THE ENG 331
SYLLABUS
American
Drama
Dr. Thelma Richard
Spring 2003
Phone: 909-275-9353 E-mail: tjrichard@asu.edu Online Office Hours: M 10-12 am, T 2-4 pm
Textbook:
Watt and Richardson, American Drama: Colonial to Contemporary
WEEK 1--Jan 21-24: FIRST LECTURE:.On Our Own: Beginning a
Tradition: Read pp. 8-18 and plays.
WEEK 2--Jan
27-31 Read::
Tyler, The Contrast Patriotic Comedy
Also
Read for Week 2 : Stone, Metamora
“Indian” Tragedy
Groups
for Week 2: A--Characterization, B--Staging, C--Language, D--Structure
SECOND MODULE
WEEK 3--Feb 3-7: SECOND LECTURE: The Nineteenth Century :
Melodrama / Read pp. 147-55 and plays listed below for Weeks 3, 4 and 5.
WEEK 3--Feb 3-7: Boucicault,
The Octoroon Minstrel
Tradition
Groups
for Week 3: B--Characterization, C--Staging, D--Language, A--Structure
WEEK
4--Feb 10-14: Howard,
Shenandoah Sensation
Melodrama
Groups
for Week 4: C--Characterization, D--Staging, A--Language, B--Structure
WEEK 5--Feb 17-21: Herne, Margaret Fleming Melodramatic
Realism
Groups
for Week 5: D--Characterization, A--Staging, B--Language, C--Structure
Feb 21 ESSAY #1 DUE
THIRD MODULE
WEEK 6--Feb 24-28: THIRD LECTURE: The Turn of the
Century: Rise of Realism / Read pp. 338-350 and plays listed below for Weeks 6,
7 and 8.
WEEK 6--Feb 24-28:. Glaspell, Trifles Kitchen/
Back Yard Realism
Groups
for Week 6: A--Characterization, B--Staging, C--Language, D--Structure
WEEK 7--Mar 3-7: Barry, Holiday
High Comedy
Groups
for Week 7: B--Characterization, C--Staging, D--Language, A--Structure
WEEK 8--Mar 10-14: Hellman, The Children’s
Hour Well-Made Play
Groups
for Week 8: C--Characterization, D--Staging, A--Language, B--Structure
Mar 14 ESSAY #2 DUE
SPRING BREAK: March 16-23
FOURTH MODULE
WEEK 9--Mar 24-28: FOURTH LECTURE: The Twentieth Century:
Anti-Realist Revolts / Read plays listed below for Weeks 9, 10 and 11, TWO (2)
each for weeks 10 and 11.
WEEK 9--Mar 24-28: Odets, Waiting for
Lefty Agit-Prop/Proletarian
Drama
Groups
for Week 9: D--Characterization, A--Staging, B--Language, C--Structure
WEEK 10--Mar 31-Apr 4: O’Neill, The Iceman Cometh Mythic
Drama
Also
Read for Week 10: Miller, All My Sons Modern
Tragedy
Groups
for Week 10: A--Characterization, B--Staging, C--Language, D--Structure
WEEK
11--Apr 7-11: Williams,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Impressionistic Realism
Also Read for Week 11: Albee,
The Zoo Story Theatre
of the Absurd
Groups
for Week 11: B--Characterization, C--Staging, D--Language, A--Structure
April 11 ESSAY #3 DUE
FIFTH MODULE
WEEK 12--Apr 14-18: FIFTH LECTURE: Contemporary
Experimentations: Postmodern/ Multicultural/ Read pp 722-35 and plays
listed below for Weeks 12, 13, and 14, TWO (2) plays for week 13.
WEEK 12--Apr
14-18: Jones/Baraka,
Dutchman
Black Arts Movement
Groups
for Week 12: C--Characterization, D--Staging, A--Language, B--Structure
WEEK
13--Apr 21-25: Valdez, I Don’t Have to Show You No Stinkin' Badges Chicano/a Theatre
Also
Read for Week 13: Hwang, M. Butterfly Asian
American Theatre
Groups
for Week 13: D--Characterization, A--Staging, B--Language, C--Structure
WEEK 14--Apr 28-May 2: Mamet, Oleanna Mini-Realism
Groups
for Week 14: A--Characterization, B--Staging, C--Language, D--Structure
WEEK
15: May 5-6
May
6 FINAL PROJECT DUE
BLACKBOARD THREADED DISCUSSIONS—WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF DEADLINES
Each week you will be posting responses to Blackboard in your individual Group Discussion and to the Class Discussion. You will also be completing self-testing quizzes on the Lectures and Readings. Deadlines are very important for an online course, because as a class we can only work with material that has been posted to Blackboard or e-mailed to the professor. Thus, your grades will be based on meeting these deadlines, which are listed below for each week.
MONDAY Class Discussion Question will be posted
on ASSIGNMENTS.
WEDNESDAY NOON
You must EACH post
your individual Responses to your Group Discussion.
THURSDAY NOON Group Leaders must post 250-word
collaborative responses to Class Discussion.
FRIDAY MIDNIGHT
All self-testing quizzes
for this week’s readings and lectures must be completed.
SUNDAY MIDNIGHT
You must EACH post
at least 2 Individual Responses to Class Discussion.