CONTEMPORARY THEATRE
DR 127 (3 units)
Supplement for Advanced Integrated GE Course

SYLLABUS - Spring 2000

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FACULTY

Dr. David Kahn
Theatre Arts
HGH 110;
924-4540
dkahn@email.sjsu.edu
FAX 924-4543
Office Hours:
F 10:30-2:30

RESOURCES

Writing Rubric

SJSU Library Theatre Page

Anne Deavere Smith

Arthur Miller

"I Will Marry When I Want"

Ngugi wa Thiongo

Ngugi

Seattle Times Article on Ngugi

Ngugi Essay

CLASS TIME AND LOCATION -- W 10:30-1:20; DH 219

REQUIRED TEXTS

Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Brecht, Caucasian Chalk Circle
Miller, Death of A Salesman
Osborne, Look Back in Anger
Smith, Twilight, Los Angeles 1992
Thiongo, I Will Marry When I Want
selected articles, videos

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course begins with the proposition that the theatre of any era attempts to define reality and to affect audience perceptions about the human condition and the world we inhabit. Theatre in the post-modern era mirrors a complicated world: a world of global politics, human liberation, high technology, and mass media. Since World War Two, theatre artists have created a variety of responses to the world, affecting both the style and substance of dramatic art. This course explores the currents of contemporary drama by examining texts of the modern theatre, as well as the contextual realities to which the plays are a response. We will look at how theatre "takes on" the issues and seeks to not only represent but also to change attitudes about life in our times. Students will develop critical skills for assessing the achievements and limitations of contemporary theatre. Students will apply those skills by formulating and expressing responses to the works of art studied this semester.

EVALUATION ITEMS (250 points)

Class attendance and active participation/ discussion	50
Reading response essays (6)	150
Position Paper	50

SCHEDULE

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