SYLLABUS FOR ACTING II: Theater 1023; Eng 4953; UTSA Spring 2011
Acting II: An examination of the collaborative process involved in transforming the play into a staged production from an actor’s point of view: creating a character, respect for acting, analyzing the play, performing the role.
Prerequisite: Acting I preferred, but not necessary.
Your computer must be JAVA enabled. Pop ups permitted, please.
Minimum computer skills require that you know how to:
· Use email with attachments
· Save file in commonly used word processing program formats (e.g. MS Word)
· Learn how to use PowerPoint —There is a tutorial as a web link on the course
The course acknowledges the importance of ADA requirements.
Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title III (Public Accommodations If you are a student with special needs, as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and need any course materials provided in an alternative format, please see me immediately. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate your special needs. See: http://www.utsa.edu/disability/students.htm
Academic Dishonesty Policy: http://www.utsa.edu/infoguide/appendices/b.html
INSTRUCTOR: Susan Arias
CONTACT PHONE: (210) 247-8913 cell phone
E-MAIL ADDRESS: Note: There is a mail tool page within the course, once you are registered. Please contact me with course-related questions using the mail tool within the course. Thank you.
OFFICE HOURS:
Individual help and consultation is available after class and online. I will also give you points and individual feed back within 24-48 hrs after you post your assignments.
WELCOME
Welcome to Theater 1023, Eng 4953: an introductory course in acting. I hope you are excited about this adventure into the better part of what makes us human.
INSTRUCTOR’S BACKGROUND: Before I went into education, I was a professional singer/dancer/actor in New York City, traveling in touring companies across the mainland and on Maui. I continue to perform Christian music with my husband and I have also been a producer/director/camera/editor with Olelo (public access television). I have an associates’, a bachelor’s, and a master’s degree in theater; a master’s degree in English (19th Century British, 20th Century American Lit); teaching credentials from California, Hawaii, Texas, and additional coursework in Education. I was a 12-mo State Office Resource Teacher with the Hawaii Department of Education, and am now a classroom teacher at Taft H.S. in San Antonio, Texas, and Adjunct Faculty at UTSA.
Students are required to introduce themselves: On the Discussion tool page within the course, please post one paragraph for your peers about your background. There is a thread set up for you to use for these introductions. Thank you.
Netiquette expectations with regard to discussions and email communication: Please use the first person, personal, voice in your reflections. Be sensitive to peer responses to cultural triggers. No text messaging abbreviations in peer-to-peer discussions; i.e. ―lol.‖ This is an open forum for ideas. You may well disagree with a point of view, but please avoid being disagreeable about your differences. Thank you.
ACCESS TO BLACKBOARD: INSTRUCTIONS
The online software we’ll be using is web-based which means, if you can get on the Internet, you can access Blackboard CE8 (Web Course Tools) from any computer, anywhere in the world. Instructors and students must log into WebCT through their Campus Pipeline Accounts.
Follow these directions:
Click on: ―My Courses‖ tab at the top of the page, then our course ―Theater1023, Eng 4953, Hum 4953,‖
UTSA OIT: The University of Texas San Antonio OIT Support Services
(210)458-5538
Keyes to Student Success: Welcome! As you begin this course, please remember to scroll down the pages to see everything on the course content for the week. The course tools you will be using are: course content, announcements (I update them continually, so please check), assignments, discussions, syllabus, chat (for personal communication with classmates) and mail. The assessments course tool is only for your final exam. I will respond to the messages you post in this mail course tool within 12-24 hrs. For Theater 1023, Eng 4953, and Hum 4953,Your assigned theatrical aspect research topics are found on the course content tool page in a posted list. (Scroll Down) Please take advantage of everything included within this course and above all--have fun!
Please remember that your reflections should be at least 200-350 words. You will need to include at least 2 direct quotes ―in quotes‖ from the text or additional sources you
find. Direct quotes are to be complete sentences or complete lines of poetry or dialogue; not one, two word or partial phrases in quotes to be counted. You may respond to one another at will. Your responses to one another do not need to be 200-350 words, but please avoid single-sentence ―I agree‖ or ―that was good‖ kind of responses. Even short responses should show higher-level critical thinking to be useful to your peers. I read every post and try not to jump in to the discussions unless I cannot resist. However, I cannot assign points or give individual feed back until you post on the assignment tool page. Please post your reflections on both the discussion page and also on the assignment page. The assignment calendar is on the course content page. Please post your PowerPoint at the bottom of the discussion page in the appropriate thread. They should also have animation and transition applied to all slides. The critical question you create is worth 20% of your research points. It should be the next to last slide on your PowerPoint and also should be posted on the discussion page at the bottom so your peers may respond to it. This will all flow nicely once you do a couple of reflections. Again-- your assigned topics are posted on the course content page. Please remember to scroll all the way down and open everything to find what I have placed there to help you.
NOTE: WebCT does not open .pptm or zip files well. You must have .ppt or .pptx as your only extension. If it doesn’t open, it can’t be viewed or graded, so please avoid revision by using .ppt the first time. Do not use .wps as an extension. Thank you.
Never, never, never use Wikipedia as an academic source.
IMPORTANT POSTING ANNOUNCEMENTS: (These are in response to FAQ’s)
Please check the course tools. You will find your assignment for the presentations on the course content tool page. If you will look under the briefcases on the course content
tool, you will find PowerPoint presentation topics. Please open that and you will discover your assigned topics. Direction for the PowerPoint presentations is in your syllabus and also on week two in the course content. Your assignment calendar is on the course content tool page, not on the calendar tool. You should check it ASAP to see when your PowerPoint and critical question are due. The extension must be .ppt or .pptx NOT .pptm. , wps, or zip files because WebCT has trouble opening them. You are only responsible for creating one PowerPoint on your theatrical aspect. Please read the syllabus for details.
You are responsible for viewing your peers' PowerPoint and responding to their critical questions. This is done on the discussion tool page. Only your responses to my writing prompts and your PowerPoints are to be posted on the assignment tool page. You will need to have Java on your computer and if you have a pop-up blocker, please click to
the left of the message at the top of your screen and choose to download whatever is being blocked. Please use your higher-level critical thinking! Please look over all the prompts on the discussion
When you post your PowerPoint and critical questions, please post them under the correct threads. Please remember to post writing prompt one in the assignment page as well as on the discussion tool page. Please be careful to post in the correct threads. PowerPoint goes in the PowerPoint thread and peer critical questions go in the appropriate discussion thread. Please remember to tool choose both animation and transitions. Please use a medium speed and open “on mouse click.” Please remember to apply to all slides. When you add graphics to your PowerPoints, please use the slide layout in the format tool that will allow you to insert the graphics. Also be aware of the color of your font. Please choose the font color which can be read easily in the format design you choose.
Please note that we work on a Sunday through Saturday schedule. The readings begin on Sundays and the reflections on those readings are due on or before the following Saturday by noon, Central Time. This gives me Saturday afternoon and Sunday to
grade them and give you timely feedback. Assignments will be marked late after that, points will be deducted, and late assignments can only be posted for one more week before the calendar cuts you off. I mention these things because other students have found this information very helpful. Thank you.
ACTING II
TEXTS: The Essential Theatre 9th Ed., written by Oscar Brockett and Robert Ball, paperback, ISBN#: 0-495-095974; Rostand, Edmond (translation only by Brian Hooker no other translations will be permitted) Cyrano De Bergerac, paperback ISBN# 0-553-21360-1
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES SUPPLIED BY INSTRUCTOR: Can be found on Blackboard CE8 course materials page. There are also helpful web links on the course menu. There are also helpful web links on the course menu, including a textbook resource page for The Essential Theatre 8th Ed written by Oscar Brockett and Robert Ball http://www.wadsworth.com/cgiwadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=9780495090373&discipline_numb er=25
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES SUPPLIED BY STUDENTS: will depend upon your own research and epistemology.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Acting II, THR 1023 (Listed also as ENG 4954, HUM 4954)
A comprehensive survey course of all aspects of theater from the actor’s point of view; including plays, playwrights from significant eras in Western and Eastern drama, the changing roles of the theater in society, the importance and role of the audience, and the collaborative process involved in transforming the play into a staged production by the use of sustained character portrayal; and intensive work in stage movement, stage fencing, and vocal techniques, including dialects. The culminating activity will be the analysis, rehearsal, staging, and performance of Edmond Rostand’s play (Brian Hooker translation), Cyrano De Bergerac.
We will consider the ways philosophy, history, dance, music, art, politics, religion, economics and other cultural issues are depicted in theater, from the actor’s point of view. We will explore together the richness of our cultural heritages. We shall discuss various philosophies as expressed in theater which have influenced contemporary thought and action. We will become a community of learners, sharing the process, as we examine and perform the play, Edmond Rostand’s (Brian Hooker translation),Cyrano De Bergerac.
Students will:
Demonstrate an understanding of style in the Arts.
Develop an appreciation of skills involved in artistic expression. Develop an appreciation for cultural diversity in the Arts.
Demonstrate knowledge of principles of form, structure or delivery.
Demonstrate understandings about the aesthetics of a culture, time or place Discuss cultural and social values that are expressed in the Arts.
Domain IV Core Curriculum Goals:
· To demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities
· To develop a basic knowledge of the aesthetic and theoretical principles that guide or govern the humanities and the arts
· To respond critically to works of art, literature, music, etc. as individual and human expressions of values and aesthetics within historical and social contexts.
Learning Outcome Objectives
After completing the course, the student should be able to:
1. appreciate the theatrical process and conventions whereby a text is translated into a performance.
2. analyze Western dramatic literature with a heightened appreciation for the role of the actor.
Assessment: through final exam, essays, reflections from assigned weekly readings, rehearsal, theatrical performance task, PowerPoint presentations, peer discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
An open and inquisitive mind and a willingness to actively participate in online class discussions and assignments, kept in the form of a virtual journal, posted on the discussion tool page and on the assignment tool page. Regular attendance online is a must--for we need your input and feedback.
COURSE EVALUATION: Course effectiveness will be evaluated by students and
collected data utilized to make necessary course revisions at regular intervals. If you have suggestions for improving this course, please send me an email within the ―mail‖ tool on the course tools menu. You will also have an opportunity to give feedback at the end of the course. Thank You.
INSTRUCTORS FEEDBACK: You will receive weekly feedback on your reading assignment posts. Your will receive individual feedback on your theatrical aspect ppt when it is posted on BOTH the discussion and assignment tool pages. You will receive feedback during rehearsal and after your performances. Your final will be graded the day after it is posted and the results will be send to you at that time.
―Self-check‖ types of assignments are provided within the discussion environment. Student feedback will be given within 24-48hrs of posting assignments. Instructor will send assignments back for revision and reposting, if necessary. At the mid-point of the course, instructor will remind students of missing assignments and coming timelines, if necessary.
MAKE-UP AND LATE SUBMISSIONS:
Make-up work and late submissions are not accepted. Since the focus of this course is on the weekly performance tasks, it is not a good idea to skip a week unless you are in the situation beyond your control that prevents you from online learning. In this case contact your instructor as soon as you can and discuss your options.
GRADING CRITERIA: