salient elements of a pertinent dramatic scene or a particular theatrical device in the plays we are reading. These are not research papers but simply your own analyses.
Midterm: 25%. An hour midterm exam to test your character and play-excerpt recognition as well as your ability to explain (in brief) key thematic material in the plays.
Quizzes/Exercises: 10%. Students will have several brief quizzes and exercises on the plays and our analytical approach to explicating dramatic texts.
Creative Writing Exercise: 5%. Each student will try his or her hand at a small exercise in playwriting as per handout guidelines.
Class Discussant Duty: 5%. Each student will select one day on the course schedule for which he or she will prepare questions to lead the class in the day’s discussion of the assigned play.
Participation: 10%. You are required to participate actively and responsibly throughout the semester. Studying drama is a social activity, and your failure to participate will adversely affect you and your classmates. I divide the participation grade evenly into two areas:
1) Attention – (5%). Listening to the instructor and each other, without unrelated chatter 2) Speaking – (5%). Contributing regularly, in small-groups or whole-class discussion
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2 ENG 108: American Playwrights Ade—Spring 2015
Course Policies
Attendance: You are allowed three (3) absences (excused or unexcused) without penalty; for each additional absence, however, I will lower your final grade by one degree of letter grade (e.g. a B- becomes a C+). If you must miss class, contact me (phone/e- mail) as soon as possible.
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STEPS FOR TURNING IN PAPERS:
1. Ensure that the Microsoft Word document follows the College preferences for presentation: 1” margins; pagination (but not page 1); 12 pt. Times New Roman font; no added space in the “Line Spacing” default; Page 1, upper left corner info: your name, my name, “ENG 108” and the date; a title. 2. Double check that you have followed all the rules on the Style Sheet. 3. Run a “Spelling” check on your text and a “Word Count” to verify required length. 4. Make a hard-copy printout to staple and submit in class by the day it is due. If unable to print your paper, you may submit it as an email attachment to me. If possible, print your paper double-sided to save on paper. 5. No cover sheet or special binding needed.
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Late Work: All work (drafts, revisions, final papers, homework) is due at the beginning of class on the day I indicate. If you have an emergency, please contact me; as a general rule, however, I will not accept late work. You must be present in class, moreover, to get credit for your work.
Final grades will be assigned using the standard formula:
A 93-100 points B + 87-89 points C + 77-79 points D + 67-69 points A - 90-92 points B 83-86 points C 73-76 points D 60-66 points B - 80-82 points C - 70-72 points F - 0-59 points
Students will conduct themselves in a manner befitting the new college policy on Academic Integrity. Consult “Student Regulations” for official definitions of cheating, misconduct, plagiarism, and providing false information (and their consequences) in your Undergraduate Catalogue.
3 ENG 108: American Playwrights Ade—Spring 2015
CLASS SCHEDULE
[NOTE: All listings below are subject to change during the semester.]
DATE TOPIC IN-CLASS ACTIVITY ASSIGNMENT M – 1/12 Introduction Syllabus; Drama elements W – 1/14 Critical Approach Semiotics: Actantial Models F – 1/16 Women Watching Trifles (Barlow book)
M – 1/19 NO CLASS NO CLASS NO CLASS W – 1/21 Infernal Machine Machinal eps. 1-5 (Barlow book) F – 1/23 Infernal Machine Machinal eps. 6-9 (Barlow book)
M – 1/26 Family Confines I All My Sons (Act 1) W – 1/28 Family Confines I All My Sons (Act 2) F – 1/30 Family Confines I All My Sons (Act 3)
M – 2/2 Family Confines II The Glass Menagerie (Scenes 1-3) W – 2/4 Family Confines II The Glass Menagerie (Scenes 4-6) F – 2/6 Family Confines II The Glass Menagerie (Scene 7)
M – 2/9 Early O’Neill “Abortion”; “Bound East for Cardiff” W – 2/11 Family Confines III Long Day’s Journey (Act 1) F – 2/13 Family Confines III Long Day’s Journey (Act 2) PAPER 1 DUE
M – 2/16 Family Confines III Long Day’s Journey (Act 3) W – 2/18 Family Confines III Long Day’s Journey (Act 4) F – 2/20 MIDTERM EXAM MIDTERM EXAM MIDTERM EXAM
M – 2/23 Race in Retrospect I Intimate Apparel (Act 1) W – 2/25 Race in Retrospect I Intimate Apparel (Act 2) F – 2/27 Race in Retrospect II Fences (Act 1)
M – 3/2 Race in Retrospect II Fences (Act 2) W – 3/4 Just Business American Buffalo (Act 1) F – 3/6 Just Business American Buffalo (Act 2)
3/7 to 3/15 Spring Break
M – 3/16 New Neighbors I A Raisin the Sun (Act 1) W – 3/18 New Neighbors I A Raisin the Sun (Act 2) F – 3/20 New Neighbors I A Raisin the Sun (Act 3)
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M – 3/23 New Neighbors II Clybourne Park (Act 1) PAPER 2 DUE W – 3/25 New Neighbors II Clybourne Park (Act 2) F – 3/27 Fractured Women I Funnyhouse of a Negro (handout)
M – 3/30 Fractured Women II Three Tall Women (Act 1) W – 4/1 Fractured Women II Three Tall Women (Act 2)
4/2 to 4/6 EASTER BREAK
W – 4/8 Social/Sexual Justice Angels in America, Part 1 F – 4/10 Social/Sexual Justice Angels in America, Part 1
M – 4/13 Social/Sexual Justice Angels in America, Part 2 CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISE DUE W – 4/15 Social/Sexual Justice Angels in America, Part 2 F – 4/17 Social/Sexual Justice Angels in America, Part 2
M – 4/20 Post-modern Comedy Six Degrees of Separation (Act 1) W – 4/22 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM F – 4/24 Post-modern Comedy Six Degrees of Separation (Act 2)
M – 4/27 Muslimerican Disgraced (Act 1) W – 4/29 Muslimerican Disgraced (Act 2) F – 5/1 Course Review PAPER 3 DUE
T – 5/5 3:00 – 5:30 pm COURSE FINAL COURSE FINAL
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