Course Overview

In this advanced course on drama, students will study plays from various time periods with attention to language, plot, character, setting, and performance.

Required Texts

Casablanca. Dir. Michael Curtiz, perf. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch. Warner Brothers, 1942.

Chekhov, Anton. Uncle Vanya. Trans. Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Theatre Communications Group, 2019.

Euripides. The Bacchae. Trans. Emily Wilson. The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Modern Library, 2017, pp. 737-785.

Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Plays, eds. C. W. E. Bigsby and Christine Dymkowski, Cambridge UP, 1987, pp. 35-46.

Macbeth (film). Directed Rupert Goold, performances by Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood, and Michael Feast, BBC 4, 2010.

Macbeth (film). Directed by Roman Polanski, performances by Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, and Martin Shaw. Columbia Pictures, 1971.

Mamet, David. Glengarry Glen Ross. 1984. Grove, 1994.

Glengarry Glen Ross. Directed by James Foley, written by David Mamet, performances by Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin, New Line, 1992.

Nottage, Lynn. Sweat. Theatre Communications Group, 2017.

Padmanabhan, Manjula. Harvest. Aurora Metro, 2003.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. No Exit. No Exit and Three Other Plays. Vintage, 1989.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth, edited by Robert Miola, W. W. Norton, 2013.

To find these works on your own, this information may be helpful:

Casablanca (1942). In-class viewing and available through the UMD Library.

Chekhov, Anton. Uncle Vanya. ISBN: 978-1559365901

Euripides. The Bacchae. Available on course Canvas page. ISBN: 978-0812983098

Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Available on course Canvas page and at "https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139165969" (Links to an external site.), ISBN: 978-1139165969

Macbeth (film). Dir. Rupert Goold. In-class viewing. Available for purchase at "https://www.amazon.com/Macbeth-Patrick-Stewart/dp/B07TSG5KQH" Links to an external site.

Macbeth (film). Dir. Roman Polanski, 1971. We will view this in class, and it is also available through the UMD Library.

Mamet, David. Glengarry Glen Ross. ISBN: 978-0802130914

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). In-class viewing. Available to students through the UMD Library.

Nottage, Lynn. Sweat. ISBN: 978-1559365321

Padmanabhan, Manjula. Harvest. ISBN: 978-0953675777

Sartre, Jean-Paul. No Exit. ISBN: 978-0679725169

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. ISBN: 978-0393923261

Grade Breakdown

Objectives

Over the semester, I expect students to achieve the following goals:

To read and understand dramas from various historical and cultural contexts.

To discuss these plays in an analytical and engaging manner in class discussions.

To write convincing arguments about literature.

To recall key facts about the works in question.

To produce papers analyzing plays in a manner that is interesting, well organized and consistent with the standard conventions of analytical writing.

To revise drafts of such papers before turning in final drafts.

To proofread papers effectively.

To complete papers according to the MLA format and the conventions of college academic writing.

To discuss strengths and weaknesses of classmates' drafts as a means of helping them produce better final papers.

To reach these goals, students will need to do the following:

Write a review of a play staged in the Duluth community. 3-5 typed pages. Due on Monday, November 20th, 2023.

Write a Scene Analysis Paper interpreting one clearly-defined scene from a play on the syllabus. Due on Wednesday, October 11th, 2023.

Write a Drama Research Paper in accordance with a process involving an annotated bibliography, a working draft, and then a revised final draft that is due on Wednesday, December 6th, 2023.

Complete a mid-term examination on Wednesday, October 4th, 2023.

Complete a final examination covering the material from the entire semester and including passage analysis and essay questions. For additional information about policies governing final exams, see "https://evcaa.d.umn.edu/final-examinations". The exam takes place on Wednesday, December 13th, 2023, from 10 to 11:50am.

Have a complete draft ready to share on peer-editing days, and provide classmates with carefully considered comments on their own drafts on those days, which will tentatively be on Monday, September 25th, 2023, and Wednesday, November 29th, 2023.

Attend class regularly and contribute to class discussion and group activities.

NOTES ABOUT THE CLASS:

Written Work. Your grade will depend primarily on your written work and the understanding of the material that you convey through that work. A command of standard written English and the ability to present an argument will also contribute to the determination of your grade.

You can seek writing assistance from the UMD Writers Workshop located in the Kathryn A. Martin Library. For more details and a link to their online appointment system, see "https://awlc.d.umn.edu/writers-workshop".

Late Assignments will receive a deduction of 1/3 of a letter grade for each business day that they are late. Students who miss exams may not make them up without a valid excuse for the absence. Make-up and extra-credit assignments are available on a case-by-case basis and only in the event of extreme circumstances.

Student Academic Integrity. Academic dishonesty tarnishes the reputation of the University of Minnesota Duluth and discredits the accomplishments of its students. Because the university is committed to providing students every possible opportunity to grow in mind and spirit, it must insist on an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness. Consequently, all members of the academic community must regard any act of academic dishonesty as a serious offense. In keeping with this ideal, this course will adhere to UMD's Student Academic Integrity Policy, which is available online at "https://evcaa.d.umn.edu/student-academic-integrity". This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat offenders.

Disability Accommodations. Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their capacity to perform in this class, should inform me at the start of the semester. The Office of Disability Resources writes that "[i]t is the policy and practice of the University of Minnesota Duluth to create inclusive learning environments for all students, including students with disabilities. If there are aspects of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or your ability to meet course requirements—such as time limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos—please notify the instructor as soon as possible." You can contact the Office of Disability Resources to discuss and arrange reasonable accommodations by calling 218-726-6130 or by visiting the Disability Resources website at "http://www.d.umn.edu/access/"

Notetaking. Remember that there are rules against disseminating these notes beyond the classroom community, which you can find at "https://evcaa.d.umn.edu/course-notes-materials".

Attendance. Excessive absences will have a negative impact on the grade that you receive in this course. Excusable absences include "subpoenas, jury duty, military duty, religious observances, illness, bereavement for immediate family and NCAA varsity college athletics." Please contact the instructor about anticipated absences in order to minimize their influence on your coursework. For more information on excused absences, see "https://evcaa.d.umn.edu/excused-absences".

Student Conduct. Respect fellow students and refrain from behavior that might impair their learning opportunities. Any behavior that substantially and repeatedly interrupts the instructor's ability to teach or the students' ability to learn will result in appropriate penalties. Disruptive behavior includes inappropriate use of communications technology in the classroom, such as ringing cell phones, text-messaging, watching videos, playing computer games, reading email, or browsing the Internet instead of note-taking or other instructor-sanctioned activities. For further clarification of UMD policies in this regard, consult the Board of Regents Policy at "https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf""

Another important conduct code addresses sexual harassment, which means "means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature," and that policy is available at "https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/2020-08/policy_sexual_harassment_sexual_assault_stalking_and_relationship_violence.pdf".

Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Affirmative Action. As stated in academic policies: "The University provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs and facilities, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The UMD Department of Human Resources & Equal Opportunity is available to all UMD employees, students, and participants in University-related activities to discuss issues or concerns regarding University policies or practices involving potential bias, discrimination, harassment or retaliation that an individual may have experienced or observed." For more details, see "https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/2019-09/policy_equity_diversity_equal_opportunity_and_affirmative_action.pdf".

Civility. UMD instructors and students have a responsibility to maintain a learning environment that is, as stated in the Teaching and Learning Policy, "respectful of the rights and freedoms of all members, and promotes a civil and open exchange of ideas." The full policy is available at "https://evcaa.d.umn.edu/instructor-and-student-responsibilities".

Mental Health. From academic affairs: "Feelings such as anxiety, anger, depression, low self-esteem, or tension are a normal part of being human and can affect anyone. Sometimes these feelings are temporary and can be eased by rest, relaxation, exercise, good nutrition, and the support of trusted friends. At other times, stressors, relationships, or past family experiences cannot be managed so easily and become overwhelming. If this happens, and you find it hard to function, you may want to seek professional help. Counseling Services are available at UMD Health Services to assist you.

If you are in need of mental health support when Health Services is closed, or in case of an emergency, please contact The Birch Tree Center's Crisis line at 218-623-1800 or go to the emergency room/urgent care at either St. Luke's Hospital or St. Mary's Hospital. If an ambulance is needed, call 911.

If the emergency is non-life-threatening and you do not have a means of transportation, call Campus Police at 218-726-7000). If you have needs that Counseling Services does not treat, they have a case manager who helps connect students to referrals as well as navigating issues with insurance. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus at UMD Health Services" at "https://health-services.d.umn.edu/counseling-services".

English BA Program Student Learning Outcomes

Outcomes in boldface will receive added emphasis in this course based on how the course fits into our English BA program.

1. Discuss literary works from a range of movements, periods, genres, and/or regions.

   —This course will focus on dramas from origins in Ancient Greece up to the present day and include plays from Elizabethan England, the United States, France, and Russia.

2. Analyze the role of difference (which might include racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, religious, economic, and/or ideological differences) in producing, publishing and interpreting literature.

   —We will consider dramatists' ethnic and gender identities as factors in their playwriting. Representations of ethnic, racial and gender identities of characters within plays will also be up for discussion, especially in the final two plays.

3. Identify major characteristics of a literary genre and use those characteristics to analyze one or more individual examples.

   —We will examine the characteristics of drama as a genre of literary expression and consider how it cultivates and addresses audience expectations.

4. Interpret literary works with close attention to the nuances of language, content, and/or form.

   —Papers will require students to engage in close readings of plays under consideration. This will be a particular focus of the Scene Analysis Paper.

5. Identify a key concept, methodology, approach, or theory and use it to frame the interpretation of text(s).

   —Classroom discussions of drama will confront current critical questions about the different lenses through which we view and understand plays.

6. Describe the ways in which texts emerge from and respond to their historical and cultural contexts.

   —Classroom discussions of plays and subsequent written work will consistently anchor plays to the historical and cultural origins of playwrights and to different contexts of the readers/viewers of plays in question.

7. Write focused, convincing analytical essays that incorporate relevant secondary sources.

   —The Drama Research Paper will require students to refer to secondary works on a chosen play.

8. Collaborate in the discussion and interpretation of literature by listening to others' perspectives, asking productive questions, and articulating original ideas.

   —Classroom discussions and presentations will facilitate an active exchange of ideas about the assigned plays. Peer editing exercises will also emphasize collaboration between students.

Supplementary Texts

The following texts are not part of the required reading list, but they may provide workable starting points for research into a particular poet or topic this semester.

Aristotle. Poetics. Translated by Stephen Halliwell, U of North Carolina P, 1987.

Ben-Zvi, Linda. Susan Glaspell: Her Life and Times, Oxford UP, 2005.

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books, 1999.

Carpentier, Martha Celeste, editor. On Susan Glaspell's Trifles and "A Jury of Her Peers": Centennial Essays, Interviews and Adaptations. MacFarland, 2015.

Coleridge, Samuel T. "[On Macbeth]." Macbeth, Second Edition, edited by Robert Miola, W. W. Norton, 2014, pp. 233-235.

Cullick, Jonathan. "'Always Be Closing': Competition and Discourse of Closure in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross." Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, vol. 8, no. 2, 1994, pp. 23-36.

Dorff, Linda. "Things (Ex)Change: The Value of Money in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross." David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross: Text and Performance, edited by Leslie Kane, Routledge, 1996, pp. 195-209.

Gordon, Lois. "No Exit and Waiting for Godot: Performances in Contrast." Captive Audience: Prison and Captivity in Contemporary Theater.

Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. Pimlico, 2005.

Kim, Jodi. "Debt, the Precarious Grammar of Life, and Manjula Padmanabhan's Harvest." Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 42, nos. 1-2, 2014, pp. 215-232.

Kolenda, Konstantin. "The Impasse of No Exit." Philosophy and Literature, vol. 8, no. 2, 1984, 261-265.

Kramer, Karl D. "'A Subject Worthy of Ayvazovsky's Brush': Vanya's Misdirected Fury." Modern Drama, vol. 42, no. 4, Winter 1999, pp. 511-518.

Krasner, David. "The Symbolic Function of Sleeping and Awakening in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya." Theatre Studies, vol. 39, 1994, pp. 5-18.

Levin, Harry. "Two Scenes from Macbeth." Macbeth, Second Edition, edited by Robert Miola, W. W. Norton, 2014, pp. 238-254.

Lublin, Robert I. "Differing Dramatic Dynamics in the Stage and Screen Versions of Glengarry Glen Ross." American Drama, vol. 10, no. 1, 2001, pp. 38-55.

Moni, Sujata. "‘In Bits and Pieces': Bodies in Movement, Liminality and Subaltern Resistance in Manjula Padmanabhan's Harvest." Journal of Postcolonial Writing, vol. 50, no. 3, 2014, pp. 316-328.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy. Translated by Shaun Whiteside, Penguin, 1994.

Orgel, Steven. "Macbeth and the Antic Round." Macbeth, Second Edition, edited by Robert Miola, W. W. Norton, 2014, pp. 255-269.

Perry, Ruth. "Madness in Euripides, Shakespeare, and Kafka: An Examination of The Bacchae, Hamlet, King Lear and The Castle." Psychoanalytic Review, vol. 65, 1978, pp. 253-279.

Phillips, M. Scott. "Slippery Borders and Mythic Spaces: Race, Class, and Ressentiment in Lynn Nottage's Sweat." Theatre Symposium: A Journal of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, vol. 29, 2022, pp. 133-149.

Sakharoff, Micheline. "The Polyvalence of the Theatrical Language in No Exit." Modern Drama, vol. 16, 1973, pp. 199-205.

Walter, Harriet. Actors on Shakespeare: Macbeth. Faber and Faber, 2002.