2013Syllabus


 * Syllabus **

** THEA2100H: APPRECIATION OF THEATRE (HONORS) ** Spring 2013 ** T/R Fine Arts Building ** ** 2:00-3:15 **   ** Rm. 350 Fine Arts **


 * Instructor: **

Dr. Farley Richmond Office: Fine Arts #367 Office phone: 542-2089. IT IS BEST TO REACH ME BY E-MAIL. Office hours: To be announced but mainly by appointment with me E-mail: richmond@uga.edu

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to drama and theatre and the unique collaborative process by which plays are created and produced. A new text is being used for this course this academic year: //The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre// by Stephanie Arnold. Please read the assigned chapters carefully. There are two reasons this text is being used this semester. First, it contains 5 good plays that I quite like. Because it contains plays there is no additional anthology required for you to purchase, which is a savings to you. Second, it attempts to incorporate Asian theatre throughout. Since my area of specialization is Indian theatre and I have spent a good deal of time in my academic career dealing with Asian theatre, I believe it will be helpful to you to better understand both eastern and western theatre and drama. The organization of the text lends itself to our 15 week semester system, which is also a help.
 * Goals ** :

Please note that on the wiki (located at 2100H.wikispaces.com) I have also provided you a copy of my own material on Theatre and Drama, although it is somewhat out of date. 7 chapters and a preface and introduction give you some useful material. Especially valuable are opinions of specialists in the field found in the latter part of each chapter.

Theatre people are fond of saying, "The only way to understand theatre is to do it." This may be true. Therefore, you will participate in exercises and projects designed to give you an opportunity to express yourself creatively and collaboratively.

Your text is //The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre// by Stephanie Arnold. Fifth Edition. NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011. My own work is drawn from //Theatre: The Collaborative Art: A Worktext with Readings by Prominent Experts//. Second Edition, Revised Printing, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2000. Wise, Jennifer and Craig S. Walker. Note that 2100H.wikispaces.com will grow and change throughout the semester with your input. Think of it as a way to communicate your ideas with me and with your peers.
 * Required Texts ** :

Some of this course is in a lecture/discussion format. Some of it is live and some is online over the Blackboard for the course. However, the course also has activities that require you to engage in practical exercises by yourself and with other classmates. It provides you an opportunity to collaborate with each other on a final project. Therefore, a portion of your grade will be based on attendance and participation.
 * Methods ** :


 * Attendance Policy: **

Needless to say attendance is mandatory because much if not all of the material covered in the course will be new to you, some of it is even new to your instructor.

PLEASE NOTE: Should any student miss more than three classes during the semester without permission of the instructor his/her grade in the course will be reduced by a half a letter grade for each additional absence beyond the three. For example, an A will turn to an A-, a A- will become a B+ and so on.


 * Participation Policy: **

Despite my love and enthusiasm for the Internet, social media, cell phones, and texting, all of these appear to distract students from full and undisturbed participation in my courses. Therefore, I am banning their use in my classroom. Computers may be used in class but NOT for social media activities or for completing class assignments for other classes besides this one. Please come to class prepared to take notes the old fashioned way with paper and pen or pencil. Be ready to contribute to discussion when the opportunity is provided. Share you thoughts and ideas of the subject. Later you will have time to transfer what you’ve learned to digital form AFTER you leave the classroom. Also, you should read and thoroughly be familiar with any assigned readings and assigned play text BEFORE attending class. Background research and creativity oblige students to go beyond the basic requirements in all their courses by mining the library holdings, not just those found on the Internet.

Attendance/Participation 10% Midterm Exam 10% 4 Production Critiques 20% Written Assignments on the wiki 30% Final Project 30%
 * Evaluation ** :

1. Attendance and Participation are vitally important, constituting10% of your grade. 2. Discussion of the midterm exam will take place later this semester. It constitutes 10% of your grade. 3. Final Project: This assignment concerns a play you will be expected to read and be thoroughly familiar with. You will work with some of your peers on developing the project. The project requires you to do research in preparation for the creative ideas you and your colleagues will apply to the play in collaboration with each other. 30% 4. 4 Production critiques of plays produced by the Department of Theatre and Film Studies (20% of your grade). Tickets for the shows may to be reserved and paid for online at the following url: http://uga.edu/pac/theatrefilm.html. You may also purchase tickets at the Performing Arts Center Box office OR an hour prior to the show in the lobby of the Fine Arts Theatre or appropriate venue. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT SEATING FOR SOME OF THESE SHOWS IS LIMITED AND YOU SHOULD PLAN TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS EARLY. Last semester some students could not get tickets for the shows because they failed to do so in a timely manner. Don’t run the risk of panic. If you do not get your tickets early and the houses run full you will miss the show and receive a 0 for the critique of that show. 5. Wiki writing assignments 30%.
 * Assignments and Exam Descriptions ** :

Warning! Warning! University policy on academic dishonesty will most definitely be enforced. Committing plagiarism by copying the words or the original ideas of another person without giving that person full and proper credit, is an especially serious violation of this policy. If you violate this policy you will be reported immediately to the Student Judiciary for disciplinary action. According to university regulations, students convicted of plagiarism face one of three punishments: expulsion from the university, suspension for a semester, or a notation on your university transcript of academic dishonesty. I have come across such cases in the past and thus am especially vigilant. Please know that I will not be lenient for anyone caught!
 * Final Notes ** :

If you have a disability and require classroom accommodations, please see me after class or make an appointment during office hours. If you plan to request accommodations for a disability, please register with the Disability Resource Center at 114 Clark Howell Hall, (706) 542-8719, [|http://drc.uga.edu/contact_request.php].