DEREE COLLEGE SYLLABUS FOR: Instruction hours/lab hours/ US credits 3/0/3 EN 3358 TRENDS IN CONTEMPORARY THEATER – UK LEVEL 5 UK CREDITS: 15 (Updated Fall 2015) PREREQUISITES: WP 1010 Introduction to Academic Writing WP 1111 Integrated Academic Writing with Ethics WP 1212 Academic Writing and Research CATALOG Study of major contemporary playwrights from around the globe with DESCRIPTION: emphasis on their innovative dramatic techniques and perspectives. Plays are analyzed to probe the literary, aesthetic, and performative issues raised on the contemporary stage. RATIONALE: This course examines contemporary theater from a diverse range of national, regional, and ideological sites. Emphasis is given on the broad scope of contemporary dramatic techniques. The course examines the literary, social, and political contexts of contemporary theater to illustrate playwrights’ complex response to current cultural issues. Close literary analysis is combined with discussion of the works as stage performance. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: 1. Identify the broad range of techniques and thematic concerns in contemporary theater; 2. Discuss the relationship between written text and theatrical performance; 3. Identify the varying social, philosophical and political ideas and attitudes embodied in different manifestations of contemporary drama; 4. Analyze the ways in which theatrical and dramatic effectiveness is achieved through playwrights’ stylistic experimentation; 5. Demonstrate ability to select appropriate secondary material in support of textual analysis of representative works of contemporary theater. METHOD OF TEACHING AND In congruence with the teaching and learning strategy of the college, the LEARNING: following tools are used: 1. Lectures, class discussions, workshop-style pair work and group work during class meetings; 2. Formative exercises and online learning tasks through the Blackboard online tools designed to help students acquire confidence and benefit from independent study; 3. Additional print and audiovisual educational material posted on the Blackboard course template; 4. Timely instructor feedback on assignments; 5. Other relevant educational material placed on reserve in the library; 6. Individualized assistance during office hours for further discussion of lecture material, additional reading, assignments and examinations; 7. Close collaboration with the Library and SASS to encourage students’ effective use of academic support. ASSESSMENT: Summative: Critical Essay (2,500-3,000 words) Critical analysis of author(s) and work(s) 50% developed through close reading and select secondary material; choice of topics offered. Students must use at least 5 critical sources in their essays. Comprehensive 2-hour Final Examination Two essays or one essay and explication of 50% extracts; 1200-1600 words in total; choice of topics offered Formative: Essay drafts and all in-class and out-of-class 0 assignments in preparation for the examination and the essay The formative coursework prepares students for successful completion of the summative coursework. The critical essay tests learning outcomes 3, 4 and 5. The final examination tests learning outcomes 1 and 2. INDICATIVE READING: REQUIRED MATERIAL: Jacobus, Lee A., ed. The Bedford Introduction to Drama. Boston: Bedford Books, 2013. REQUIRED READING: Instructors are required to select at least seven of the following plays . To ensure that their choices represent a broad overview, they should select at least two plays from at least three of the following units : Experimentation Within the Tradition Edward Albee, The Zoo Story or Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf David Mamet, Oleanna or Glengarry Glen Ross Yasmina Reza, God of Carnage Athol Fugard, “MASTER HAROLD”. and the boys Myth and Dramatic Experimentation Wole Soyinka, The Strong Breed Sam Shepard, Buried Child American Minority Life Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun August Wilson, Fences or The Piano Lesson Louis Valdez, Zoot Suit Dramatizing Woman Caryl Churchill , Top Girls Paula Vogel, How I Learned to Drive Sarah Ruhl, The Clean House Lynn Nottage, Ruined Gay/Lesbian Bodies Tony Kushner, Angels in America Caryl Churchill, Cloud Nine Moises Kaufman and The Tectonic Theater Project, The Laramie Project Doug Wright, I Am My Own Wife RECOMMENDED READING: Delgado, Maria M. and Paul Heritage, eds. In Contact With the Gods? Directors Talk Theatre. Manchester UP, 1996. Gonzalez, Madelena and Patrice Brasseur, eds. Authenticity and Legitimacy in Minority Theatre: Constructing Identity. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010. Huxley, Michael and Noel Witts, eds. The Twentieth-Century Performance Reader. 2nd ed. Routledge, 1996. INDICATIVE MATERIAL: (e.g. audiovisual, digital material, etc.) COMMUNICATION With the exception of the in-class examination, all written work must be REQUIREMENTS: word-processed on Word and adhere to MLA guidelines for manuscript format and documentation. SOFTWARE Word, Blackboard REQUIREMENTS: WWW RESOURCES: www.bedfordstmartins.com/jacobus INDICATIVE CONTENT: Experimentation Within the Tradition Myth and Dramatic Experimentation American Minority Life Dramatizing Woman Gay/Lesbian Bodies .