GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COURSE INFORMATION OUTLINE

 COURSE NO.: LIT 214/ THE212 TITLE: Play Analysis

CREDIT HOURS: 3 CONTACT HOURS: 3

FULL CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

Develops ability to carefully read and analyze plays. Employs scripts from various period and genres to explore theatre as a written, visual, and collaborative art form. Prerequisite: ENG 101.

COURSE OBJECTIVES (STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES):

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Define and describe in writing the kinds of theatrical clues available in a playscript, to demonstrate knowledge of such concepts as plot, character, setting, dialogue, movement, and theme;
2. Describe orally and/or in writing a minimum of three ways to look for theatrical clues in a playscript, in order to demonstrate recognition of clues and their application to literary analysis and/or onstage performance;
3. Discuss orally and/or in writing a minimum of three ways in which theatrical clues are recorded, to demonstrate familiarity with script-writing conventions;
4. Analyze orally and/or in writing the process through which theatrical clues are transformed into theatrical images, to demonstrate knowledge of the director’s and/or set designer’s approach;
5. *Write a standard MLA-style paper (two to five pages) identifying at least three clues in a specific playscript, and describing, as well as explaining, the effect of their presence, to demonstrate familiarity with the series of theatrical impacts implied by the scenarios to which the clues point.
6. Explain in writing the technical issues/problems necessitated by a specific playscript, to demonstrate knowledge of script interpretation;
7. Explain in writing at least two ways by which printed dialogue and stage directions would be translated into action and words, to demonstrate knowledge of actor and/or director interpretations regarding a specific playscript.

*This course objective has been identified as a student learning outcome that must be formally assessed as part of the College’s Comprehensive Assessment Plan. All faculty teaching this course must collect the required data (see Assessing Student Learning Outcomes form) and submit the required analysis and documentation at the conclusion of the semester to the Office of Assessment and Special Projects.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES:

Lecture, class critiques, reading, discussion.

CRITERIA FOR GRADING:

A student’s final grade is determined on the basis of successful completion of all assigned writing exercises, oral presentations, tests and quizzes, as well as participation and attendance.

REQUIRED TEXT(S):

To be determined by full-time faculty.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING/PRINCIPAL REFERENCES:

Discretion of the instructor. Anthology and/or individual works

BRIEF OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENT

COURSE NO. LIT 214 TITLE: Play Analysis

I. Clues in a playscript are identified

A. Clues are drawn only from the script itself.

B. Responses to the script are tied appropriately to portions of the script.

II. Types of clues in a playscript are identified

A. Dramatic facts are identified via the following:

1. Environmental circumstances

2. Behavioral circumstances

3. Structural circumstances

B. Dramatic texture and tone are identified

III. Clues that suggest the larger narrative which is the basis of the plot are extracted

IV. The inner structure of a playscript is discovered by identifying the sequence of organic segments

V. The clues that furnish a character description are extracted from a playscript

VI. The types of clues which the playscripts provide to reveal the “core meaning” are identified

VII. The certain sounds and sound combinations used by the playwright in creating dramatic effects are determined

VIII. The principle that unifies a play’s action is identified

Description Revised: Spring 2004

Revised: Fall 2002

Revised: Fall 1994

Revised: Fall 1989