ENGL 387: DRAMA AND SOCIETY: African American Drama Professor Melanie Blood MW 11:30-12:45 Office: Welles 217 Welles 216 Office hours: MW 10-11:20 Email: blood@, x5840 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: The successful student will 1. Demonstrate an understanding of major dramatic styles, themes and characters from African American drama. 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the cultural and historical context of African American dramatic writing and theatrical production. 3. Examine how the history of and subject matter of African American drama intersects with individual students background in American history and personal and family history in America. 4. Experience live and filmed performances of African American drama and discuss the differences between drama on the page and on the stage. Three hour exams and a final essay will ask students to demonstrate their knowledge, each dealing with a different section of dramatic history. REQUIRED TEXTS: Black Theatre USA. The Recent Period, 1935 - Today. Ed. by James V. Hatch, Ted Shine. Rev. and expanded ed. Free Press, 1996. ISBN: 0684823071 Hill, Errol G. and James V. Hatch. A History Of African American Theatre. 1st pbk. ed. Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN: 052162472X Parks, Suzan-Lori. Topdog/Underdog. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2002. ISBN: 1559362014 The Roots Of African American Drama An Anthology Of Early Plays ; 1858 1938. Ed. by Leo Hamalian and James V Hatch. 3 rd ed. Wayne State University Press, 1991. ISBN: 0814321429 Wilson, August. Fences. Any edition is acceptable; Kindle for 2.99 appears to be cheapest. In addition, students are responsible for class handouts, presentations, and further short readings that will be made available on my courses. CLASS REQUIREMENTS 1. 2 on campus film screenings and 2 live performances. For films, class screenings will be arrange and anyone unable to attend the class screening will have to make individual arrangements to borrow the film or find it on your own (ie Netflix) before the class discussion. We will take one trip to a Rochester theatre. I will purchase group tickets and arrange transportation for that event; those who cannot attend on that day will have to purchase your own ticket and arrange transportation, before the class discussion on the play. One on-campus production will be required. Students are responsible for purchasing their own tickets and attending the production before the class discussion day. 2. Class participation. You are expected to be present and prepared for all classes and to engage with other students and the instructor thoughtfully and respectfully. 1
Class participation will be both aural and written. Some responses will be written in class and turned in and some will be written on the mycourses discussion board before class. 20 points 3. Hour Exam 1. Short answer questions that will ask you to analyze and interpret the texts we have read and discussed since the beginning of the semester. Mon 2/25. 20 points 4. Hour Exam 2. Short answer questions that will ask you to analyze and interpret the texts we have read and discussed since the first hour exam. Mon 4/8. 20 points. 5. Final Examination Hour Exam 3. The final examination will consist of an inclass portion similar to the first two hour exams and an essay written at home and turned in at the final examination. The hour exam will cover material read since the second hour exam. Fri 5/10, 12-1:30. 20 points. 6. Final Examination take home, open book Essay. The essay topic will ask students to draw on material from across the semester. The topic will be distributed by Wed 5/1 and will be due at the final examination, Fri 5/10 at noon. It should be 7-8 pages, typed, double-spaced, with appropriate citations in MLA style. It can be turned in on mycourses in the drop box or in hardcopy; I will respond in the same way you turn it in. 20 points. Unexcused late work will be graded, but reduced by one full letter grade per day, and is likely to be returned later than work submitted on time. Excused lateness must be individually arranged, well ahead of deadlines. DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY SUNY Geneseo will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented physical, emotional or learning disabilities. Students should contact the Director in the Office of Disability Services (Tabitha Buggie-Hunt, 105D Erwin) and their faculty to discuss needed accommodations as early as possible in the semester. DAILY SYLLABUS W 1/23 Course introduction Reading due: skim ch 2 of History of African American Theatre, focus African Grove, Ira Aldridge, James Hewlett M 1/28 19 th century antecedents: African Grove Theatre, Abolition Melodramas Reading due: Act V of The Escape by William Wells Brown in Roots of African American Drama. Sections of Aiken adaptation of Uncle Tom s Cabin, on mycourses. W 1/30 19 th century antecedents: Minstrelsy 2
Reading due: skim ch 4 of History of African American Theatre. Explore web site with pre-civil War minstrelsy history, artifacts, music: http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/minstrel/mihp.html M 2/4 Popular and musical theatre at turn of the 20 th century Reading due: skim ch 5 of History of African American Theatre. Butterbeans and Susie and Black Vaudeville in Roots of African American Drama. W 2/6 World War I Reading due: Skim ch. 6, History of African American Theatre, focus on Burrill. Aftermath by Mary Burrill in Roots of African American Drama Film screening: Jelly s Last Jam. Friday and Saturday, 6 pm, classroom M 2/11 Harlem Renaissance Discuss Jelly s Last Jam and emergence of ragtime and jazz music Reading due: ch 7, History of African American Theatre. W 2/13 Harlem Renaissance, cont d Reading due: The Chip Woman s Fortune by Willis Richardson in Roots of African American Drama M 2/18 Harlem Renaissance, cont d Reading due: The First One by Zora Neale Hurston in Roots of African American Drama, Steps Toward a Negro Theatre by Alain Locke (Dec 1922, Crisis) on mycourses. W 2/20 The Great Depression Reading due: The Shining Town by Owen Dodson in Roots of African American Drama M 2/25 Hour Exam 1 W 2/27 The Federal Theatre Project Reading due: ch 10 in History of African American Theatre 3
Theatre trip to Rochester; group tickets will be purchased and transportation arranged for Friday 3/1. Students unable to attend with the group will be responsible for seeing the show on your own and arranging transportation. M 3/4 Langston Hughes Reading due: Hughes Mulatto and Limitations of a Life in Black Theatre USA W 3/6 Midcentury realism: Native Son Reading due: skim ch. 11 History of African American Theatre; Native Son by Richard Wright and Paul Green in Black Theatre USA Film Screening: A Raisin in the Sun. Sunday 3/10, 3 pm or 7 pm M 3/11 Midcentury realism: A Raisin in the Son Discuss text and film of A Raisin in the Sun Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 375-8, A Raisin in the Son by Lorraine Hansberry in Black Theatre USA W 3/13 M 3/18 W 3/20 M 3/25 Film clips and catch up Spring Break Spring Break Black Women 1: Wine in the Wilderness Reading due: Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress in Black Theatre USA W 3/27 Dutchman and Nation of Islam Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 388-91; Dutchman by Amiri Baraka in Black Theatre USA M 4/1 Civil Rights Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 392-7; Goin a Buffalo by Ed Bullins in Black Theatre USA W 4/3 Black Women 2: Shange and McCauley Reading due: ch. 12 History of African American Theatre pp 401-4; ch 13 pp 433-35 on female performance artists; Excerpt of For colored girls by Shange and Sally s Rape by McCauley in Black Theatre USA 4
M 4/8 Hour Exam 2 W 4/10 Contemporary Theatre: August Wilson and Pittsburgh Century Cycle Reading due: ch. 13 History of African American Theatre pp. 453-56; Fences by August Wilson On campus required production: The Colored Museum, tickets $5 at union box office. Performances Friday and Saturday, 4/12-13, 8 pm. M 4/15 youtube clips of two Broadway productions of Fences Reading due: ch. 13 History of African American Theatre pp. 456-63. W 4/17 Contemporary Theatre: Comedy Discuss Colored Museum production Reading due: ch. 13 History of African American Theatre pp. 436-47; Colored Museum by George C Wolfe in Black Theatre USA M 4/22 Contemporary Theatre: Docudrama Reading due: Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deveare Smith in Black Theatre USA W 4/24 M 4/29 film of Fires in the Mirror Contemporary Theatre: Drama W 5/1 Reading due: Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori Parks Contemporary Theatre: musical theatre and revising classics Porgy and Bess, recent adaptation by Suzan-Lori Parks starring Audra MacDonald, Norm Lewis, David Allen Grier. Reading due: article from Ellen Noonan, The Strange Career of Porgy and Bess, Times review of current production, both on mycourses. Listening: mp3 s from cast recording. M 5/6 Wrap up contemporary theatre unit Final Exam: F 5/10 12-1:30, Welles 216: Hour Exam 3 Essay due at noon 5