Course Description
Examines theatre as a cultural form crucially interwoven with systems of social organization and government. As a forum for debate, a dangerous location to be regulated, a tool for molding citizens, or a revolutionary force; studies theatrical practices and dramatic literature across historical periods; global in scope.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students read twice as many plays as undergraduates
and 8-10 additional articles or book chapters as well as
supplementary materials related to their specific area of study
(acting, design, or theatrical theory), including primary
sources and current scholarship; write short analytical papers
in place of the objective quizzes that undergraduates take;
complete a final exam modeled after and graded according to the
standards of the comprehensive exams in their area of study;
and carry out a research and analysis project resulting in a
paper twice the length expected of undergraduates.
Athena Title
THEA HIST: SOCIETY
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Across time periods, cultures, and places, theatre has been a privileged arena for addressing people’s relationship with the state. While theatre can be a site for resistance to the governing body or ruling class, so too can it solidify sentiments of community, nationalism, and patriotism. Theatre is performed by actors present onstage in the flesh, and thus highlights the plight and vulnerabilities of individual bodies subject to the laws of a larger political society as well as the sway of the masses. Providing a survey of world theatre history and dramatic literature, this course examines theatre and its publics in diverse historical and geographical contexts. Expected learning outcomes: Students will demonstrate the ability to: • Read plays from a variety of periods and places as traces of past performances and blueprints for possible productions. • Compare diverse performance traditions and contexts. • Use historical and cultural research to understand plays and their staging, including the research appropriate for a director, actor, or designer. • Write clearly structured essays combining specialized terminology with the student’s own voice. • Describe what is known, what is not known, and what is in dispute about the historical interrelation of theatre and its publics.
Topical Outline
TOPICAL OUTLINE: Week 1 Introduction Week 2 Theatre and Democracy 1: Tragedy and the Classical Greek polis Week 3 Theatre and Democracy 2: Comedy and the Classical Greek polis Week 4 Theatre and Democracy 3: Musical theatre and American publics Week 5 Theatre and Democracy 4: Theatres of identity and American counterpublics Week 6 Theatres and the Ruling Class 1: Samurai culture, Noh, and kyogen Week 7 Theatres and the Ruling Class 2: Renaissance court entertainments in Europe Week 8 Theatres and the Ruling Class 3: Rise of the merchant class, Kabuki, and bunraku Week 9 Theatre and Nation 1: Absolute monarchy and the European nation state Week 10 Theatre and Nation 2: Chinese Opera and the administrative state Week 11 Theatre and Nation 3: American slavery and theatres of resistance Week 12 Theatre, Empire, Globalization 1: Golden Age Spain and theatres of conquest Week 13 Theatre, Empire, Globalization 2: Shakespeare and the colonial subject Week 14 Theatre, Empire, Globalization 3: Post-colonial regimes and theatrical dissent Week 15 Theatre, Empire, Globalization 4: Global capitalism and international theatre festivals
Syllabus