Syllabus for ENGL 4603: American Drama Spring 2009

Syllabus for ENGL 5613: American Drama

Syllabus for AMST 5853: Literature & American Society: American Drama

Italicized information applies only to students enrolled for graduate credit.

Class meeting: Tues. 7:20-10:00 p.m., BA G-226

Instructor: Dr. John Mercer, Professor of English, Department of Languages and Literature, College of Liberal Arts, Northeastern State University

Mailing address: NSU-BA, 3100 E. New Orleans St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014

Office: G-280 Office phone: 918-449-6541 NSU-BA switchboard: 918-449-6000

Office hours (all times are p.m. unless labeled otherwise): Mon. 11:30 a.m.-12:50, 4:00-5:00;

Tues. & Thurs. 5:30-7:10, 10:10-10:30; Wed. 3:00-4:20, 7:20-7:40

Fax for faculty in Bldg. G: 918-449-6571 (Please include a cover sheet with my name.)

Mailbox: Box 4 in G-261 (Give items to staff assistant in hallway G-267.)

E-mail: mercer25@cox.net or mercer@nsuok.edu

Instructor’s faculty Web page: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer

Alternative path to Web page: www.nsuok.edu > Academics > Faculty Web sites > Mercer

E-MAIL POLICY:

(1) All e-mail sent to my NSU address is automatically forwarded to my Cox address, so it is not necessary or helpful to send the same message to both addresses.

(2) Please do NOT submit a completed assignment by e-mail unless I specifically ask you to do so or unless it is the only way you can submit it on time. If you must submit a completed assignment by e-mail, send it by attachment, but also submit it in hard copy (to me, my office, my mailbox, or by fax) at your first opportunity.

(3) If you e-mail a rough draft for feedback, cut and paste it into a message; do NOT send it by attachment.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Study of major American dramatic works in the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

COURSE OUTCOME OBJECTIVES: In studying plays by 20^th- and 21^st -century American dramatists, you will demonstrate your ability to

(1) identify the plots and characters of the assigned plays

(2) analyze literary and theatrical devices used in the plays

(3) analyze the assigned plays as reflections of the lives of the playwrights

(4) analyze the assigned plays as reflections of American society

(5) analyze a significant theme or technique found in many assigned plays

(6) distinguish between the characteristics of drama and film

(7) write a graduate-level research paper in MLA form that relates at least one assigned play to your academic interests

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

(1) Textbooks: Please bring to each class session the text that contains the play(s) assigned for that week.

(a) Jacobus, Lee A. The Bedford Introduction to Drama. 6^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin=s, 2009. ISBN-10: 0-312-47488-1. ISBN-13: 978-0-312-47488-1.

(b) Wilder, Thornton. Our Town: A Play in Three Acts. New York: Harper Perennial, 2003. ISBN-10: 0-06-051263-6. ISBN-13: 978-0-06-051263-7.

(2) Online documents: Please print and bring to class the documents from the class Web page that relate to each week’s assignment.

COMPUTER AND MANUSCRIPT FORM: Write all out-of-class assignments on computer. Carefully follow the instructions in the document “Computer Format and Manuscript Form” near the top of the home page of my faculty Web site, under “Documents for all classes.”

WARNING ABOUT COURSE CONTENT: Plays reflect the times in which they are written. As a result, several of the assigned plays, especially those written after 1960, contain potentially offensive language and content that includes violence, homosexuality, and incest. If you are offended by these elements, you should immediately look at the assigned plays Glengarry Glen Ross and Angels in America. If you would not be able to read these plays in good conscience, please consider dropping this course and enrolling in a different one. I will be happy to discuss your options with you.

DAILY AVERAGE: Your daily average will be the percentage of points you earn out of the number possible for quizzes, video critiques, and late attendance.

(1) QUIZZES: At the beginning of each class period, after you have had an opportunity to ask questions, you will take a quiz on that day’s assigned reading. Each quiz will be worth ten (10) points. To take quizzes, you must be present in class; you cannot make up missed quizzes for any reason.

(2) VIDEO CRITIQUES: Four (4) times during the semester you will submit a critique of a screen adaptation of an assigned play. (Follow instructions in the document “Writing a Video Critique” on the class Web page.) Each critique should be about two (2) full pages in length and will be worth twenty (20) points. If you are going to be absent, submit your video critique in advance in hard copy, by fax, or by e-mail attachment by 7:20 p.m. on the evening it is due. If you submit your video critique by attachment, please also give it to me in hard copy the next time you are on campus. If you have a legitimate reason for not submitting a video critique on time, make arrangements with me in advance for an alternative due date. Otherwise, late critiques will be penalized as described below under “LATE WORK AND MAKE-UP EXAMS.”

(3) LATE ATTENDANCE: As an incentive to be present for the entire class period, you will receive five (5) daily points if you are present at the end of the class period at 10 p.m. To receive these late-attendance points, you must sign the sheet that will be passed during the last few minutes of the period.

EXTRA-CREDIT DAILY POINTS: You may earn up to thirty (30) extra-credit daily points during the semester. Your daily average, however, cannot exceed 100%.

When you prepare extra-credit work, carefully follow the instructions in the document “Extra-Credit Submissions,” located near the top of the home page of my faculty Web site under “Documents for all classes.” Of the various ways to earn extra credit that are discussed in this document, the following apply to this class:

· PERFORMANCES on stage, film, television, or video of American plays, especially those studied in this class, or programs relating to the lives and times of American playwrights

· CLIPPINGS OR INTERNET MATERIAL relevant to this class

· ADDITIONAL READING of American plays from the textbook (Zoot Suit, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, I Am My Own Wife, 365 Days/365 Plays), other American plays, or critical essays or theatre reviews of American plays

· ANALYSIS supporting your interpretation of a controversial aspect of an assigned play

· RESEARCH to answer questions relevant to this class

· CREATIVE WRITING related to the playwrights, plays, and/or techniques studied in class

In addition, you can earn extra-credit daily points for

· BRINGING VIDEOS TO CLASS: You may earn one (1) extra-credit daily point for bringing to class a VHS or DVD version of the play we=re studying that evening. (Maximum points for bringing videos: two [2] points per week and ten [10] points for the semester.) To receive extra-credit points, please give me the video at the very beginning of the class period with the following information listed on an attached sheet of paper:

o your name, your course number, and the date

o the title of the production you have brought

o the version of the production (such as the director, leading actor[s], studio, and/or date of the production)

o the format of the production (VHS or DVD)

o where/how you got this video

o the scene you would recommend I play in class (VHS tapes must be cued in advance)

FINAL ESSAY: Early in the semester, choose a theme, technique, or other literary, dramatic, or cultural element found in many of the assigned plays, get my feedback on your topic, and look for relevant material as you read the plays. At the end of the course, submit a final essay of at least four (4) full typed, double-spaced pages and no more than six (6) pages that develops your own focused, original thesis concerning this topic. Integrate brief references to as many assigned plays as possible in each body paragraph; do not discuss each play in a separate body paragraph. In the essay as a whole, include specific references to at least eight (8) plays, unless you have my permission to use fewer plays because of the nature of your topic. No outside research is expected or required, but if you use research, document in MLA form with parenthetical citations in the body of the paper and a works-cited page at the end. Use the checklist provided for this essay. See the model final essays posted on the class Web page.

Below are some examples of relevant broad topics and how they might be focused, limited, or narrowed:

Broad topics More focused topics (may require further limitation)

the American dream components of the American dream in the assigned plays

materialism, greed negative consequences of pursuing material success

the American family causes of dysfunction in the American family

family relationships failure of communication between husbands and wives (or between fathers and sons or between brothers)

sex the social stigma attached to premarital, extramarital, homosexual, and/or incestuous relationships

gender powerlessness of women in the assigned plays

race racism against African Americans in American society

American social customs American customs related to illness, dying, and death

American history important 20^th-century political events reflected in the plays

pessimism (or optimism) the causes of hopelessness in the plays

staging, stage design/practice use of stage setting to convey theme

genre/elements of comedy techniques that create humor

genre/elements of tragedy the main characters’ experience of Aristotelian “recognition”

RESEARCH PAPER: For graduate credit, choose a topic that relates to your own academic interests and to one (1) or more of the assigned plays. Write a research paper that integrates references to at least one (1) assigned play and at least five (5) reputable secondary sources. Document your paper as directed in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6^th ed., using parenthetical citations in the body of the paper and a works-cited page at the end. The length of the paper, not including the works-cited page, should be at least five (5) full typed, double-spaced pages and no more than seven (7) or eight (8) pages. Follow the steps required on the assignments sheet.

LATE WORK AND MAKE-UP EXAMS: If you cannot submit an assignment or take an exam at the scheduled time, you must make arrangements with me ahead of time. Otherwise, missed exams cannot be made up, and late assignments will be penalized. Assignments submitted by the end of the period will be penalized 5%; assignments submitted by 10 p.m. on the following Thursday (two days late) will be penalized 10%; assignments submitted by class time the following Tuesday (one week late) will be penalized 20%. Unless you have made prior arrangements, assignments will NOT be accepted more than one week late.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: In this class academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating on quizzes, submitting work that is not your own, failing to document the words or ideas of a source, copying a source’s exact words or sentence structure, or assisting others in these actions.

According to the NSU catalog, “Students violating the standards of academic honesty are subject to disciplinary action including reduction of a grade(s) [sic] in a specific course, assignment, paper, or project; a formal or informal reprimand at the professorial, dean, or academic vice president level; expulsion from the class in which the violation occurred; or expulsion from the University.”

ATTENDANCE: Enrollment in this course obligates you to attend class regularly. Absence from any class period is serious because it causes you to miss an entire week of class work. Absence from more than two (2) class periods is considered excessive, indicating that you are not likely to do well in the class. If you enroll late, you will be counted absent for each class period you have missed from the beginning of the semester.

Attendance will be taken from quiz papers only. To be marked present, you must submit a quiz paper with your name, the course number, and the date. If you arrive after the quiz or do not attempt to answer any of the questions, submit a paper with these three items so that you will be counted present. If you must leave class immediately after the quiz or before the break, write AABSENT@ in LARGE LETTERS beside your name on the quiz paper (but you will receive any quiz points you earn). If you must leave class before the end of the period, please tell me in advance.

CLASS CANCELLATION: If all NSU-BA classes are canceled because of bad weather or any other reason, cancellation will be announced on Tulsa area radio and television stations—and usually on the home page of the NSU Web site and the telephone greeting for NSU-BA. If all classes are not canceled, it is my responsibility and intention to hold class. You, however, must make your own decision about whether it is safe for you to drive to class. In the unlikely event that my class is canceled when other NSU-BA classes are meeting, you should be notified through the class calling tree.

CHILDREN ON CAMPUS: According to NSU-BA policy, children under age sixteen (16) cannot be left unattended anywhere on the campus, including the library, café, and student lounges. Because most of the plays studied in this class are not appropriate for children, please do not bring children with you to class.

DISABILITIES: If you have a disability and need special accommodations in this class, please tell me at the end of the first class meeting you attend.

CLASSROOM COURTESY: Out of courtesy to your classmates and me, please do not

(1) engage in private conversations when the instructor or another student is addressing the class.

(2) eat in class (unless you bring food to share with the entire class). Drinks with lids, however, are permitted.

(3) bring visitors to class without my prior permission.

(4) repeatedly get up from your seat during class. Please wait until the break or the end of class.

(5) allow your cell phone to disrupt class. Please turn off cell phones in class.

(6) use a notebook computer in class for any purpose other than to take notes or to look up information on the Internet to share with the class.

(7) send text messages in class.

(8) leave class early or during the break without telling me in advance.

WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS: Nonattendance does not constitute withdrawal. To drop a class, you must process an official drop slip. If you drop a class by January 27, you will receive a 100% refund of tuition. If you drop a class after January 27, you will receive no refund. If you drop a class by April 15, you will automatically receive a W. If you drop a class after April 15, you will receive a W if you are passing or an F if you are failing at the time you drop. The last day to drop a class is May 8.

COURSE GRADE (subject to announced changes):

Percentage of course grade

Undergraduate Graduate

Daily average (quizzes, video critiques, late attendance,

and extra-credit points) 25% 20%

Midterm exam 25% 20%

Final comprehensive exam 25% 20%

Final essay 25% 20%

Research paper _-__ 20%

100% 100%

A = 90-100%

B = 80-89%

C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%

F = 0-59%

ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are subject to announced changes. You are responsible for all such changes whether or not you are present when they are made. If a class meeting is canceled and you receive no instructions to the contrary, continue to follow the assignment dates given here. When a play is assigned, read not only the play but also the textbook=s introductions to the playwright and play, and commentaries on the playwright and play. Italicized assignments apply only to students taking the course for graduate credit.

Jan. 20 Introduction to course

In-class viewing of the first part of Desire under the Elms

Jan. 27 Susan Glaspell, Trifles

Eugene O’Neill, Desire under the Elms

Feb. 3 Thornton Wilder, Our Town (found in the single-play edition, not the anthology)

Feb. 10 Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

Video Critique 1: Submit a video critique of Our Town or The Glass Menagerie.

Feb. 17 Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (including A Production Casebook on this play)

Feb. 24 Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

Video Critique 2: Submit a video critique of Death of a Salesman or A Raisin in the Sun.

Mar. 3 Edward Albee, The Zoo Story

During this week, bring to a 15-minute conference a proposal for your research paper, including a discussion of topic (minimum one page), tentative thesis, tentative list of main points to develop thesis (in complete sentences), and a working bibliography of at least ten (10) potential sources in MLA form.

Mar. 10 Take midterm exam (meet in computer classroom G-___)

Mar. 17: Spring break

Mar. 24 Sam Shepard, Buried Child

Mar. 31 David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross

Video Critique 3: Submit a video critique of Glengarry Glen Ross

Apr. 7 August Wilson, Fences (including A Production Casebook on this play except for articles on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Submit the following items paper-clipped (not stapled) in this order: checklist; complete draft of research paper (at least 5 full pages); integrated, highlighted photocopies or printouts of 3 pages of source material; and works-cited page.

Apr. 14 Tony Kushner, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches

Video Critique 4: Write a video critique of Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches.

During this week, have a 30-minute conference with me to discuss the draft of your research paper.

Apr. 21 Paula Vogel, How I Learned to Drive

Submit the following items paper-clipped (not stapled) in this order: clean checklist; research paper (at least 5 full pages); integrated, highlighted photocopies or printouts of 3 additional pages of source material; works-cited page; and, in order, all items submitted with draft on Mar. 31.

Apr. 28 Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, The Laramie Project

May 5 Sarah Ruhl, The Clean House

Submit final essay.

May 12 Take final exam (meet in computer classroom G-___)