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Introduction to Analyzing Plays and Dramatic Literature (THTR 2150)
Total Credits:
3
Lecture Credits:
3
Description:
This course explores multiple elements of theatrical production through the analysis of dramatic literature. You will read a variety of plays focusing on the importance of the written text and the author in the process of creating theatre. You will investigate literature written for the theatre from various eras and explore the broader social, political, and economic contexts inherent and implied within the writing.
Topical Outline:
1. Dramatic literature from varying eras and cultures
2. Literary elements as they are used in drama, such as plot structure, genre, subtext, conflict, etc.
3. Analytical approaches to drama as text and performance
4. The cultural and historical context of selected dramatic literature
5. The role of drama as a cultural, historical, political or personal artifact
6. Critical writing in response to drama and elements of production for selected plays
Learning Outcomes:
1. Use appropriate theatre terminology to analyze a script to identify elements such as genre, conflict, plot structure, units/beats, subtext, theme, style, social context, etc. through oral and/or written responses
2. Describe how theatre conventions and the social and historical context of drama are shaped by the culture and time in which it was written
3. Analyze and interpret plays from diverse cultures and time periods using different perspectives, such as actor, designer, or director
4. Read or view a play and use appropriate theatre terminology to express an informed personal, critical reaction to the text or to the particular elements of a specific production, including its classification of dramatic structure, genre, and style as well as the ways in which the performers and designers may have interpreted the playwright’s intent
Prerequisites:
Placement into
READ 0200 or
ESOL 0052 or completion of
READ 0100 or
ESOL 0042
MnTC: