THTR 2230 - Survey of Drama
Credits: 3
Catalog Description
This course surveys representative plays from classical to contemporary drama examining forms of literature that can be read or experienced in a theater. Students will analyze and create a dramaturgical final performance project that demonstrates an understanding of social, cultural, political, and economic influences present in one of the plays analyzed during the semester. Issues addressed in the plays are relevant for a deeper understanding of cultural diversity within the United States and beyond.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) Goal Area(s) fulfilled: Goal 06C: The Humanities and Fine Arts, Goal 07A: Human Diversity, Race, Power, and Justice in the United States
Additional fee to student: No
Learner Outcomes
- Apply appropriate theater terminology to analyze a script by identifying components such as conflict, plot, structure, unit/beats, context, and subtext.
- Analyze the cultural, social, political, and economic influences that motivate the actions of a character as well as support the themes being studied in plays from the United States and beyond.
- Evaluate their own attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs regarding diversity, racism, and bigotry in relation to their understanding of the play’s themes and action from within the context of the United States and beyond.
- Articulate how changing group identity and beliefs, throughout the history of the United States and beyond, influence the themes and style of plays being studied.
- Develop written and oral responses to plays from a variety of time periods from both the United States and beyond. Particular emphasis will be placed on the social and cultural impact the play had on the society in which it was created.
- Apply Dramatic Theory when considering the different perspectives used by the actor, director, and audience.
- Understand the literary characteristics of different genres of drama, including but not limited to, Tragedy, Comedy, Realism, Melodrama, Documentary, and Absurdism.
- Describe and discuss the experience and contributions (social, political, economic, and cultural) of many marginalized groups that shape American society and culture through their writing.
- Create a performance piece demonstrating an understanding of how the text, subtext, and context of a play all work together to provide meaning.
Major Areas of Course Content
- Dramatic literature from varying eras and cultures of the United States and beyond
- Literary elements as they are used in drama, such as plot structure, genre, subtext, conflict, etc.
- Analytical approaches to drama as text and performance found in the United States and beyond
- The study of a minimum of nine plays which are representative of major periods and playwright
- Recognition of the role of drama as a cultural, historical, political, and personal artifact
- Critical writing in response to drama
- Element of production for selected plays
- The cultural and historical context of selected dramatic literature originating from the United States and beyond
Credit for Prior Learning Options
No credit for prior learning option is available for this course.
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