Chabot College
Fall 2010
Course Outline for Theater Arts 10
INTRODUCTION TO THEATER ARTS
Catalog Description:
10 – Introduction to Theater Arts
3 units
Enjoyment and appreciation of the art of live theater through looking at plays of various genres,
time periods and from differing parts of the world. Includes viewing and discussing live theater.
3 hours.
[Typical Contact Hours 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1. read plays aloud;
2. analyze dialogue in terms of characters, ideas, language, and pace;
3. identify European antecedents of American Theater, including Classical Greek, Renaissance
and Realistic texts and performance spaces;
4. identify multicultural influence on American Theater;
5. discuss the relationship of American cultural values and artistic expressions;
6. present analysis of plays both orally and in writing.
Course Content:
1. Oral Interpretation
2. Analysis of dialogue
3. Antecedents of American Theater: Classical Greek Drama, the English Renaissance, and
19th Century Realism
4. Multicultural influences on American Theater
5. Relationship of cultural values and artistic expression
6. Presenting research and analysis of theater artists in writing and/orally
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lecture/discussion
Film/video/DVD viewing and discussion
“Staging” scenes of various plays
Guiding group work
Attending live theater
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Write an essay that analyzes a character from a classical text and shows how this
character affects the main ideas in the play.
b. Research a contemporary playwright and show how his/her cultural identity is evident in
his/her work, or NOT evident.
c. Compare and contrast the plays of one playwright with another.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Grading of written work with letter grades and/or points
b. Written comments to accompany letter grades
c. Grading oral presentations and research presentations
d. Quizzes and/or examinations, including a final examination.
Chabot College
Course Outline for Theater Arts 10, page 2
Fall 2010
Textbook(s) (Typical)
An Anthology of Drama, W.B. Worthen. University Press, 2003
Editor of Multicultural Theatre II Contemporary Hispanic, Asian and African-American Plays,
Roger Ellis. Meriwether Publish Ltd., 1998
Editor of Asian American Drama 9 plays from the Multiethnic Landscape, Brian Nelson, Applause
Theatre Book Publishers, 2000
Editors of Contemporary Plays by Women of Color, An Anthology, Kathy A. Perkins. Rouledge
Press, 1996.
World Drama: An Anthology, W. B. Worthen. Harcourt Brace and Company, 2003.
Individual playscripts
Theatre, Robert Cohen, Mayfield Publishing Company, 2008
These are the best available texts for this course
Special Student Materials:
None
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Revised: dh 8/30/2008 12-10-08 cp 11-21-09, 12/10/09 cp