AJL15086 American drama and theatre - survey

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Tomáš Kačer, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Tomáš Kačer, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 8:00–9:40 G22, except Mon 18. 11. to Sun 24. 11.
Prerequisites (in Czech)
( AJ01002 Practical English II || AJL01002 Practical English II )
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 15/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 11 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course is an overview of the history of US drama (mostly, in the English language) and theater forms from the beginnings in the Colonial period to the present. It aims to provide a basic knowledge of a variety of dramatic/theatrical styles, genres, trends, individual authors, and productions. It offers an insight into a selection of landmark dramatic texts of each era of development of the US theater. It deals with classical authors as well as with lesser known, experimental, and minority authors.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, a student will be able to: - analyze works of American drama; know and identify various dramatic and theatrical styles; possess knowledge about a history of various genres and themes in the American (popular) culture; know distinctive features of American drama of various styles; distinguish representative American playwrights and analyze their work in context; discuss the role of historical events, social development and cultural changes in the USA in relation to drama and theatre.
Syllabus
  • The beginnings of American drama (early dialogues, Colonial drama, R. Hunter); Drama of the American Revolution, early Republican drama (T. Payne, M. Otis Warren, R. Tyler); Romanticism, “Indian” plays, American genres (W. Dunlap, J. A. Stone, A. C. Mowatt); Melodrama (A. Daly, G. L. Aiken, D. Boucicault); Popular theatre; post-bellum America, Broadway theater (J. Jefferson, B. Howard, J. A. Herne, C. Fitch); Modernism, realism, social commentary and the little theater movement (S. Glaspell, E. Rice, H. James); American drama coming of age (E. O’Neill); post-WWII drama (T. Williams, A. Miller); absurdism (E. Albee); Black drama and theater (L. Hansberry, A. Baraka); Americana (S. Shepard, D. Mamet); turn of the Millenium (T. Kushner, D. DeLillo, T. Letts); Feminism (V, P. Vogel), the current musical theater.
Literature
  • ROBINSON, Marc, 2009. The American play: 1787-2000. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-11649-6
  • A companion to twentieth-century American drama. Edited by David Krasner. 1st pub. in pbk. Malden: Blackwell, 2007, xviii, 576. ISBN 9781405163682. info
  • KRASNER, David. American drama 1945-2000 : an introduction. First published. Malden, Ma.: Blackwell, 2006, vii, 216. ISBN 9781405120869. info
  • BIGSBY, C. W. E. Modern American drama, 1945-2000. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, xii, 453. ISBN 0521794102. info
  • BIGSBY, C. W. E. Contemporary American playwrights. First published. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999, ix, 440. ISBN 0521661080. info
  • WATT, Stephen and Gary A. RICHARDSON. American drama : colonial to contemporary. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1995, vii, 1157. ISBN 0155000039. info
  • TAUBMAN, H. Howard. The making of the American theatre. New York: Coward McCann, 1965, 385 p. info
Teaching methods
lecture; close reading; in-class discussion; analysi of A/V materials
Assessment methods
1) Class discussion participation: 10%. 2) Four home-written response papers: 40%. 3) Essay (4-6 pages) and feedback session (a group discussion covering the knowledge of the period of the play covered in the essay and another topic covered during the semester): 50%.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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