Latina/o teatro and Asian American theatre / 216A Villard
spring, 2004 / 346-4159 (fax 346-1978)
UH 12:00-1:50 / E-mail:
242 Gerlinger / office hours: UH 2:00-3:00, H 8:00-9:45 or by appÕt
description
This version of the multicultural theatre course will explore recent examples of Latina/o teatro and Asian American theatre. We will study plays and players as such, but most of all, we will seek to understand the cultural meanings infusing, surrounding, and growing from the texts, and we will examine how two dynamic communities have developed theatrical traditions that are especially influential on the West Coast. Throughout the course, we will investigate the implications of identifying theatre as an expression of race or ethnicity in the United States. We will spend most of our class time in lecture, but there will be some discussion.
You do not need to be able to understand Spanish, Japanese, Chinese or any other language besides English in order to succeed in this course, but if you have facility in any of these languages, we will welcome your insights.
This course satisfies one part of the UO Multicultural Requirement through Category A: American Cultures. Theatre Arts majors may also count the course as one of the upper-division electives in theatre history and dramatic literature.
This course is supported in part by the Oregon Humanities Center and the Robert F. and Evelyn Nelson Wulf endowed Professorship in the Humanities.
This syllabus and other on-line course materials are available via the following web page:
calendar
On the date each play appears, there will be a brief reading quiz administered promptly at noon.
March 30 / race in AmericaApril 1 / Valdez, Luis. / Las Dos Caras del Patroncito(1965)
Los Vendidos(1967)
No saco nada de la escuela(1969)
April 6 / finish Valdez
April 8 / Morton, Carlos. / El Jardin(1975)
April 13 / Morton, Carlos. / Rancho Hollywood(1979)
April 15 / Sanchez-Scott, Milcha.
L—pez, Josefina. / Roosters(1987)
Confessions of Women from East L.A.(1996)
April 20 / Moraga, Cherr’e. / Heroes and Saints(1992)
April 22 / to be announced
April 27 / Moraga, Cherr’e / Watsonville: Some Place Not Here(1996)
April 29 / visit by Teatro Milagro
May 4 / Asian American culture / Latina/o teatro paper due
May 6 / Iko, Momoko. / Gold Watch(1972)
May 11 / Lim, Genny. / Paper Angels(1980)
May 13 / Gotanda, Philip Kan. / Yankee Dawg You Die(1988)
May 18 / Gotanda, Philip Kan. / Fish Head Soup(1991)
May 20 / visit by Philip Kan Gotanda
May 25 / Hwang, David Henry. / F. O. B.(1980)
May 27 / Hwang, David Henry. / The Dance and the Railroad(1981)
June 1 / reading ofBrown Baby
June 3 / course evaluations, summary / Asian American theatre paper due
June 8 / final exam on Tuesday 8-10 am
book list
Special note:The Gotanda collection has gone out of print, but the publisher has promised to have more copies available by May 1. If they donÕt come through, weÕll have to obtain plays through other sources, and I might have to change the reading assignments for May 13 and 18.
Gotanda, Philip Kan. Fish Head Soupand Other Plays.Seattle: U of Washington P, 1995.[1]
Hwang, David Henry. Trying to Find Chinatown: The Selected Plays of David Henry Hwang.[2]New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2000.[3]
L—pez, Josefina.Confessions of Women from East L.A.Woodstock: Dramatic Publishing, 1997.[4]
Moraga, Cherr’e. Heroes and Saintsand Other Plays.Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 2001.[5]
---.Watsonville: some place not here; Circle in the dirt: el pueblo de East Palo Alto.Albuquerque: U of New Mexico P, 2002.[6]
Morton, Carlos. The Many Deaths of Danny Rosalesand Other Plays.Studio City: Players Press, 1983.
Sanchez-Scott, Milcha.Roosters.New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1988, 1998.
Uno, Roberta, ed.Unbroken Thread: An Anthology of Plays by Asian American Women.Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 1993.
Valdez, Luis.Early Works.Houston: Arte Publico, 1980.
papers
YouÕll write two papers: one on a Latina/o play and one on an Asian American play. You may write on plays that weÕre covering in class, but I encourage you to find others in order to expand your experience.
Each paper should argue a thesis that reflects a tightly-focused analysis of one aspect of the play in question. In other words, donotattempt to cover all angles on the play; choose one issue, problem, quality, etc. and take a position on it.
HereÕs what I expect to see in an ÒAÓ paper:
¥a coherent thesis thatÕs appropriate to the play
¥successful argument of the thesis throughout the paper
¥intelligent and insightful analysis of relevant aspects of the play
¥appropriate use of secondary sources
¥nearly flawless writing appropriate to a senior-level university course: standard spelling, punctuation, and grammar; skillful word choice, phrasing, and sentence structure; no academic jargon or stuffy phrasing for its own sake; well-conceived thesis paragraph and use of subsequent paragraphs as the paperÕs building blocks; generally concise and always to the point
¥a tight focus on the topic with no extraneous material
For more information on what I prefer and expect, please consult my on-line guide to writing papers:A Survival Guide for Students.
Each paper should run 1200-1500 words. Please double space and use a standard font. I prefer MLA style for documentation and works cited, but IÕll accept any standard style if you employ it accurately and consistently.
Please feel free to consult with me at any point during the paper-writing process: choosing a topic, developing a thesis, finding secondary sources, outlining the paper, writing the rough draft, and polishing the final draft. If youÕre even slightly uncertain about the direction youÕre taking, donÕt hesitate to check with me.
final exam
WeÕll finish the course with a final exam composed of brief ÒobjectiveÓ questions and at least one essay. For the exam, you are responsible for all the material weÕll have covered during the term.
optional scene presentations
Any group of two to four students may choose to prepare and rehearse a scene from one of the plays weÕre reading and perform it in class on the day weÕll be discussing that play.
I will grade the scene on the insight you bring to its interpretation, in the context of the ideas weÕll be covering in class, and on the quality of the performance, which I expect to be as fine as youÕd offer in the most advanced acting class youÕve taken.
If you are pleased with the grade, you may use it to replace the lowest 10% of your grade from the standard assignments. In other words, an ÒAÓ in a scene could displace a ÒCÓ for the reading quizzes, or it could raise a ÒCÓ paper to a ÒB-.Ó
If you wish to pursue this option, please consult with me as soon as possible.
ideas towards paper topics
Following are some issues and questions; you could build a paper topic from ideas embedded in one or more of these:
1)Language:How does the playwright use various kinds of English (native speaker, someone who learned it recently, etc.), English combined with another language, use of Spanish or an Asian language for selected words, phrases, conversations, etc.? How does language reflect character? How does similarity or difference in language convey relationships?
2)Whiteness: How is ÒwhiteÓ configured and presented in the play? How does being ÒwhiteÓ go beyond mere skin color or apparent biological race? How does ÒwhiteÓ mark a class of Americans and how do the characters or the playwright regard them? How do ÒwhiteÓ people interact, as individuals and as a group, with the Latina/o or Asian American people in the play?
3)Comedy and humor: How does the playwright use comedy, humor, jokes and funny situations to explore character and social issues? How do comic techniques reveal information, situation, and sensibility?
4)Social problems: What social problems does the play explore? How closely does the dramatic treatment reflect actual events or situations? To what extent does the play challenge or question competing versions of what happened or what is? How does the play engage in a debate over who is responsible for the social problems in question? What solutions or changes does the play suggest?
5)Race and ethnicity: How does the play (or the characters) regard race and ethnicity? What does racial or ethnic identity mean? How fixed or fluid is it? To what extent and how does it influence, shape or determine oneÕs position in American culture or in other cultures?
6)Minority status: In each play we are studying in this course, most of the characters are members of what is usually called an Òethnic minorityÓ; that is, they belong to an ethnic group other than the dominant ÒwhiteÓ majority. How do the characters and the play as a whole deal with this minority status? How does minority status affect the people and the action? In what struggles must the characters engage? In what ways are they oppressed? How do they regard this oppression and how do they deal with it?
7)Intercultural contact: Because the plays deal with the contact between the mainstream American culture and various Latina/o or Asian American cultures, we may study the nature of the interaction. In what ways do the cultures compete? How do members of a particular culture promote or defend their values, sensibilities, needs and way of life? To what extend do members of different cultures respect or disrespect each other and each otherÕs culture?
8)American government: How does the play use the American government? How do the characters in the play regard government policy, American law, and the legal system? If they take issue with policy, law or government, what action do they take?
9)Performing culture: In what ways and to what extent is ÒraceÓ or ÒethnicityÓ or ÒcultureÓ something that individuals and communities create and perform? How does the action of the play trace the process of this creation and the exploration that it requires? In other words, how might a Latina constantly explore, create, define and contest what ÒLatinaÓ means?
grading
An ÒAÓ represents superlative effort and results, and a ÒCÓ represents work that barely meets the requirements. I will grade the quizzes using a scale where 90% renders the lowest A-, 80% the lowest B-, and so on.
Please note that in order to pass this course, youmustcomplete both papers and the final exam; to do less is to fail.
10% total points from all reading quizzes
30% Latina/o teatro paper
30% Asian American theatre paper
30% final exam
course policies
1) I am always happy to discuss an assignment with you or, better yet, look over your rough draft; I am here to help you produce the best work you can and learn the material as well as possible.
2) If youÕd like to confer with me but canÕt see me during my office hours, please ask me for an appointment.
3) Please feel free to use a tape recorder during class sessions.
4) Assignments are due at noon on the date listed. I do not accept assignments after the deadlines unless you meet with me in advance and I agree to an exception. I wonÕt make special allowances (regarding standards, expectations and deadlines) for those involved in theatrical productions on or off campus.
5) YouÕll find my standards and expectations for papers inThe Survival Guide for Students.
6) I donÕt give makeup quizzes. If you know you canÕt attend class on a day weÕre having a quiz, ask me about taking an alternative quiz on an earlier date.
7) All the work you submit should be the result of your efforts alone. If I have reason to believe that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty (plagiarism, getting someone else to write a paper, copying answers, etc.), I shall immediately notify the Director of Student Judicial Affairs and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. If the ensuing process establishes an act of academic dishonesty, I shall record a grade of ÒFÓ for the course. For more information and helpful suggestions, please consult the UO ÒPlagiarism Guide for Students,Ó available at
notes to myself
Note that I could bolster the reading list by adding additional plays from the anthologies:
Valdez -many possibilities
Morton -The Many Deaths of Danny Rosales, Los Dorados
Moraga -Giving Up the Ghost, Shadow of a Man; alsoCircle in the Dirt
Hwang -Family Devotions, The Sound of a Voice, The House of Sleeping Beauties, The Voyage, Bondage, Trying to Find Chinatown
Gotanda -The Wash, A Song for a Nisei Fisherman
Uno -The Music Lessons, Tea, Walls
[1]A desk copy is a book that has already been adopted for course use. If you have adopted one of our books for use in a course, please submit your request for a complimentary desk copy on your school letterhead. Please include all relevant course information, including expected enrollment, course title, when the course will be taught, and whether the book is a required text.
You may fax your request to: 1-206-685-3460 or 1-800-669-7993.
[2]includes the three pairs that follows as well asThe Sound of a VoiceandThe Voyage.Does not includeM. Butterfly.
[3]Call 212-609-5900 Monday through Friday, 7 am to 3 pm Pacific time.
[4]August 11 unavailable from amazon.com.
[5]If you have adopted one of our books for use in your classes, you may request a free desk copy by mailing or faxing us a letter on your department letterhead identifying the title of the book, the course, the expected enrollment, the details about the bookstore where your order has been placed, and your name, address, and daytime telephone number. The order department fax number is 505-277-3350 or 1-800-622-8667.
[6]If you have adopted one of our books for use in your classes, you may request a free desk copy by mailing or faxing us a letter on your department letterhead identifying the title of the book, the course, the expected enrollment, the details about the bookstore where your order has been placed, and your name, address, and daytime telephone number. The order department fax number is 505-277-3350 or 1-800-622-8667.