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COURSE DESCRIPTION
Purpose
This course focuses on the history and development of American drama in the 20th century. The aim is to help you become conversant with the genre as it has evolved. The course will introduce you to the characteristics specific to this genre in which the text is only one of many forms of signification. It will emphasize the fact that a play text is no more complete than a musical score – both require performance for their full realization. Topics for orals and papers will reflect this emphasis on performance. If it works out we will make a theatre visit to see the work of one of the playwrights studied in this course (e.g. Arthur Miller’s The Price at the Mark Taper Forum).
Expected Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of the course you should be able to:
- read a play in its historical context with critical insight
- understand the generic conventions of drama
- make optimal use of the library, its electronic resources and know when and how to resort to facilities outside the university library
- know how to document quotations and citations using the MLA Handbook
- analyze a play taking into account elements such as structure, dialog, stage directions, performances, motifs, etc.
- argue and write clearly and analytically about themes and motifs in American drama and about the intellectual, artistic, and historical contexts of particular plays
Required Texts
The following texts have been ordered from the University Bookstore:
- Albee, Edward. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? New York: NAL Trade, repr. 2006. Print.
- Hellman, Lillian. The Little Foxes. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1947, 1995. Print.
- Henley, Beth. Crimes of the Heart. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1982. Print.
- Kushner, Tony. Angels in America. New York: Theatre Communications, 2013. Print.
- Mamet, David. Glengarry Glen Ross. New York: Grove, 1994. Print.
- Miller, Arthur. All My Sons. New York: Penguin Classics, 2000. Print.
- O’Neill, Eugene. Three Plays: Desire Under the Elms . . . New York: Vintage, 1995. Print.
- ---. Long Days Journey into Night. 2nd ed. Newhaven: Yale UP, 2002. Print.
- Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit and Other Plays. Houston, TX: Arte Publico, 1992. Print.
- Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions, 1999. Print.
- Wilson, August. The Piano Lesson. New York: Plume, 1990. Print.
You should also consult:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009. Print.
Course Requirements
ATTENDANCE. You are expected to attend class regularly. More than three unexcused absences will lower your course grade by a grade point. More than six unexcused absences could result in a course grade of F. See Makeup and Attendance Policy below.
READING. You are expected to have read the play listed in the syllabus before the first class in which it is scheduled.
BEACHBOARD. This syllabus and the list of topics for both the mid-term exam paper and the final paper will all be available on Beachboard. Grades for your various kinds of papers (but not for quizzes) will be posted on Beachboard as they are awarded.
QUIZZES. Spot quizzes will be given at the beginning of class on the first date on which a new play appears on the syllabus.
ORAL PRESENTATION AND PAPER. You are required to undertake one oral presentation chosen from those listed in the syllabus. The sources listed in parentheses after the oral topic on the syllabus are not exhaustive and should be supplemented by your research. Your oral presentation to the class should last between 15-20 minutes (graduates 25-30 minutes). You will be graded for this assignment solely on the basis of a 4-6 page paper printed in MLA style that you will give me one week after the class in which you make the presentation. (graduates should offer a 6-8 page paper). Your paper needs to take the form of an argument. Consult me before deciding on the subject of the paper that should concern a major aspect of the topic of the oral presentation. You should cite at least two reputable secondary sources (graduates at least three). Late papers will lose a grade point for each week they are late. See "Writing Your Oral Paper" on Beachboard.
TERM RESEARCH PAPER. For your term research paper you can either choose your own topic or select one from a list of suggested topics I will post on Beachboard before the Spring Recess. You are encouraged to select your own topic provided that you clear it with me by email in advance. Your term paper must incorporate at least three secondary sources (from books, articles, data bases or reliable Web pages) and be 9-10 pages long (11-12 for graduates) including a list of works cited, using 12-point font and MLA style.
Grade Point Computation
See the University Catalog: Regulations – Grades and Grading Procedures for definitions of grades A-F.
- Quizzes, attendance and participation: 30%.
- Oral presentation paper: 30%
- Outline of term research paper: 10%
- Term research paper: 30%
Syllabus
Tu Jan 20 Introduction: the nature of drama. Performance theory.
Th Jan 22 The evolution of later European and American drama.
Tu Jan 27 O’Neill. Desire Under the Elms.
ORAL: O’Neill’s borrowings from classical tragedy for this play (J Meyers, 1967; A Gordenstein, 1986;P Fambrough, 1986; W Narey, 1992)
Th Jan 29 O’Neill. Desire Under the Elms.
ORAL: O’Neill’s use of symbolism in the play - land, house, elms (J Schueter, 1984; B Mandi, 1987).
T Feb 3 Hellman. The Little Foxes.
ORAL: the play’s commentary on the industrial South 1880-1900 (R Watson, 1996; W Holditch, 1987).
Th Feb 5 Hellman. The Little Foxes.
ORAL: the play’s use of melodrama (L Lenker, 1991; J Adler, 1969).
Tu Feb 10 Williams. The Glass Menagerie.
ORAL: Williams’ use of expressionist techniques (define dramatic expressionism ) in the play (T Williams, “Author’s Production Notes;” M Corrigan, 1977; R Kramer, 2002).
Th Feb 12 Williams. The Glass Menagerie.
ORAL: Williams’ use of symbolism, such as Laura’s glass animals (F Durham in H Bloom, ed, 1988; J Thompson, 1987).
Tu Feb 17 Miller. All My Sons.
ORAL: The Group Theatre, Elia Kazan, and its effect on Miller’s play (A Miller, “The Question of Relatedness” in Bloom, 1988; W Smith, 1990;
Th Feb 19 Miller. All My Sons.
ORAL: A central theme of the play – collective vs. individual responsibility (J A Robinson, 1990; C Bigsby, 2005).
Tu Feb 24 O’Neill. Long Day’s Journey into Night.
ORAL: tThe autobiographical basis of the play (P Weismann, 1957; G Redford, 1964; O’Neill, “Summary” in L Schaeffer, vol.2, pp. 510-12, 2012).
Th Feb 26 O’Neill. Long Day’s Journey into Night.
ORAL: The central role of the past in the play (H Schvey, 1980; R B Sewall, 1980).
Tu Mar 3 O’Neill. Long Day’s Journey into Night.
ORAL: The series of revelations in Act 4 (M Manheim chap. 14 in Camb. Companion, 1998; N Berlin, 1983, chap.1; L Dugan, 2003-4).
Th Mar 5 How to research, structure and write an English research paper.
Tu Mar 10 Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun.
ORAL: Hansberry’s portrayal of black gender relations in the play (M Wilkerson in Freedomways, 1979; E Brown-Guillory, 1987; J C Washington, 1988; N A Lester in Women in Lit., 2003).
Th Mar 12 Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun.
ORAL: the play, the civil rights movement and the Black Arts Movement. (L Neal, Drama Rev. 1968; M Wilkerson, 1983; S Seaton, 1992; L Domina, 1998).
Tu Mar 17 Albee. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
ORAL: The games played in the course of the play (J Flasch, 1967; R Foust, 1984; C Eby, 2007).
Th Mar 19 Albee. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
ORAL: The significance of the political and historical allusions in the play (C Bigsby, 1984, vol. 2; D Herr, 1995; S Bottoms, 2000; Y Yasar, 2013).
Tu Mar 24 Valdez. Zoot Suit.
ORAL: The history and practices of El Teatro Camposino (C Morton, 1974;.B Yolanda, 1994; J Huerta, 2001; UCSB Library online).
Th Mar 26 Valdez. Zoot Suit.
ORAL: The play’s dramatization of Chicano hybrid identity (R A Parker, 1979; R G Davis, 1981; D Herms, 1981; R L Fergoso, in Mediating Two Worlds, 1993).
Mar 30-Apr 5 SPRING RECESS
Tu Apr 7 Henley. Crimes of the Heart.
ORAL: Henley’s use of the genre of Southern Gothic in the play (M Chirico B J Harbin, 1987).
Th Apr 9 Henley. Crimes of the Heart.
ORAL: Gender relations in the play (, J V Haedicke, 1993; K Laughlin, 1986).
Tu Apr 14 Mamet. Glengarry Glen Ross.
ORAL: The influence of Stanislavsky and the Method School of acting on the play (D Mamet, “Stanislavsky” in Some Freaks, 1991; I Maxwell, 2004).
Th Apr 16 Mamet. Glengarry Glen Ross
ORAL: Mamet’s theatrical use of language as an instrument of domination (J S Cullick, 1994; D Worster, 1994; K A Boon, 1998; A Greenbaum, 1999).
Tu Apr 21 Wilson. The Piano Lesson.
ORAL: Wilson’s views on African Americans’ experience of the Depression and their migration north. (K Periera, 1995, chap 4; D Ivison, 1996; H Muzaffar, 2004).
Th Apr 23 Wilson. The Piano Lesson.
ORAL: Gender issues raised in the play (M Morales, 1994; K Broganm 1995; M Maufort, 1997; B Jung, 2005; T Harris, 2001; J Singleton, 2009).
Tu Apr 28 Kushner. Angels in America.
ORAL: The representation of the AIDS crisis and politics in the play (D Geis & S Kruger, 1997; D Roman, 1997, chap 7; P Pacheco, 1998; P Cohen, 1998; D Ogden, 2000).
Th Apr 30 Kushner. Angels in America.
ORAL: Kushner’s use of Mormonism, Judaism and biblical references in the play (D Savan, 1995; C Neumann, 2006; R Omer-Sherman, 2007).
Tu May 5 Bring outline of your final paper by appointment to my office.
Th May 7 Bring outline of your final paper by appointment to my office.
T May 12 Submit final paper in my mailbox in MHB-413 by 10 pm.
Useful web sites:
http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=782 (Drama, Theatre and Performance Art Studies)
http://vl-theatre.com/ (WWW Virtual Library: Theatre and Drama)
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ (guide to latest MLA style)
Plagiarism
If you use the ideas or words of another writer as if they were your own without giving credit to the other writer you are guilty of plagiarism. Please consult the University Catalog (“Cheating and Plagiarism”) for details of the University’s policy regarding plagiarism. If you are found to have plagiarized another writer’s words you will receive an F for the paper the first time and an F for the course on a repeat occasion.
Campus Technology Help Desk
The CSULB Technology Help Desk in the Horn Center Lobby is available for students. The Help Desk can assist you on a wide range of computer issues including: Operating Systems, CSULB Email Accounts, My CSULB, Beachboard, Remote Connection to CSULB, Microsoft Desktop Applications, Anti-Virus, Internet and Web related topics,. Contact the Help Desk by phone at 562-985-4959, email to helpdesk@csulb.edu or visit them on the web at http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/academic_technology/thd/.
Withdrawal Policy
Students who choose not to complete this course should withdraw officially as soon as possible and inform me.Withdrawals during the first two weeks do not appear on official records. Withdrawals between the third and twelfth weeks must be for “serious and compelling reasons” and require signed approval by me and the department chair. Withdrawals during the final three weeks of instruction are generally permitted only for accident or serious illness. They require signatures from me, the chair, and the Dean of the College, who may require withdrawal from all classes in which the student is enrolled.
Makeup and Attendance Policy
For a definition of “excused absences” see the University Catalog: Regulations – Class Attendance. Excused absences require you to inform me a week in advance of your absence. More than three unexcused absences will result in the lowering of your course grade by a grade point or more depending on the number of such absences. Students who miss exams or fail to meet deadlines for graded papers for what I consider a compelling reason (such as a religious holiday or jury duty) may make up that part of the grade. It is your responsibility to arrange with me an alternative if you miss the deadline for an assignment. If you submit an assignment late without a documented excuse a penalty for lateness will be imposed. A student who misses the final exam or fails to submit a final paper in lieu of a final exam without a documented excuse will probably receive an F or an Incomplete, depending on the circumstances and previous work. |