Syllabus for Theatre 1030, Fall 2013

1. Theatre
1030-­‐W3
Garret
Schneider,
Instructor
garrets@gmail.com
Theatre
1030-­‐W3,
Fall
2013
OFFICE:
Email
with
any
questions
COURSE
GOALS
AND
OBJECTIVES:
This
course
explores
the
roles
of
various
theatre
artists:
the
playwright,
actor,
director,
and
designer
and
how
they
collaborate
with
the
audience
to
create
the
theatrical
experience.
The
instructor
will
provide
a
framework
for
the
student
to
learn
the
most
amount
of
material.
Students
will
be
required
to
complete
all
material,
pass
all
quizzes,
and
write
all
papers
to
pass
this
course.
REQUIREMENTS:
Students
will
complete
short
assignments
based
on
the
reading
for
that
chapter.
Though
powerpoints
will
be
provided,
it
is
no
substitute
for
the
textbook,
and
some
assignments
need
the
textbook
to
be
completed.
Students
will
write
two
play
analysis
papers,
and
one
term
paper
(to
be
completed
and
revised).
The
analysis
papers
will
be
on
physical
plays
that
the
students
read,
and
the
paper
will
be
on
a
production
which
they
must
plan
from
beginning
to
end
(though
they
don’t
have
to
put
it
up).
There
will
be
a
cumulative
midterm
and
final
exam.
Quizzes
are
given
at
the
end
of
each
chapter,
and
may
cover
any
aspect
of
course
contents
to
date.
TEXTS:
“The
Art
of
Theatre,
Then
and
Now:
A
Concise
Introduction”
by
Downs/Wright/Ramsey
Students
are
required
to
read
the
chapters
to
successfully
complete
the
assignments.
CLASS
ATTENDANCE
POLICY:
As
this
is
a
digital
class,
class
attendance
is
an
odd
point.
We
have
students
from
all
over
the
world,
so
I
want
to
be
flexible,
but
not
put
you
in
the
disadvantageous
situation
where
you
have
an
entire
semester’s
worth
of
work
to
do
in
one
weekend.
So,
the
chapters
are
broken
up
into
two-­‐week
periods,
ending
on
the
second
Saturday,
1pm
Central
Time.
That
Saturday,
the
new
chapter’s
work
will
be
available.
This
allows
flexibility,
but
not
leaving
you
with
a
pile
of
work
at
the
end
of
the
semester.
I
can
also
observe
when
you
log
in,
and
for
how
long,
so
if
you
don’t
log
in
for
long
periods
of
time,
I
am
going
to
have
to
assume
that
you
are
failing
to
complete
any
work.
2
Play
Analysis:
Chapter
Assignments:
Chapter
Quizes:
Midterm
&
Final:
Final
Paper:
10%
20%
10%
30%
30%
90-100=A
80-89=B
70-79=C
60-69=D
0-59=F
NOTE: Although some courses use a different grading scale, please be advised that the grading scale
in this course is taken into consideration as subjective work is graded. There is rarely extra credit.
Make-up work/tests are not granted except on very rare occasions..
ACADEMIC HURDLES :
Any student who has a condition that may affect his/her academic performance is encouraged to
contact me or the coordinator of disability issues who is located in Clement 140, telephone 931-221-
6230 to discuss the matter.

2. PRELIMINARY
CLASS
SCHEDULE:
This
schedule
can
and
will
change.
It
is
offered
to
give
you
an
idea
of
the
order
in
which
we
will
address
the
material,
and
how
long
we
may
spend
on
each
subject.
I
will
be
uploading
due
dates
on
the
calendar.
The
rough
dates
are
as
follows:
Chapter
1
&
2
(and
a
half)
Theatre,
Art
&
Entertainment
August
24th
–
Sept
7th
Chapter
2
(and
a
half)
&
3
Stage
vs
Screen
&
Cultural
Diversity
Sept
7th
–
Sept
21st
Chapter
4
&
5
Experiencing
Plays
&
A
Day
in
the
Life..
Sept
21st
–
Oct
5th
Chapter
6
&
4
Analyzing
Plays
and
Playwrighting
Oct
5th
–
Oct
19th
1st
Play
Response
is
Due
Look
on
the
discussion
board
Oct
19th
Chapter
7
&
8
Acting
&
Directing
Oct
19th
–
Nov
2nd
1st
Pass
at
Term
Paper
is
Due
Look
on
the
discussion
board
Nov
2nd
Chapter
9
&
10
Design
&
Creativity
Nov
2nd
–
Nov
16th
2nd
Play
Response
is
Due
Look
on
the
discussion
board
Nov
16th
Chapter
11
Types
of
Theatre
Nov
16th
–
Nov
30th
Chapter
12
The
Musical
Nov
30th
–
Dec
12th
2nd
Pass
at
Term
Paper
is
Due
Look
on
the
discussion
board
Dec
10th
***********************************
ACADEMIC
HONESTY:
Cheating
on
examinations,
submitting
work
of
other
students
as
your
own,
or
plagiarism
in
any
form
will
result
in
penalties
ranging
from
an
F
on
the
assignment
to
expulsion
from
the
university,
depending
on
the
seriousness
of
the
offense.
In
this
class
there
will
be
no
discrimination
based
on
race,
ethnic
origin,
religion,
gender,
age,
sexual
orientation
or
physical
handicap.
If
individual
assistance
is
needed,
please
talk
to
me
about
it
as
soon
as
possible.
CONTACT
INFORMATION:
Garret
Schneider,
garrets@gmail.com
***********************************
GUIDELINES
FOR
PLAY
ANALYSIS
PAPERS:
The
German
romantic
playwright,
philosopher,
and
critic
Johann
Wolfgang
von
Goethe
(1749-­‐1832)
offered
a
simple
formula
for
play
analysis
that
has
been
used
for
hundreds
of
years.
1.
What
is
the
artist
trying
to
do?
This
question
will
help
determine
the
direction
of
your
analysis.
If
you
understand
the
intention
of
the
artist,
you
will
understand
the
reasons
for
his
or
her
choices.
Put
aside
your
opinion
of
the
play
and
identify
the
artist’s
purpose.
What
is
the
artist
trying
to
say?
What
is
the
artist’s
goal?
Can
you
explain
why
the
artist
chose
to
bring
this
particular
work
into
being?
2.
How
well
has
the
artist
done
it?
By
answering
this
question,
you
judge
the
degree
of
success
the
artist
has
achieved
in
achieving
the
goal
you
identified
in
answer
to
the
first
question.
How
do
the
artist’s
techniques,
methods,
and
talents
help
to
achieve
the
goal?
How
effective
is
the
play
in
fulfilling
the
artist’s
intention?
3.
Is
it
worth
doing?
The
final
question
is
whether
the
finished
work
of
art
was
worth
the
artist’s
and
the
audience’s
time
and
effort.
Does
the
play
have
new,
interesting
ideas?
Will
it
help
us
understand
the
world,
or
understand
it
in
a
new
way?
If
it
didn’t
communicate
to
you,
did
it
communicate
to
anyone
else?

4. More
detailed
breakdown
of
the
first
play
analysis:
You
will
post
this
in
the
discussion
board
for
the
play
analysis.
5
paragraphs,
300-­‐1000
words
Paragraph
One:
Introduction
Paragraph
Two:
What
is
the
playwright
trying
to
say?
Why
this
title?
What
are
the
themes?
Is
it
realistic?
If
not,
why
choose
to
tell
a
story
this
way?
If
so,
how
does
it
tell
the
story?
GIVE
EXAMPLES
Paragraph
Three:
How
well
is
the
playwright
doing
it?
Give
at
least
three
specific
examples
of
moments
in
the
play.
Paragraph
Four:
Was
it
worth
writing
/
reading?
Give
at
least
three
specific
examples
of
moments
in
the
play.
Paragraph
Five:
Conclusion
More
detailed
breakdown
of
the
second
play
analysis:
You
will
post
this
as
a
reply
to
another
class
member’s
play
analysis.
5
paragraphs,
300-­‐1000
words
Paragraph
One:
Introduction
to
why
you
chose
this
play.
Paragraph
Two:
What
is
the
playwright
trying
to
say?
Why
this
title?
What
are
the
themes?
Is
it
realistic?
If
not,
why
choose
to
tell
a
story
this
way?
If
so,
how
does
it
tell
the
story?
Do
you
agree
to
disagree
with
the
previous
review?
GIVE
EXAMPLES
Paragraph
Three:
How
well
is
the
playwright
doing
it?
Give
at
least
three
DIFFERENT
specific
examples
of
moments
in
the
play.
Do
you
agree
to
disagree
with
the
previous
review?
Paragraph
Four:
Was
it
worth
writing
/
reading?
Give
at
least
three
DIFFERENT
specific
examples
of
moments
in
the
play.
Do
you
agree
to
disagree
with
the
previous
review?
Paragraph
Five:
Conclusion
What
did
you
expect?
What
did
you
get?
Paragraph
Three:
How
well
is
the
playwright
doing
it?
Give
at
least
three
specific
examples
of
moments
in
the
play.
Final
Paper
Requirements
will
be
uploaded
as
a
separate
file.