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INSTRUCTORS: Professor Heather Nathans, 2818 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, x. 56687, email: hn29@umail.umd.edu LECTURES: Monday/Wednesday, 11-11:50, Room 2242, H.J. Patterson Required texts (available at the bookstore*): *There will also be a course packet for the class which will contain documents, essays, and an overview of the history of the period we are studying. Readings in the course packet are required. COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: In the wake of the Revolution, Americans struggled to establish a "national" theater--a task which proved unexpectedly difficult. Whose idea of America should prevail? How could the theater reflect the issues and questions that were starting to trouble the newborn country? Could the theater address political debates? Could it address the issue of slavery? Of labor unrest? Of the growing immigrant population? In the first century after the birth of the new nation, the theater offered its patrons numerous and often conflicting images of what it meant to be "American." In this course, we will examine the development of the early American theater, tracing its growth from colonial pastime, to anti-British protest, to America’s social conscience. More importantly, we will continue to question whether we can define an American theater--and what the role of that theater should be. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 1. Attendance: Regular attendance is expected in this course, and is critical to an understanding of the material. Failure to attend lecture or discussion will lower your final grade. Students are allowed two unexcused absences. After the third absence, the participation section of your grade will be lowered by 3 points (one letter grade, e.g., form a B+ to a B) per class missed. Excused absences include religious holidays or illness and/or emergencies for which a note from a physician or a University of Maryland Dean must be submitted. Although we appreciate email notes informing us that you will be unable to attend class, they do not substitute for a doctor’s or a dean’s excuse. Please note that attendance will be taken at every class meeting and discussion group (if you enter after attendance has been taken, it is your responsibility to inform the instructors by the end of class). 2. Participation: Regular and respectful contributions to our ongoing exploration of the theatrical experience are a crucial part of this class. Participation encompasses both asking questions and participating in discussions, and will contribute to your final grade. 3. Reading Assignments: Our discussions, quizzes, and writings will be based on assigned readings, hence it is crucial that students keep pace with assignments and prepare material for the day it is assigned. 4. Quizzes: There will be a total of 11 short quizzes throughout the course. Quiz dates are assigned, and it should be noted that quizzes cannot be made up, except in emergency situations which involve a Dean’s excuse or a letter from a physician. The quizzes are designed to test your comprehension of the plays (both plot and style) and the assigned readings. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped, but please note that you must take the quiz in order for the grade to be dropped. Quizzes missed due to unexcused absences will receive a grade of zero which will be factored into your final grade. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: 5. Discussion Groups: For each of the plays in the course, a group of 2-3 students will be assigned to create discussion questions for the text. Each student must devise 2 questions and responses related to the text or to the historical/social/political context of the play, as well as a one-page response per question. These questions and your responses must be submitted in writing (see due dates on syllabus), and they must be typewritten. The questions will be used as a basis for classroom discussion, with the members of each group helping to lead the discussion for that day. Each group should plan to communicate via email, phone, or meeting to coordinate questions, eliminate overlap, and share responses to the material. You will be evaluated both on the quality of the written question/responses and on the quality of your classroom participation on the day of discussion. Please note that while you are welcome to use outside sources to develop your discussion questions, those sources (including the Internet) must be fully and accurately cited. Each student will participate in two discussion groups during the semester. 6. Paper: The paper will ask you to research an area of interest to you (acting, design, directing, play analysis), as it relates to the material we are discussing (for example: women in the American theater, issues of racial or ethnic identity, religious bias against the theater, theater as a political tool, etc.). You will receive guidelines for writing the paper, as well as a list of suggested topics. You will also be asked to submit a 250-word overview of your topic with a three-source preliminary bibliography, only one of which may be from the Internet (see due date on syllabus). 7. Midterm: The midterm will consist of essay questions, which will be distributed to students with a study guide one week prior to the exam. 8. Final Exam: The final exam will allow you to reflect on the central question of the course: can we still define "one" American theater. The exam will consist of two essay questions, which will be distributed to students with a study guide one week prior to the exam. GRADING: I have attached a "grade sheet" to this syllabus, so that you may record and track your grades and attendance in the course should you wish to. The "breakdown" of points is as follows: A note about Academic Integrity: The University has a Code of Academic Integrity, available on the web at http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/JPO/code_acinteg.html. We assume that students are familiar with the principles of the Code, which prohibits cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. Students who have questions or concerns about these issues should contact the instructors or view the website for additional information. EXTRA CREDIT: You may earn up to twelve (12) total extra credit points in this class (to be applied as needed at the end of the semester). You may earn the first five by choosing one of the plays that we are reading and doing one of the following: (1) Creating costume designs for three characters in the play that reflect the historical period as well as the demands of the script; (2) Creating set designs for two scenes that reflect the historical period as well as the demands of the script--NOTE: You do not need to be an artist to complete this project! OR you may suggest performing a scene, dance, or song from the period. Please see instructors to arrange. You may earn the final two points by locating items on the Treasure Hunt List. Once one person finds a particular item, it vanishes from the list. You may find only one item on the list. Once you have found it, please bring the item (or a copy) into class. See the website for clues! Accommodations: Students with documented disabilities should consult with the instructors at the beginning of the semester so that the proper accommodations can be implemented. Please feel free to schedule an appointment after class or during office hours to discuss any special concerns. SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS Theatre for a "sensible and polite audience": Colonial origins Aug. 30: Introduction to Course Sept. 4: No class--Labor Day Sept. 6: Missing the "Mother Country"--Theatrical entertainments in the colonies Discussion: Anti-Theatrical prejudice and questions of style Sept. 11: Revolution approaches--Consequences for the theatre Sept. 13: Post-war challenges--establishing a need for the theater Discussion: Inventing "American" Theater--players and playwrights rise to the challenge Sept. 18: Building theater into the new nation Sept. 20: Politics invade the playhouse Discussion: Discussion group presents on The Contrast Sept. 25: Rabble, ruffians, and roustabouts--danger in the theater Who gets to be American? Heroes, Villains, &Clowns Sept. 27: Noble savages? Race and racism on the national stage Discussion: Early American musical theater--using race for comedy Oct. 2: Defining the new American playwright and actor Oct. 4: Heroes of the stage Discussion: What about the ladies? American actresses and playwrights struggle to be heard Middle Class Melodrama--Republican Sentiment and Sentimentality Oct. 9: New directions on the stage and in the playhouse Oct. 11: America’s social conscience--the playhouse as a site for reform Discussion: Discussion group presents on The Gladiator Oct. 16: Drawing boundaries around American society Oct. 18: MIDTERM Discussion: Discussion group presents on The Drunkard Oct. 23: Women in the private and public sphere--the career of Anna Cora Mowatt Oct. 25: Mocking the middle class--comic and serious class conflict and the Astor Place Riot Discussion: Discussion group presents on Fashion Oct. 30: Alternative entertainments--Learned Pigs and Knowing Dogs Things Fall Apart--America Unraveling Nov 1: Nation approaching crisis--the coming of the Civil War Discussion: Minstrel plays: America’s most popular entertainment Nov. 4: OPTIONAL FIELD TRIP TO FORD’S THEATRE--SITE OF LINCOLN’S Nov. 6: Staging Slavery Nov. 8: Different points of view--Boucicault and the reaction to Uncle Tom Nov. 13: African-American response to The Octoroon and Uncle Tom Theater for an Industrial Age Nov. 15: Theater for an Industrial Age Discussion: Playhouses for everyone? Nov. 20: Highbrow/Lowbrow Nov. 22: NO CLASS--HAPPY THANKSGIVING Nov. 27: American Musical Theatre Nov. 29: Politics and the playhouse again! Discussion: Discussion group presents on The Senator Dec. 4: Suffragette Theatre Dec. 6: At the end of the century--looking back at the American theater Discussion: Discussion group presents on Margaret Fleming Dec. 11: LAST CLASS Discussion: OPTIONAL--EXAM REVIEW
Unexcused absences: Quizzes: Discussion Groups: Paper: Midterm: Final: Extra Credit: 2. Ford’s Theatre Trip 3. Treasure Hunt |
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