Congratulations, Classmate Colleen Foster

Our own world drama scholar Colleen Foster is a prize winner in the Shenandoah University S. Gordden Link student poetry writing contest! Please congratulate Colleen either here (as a comment) or in person when you next see her. Colleen's prize was awarded for her body of work including "Taking Inventory," "Down It," and "Replay." These powerful poems and the works of the other contest winners are viewable on the Link/Souders blog. Paper copies are free for the taking on the Writing Contest bulletin board in Gregory. These writings will also be featured in the fall issue of Avalon, Shenandoah University's literary and arts magazine. Please consider submitting your own work next year.

Chinese Theatre Assignment Due April 1, 3:00 p.m.

In lieu of class today, please read this performance review of a November 2010 adaptation of The Soul of Chi'en Nu Leaves Her Body. This video clip displays a ritual dance featured in the performance. This second video clip is called "Elevator Arrival." What scene from the original play does it recall? I find the translocation (and perceived importance) of 13th century Chinese social mores to the 21st century United States quite interesting. What here sparks your critical interest?

Assignment: Before Friday, 4/1/11, at 3:00 p.m., please post a one-paragraph comment responding to any of the material featured in this blog post. You will need an online mail account in order to comment on this blog, so please leave yourself time to register for one if necessary. You may delete the account after the end of the semester if you'd like.

Argentina's "Stolen Children" Now Adults

In light of our recent class discussions on Australia's Lost Generation and Canada's Stolen Generation, I thought this National Public Radio article on Argentina's generation of Stolen Children might be of interest. The reasons for these systematic government-led kidnappings of citizen children vary from continent to continent, but the practice remains an effective--and inhumane--one for intimidating the targeted population into compliance. As the article reports, some adult Argentinian "Stolen Children" do not want to know their origins. What is your reaction? What other connections do you make between this news story and our course themes?

Together With Egypt: Feb. 23 @ 3p.m., Goodson

Egyptians are shaping their future through political demonstrations and international diplomacy. Their efforts continue to resonate across the region and the world. Please join the Shenandoah University community's stand “Together With Egypt” at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Goodson Recital Hall. Students, faculty, staff, local community members, and guests, including Dr. Adel Guirguis, Dr. Sharif Kaiser and student Ayah Elborhamy, will learn about and reflect on the Egyptian people's struggles and their implications both regionally and globally.

Dr. Lizabeth England, faculty leader of the 2010 Global Citizenship Project trip to Egypt, initiated this project which is co-sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life, Office of International Programs, School of Education & Human Development, Muslim Student Association, African Student Union, and the International Student Association.

Interest Meeting to Study Abroad in Argentina

Wednesday, February 9, Henkel 207, 3:00-3:30 p.m.

Students will spend three weeks taking a 3-credit course, participating in cultural activities, and living with a host family in Rosario, Argentina. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to improve your Spanish skills or finish your language requirement! Contact Dr. Andrea Smith at asmith11@su.edu for more information.

Attention Student Writers: Contests!

The Shenandoah University English Department invites submissions of original poetry and short stories for the annual S. Gordden Link Poetry and Bruce C. Souders Fiction writing contests. Each contest prize is $250. The deadline for both writing contests is Friday, March 25, 2009.

Poetry entries may consist of no more than five poems; short stories may be no longer than 5,000 words. Students who submit manuscripts must be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credit hours) at Shenandoah during both semesters in 2010-11. Submitted manuscripts must be unpublished in any other form.

Submit one typed copy of each entry to Jo Strader in the Arts & Sciences office, Henkel Hall 206, or via email at jstrader@su.edu. Each entry should identify the writer on only the cover sheet to ensure anonymity until judging is complete. The English faculty will judge all submissions and their decisions are final. The faculty reserves the right to make no award if no worthy manuscript is submitted. All manuscripts are subject to local publication, including in Avalon, the student literary and arts magazine, at the discretion of the faculty.

Please direct questions to Dr. Michelle Brown in Howe Hall 114 or via email at mbrown5@su.edu.

Want to Mentor a First Year Seminar?

The SU Going Global First Year Seminar (FYS) mentor application process for Fall 2011 is now open and the deadline for applications is Friday, February 18th. Mentors serve as teaching assistants in designated FYS classes. The position includes a $1050 stipend, all books for the class, a Mac laptop, and an iPod Touch. Please see the position announcement if you are interested in being a student mentor for an FYS class.

Required qualifications are: a 3.0 GPA, two faculty members in support of your application, sophomore through senior-level standing, and willingness to attend all of the class meetings (MWF from 2-2:50 p.m.). Any SU student who meets these criteria may apply for one of 25 slots. This is a great opportunity for professional development and an honor to be selected through such tight competition.

I will teach a First Year Seminar entitled Reformulating "the Family" in 20th Century Black Fiction in the fall. Please contact me or Dr. Amy Sarch (asarch@su.edu) with questions.

Choosing The Right Words | Teaching Tolerance

In the aftermath of the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, last weekend, the subject of how we talk as a nation has become a frequent topic for discussion among social analysts and around the coffee table. What kind of conversational climate have we all participated in building? In what myriad ways, every day, do we maintain that climate? In what other ways do we challenge it? What kind of climate do we want to have? If that which we want differs from what we have, then what might we need to do in order to effect change? This essay, Choosing The Right Words | Teaching Tolerance, by the Southern Policy Law Center, includes President Obama's address to the nation on this topic of national rhetoric. It also asks some interesting questions like those I pose above. As we embark together on our journey through different dramatic conventions from around the world and across multiple historical periods, we would do well to ask ourselves about our complicated relationships with words: How do we read them? How do we use them? What effects might our words have on others? Finally, what effects do the words of others have on us?

Queensland, Australia, Faces Mammoth Rebuild After Recent Floods

As we'll study Australian drama later in the semester, I thought that knowing about the recent devastating floods in one of the nation's states, Queensland, would be of interest. Queensland's capital, Brisbane, is under water. BBC America has maps, video, and details on the story here.

Course Description

This course is an intensive study in world drama in which a wide reading of exemplary works is the basis of critical analysis and discussion.

This course will explore the links among history, culture, performance, and literature through a comparative study of key dramatic works and traditions from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Australia, and the Americas. Students will learn dramatic and ritual performance conventions while paying close attention to historical and regional/cultural specificities. Through in-class scene staging, students will gain a deeper understanding of the rhetorical and generic choices endemic to playwriting in relation to other types of literary writing. We will consider themes such as social critique, love, war and revolution. Finally, we will consider the ways in which various ancient theatrical conventions were adapted for activist artistry during times of war or struggle.

Foundation and Course Purpose

This course provides the student with instruction in analysis and interpretation of drama from around the world and across multiple historical periods, and in methods of writing about various dramatic traditions. The course provides the student with the skills of effective communication in reading; writing, speaking, and staging; listening to; and viewing cross-cultural perspectives. Finally, the course introduces the student to the role of dramatic art as both cultural and individual expression.

English 376 “educates and inspires individuals to be critical, reflective thinkers.” The study of drama from various global and historical perspectives encourages students to become “ethical, compassionate citizens who are committed to making responsible contributions within a community, a nation and the world.” The study of world drama in English 376 encourages “an enduring passion for learning” by continuing and expanding the development of critical reading skills that will enhance students’ enjoyment of world literatures throughout their lives. Through interpretation and writing, students also develop a “commitment to self-reflection and personal development.” English 376 incorporates a wide variety of authors from “diverse cultures, experiences, and perspectives,” and it celebrates “creative performance, expression, teaching, and discovery”: all of these are Core Values related to the University’s Mission Statement (Undergraduate Catalog).

English 376 incorporates perspectives from history, religion, psychology, sociology, and art—“matters of mutual academic and scholarly concerns to the various constituencies of Shenandoah” (College of Arts and Sciences Statement of Purpose, Undergraduate Catalog).

English 376 contributes to the department goal, “through study of great works of Western and world literatures,” to help English majors and non-major English students “develop a deep understanding of humankind’s artistic heritage, which reflects and shapes humankind’s historical, intellectual, psychological and spiritual dimensions.” An understanding and appreciation of world literatures will enhance future careers in “teaching (with appropriate certification), librarianship, academic administration, business, writing, editing, advertising, public relations and civil service — and graduate and professional schools.”

English 376 satisfies the General Education Domain 2: Arts and Society requirement, the English major requirement of an upper-level literature class, and the College of Arts and Sciences requirement of a literature class.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Understand the distinguishing elements of dramatic literature as an art form;

2. Understand various ways in which historic and social circumstances affect literature;

3. Articulate an advanced grasp of terminology and concepts for understanding various dramatic traditions around the world and across multiple historical periods

4. Recognize major themes in world drama; and

5. Analyze and criticize world drama in coherent writing.

Assessment and Grading

Your grade in this class is based on the quality of your participation and performance on written exams, essays, and in-class assignments. This course does not include extra credit opportunities. The ability to read, synthesize, and write cogent analyses of materials previously unfamiliar (i.e., culturally or historically disparate from personal experience) is critical to your success as both a student and a professional. I will evaluate your assignments from this perspective. Read (or view, if films) the assigned primary and secondary resources carefully and prepare your assignments professionally. Written work containing errors in spelling, grammar, and usage will suffer serious score reductions. You cannot pass this course without completing all essays and exams.

I will assign grades on the basis of a weighted average of all work completed in the course; I will then adjust individual averages as necessary according to penalties for excessive absences or missing work. Assignment weights are listed in the Assignments list below. The Grading Scale shows the point scores that determine letter grades. I use general standards and criteria to assess the class assignments and activities.

I will provide written feedback on all writing assignments completed for this class. Written comments will address matters of content, adherence to the assignment, and presentation. I expect you to apply feedback to the improvement of subsequent written work. You are responsible for preserving all work you do for this class until after the conclusion of the course. To receive a grade of C or better on any written work for this class, you must successfully meet all assignment criteria for content, length, format, presentation, research and proper source citation, and submission requirements including deadline. Your work should demonstrate careful attention to polish and should be mostly free of usage, grammar, and spelling errors. The work must demonstrate your careful reading of the assigned text under consideration. Submitted work that fails to meet any of the above-listed criteria earns a grade of D or F. Submitted work that exceeds at least several of the above-listed criteria earns a grade of B or A. More detailed Guidelines for each assignment and the criteria for identifying an A paper, a B paper, etc., are posted on Blackboard.

See here for an Assignment Breakdown with respective Course Grade Weights.

See here for a Grading Scale.

See here for the English Essay Grading Rubric.

See the Class Schedule for a list of all assignments and due dates.

Assignment Format and Submission Instructions

All written work must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point serif black font, and follow MLA style as outlined in The MLA Handbook. You will submit your written assignments to me as Google documents, shared with me. Work submitted in improper formats will earn a 0.

See here for assignment submission instructions.

Course Calendar

This schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the class. I will announce changes in class. Students are responsible for all changes. Be prepared to discuss readings on the dates listed. We will view listed films in class.

See here for the course calendar.

Revised spring 2010.

Personal Technology

Technology is an essential element of Shenandoah University’s globally responsible learning environment. Inappropriate use of personal technology, however, can distract others and impede their learning.

Students may use laptops and iPads for class-related note taking and other class work. All other personal technology use is prohibited. Please turn off phones, PDAs, and MP3 players before the start of class and place them out of sight. Students who engage in text messaging or other inappropriate online activities will be asked to leave.

Disability Statement

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Under ADA a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, please register with Disability Services (in the Academic Enrichment Center, Howe Hall 204) at the beginning of the semester, or as soon as possible, so that arrangements can be made. Disability Services will provide you with an accommodation form, which you will be responsible for submitting to your instructor. Please call 665-4928 or email dwyne@su.edu for information and the required documentation.

Plagiarism

Cheating, even if unintended, will not be tolerated in this class. To be clear, plagiarism involves presenting someone else’s work as your own. In its most common form, plagiarism is lifting verbatim excerpts from any source (e.g., print media, the Internet, etc.) without providing appropriate acknowledgement or citation. Any student suspected of plagiarism will fail the course and the case will be remanded immediately to the Academic Integrity Board. Please note: once a case is submitted to this board, it is out of my hands. Please know that plagiarism is almost as easy to detect, as it is to commit. See me immediately with any questions about what kinds of source usage constitute plagiarism. (See the Student Handbook for details on violations and disciplinary actions, e.g., Article IV. Violations: Section 1. Cheating; Section 2: Plagiarism.)

Academic Honesty, the Honor Code

Shenandoah University adheres to principles and practices of the Academic Honor Code. The Honor Code is the system of conduct of the University that reflects the core of principles and values the University has established regarding individual responsibility and matters involving honorable conduct. The concept of honor may be defined in a variety of ways; however, at this university the code prohibits lying, stealing, and cheating.

Students attending the university are responsible for upholding the Honor Code and being aware of the university’s Honor Code procedures. Ignorance is not acceptable defense for failure to follow the Honor Code. Shenandoah University faculty members are also responsible for upholding the Honor Code, which includes putting an Honor Code statement on all course syllabi and being aware of the university’s Honor Code procedures. The Shenandoah University Academic Honor Code is published in the Student Handbook.

Submitting work constitutes your pledge of academic honesty.

Deadlines

Your scholarly and professional success depends on your ability to meet deadlines. In this class, all graded work is due before our class’s scheduled start time. Work submitted after the deadline earns a 0. If you do not understand any part of an assignment or run into any other sort of difficulty, see me before the deadline to arrange timely submission of your work. If you will be unable to submit your work on time, make arrangements with me before the deadline to submit it early. Expect problems and arrange to submit your work at least two hours before it is due. Work is considered submitted according to my inbox’s date stamp on your email, generated by Google Docs, alerting me that you have shared your document file with me.