ENG 310, Forms of Drama

COLLEGE: CAS DEPT.: English and Journalism

DEPARTMENT CHAIRPERSON: David Boocker

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DEPARTMENT, COURSE NUMBER, COURSE TITLE, AND CREDIT HOURS:

ENG 310, Forms of Drama (3 s.h.)

ABBREVIATED TITLE OF COURSE: Forms of Drama

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A study of one or more of the forms of drama, such as medieval morality and mystery plays, revenge tragedy, heroic tragedy and comedy of manners.

PREREQUISITES: ENG 299 with a grade of C or better, or consent of instructor.

CLASS HOURS PER WEEK: 3 LAB HOURS PER WEEK: 0

COURSE OBJECTIVES: students completing this course will develop these abilities:

  • Analyze dramatic form.
  • Understand the development and norms of a dramatic form.
  • Apply critical approaches to precisely understand and describe narrative, plot, characterization, setting, and staging.
  • Write sophisticated interpretations of dramatic works.

JUSTIFICATION OF COURSE

a. STUDENT NEEDS TO BE SERVED: This course asks students to engage with dramatic forms such as the mystery plays, historical plays of the Renaissance or a range of comic subgenres. It asks them to understand the relationship between dramatic form and its staging, to critically reflect on the dramatic form’s strategies for cultural, religious and political critique, and to understand the political and religious forces leading to the periodic suppression and censorship of particular dramatic forms. It may also consider the use of drama as propaganda. Formal analysis is a core competency of English studies, and thus this elective course serves the needs of English majors, minors, and English Education majors to master this interpretive approach.

b. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING COURSES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT: This course focuses on questions of form often overlooked in other courses that might include some drama, or focus emphatically on production. This course will foster more critical and sophisticated reading strategies in our students that will help them in their other course work. It is part of the department’s upper-division courses focusing on form in literary studies. It will be particularly useful for English Education majors, who find that teaching drama is often a major part of the high school curriculum.

c. RELATIONSHIP TO COURSES IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS: This course complements courses in the Theatre department, but it does not duplicate them. Unlike Theatre 101 and Theatre 110, this course is not part of the general education curriculum; unlike Theatre 390/391, this is not an historical survey of drama. Finally, this is not a production course.

FREQUENCY OF OFFERINGS: Once every four semesters.

DATE OF FIRST OFFERING: Fall 2007.

REDISTRIBUTION OF TEACHING LOAD: None.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS: None

WIU LIBRARIES OFFER AN ARRAY OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT FOR CLASSES. WHAT LIBRARY MATERIALS (INCLUDING MONOGRAPHS, BOOKS, DATABASES, ELECTRONIC RESOURCES, OR AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS) OR INSTRUCTION WILL BE HELPFUL TO SUPPORT THE TEACHING OF THIS COURSE?

The department of English has worked with the library over the years to keep its resources in literature and criticism current, and it continues to do so. Thus, library holdings in drama are more than adequate for this course. Additionally, online resources such as Project Muse, JSTOR, and other databases offer a wide range of materials to support this course.

LIST COURSES (IF ANY) TO BE DELETED IN CONJUNCTION WITH APPROVAL OF THIS REQUEST: None.

REQUIRED FOR THE MAJOR: YES: NO:

DESIRE FOR THE GEN. ED. CURRICULUM: YES: NO: X