Fall 2000
English 350
Rice 9, (440) 775-8579
MWF 1:30-2:20 pm
Office hours: MWF, 12:20-1:20
King 339
E-mail address:
deborah.geis@oberlin.edu
Feminist dramatists writing in Britain and the U.S. from the 1920s to the present have challenged and transformed conventional notions of stage space, character development, dramatic narrative, and "appropriate" theatrical subjects. We'll pay particular attention to the relationships of feminist performances to the politics of race and ethnicity.
The goals of this course are for students to gain an understanding of the scope, history, and techniques of works by British and American women playwrights, and to express this understanding through written work and course participation.
TEXTS: Please note that the following list is subject to changes. Louise Page's Tissue will be distributed in handout form, and the contemporary Irish plays (Marina Carr, Christina Reid) and the Sarah Kane plays will be available at a later date.
ATTENDANCE: Because our time together is extremely limited and because each class session will cover a great deal of material, it is absolutely essential that you attend class regularly, arrive on time with the required material for each session, and participate in class discussions and activities. A significant percentage of your final grade (see GRADES) will be based on your attendance and participation. If you miss more than three class meetings (not including any class for which you have a documented medical excuse), it will lower your grade. If you know that you have conflicts that will prevent you from attending class regularly and arriving promptly, please do not enroll for this course.
LATE PAPER POLICY: I expect you to hand in all work, prepared according to the format specified for each assignment, on the required due dates. If you have a good reason for submitting an assignment later than the deadline, please notify me in advance so that we can negotiate a new deadline. Any late work will be penalized by one letter grade for each weekday past the due date (e.g., a "B-" paper submitted two weekdays late becomes a "C" and so forth).
CONFERENCES: For help with your work, or if you have questions about anything else, please feel free to meet with me during my office hours. If my office hours don't fit your schedule, you may also make an appointment with me at a different time. You are also welcome to contact me by email at any time. When you make an appointment and are unable to keep it, please notify me in advance.
PLAGIARISM: Students in this course are expected to follow Oberlin's honor code. Plagiarism occurs when you use someone else's words or ideas without acknowledging the person and/or source appropriately. This includes the work of another student as well as any other type of source. For more information on proper acknowledgment of sources and on the definitions of plagiarism, you can consult a recent edition of any college writing handbook. If you have any questions about whether your use of material constitutes plagiarism, please don't hesitate to ask me. If you submit work that appears to be in violation of Oberlin's honor code, it will be submitted to the student honor code committee. Believe me, plagiarism is simply not worth the risk!
GRADES: Note that you must complete all work to pass the course.
Attendance/Participation: 10%
Scene presentations: 10%
Paper #1: 15%
Paper #2: 20%
Paper #3: 25%
Final Exam: 20%
Frankly, I would prefer not to assign you letter grades at all, but I don't have that option. Please keep in mind that a grade is my evaluation of a specific piece of work, not of "you" or of your background. Try not to become so anxious about your grade that you lose track of the more important educational aims of the course.
A FINAL WORD: Contemporary drama often contains explicit or disturbing subject matter. These playwrights may shock, frustrate, anger, or delight you; do not take the course if you prefer to avoid controversial subjects or "strong" lanaguage. Here's to an exciting and productive semester!
Tentative Syllabus for the Course
Always read ahead on the syllabus and make sure that you have the reading and assignments prepared for the correct dates, and that you always bring the relevant text(s) to class.
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Wed. 9/6 |
Introduction to the course |
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Fri. 9/8 |
Susan Glaspell, Trifles (in Barlow, Plays by American Women 1900-1930) |
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Mon. 9/11 |
Trifles; Sophie Treadwell, Machinal (in Barlow) |
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Wed. 9/13 |
Machinal |
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Fri. 9/15 |
Machinal |
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Mon 9/18 |
Shelagh Delaney, A Taste of Honey |
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Wed. 9/20 |
A Taste of Honey |
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Fri. 9/22 |
A Taste of Honey; Adrienne Kennedy, Funnyhouse of a Negro (in Adrienne Kennedy In One Act) |
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Mon. 9/25 |
Funnyhouse of a Negro |
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Wed. 9/27 |
Ntozake Shange, for colored girls... |
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Fri. 9/29 |
for colored girls... |
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Mon. 10/2 |
Louise Page, Tissue (handout); PAPER #1 DUE |
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Wed. 10/4 |
Tissue; Caryl Churchill, Vinegar Tom (in Plays: One) |
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Fri. 10/6 |
Vinegar Tom |
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Mon. 10/9 |
(no class: Yom Kippur) |
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Wed. 10/11 |
Sarah Daniels, Byrthrite (in Plays One: Daniels) |
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Fri. 10/13 |
Byrthrite |
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Mon. 10/16, Wed. 10/18, Fri. 10/20 |
(no class: fall break) |
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Mon. 10/23 |
Caryl Churchill, Cloud 9 (in Plays: One) |
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Wed. 10/25 |
Cloud 9 |
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Fri. 10/27 |
Adrienne Kennedy, A Movie Star Has to Star in Black and White (in Adrienne Kennedy in One Act) |
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Mon. 10/30 |
A Movie Star... |
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Wed. 11/1 |
Maria Irene Fornes, Mud (in Fornes, Plays) |
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Fri. 11/3 |
Mud/The Conduct of Life (in Plays) |
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Mon. 11/6 |
The Conduct of Life; PAPER #2 DUE |
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Wed. 11/8 |
Zindika, Leonora's Dance (in Kadija George, ed., Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers) |
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Fri. 11/10 |
Meera Syal, My Sister-Wife (in George, Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers) |
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Mon. 11/13 |
My Sister-Wife |
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Wed. 11/15 |
Anna Deavere Smith, Fires in the Mirror |
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Fri. 11/17 |
Fires in the Mirror |
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Mon. 11/20 |
Fires in the Mirror; women performance artists |
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Wed. 11/22 |
Holly Hughes, World Without End (and/or Karen Finley) (in Champagne, Out from Under) |
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Fri. 11/24 |
(no class: Thanksgiving break) |
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Mon. 11/27 |
Leeny Sack, The Survivor and the Translator (in Out from Under) |
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Wed. 11/29 |
contemporary Irish (Christina Reid or Marina Carr), TBA |
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Fri. 12/1 |
Reid or Carr, TBA |
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Mon. 12/4 |
Sarah Kane, Blasted or Cleansed (TBA) |
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Wed. 12/6 |
Kane, TBA; PAPER #3 DUE |
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Fri. 12/8 |
Suzan-Lori Parks, Venus |
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Mon. 12/11 |
Venus |
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Wed. 12/13 |
Venus; last day wrap-up and evaluations |
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Tues. Dec. 19 |
Final exam: 2pm |