FF:AJL25056 Arthur Miller, Playwright - Course Information

AJL25056 Arthur Miller, Playwright

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

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 G23

Prerequisites

Some existing knowledge of the following will be required before the actual beginning of the course:
1. Read the classics, Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, and get acquainted with their (1) most important interpretations, (2) staging history (important contexts and revivals) and, (3) film adaptations – watch the film versions from 1985 and 1996, respectively. Students interested in taking the course must make sure they are familiar with the main characters (Willy Loman, Abigail Williams, and John Proctor) – what they stand for and how their interpretations may have changed over time.
2. Possess detailed knowledge of Bigsby’s “Arthur Miller: The Moral Imperative,” Modern American Drama, 1945-2000, pp. 69-123 (2nd ed., CUP 2004).

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/20, only registered: 0/20

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 16 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

Students will learn:
Selected knowledge from the development of American drama in the second half of the 20th century;
To critically evaluate dramatic works by one of the most important contemporary playwrights, Arthur Miller, and analyze them in context.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, a student will be able to:
- discuss the life and works of one of the most prominent American playwrights in the 20th Century - Arthur Miller;
- analyze a play script;
- analyze a theatre performance;
- discuss critical features of a play from various theoretical perspectives;
- write an essay about a theatre production within the context of the development of Arthur Miller's career as a playwright.

Syllabus

• Arthur Miller's life and work (a critical approach)
  Early works
  Later works
  Radio plays and smaller works
  Film scripts and adaptations
  Political activism
  Other genres (essays, fiction)

Literature

• BIGSBY, C. W. E. Arthur Miller : 1962-2005. First paperback edition. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2013, xiii, 589. ISBN 9780472118175. info
• BIGSBY, C. W. E. Arthur Miller : 1915-1962. Paperback edition. London: Phoenix, 2009, x, 739. ISBN 9780753826157. info
• Student companion to Arthur Miller. Edited by Susan C. W. Abbotson. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2000, xii, 169 p. ISBN 0313309493. info
• BIGSBY, C. W. E. A critical introduction to twentieth-century American drama. Vol. 2, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press, 1982, viii, 355. ISBN 0-521-25811-1. info

Teaching methods

lectures, class discussion, critical analysis of dramatic works, analysis of audio-visual materials (films, stagings)

Assessment methods

Class participation (up to 10 per cent of the final grade).
A class presentation on the assigned reading (up to 30 per cent).
Final essay (up to 60 per cent).

Language of instruction

English

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials

Teacher's information

The course will consist of discussions about Miller's works, based on the knowledge of his biography and critical materials.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2022, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2022/AJL25056