thea203

Theatre Aesthetics TH 203                                                                                                         Dr. Teresa Durbin
Spring 2006    3 credit hours                                                                                                          Office: 123 A&H Ext. 5821
Section A MWF 10 - 10:50 a.m. 102 A&H                                                                                  E-mail: tdurbin@ashland.edu
Section B MWF 11 - 11:50 a.m. 102 A&H                                                                                      Office Hours: MW 2-4 p.m.
                                                                                                                                                            TTH 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. or by appt.

Why do we need theatre?

“It is an elucidator of social consciousness, a historian of the future, an armory against darkness and despair, and a temple in the ascent of man.” - George Bernard Shaw

Course Catalog Description: Students will examine ways in which theatre art and theatre artists suggest meaning and invite interpretation of the human experience. Critical standards and theories specific to theatre will be discussed and then applied to the study of selected plays and performances. Meets Tier II credit for Aesthetics.

Statement of Purpose: The purpose of Theatre Aesthetics is to explore the aesthetics, ideas and mechanisms through which theatre is conveyed. Students will examine ways in which theatre art and theatre artists suggest meaning and invite interpretation of the human experience. Critical standards and theories specific to theatre will be discussed and then applied to the study of selected play scripts and performances.

Course Objectives:
1. Students will learn to identify evaluative criteria of theatre art, thus furthering their development as educated audiences and readers of plays.

2. Students will apply evaluative criteria to plays read and/or viewed in class, and campus productions which will enable them to develop critical analysis skills.

3. Students will read and watch plays to educate their eyes and sensibilities to different types of theatre.

4. Students will articulate their responses to plays and performances in class discussions and writing assignments to develop their communication skills.

5. Students will identify different artists involved in creating theatre and apply evaluative criteria to the contributions of each of these artists, thus contributing to their experience as educated audience members.

6. Students will come to recognize the collaborative nature of theatre -- audience, playwrights, directors, actors, designers.

Instructional Approach: Lecture, discussion and class activities will be used to supplement and enhance the reading assignments. Reading, writing, creating, thinking, discussing and asking questions will all be involved in this course.

Dialogue is a student-centered, cooperative form of learning. A dialogic, problem-posing class evolves mutually from the knowledge of teacher and students. - Ira Shor

Required Texts:
    Gardner, Janet E., ed. 12 Plays: A Portable Anthology. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2003.
    Other readings may be put on reserve in the library


Performance Attendance Requirements:   You are required to attend and respond in writing to TWO live AU theatrical presentations this semester. Tickets to Department of Theatre productions are $1 with your student ID.

    Violet a musical by Jeanine Tesori & Brian Crawley - Hugo Young Theatre   Feb. 18. 19, 24 - 26 at   7:30 p.m.

    The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee - Hugo Young Theatre April 15, 16, 21-23 at 7:30 p.m.

The Box Office is located on the ground floor of A&H across from the Coburn Art Gallery.

Hours are noon - 6 p.m. Monday - Friday. Ext. 5125

** Your attendance is encouraged at other notable events on campus this semester:
       January 29 - James Earl Jones will perform "Shakespeare in the Minority Key" at 7:30 p.m. in the Hugo Young Theatre
                         Tickets are free with an AU student ID

       Feb. 4 & 5 at 8 p.m., Feb. 6 at 2:30 p.m. - The Vagina Monologues in the Hugo Young Theatre
                        Donations accepted at door for Ashland County Rape Crisis Center

        Feb. 22 - Yolanda King, the daughter of Martin Luther King, will be on campus as part of Alternatives to Violence
                    Symposium at 7 p.m. in Upper Convo

       March 20 - The Spencers "Theatre of Illusion" at 2 p.m. in the Hugo Young Theatre - Tickets are free with AU student ID

Evaluation Criteria:
    Quizzes 10%
   Response Papers 20%
   Collaborative Project 20%
    Written/Creative Assignments 50%

Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend every class meeting. Erratic attendance should be avoided and missing class will affect your ability to complete assignments. I understand that illness and unexpected circumstances do occur, please notify me yourself if you are unable to attend class. Student athletes are expected to give me a schedule indicating class absences due to athletic events prior to missing any classes.

Class Preparation and Participation: It is expected that you will come to class having read the material, completed written assignments and prepared scenes for performance. In order to critically engage with the material and your classmates, while reading you should take notes, make observations and ask questions. Write down all questions which are raised as you read the material and bring them to class for discussion. Class participation is directly tied to class preparation. If you are present and prepared for class you will be able to participate. Successful class participation includes the following:
          * Prompt arrival to class
          * Respectful and active contributions to small and large group class discussions demonstrating comprehension of the material                 and preparation for class
          * Raising relevant and pertinent questions about the material in an effort to better understand and evaluate the assigned texts                 (plays, criticism, essays, etc.) and their relationship to theatre

This class may sometimes use materials or engage in discussions of ideas which you personally find objectionable. It is expected that you will participate fully in all activities of the class. Keep in mind that reading or witnessing something which you find difficult or objectionable does not imply that you believe or embrace that thing. From time to time, the professor may choose to play devil’s advocate in order to stimulate discussion or encourage independent thinking. This activity should not be construed as representing the personal views of the instructor.

Late Work: All assignments are to be turned in during class time. If for some reason you cannot turn in an assignment at that time, late assignments must be placed in my mailbox on the first floor of A&H. If you choose to turn in an assignment outside of class, you do so at your own risk. I will not be responsible for "finding" assignments not turned in during class. DO NOT slide assignments under my office door, leave them on my desk or chair, e-mail them to me, turn them in on a disk, or hand them to me outside of class.

Academic Responsibility: Academic honesty and integrity is expected of all students. Everyone is expected to complete her/his own work. Any information quoted or paraphrased from another source must be cited for all assignments. Please refer to the Academic Integrity policies outlined in the Student Handbook and University Catalog. While discussion of class material outside of class is encouraged, it is expected that all written assignments are completed by the student and demonstrate each individual's understanding of the material and assignment. Any violation of academic honesty may result in failure of the assignment and/or class.

Accommodations Statement: Students with documented disabilities who require academic adjustments for this class are requested to contact me to discuss reasonable accommodations. While not required, it is in the best interest of the student to have this conversation early in the semester. In order to receive academic adjustments paperwork from Disability Services must be provided to document this need. Disability Services is located in 105 Amstutz Hall ext. 5953.

Tentative Weekly Schedule & Assignments
(Subject to change)

Date	Topic	What is Due for Class
WEEK 1 1/10 - 1/14	Introduction to course and one another. What is theatre? What is Aesthetics?
WEEK 2 1/17 - 1/21	Martin Luther King Day - no class on Monday What is a play? Discuss Trifles	Read the play Trifles for 1/19
WEEK 3 1/24 - 1/28	The aesthetics of a text - Aristotle's Poetics Classical criticism.	Poetics Quiz on Friday 1/28
WEEK 4 1/31 - 2/4	The Aesthetics of August Wilson	Read The Piano Lesson for 2/2
WEEK 5 2/7 - 2/11	Continue discussion of The Piano Lesson	Assignment #1 due Wednesday 2/9
WEEK 6 2/14 - 2/18	The Aesthetics of Musical Theatre and Music in Theatre Discuss The Glass Menagerie	Attend Violet - Feb. 18, 19 in Hugo Young Theatre Read The Glass Menagerie for 2/23
WEEK 7 2/21 - 2/25	Continue discussion of The Glass Menagerie	Assignment #2 due Friday 2/25 Attend Violet - Feb. 24-26 in Hugo Young Theatre
WEEK 8 2/28 - 3/4	The Aesthetics of Athol Fugard Discuss Master Harold . . . and the Boys	Read Master Harold . . . and the Boys for 2/28 Violet Response paper due 3/4
3/7 - 3/11	Spring Break
WEEK 9 3/14 - 3/18	Continue disucssion of Master Harold	Assignment #3 due Wednesday 3/16
WEEK 10 3/21 - 3/25	The Aesthetics of Caryl Churchill Discuss Top Girls	Read Top Girls for 3/21
WEEK 11 3/28 - 4/1	Continue discussion of Top Girls	Read Essay for 3/30 Assignment #4 due 4/1
WEEK 12 4/4 - 4/8	The Aesthetics of Lawrence & Lee Discuss The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail	Read The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
WEEK 13 4/11 - 4/15	Continue discussion of Thoreau	Assignment # 5 due Attend The Night Thoreau . . . Jail - Apr. 15, 16
WEEK 14 4/18 - 4/22	The Aesthetics of Collaboration Continued Discuss and work on project	Attend The Night Thoreau . . . Jail - Apr. 21-23
WEEK 15 4/25 - 4/29	The Aesthetics of Collaboration Continued Work on project	Thoreau Response paper due 4/27

FINAL EXAM - Collaborative Projects Due/Presented
SectionB (10 - 10:50 a.m.) Monday, May 2 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

ASSIGNMENT SHEET

ASSIGNMENT

Poetics Quiz
Reading Quizzes
Assignment I
Assignment II
Assignment III
Assignment IV
Assignment V
Response Paper #1
Response Paper #2
Collaborative Project

TOTAL

TOTAL POINTS

25
25
50
50
50
50
50
50
50
100

500

YOUR SCORE

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_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________

_________

94-100       A           80-82       B-           67-69       D+
90-93       A-           77-79       C+           63-66       D
87-89       B+           73-76       C           60-62       D-
83-86       B              70-72       C-           0-59       F

C   work demonstrates knowledge, comprehension and application of terms and ideas
B work, in addition to the above, also demonstrates analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the terms and ideas
A work demonstrates greater depth of analysis, synthesis and evaluation of terms and ideas integrating concepts and topics from class discussions and readings

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