Description:

This course introduces students to the analysis of plays as literature. Beginning with the Greek dramatists and ending with the contemporary scene, students will read full-length plays and the comments of playwrights, directors, actors and critics. They will analyze drama from psychological, historical, philosophical, structural and dramatic perspectives. Students will write essays demonstrating their understanding of the works studied. 3 hrs./wk.

Supplies: Refer to the instructor's course syllabus for details about any supplies that may be required.

Textbook(s): For information see - http://bookstore.jccc.net

Course Fees: NONE

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Identify important periods in dramatic history, including an understanding of the major writers, works, and dramatic methods of those periods.
2. Describe the techniques that make drama a unique literature experience.
3. Discuss the enduring themes found in dramatic literature from Classical times to the present.
4. Appreciate drama as a literary art form by reading and evaluating plays.
5. Write essays discussing plays in terms of historical context, structure, characterization, or theme.

Content Outline & Competencies:

I. Introduction
   A. Identify and define the elements of drama:  plot, characterization,
setting, dialogue, music, movement, and theme.
   B. Apply the elements of drama to a one-act play, "Lady Gregory's 
Rising of the Moon".
   C. Identify and cite examples of the traditional genres of drama: 
tragedy, comedy, and tragicomedy.

II. Greek and Roman Drama
   A. Name and define the parts of the Greek and Roman theaters.
   B. Name and define the distinctive elements of Greek and Roman tragedy
and comedy.
   C. Define Old, Middle, and New Comedy, giving examples of each.
   D. Name the key figures in the development of Greek and Roman drama,
describing the contributions and major works of each.
   E. Explain Aristotle's theories of tragedy.
   F. Evaluate Antigone and Oedipus Rex as tragedies based on Aristotle's
criteria.
   G. Apply the criteria of Old Comedy to Lysistrata.
   H  Discuss the treatment of women in Lysistrata and Antigone.

III. Medieval Drama
   A. Describe the nature and elements of medieval drama.
   B. Define miracle and morality plays and identify examples of each.
   C. Compare the worldview of Everyman with that of Antigone.

IV. Renaissance Drama
   A. Identify the contributions of Italian drama to the English stage.
   B. Describe the physical and economic nature of theater during the
Renaissance.
   C. Name the major Elizabethan playwrights and identify the
contributions of each.
   D. Explain the role of meter, verse, rhyme, and other poetic elements
in Elizabethan drama.
   E. Evaluate Hamlet according to Aristotle's standards for tragedies.
   F. Discuss and evaluate critical interpretations of Hamlet from Dryden
to the present day.
   G. Compare and evaluate several screen and stage adaptations of
Hamlet.
   H. Evaluate A Midsummer Night's Dream according to the Greek comedy
genres.
   I. Discuss the treatment of women in Shakespeare's plays.
   J. Identify non-English dramatists working during this period.

V. Restoration Drama
   A. Identify the major distinctions of the Restoration stage.
   B. Identify and explain the contributions of the major Restoration
playwrights.
   C. Evaluate Congreve's The Way of the World as a latter-day New
Comedy.

VI. Victorian/Early Twentieth-Century Drama
   A. Identify the physical and economic nature of the theater during the
period 1850-1914.
   B. Name the major playwrights of the period and identify the
contributions of each.
   C. Evaluate Hedda Gabler as an Aristotelian tragedy.
   D. Discuss the role of women in Hedda Gabler.
   E. Explore the role of Freud and the rise of psychology in the drama of
Ibsen, Chekhov, and Shaw.

VII. Twentieth-Century Drama and Beyond
   A. Identify and describe the major movements in drama during the
twentieth century.
   B. Discuss the effect of changing theatrical spaces and technological
developments on the presentation of old texts and the creation of new
ones.
   C. Discuss the move away from strict realism in The Glass Menagerie,
The Piano Lesson, and other plays.
   D. Analyze the thematic threads in The Piano Lesson.
   E. Describe the presence and function of symbolic elements in The Glass
Menagerie and The Piano Lesson.
   F. Identify some of the non-Western cultures that have contributed
significantly to the broadening of drama in the twentieth century.
   G. Discuss the important themes in drama in the contemporary theater.

Methods of Evaluation of Competencies:

Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the following methods:

   2 examinations:      30% of grade
   2 short papers:      30% of grade
   1 longer paper:      20% of grade
   In-class projects:   20% of grade
                       100% of grade

Caveats: NONE

Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services. Access Services will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director. The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact the office of Access Services for Students With Disabilities (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.