Module Identifier DR26920  
Module Title AMERICAN VOICES  
Academic Year 2005/2006  
Co-ordinator Dr Alison Forsyth  
Semester Semester 2  
Pre-Requisite Sucessful completion of Part One Drama  
Course delivery Lecture   10 x 1 hours per week  
  Seminars / Tutorials   10 x 1 hours per week  
  Other   Viewings (to be arranged)  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours  40%
Semester Assessment Essay 1 (2,000 words)20%
Semester Assessment Essay 2 (2,000 words)  30%
Semester Assessment Class contribution10%
Supplementary Assessment Written essay / Exam : Failed work must be re-submitted or retaken. To resit class contribution, the student will be asked to submit a 1500 word essay.100%

Learning outcomes

On sucessful completion of the module students should be able to:


Brief description

A selection of plays will provide a springboard from which to explore a variety of issues and to pose a number of questions about not only American Theatre, but also American identity; How far has multiculturalism succeeded in America? To what extent can the voices of the many ethnic, social, religious and cultural groups in America be heard? How and to what extent has theatre/performance (from early 1960s to the present) contributed toward providing a platform for the many "other" voices that make the United States?

Aims

To examine a range of American plays from the second half of the twentieth century in their historical, social, political and intellectual contexts in order to reach some conclusions and to arrive at some opinions about how the stage has provided a platform for the many diverse "voices" (black, poor, Hispanic, female, gay, Jewish, Asian, urban, rural) within the United States and to what effect.

Content

Lecture Schedule

Module Skills

Research skills Students will demonstrate the results of individual research in the form of essays, examinations and oral contribution.  
Communication Communication Skills will be developed in seminar sessions  
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will receive feedback on written assignments  
Information Technology IT and information handling skills will be demonstrated through students individual research (library and web based) and through written work (word processing).  
Personal Development and Career planning Students will have the opportunity to explore specific areas which reflect and strengthen their individual career needs.  
Subject Specific Skills Students are encouraged to develop the use of a critical and analytical vocabulary in their written and oral response to issues concerning Amercian theatre, multiculturalism and developments on the American stage since 1960. Upon completion students should be able to: ** respond analytically to a range of theatrical texts and modes of live performance. ** articulate an awareness of relationships between texts, performances and cultural contexts. ** demonstrate an understanding of key concepts and methodologies within the field of American theatre studies.  

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Baraka, (1984) the Autobiography of LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka
Bigsby, (2000) Modern American Drama: 1945-2000
Broyles-Gonzalez, Y (1994) El Teatro Campesino: Theatre in the Chicano Movement
Kimball, K (1988) Sam Shepard
Rosen, Sam Shepard
Savron, D (1988) In their own Words: Contemporary American Playwrights
Robinson, The Other American Drama
Geis, (1997) Approaching the Millennium: Essays on Angels in America
** Essential Reading
Campbell, and Kean, (1997) American Cultural Studies: An introduction to American Culture
Kushner, Angels in America and Perestroika
The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama
Departmental Reader (available from Department)

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5