African American Drama Professor Melanie Blood TR 12:30-2:10 Office: Welles 217B Welles 216 Office Hours: TR 11:20-12:20 Email: Blood@, X5840

ENGL 316: 20th Century Lit: African American Drama Professor Melanie Blood TR 12:30-2:10 Office: Welles 217B Welles 216 Office hours: TR 11:20-12:20 Email: blood@, x5840

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: The successful student will 1. Demonstrate an understanding of major dramatic styles, themes and characters from African American drama. 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the cultural and historical context of African American dramatic writing and theatrical production. 3. Examine how the history of and subject matter of African American drama intersects with individual students’ background in American history and personal and family history in America. Three hour exams, a presentation on a writer/performer, and a final essay will ask students to demonstrate their knowledge, each dealing with a different section of dramatic history.

REQUIRED TEXTS: Black Theatre USA. The Recent Period, 1935 - Today. Ed. by James V. Hatch, Ted Shine. Rev. and expanded ed. Free Press, 1996. ISBN: 0684823071 Hill, Errol G. and James V. Hatch. A History Of African American Theatre. 1st pbk. ed. Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN: 052162472X Nottage, Lynn. Sweat. TCG 2017. ISBN: 978-1559365321 Parks, Suzan-Lori. Topdog/Underdog. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2002. ISBN: 1559362014 The Roots Of African American Drama An Anthology Of Early Plays ; 1858 – 1938. Ed. by Leo Hamalian and James V Hatch. 3rd ed. Wayne State University Press, 1991. ISBN: 0814321429 Wilson, August. Fences. Any edition is acceptable; Kindle for 2.99 appears to be cheapest. In addition, students are responsible for class handouts, presentations, and further short readings that will be made available on my courses.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS 1. Class participation. You are expected to be present and prepared for all classes and to engage with other students and the instructor thoughtfully and respectfully. Class participation will be both aural and written. Some responses will be written in class and turned in and some will be written on the mycourses discussion board before class. 20 points 2. Class presentation. You will choose one 20th century African American author or performer beyond those we read in class, research him or her, and present --with visuals-- on that figure for ten minutes in class. Give BRIEF biographical background, present his/her aesthetic contributions, analyze in historical and/or political context, and provide a bibliography of sources for further information. Visuals/bibliography should be placed in shared class folder on google drive. Ten per unit; artists should correspond to the time

1 period we study in each unit; there are 6 days for presentations late 19th c through 1930s; 8 days for 1930’s-1960’s; 8 for end of 20th century. 15 points. 3. Hour Exam 1. Short answer questions that will ask you to analyze and interpret the texts we have read and discussed since the beginning of the semester. It will include at least on question on class presentations. Mon 2/25. 15 points 4. Hour Exam 2. Short answer questions that will ask you to analyze and interpret the texts we have read and discussed since the first hour exam. It will include at least on question on class presentations. Mon 4/8. 15 points. 5. Final Examination – Hour Exam 3. The final examination will consist of an in-class portion similar to the first two hour exams and an essay written at home and turned in at the final examination. The hour exam will cover material read and presented since the second hour exam. Fri 5/10, 12-1:30. 15 points. 6. Final Examination – take home, open book Essay. The essay topic will ask students to draw on material from across the semester. The topic will be distributed by Wed 5/1 and will be due at the final examination, Fri 5/10 at noon. It should be 7-8 pages, typed, double- spaced, with appropriate citations in MLA style. It can be turned in on mycourses in the drop box or in hardcopy; I will respond in the same way you turn it in. 20 points.

Electronics policy: Please keep your cell phone silent and avoid use unrelated to class (unless it’s an emergency, in which case I’d appreciate being informed). I encourage use of your computer to support classroom learning. To that end I will invite you to edit class notes in google docs, look up the answers to questions that arise in class, find examples online, or take your own notes. Kindles for class texts are also acceptable. However, if I find you sitting in the back on Facebook, or something else clearly unrelated to class, you will lose electronic privileges in my classroom. I will address you after class for a first offense, but repeat offenders may get called out publicly.

Due dates and class attendance: Students are excused from class by individual arrangement with the instructor for such things as varsity sports away games, religious observance, and medical or family emergencies. Planned absences should not affect due dates because material can be turned in online or early; the three hour examinations are the only exception and we can arrange an alternate time for approved absences. In the case of emergencies, due dates will be extended by individual arrangement.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY

SUNY Geneseo will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented physical, emotional or learning disabilities. Students should contact the Director in the Office of Disability Services (Tabitha Buggie-Hunt, 105D Erwin) and their faculty to discuss needed accommodations as early as possible in the semester.

DAILY SYLLABUS T 1/17 Course introduction

R 1/19 19th century antecedents: African Grove Theatre, Abolition Melodramas

Reading due: skim ch 2 of History of African American Theatre, focus African Grove, Ira Aldridge, James Hewlett Act V of The Escape by William Wells Brown in Roots of African American Drama. In class: Sections of Aiken adaptation of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, on mycourses.

T 1/24 Turn of 20th century popular performance; Minstrelsy

Reading due: skim ch 4 of History of African American Theatre. Explore web site with pre-Civil War minstrelsy history, artifacts, music: http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/minstrel/mihp.html 1-2 presentations

R 1/26 Vaudeville and musical theatre at turn of the 20th century

Reading due: skim ch 5 of History of African American Theatre. “Butterbeans and Susie” and “Black Vaudeville” in Roots of African American Drama. 1-2 presentations

T 1/31 World War I

Reading due: Skim ch. 6, History of African American Theatre, focus on Burrill. Aftermath by Mary Burrill in Roots of African American Drama 1-2 presentations

R 2/2 Harlem Renaissance

Reading due: ch 7, History of African American Theatre. The Chip Woman’s Fortune by Willis Richardson in Roots of African American Drama 1-2 presentations

T 2/7 NO CLASS/FILM

R 2/9 Harlem Renaissance, cont’d

Reading due: The First One by Zora Neale Hurston in Roots of African American Drama, “Steps Toward a Negro Theatre” by Alain Locke (Dec 1922, Crisis) on mycourses. 1-2 presentations

T 2/14 The Great Depression

Reading due: The Shining Town by Owen Dodson in Roots of African American Drama 1-2 presentations

R 2/16 Hour Exam 1

T 2/21 The Federal Theatre Project

Reading due: ch 10 in History of African American Theatre In class: video clips: Voodoo Macbeth, Katherine Dunham 1-2 presentations

R 2/23 Langston Hughes

Reading due: Hughes’ Mulatto and Limitations of a Life in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

T 2/28 Midcentury realism: Native Son

Reading due: skim ch. 11 History of African American Theatre; Native Son by Richard Wright and Paul Green in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

R 3/2 Midcentury realism: A Raisin in the Sun

Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 375-8; A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

T 3/7 Film clips and catch up 1-2 presentations

R 3/9 Black Women 1: Wine in the Wilderness

Reading due: Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

T 3/14 Spring Break R 3/16 Spring Break

T 3/21 Dutchman and Nation of Islam

Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 388-91; Dutchman by Amiri Baraka in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

4 R 3/23 Civil Rights

Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 392-7; Goin a Buffalo by Ed Bullins in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

T 3/28 Black Women 2: Shange and McCauley

Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 401-4; ch 13 pp 433-35 on female performance artists; Excerpt of For colored girls… by Shange and Sally’s Rape by McCauley in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

R 3/30 Hour Exam 2

T 4/4 Contemporary Theatre: August Wilson and Pittsburgh Century Cycle

Reading due: ch. 13 History of African American Theatre pp. 453-463; Fences by August Wilson *See film as a class if available 1-2 presentations

R 4/6 Contemporary Theatre: Comedy

Reading due: ch. 13 History of African American Theatre pp. 436-47; Colored Museum by George C Wolfe in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

T 4/11 Contemporary Theatre: Docudrama

Reading due: Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deveare Smith in Black Theatre USA 1-2 presentations

R 4/13 Catch up/film clips

1-2 presentations

T 4/18 Contemporary Theatre: Drama

Reading due: Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori Parks 1-2 presentations

R 4/20 Black Performance Art

1-2 presentations

T 4/25 GREAT Day; no classes

R 4/27 Hot off the Press: Drama

Reading due: Sweat by Lynn Nottage 1-2 presentations

T 5/2 Wrap up contemporary theatre unit

Clips: Eclipsed by Danai Gurira – up for Tony in June 2017 1-2 presentations

Final Exam: Tuesday 5/9, 8-11 AM, Welles 119: Hour Exam 3 Final Essay due