Syllabus

ENGLISH 554                              DR. MCINERNEY
ENGLISH 422
 
MODERN DRAMA: A SYLLABUS
GOAL
Students who complete this course successfully will be able to: trace the development  of modern drama, particularly in the British and American tradition, especially with regard to its eclectic  modes and recurring themes; discuss the ways in which    modern drama moves from a critique of the prevailing, "authoritative" culture, to a chronicling of a world in revolution/ dissolution, to a reflection of our postmodern world of pastiche and anarchy; and place contemporary plays they experience in a context of trends, styles, and themes in modern drama.
 
TEXTS
MODERN DRAMA (Plays, Criticism, Theory).  Edited by W.B. Worthen. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1995.
EQUUS, by Peter Shaffer.  New York: Avon Bard, 1974.
 
 METHODS
   Class lectures, discussions, reports, some film viewing, and some writing and "performance" exercises.
 
ASSIGNMENTS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
 
     A PREPARED DISCUSSION. Each student will sign up to conduct a half-hour discussion on one of the plays we will read together. At the start of the discussion, the student leader will distribute a list of at least three carefully prepared questions that will lead us into an examination of the way in which the play's dramatic strategies further the exploration of its key themes.  Then the student leader will spend about ten minutes      lecturing on the play's overall dramatic design and themes.  Next, the formal questions and the orally presented follow-up questions should focus our attention on specific, typical scenes and moments as much as possible.  In short, the leader's responsibility is to guide the discussion skillfully. A sign-up sheet will be distributed later.
 
     A 20-23 PAGE, TYPED (DOUBLE SPACE) MAJOR PAPER. Each student will select one of the authors we will be studying together, and then prepare a summary of recent critical analyses of that author's works.  The student will then validate or dissent from the critical views, basing his or her conclusions on a close reading of at least three plays in addition to the one included in our texts.  The summary and the analysis referred to above should constitute the major paper.  DUE DATE: APRIL 28.
 
ASSIGNMENTS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
     These students will submit two papers.  The first, a 3 to 5 page comparison/ contrast between a play we have read in class and a current play or film, will focus on theme and dramatic strategies, and it will be DUE: MARCH 3. The second, a 7 to 10 page analysis of a critical commentary on a play we WILL NOT cover in class, by an author we WILL study, will concur with and/ or dissent from the critic's view, and will document its assertions with citations from the text of the play.  That paper will be DUE: APRIL 28.  (Further suggestions about how best to complete these assignments will distributed later.)
 
EXAMS FOR GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
     There will be two essay exams, based on assigned readings and on material presented in class.  The mid-term exam is tentatively scheduled for MARCH 17; the final is scheduled in the  formal exam week beginning May 18, by the Registrar's Office.
Graduate and undergraduate students will take somewhat different examinations.
 
GRADES
     Final grades will be determined by averaging the letter grades earned on all Written Assignments and the Exams.  In marginal cases, such factors as the trend of your marks and the degree and quality of class participation will be employed to "tip the balance."
 
ATTENDANCE
     I will take attendance for almost every class and keep a record when I do so.  Each student will be allowed three unexcused absences.  If there are more than three such absences, I reserve the right to lower the final grade somewhat.
 
PAPER REGULATIONS
     All papers submitted must be typed, preferably on a word processor, double-space format, and carefully proofread for clarity and accuracy of expression, and for mechanical correctness.  Papers will be evaluated by considering two factors: the coherence and persuasiveness of the analyses offered, and the quality of the writing.  Facts, ideas, and opinions borrowed from specific sources, either verbatim or in summary/ paraphrase form, must be acknowledged in notes and bibliographical entries, according to the new Modern Language Association format.  Failure to acknowledge sources properly constitutes plagiarism, which is grounds for failing the paper, and perhaps the course.
LATE PAPERS: if written assignments are not turned in on the due date, I will deduct grade points, unless you and I have agreed in advance that special circumstances warrant an adjusted due date in your particular case.
 
SPECIAL NOTE: My office is in CLP 203, and my extension number at the University is 7659.  My e-mail address in MCINERNEYJ1@UOFS.EDU.  I encourage all my students to call me, e-mail me, or to come to see me, either in my office or before or after class, to discuss their work and the class.  That admonition becomes urgent if you perceive any looming problems or communication gaps.
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