Syllabus and assignment description

ENGL 8440 & 8900 Syllabus: Spring 2017
Dr. Tanya Caldwell

tmcaldwell@gsu.edu (404-413-5837)

Office hours: M 9-11 & by appointment

25 Park Place, Suite 2415

This is a course in cultural transformation and the birth of the modern theatre.  During the period we cover, theatre acquired a social impact that has parallels in Hollywood entertainment and reality TV.  Sensationalism was born and the celebrity actor and actress.  We will look at the theatres, the personalities, and the ways in which the plays reflect social and political issues of the time.  This will be a discussion and inquiry-driven class. 

M Jan 9: Directed reading: The Country Wife (NO CLASS MEETING)

M Jan 16: MLK Jr. Holiday: NO CLASS MEETING
M Jan 23: Restoration Theatre, Wycherley, The Country Wife, & Samuel Pepys
M Jan 30: The Country Wife & Nell Gwynn biography

M Fab 6: Etherege, The Man of Mode

M Feb 13: The Man of Mode & The Earl of Rochester biography and poems

M Feb 20: Behn, The Rover

M Feb 27: The Rover & Elizabeth Barry biography [KEITH]

M Mar 6: Behn, The Emperor of the Moon  (NICOLE)
M Mar 13: SPRING BREAK

M Mar 20: Shakespeare transformed, David Garrick, & Tate, King Lear (JULIE)

M Mar 27: Cowley, The Belle’s Stratagem & biography of Anne Damer (CARLY)

M Apr 3: Cowley, The Runaway & biography of Sarah Siddons (KYLA)
M Apr 10: Dryden, All for Love        (DONNA)
M Apr 17: Gay, The Beggar’s Opera

M Apr 24: Sheridan, The School for Scandal

All students are expected to be familiar with the College plagiarism policy.  It’s not worth it.  Don’t even think about.  Talk to your professors in situations of stress and confusion.  We’re here for you.

Required Texts:

The Broadview Anthology of Drama Concise Edition, Ed. J. Douglas Canfield. ISBN 9781770483002

Popular Plays By Women in the Restoration and Eighteenth Century, Ed. Tanya Caldwell (Broadview Press) ISBN  978-1551119168

Assessment 8440 (3 hours):
1 20-minute argumentative conference-style presentation: 25%

1 10 minute actor/personality informational presentation: 15%
1 research paper proposal (3 pages outlining your ideas): 15% DUE APRIL 3

1 final research paper (15-25 pages): 45%

Assessment 8900 (6 hours):

1 20-minute argumentative conference-style presentation: 20%

1 10 minute actor/personality informational presentation: 10%
1 research paper proposal (3 pages outlining your ideas): 10%

2 Blog posts: 10% each

1 final research paper (20-25 pages): 40%

8440 Assignment Descriptions

1)    20-minute presentation:

For whatever play/personality you are signed up for you will present an argument about any aspect of the play (or theatre personality) that you are interested in.  You argument can focus on theme(s), theatre history, elements of performance—whatever cultural, academic, or theatric aspect that you find interesting (and you would find interesting if you were listening to your paper) and that you can present in a coherent way in 20-minutes.  20 minutes is the usual time allotted for presentations at academic conferences so this is also meant as practice for anyone wanting that kind of professional experience.  At the end, you should be prepared to respond to questions from the class and then to hand me text with citations for grading.  Twenty-minutes usually yields 8-9 pages.

2)    10-minute actor/actress informational presentation:

You may use the same play as you present your long presentation on.  Choose a play and sign up for it so everyone is doing someone different.  Locate a cast list for the play for any season it was performed between its initial production and 1800.  Choose any actor or actress for whatever season you want to discuss—Restoration, early, mid or late eighteenth-century.  Give the class a biographical synopsis of the actor or actress and THEN try to imagine how those particular performances would have been affected by that actor’s talents or what he or she was known for.

The purpose of this assignment is to bring more cultural and theatrical history to the class and to have more voice involved in every class period.

Invaluable resources include The London Stage 1660-1800 (Southern Illinois UP) and The Biographical Dictionary of Actors and Actresses (ed. Philip Highfil et al.).  Both of these are multi-volume and are available both in our library hard-copy as well as online.