California University of Pennsylvania
3 credits
T&Th 9.30 - 10.45
Keystone Hall 102
M. G.
Aune
Office Hours TTh 7.00 – 8.00 & W 2.00 – 5.00 221 Azorsky Hall (724.938.4341)
T&Th 3.30 - -5.00 Honors Area (724.938.4535)
and by appointment
aune(at)calu.edu
Quizzes
There will be ten, brief, ten-item unannounced quizzes. They
will consist of short answer and identification questions. They will cover the
reading for that day and any terms and concepts discussed in previous classes or
presented during lectures. The quizzes will be handed out at the beginning of
class and collected after fifteen minutes. Quizzes may not be made up.
Examinations
There will be two examinations.
They will only cover the material in that section,
that is, the final examination will not be cumulative.
The exams will consist of a take-home portion given
out the class before the exam.
The take-home will ask you to answer one or two
question in depth and following the format requirements described above.
The in-class portion will include short answer,
quote identification, vocabulary, and usually an essay question.
As a means of exploring how performance alters the way we
understand a play text, in groups, you will be given an opportunity to perform a
selection from a play we are reading this semester.
The project will be done in groups.
Your group will have thirty minutes at the beginning
of class on the day scheduled in the syllabus.
The objective of your project is to use performance
to show how a performance can affect an audience’s understanding of a play.
To do this, you will choose a brief (c. 200 – 500
line) scene or part of a scene from a play we are reading this term.
You must cast, costume, prepare a script and direct
the scene.
The performances will take place in the classroom, so
observe the potentials and the limits of the space.
The script must contain the actual lines, speech
prefixes, stage directions, director’s notes, and any other information used for
your scene.
It is due the day of the performance.
You will perform this scene for the class in
two different ways to
express two different understandings
of the play.
For example, a group might choose
Othello
1.2 (where Iago, Othello, and Roderigo confront Brabantio) and stage the scene
where Othello is confident and commanding because he knows he has done nothing
wrong.
Then a second version where Othello has self-doubts about
what he has done.
How you communicate the differences, of course, is
part of your task.
You will be evaluated in two ways.
Twenty-five of the one hundred possible points will
be based on your interpretations of the scene and how effectively you
communicate that interpretation to the class.
(You will not be judged on your acting ability.)
This score will be modified by the peer response
forms in order to determine each student’s score.
The remaining fifty points will be based on a three
to four page written (following all the rules) explanation of your (not your
group’s) interpretation of the scene.
Each group member is to work independently on the
written portion.
This part of the project is due on the day of the
performances.
Group rules
In order for evaluation and grading to be consistent and
reflect work done by individuals in your performance project, a number of
procedures must be followed.
Ethical group participation means that each member
is responsible for the group’s performance.
Each member must contribute as well as encourage
others to contribute.
During the first group meeting, the group must generate an
agreement that describes the group’s goal.
The goal will be to earn a high score on the
project, but in a manner that values the opinions of all members.
Group members must be committed to the group’s
goals, complete their individual tasks, avoid interpersonal conflict, encourage
group participation, and keep the discussion focused.
This document is to be no more than one page, it
must list the group number, each member’s name and contact information (whatever
means is most reliable), the group’s goal, and the responsibilities of members.
Each group member and the instructor must receive a
typed copy of this and a copy must be included with the materials you give me.
Each group must meet at least twice outside of class for
each project.
On the day of the performance project each group member
must turn in a
Group Member Evaluation Form
for each member.
Each member must also fill out and turn in a
Peer Rating of
Group Members.
If these forms are not turned in on time, ten points
will be deducted from the final score.
These forms must be completed before class.
They are available for download from here or the D2L
site.
Oleanna
Review
We have talked at various points about how particular parts
of the plays we have read might appear on stage.
We’ve looked in particular at moments of ambiguity,
when the text does not provide a clear guide as to what the audience sees.
Directors and their acting companies must address
these moments and decide what does or does not happen.
These decisions reflect the director’s
interpretation of the play.
Thus, an important element of reviewing a dramatic
performance is familiarity with the play being performed and recognizing a
director’s interpretive choices and how these choices affect the play as a
whole.
This is a three to four page formal review of the film of
Oleanna
that we watch in class.
This is to be a formal review, not like a brief
newspaper or popular magazine review.
The review should have three parts:
1. An introduction, which gives the basic information about
the play/film, date, director, lead actors, length, etc.
This should be no more than a paragraph and
introduce only the characters mentioned later in the review.