This course offers an introduction to the history and development of world theater and drama. We will experience the dynamic pageant of theater history through an exploration of its conventions and aesthetics, as well as its social and cultural functions. We will study theater history from antiquity through the nineteenth century, reading representative plays ranging from Greek tragedy and classical Sanskrit drama, through German Romanticism and American melodrama. Along the way, we will read key critical and theoretical texts illuminating the plays. The course encompasses not only the study of plays as dramatic texts, but also their contexts of theater architecture and stagecraft, performance conventions, debates of art and commerce, and shifting relationships to the audience. Through an interdisciplinary study of theater history, students will also learn to connect theatrical tradition to its contemporary practice.
This remote class will be offered synchronously on Zoom in a multimedia format. While lectures will comprise one part of the class, the course will also encompass play discussions, small-group activities, and independent projects.
The class will meet three times a week on Mondays and Thursdays, from 3:30-5:20pm, and Wednesdays from 10:20am to 12:10pm.
Learning Outcomes:
Delivery Method: Entirely remote (synchronous)
Prerequisites:None.
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
M/Th 3:40PM-5:30PM, W 10:20AM-12:10PM (new time as of 8/31/2020) (2nd seven weeks)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: All courses , Drama , Updates
Tags: analyzing , drama , Dramatic Literature , reading , theater history , writing