Summer 2023 - ENGL 113W D100

Literature and Performance (3)

Class Number: 2761

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2023: Mon, Wed, 12:30–1:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 13, 2023
    Sun, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduces students to plays and performance works created and adapted for the stage, and/or the performative dimensions of other literary forms. May be organized historically, generically or thematically. The course may also explore the links between literary and performance theory. Includes attention to writing skills. Students with credit for ENGL 103W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Introduction to Drama: Theatre, Performance, and Identity

This course examines six diverse plays that range chronologically from the Elizabethan period to the first decade of the twentieth-first century. The major themes we will consider involve identity and the performativity of identity; while this focus will draw us into discussions of gender roles, race, sexual orientation, and class, we will also consider staging, genre, form, the social and cultural places and functions of the theatre, and how all these concerns intersect. Drama was meant to be performed, so we’ll engage in informal reading (and maybe even acting!) in tutorials, and we’ll watch clips of film versions of the plays. I encourage you to find the time to go see a play or two in Vancouver while you are taking this course. If all goes well, there will be an optional, subsized trip to Bard on the Beach to see a Shakespeare play. This is a writing course, so you will be doing regular writing assignments, both in and outside of class, including a major revision.

 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • To gain an introductory understanding of how the performative arts of drama and theatre can be a venue for the exploration of identity. 
  • To improve skills in critical writing about drama.
  • To improve academic essay-writing skills. 

 

Grading

  • tutorial participation 15%
  • first writing assignment (2 pages) 10%
  • first short essay (3-4 pages) 15%
  • revision of first short essay 15%
  • second short essay (3-4 pages) 20%
  • final exam 25%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Required texts.
I recommend physical copies over e-books, writing directly on the book is a very good way to take notes.

Othello William Shakespeare

  • ISBN: 9780743477550 eISBN: 9781476788524

A Doll’s House Henrik Ibsen

  • ISBN: 9780486270623 eISBN: 9780486110202

Top Girls Caryll Churchill  

  • ISBN: 9780573630231

Angels in America Part One Tony Kushner

  • ISBN: 9781559363846 eISBN: 9781559367691

Yellow Face David Henry Hwang

  • ISBN: 9781559363402 eISBN: 9781559366717

Sweat, Lynn Nottage

  • ISBN: 9781559365321 eISBN: 9781559368544

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.