Appreciating Drama Nagl 241

ENGL 241

 

Appreciating Drama

 

Spring 2012; Wednesday 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Room # 113.  

 

 

 

Instructor: Hanaa A. Jan

Office:  280
E-mail: [e-mail]  

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday from 08:00 – 010:00 am, Wednesday from 10:00 to 12:00 and by appointment

 

Course Description:

 

 This course aims to help students:

A. Read drama, from short plays to longer works, with discernment.

B. Analyze the elements and strategies of drama

C. Responds articulately to dramatic works, both orally and in writing.

 

Required Texts:

-      

Primary materials.

The course will offer a careful examination of representative works from the period and their Arabic translation.

• Sophocles, Oedipus the King.

 

• Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House.

 

-      

Criticism:

 

To help us in our investigations, we'll read a collection of articles and books that deal with the assigned plays. Articles will be handed out to you in class and posted on line.

Course Objectives:

 

 All students will:

·        

Read carefully two eminent dramatic texts.

·        

 Analyze dramatic texts through close reading, so that they can identify aspects, such as characterization, plot structure, and symbolism, which interact to produce the artistic effect and meaning of the work.

·        

 Comprehend and use such elementary critical terms as exposition, rising action, climax, denouement, etc.

·        

Engage in focused discussion of drama.

·        

Discuss intellectual, social and religious issues relevant to the understanding of classical and modern drama.

·        

Differentiate between classical and modern plays.

 

Attendance:

Although at times I will lecture in order to present background information, I do expect class participation in discussion and in other in-class activities. I expect you to keep up with the reading and to prepare for class. Class attendance in a literature class is essential for a good grade; therefore, I expect you to attend class regularly, to be prepared for class, and to participate when you are here. Your grade in this class will begin to drop after three absences. Excessive absences (five or more) may result in failure of the course

 Assignments:

Quizzes: Expect 10-12 quizzes during the semester at the start of the class session. Quizzes are designed to test your knowledge of the reading assigned for that class session and the critical skills we develop and practice during our discussions. The quizzes will consist of identifications, multiple choices and short answer questions which will help you improve your close reading skills and will allow me to evaluate those skills and your comprehension of the material.

 

A collaborative oral presentation: Each student will team up with several classmates to present a research report on a topic related to our class discussions or act a scene from one of the assigned plays and discuss or explain the significance of the selected scene.

You will sign up for a group during the second week of the semester; at that time I will also distribute more specific guidelines for the project. Presentations should be about 15 minutes long and should be shared by all of the students in the group.

Paper: A short paper (approx. 3-4 pages, double spaced) focusing on your own interpretation of a critical problem, a crucial scene, or a comparison of elements from the two plays. You are required to use at least one secondary material.

Exams: There will be a mid-term exam and a final examination.

Midterm exam: will cover everything up to that point in the semester that is related to the first play Oedipus the King, it also includes introductory and background historical material on Drama.

 The final will be comprehensive, but will focus especially on A Doll's House and other materials read after the midterm.

 

Grading:

Quizzes 10%

Group Presentation 10%

Paper 10%

Midterm 30%

Final Exam 40%

Class Policy:

To maintain a harmonious learning environment please respect the following requests:

·        

Participate in class in a balanced way. Listen while others talk and respond to their comments. Work toward equity in the classroom: building a class in which everyone has equal access to the floor. Encourage your fellow students to participate if you know that they have a great answer.

·        

Turn cell phones off and avoid using cell phones within class.

·        

Be aware of the class's start time and arrive promptly before class begins. Two late attendances, arriving 10 minutes after class starts, will count for an absence.

·        

All assigned readings must be read before the date listed on the syllabus. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of class. If an emergency arises and prevents you from turning in your assignment on time, always contact me, send an email or call in a convenient time. In the absence of any previous consultation with me, work handed in late will be graded down, normally one letter grade for each day that it is late.

·        

Don’t be absent for the mid-term exam because there will not be any make up exam. If you have an extreme medical reason for being absent, you will need to present official verification from a government hospital of your medical situation, and then each individual case will be dealt with accordingly.

 

Academic Integrity:

 

Academic honesty is expected of students enrolled in this course. Cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification of research data, plagiarism, and undocumented use of materials from any source constitute academic dishonesty and may be grounds for a grade of ‘F’ in the course and/or disciplinary actions. 

Course Schedule:

The following is tentative course schedule. Depending on the actual pace at which we proceed during the quarter, we may have to make adjustments to the syllabus as we go.

WEEK 1 9^th Rabi'Awwal /1 Feb

•  
  
  • Registration and Introduction

WEEK 2 16^th Rabi'Awwal/ 8 Feb

•  
  
  • Introduction to course and lecture on terminology.
  • Reading and responding to Drama.
  • What to look for in a play—beneath the surface. 

 

WEEK 3  23^rd Rabi'Awwal/ 15 Feb

•  
  
  • Sophocles, Oedipus the King

 

WEEK 4   30^th Rabi'Awwal/22 Feb

•  
  
  • Sophocles, Oedipus the King

 

WEEK 5  7^th Rabi' Thani/ 29 Feb

•  
  
  • Sophocles, Oedipus the King

  

WEEK 6  14^th Rabi' Thani/7 March

•  
  
  • Sophocles, Oedipus the King

 

WEEK 7  21^st  Rabi' Thani/ 14 March

•  
  
  • Sophocles, Oedipus the King

 

WEEK 8 28^th Rabi' Thani/ 21 March

•  
  
  • MIDTERM EXAMINATION.

SPRING BREAK

WEEK 9  12^th Jumada Awwal/ April 4

•  
  
  • Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House

 

WEEK 10  19^th Jumada Awwal/ April 11

•  
  
  • Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House

 

WEEK 11  26^th  Jumada Awwal/ April 18

•  
  
  • Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House

 

WEEK 12  4^th  Jumada Thani/ April 25

•  
  
  • Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House

 

WEEK 13  11^th Jumada Thani/ May 2

•  
  
  • Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House
  • PAPER DUE

 

WEEK 14  18^th Jumada Thani/ May 9

•  
  
  • Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House

WEEK 15   25^th  Jumada Thani/ May16

•  
  
  • Review for Final Exam.
  • Make up test

 

WEEK 16  28^th  Jumada Thani/ May 23

•  
  
  •  
    •  
      • FINAL EXAMINATION