English 114: Section 7779 SA
M-Th 1:00-2:05 pm; CTR 252
Introduction to Drama
Instructor: Corrina Wycoff
Phone: (253) 864-3217
Office location: CTR 290N
Office hours: M-F: 10:00-10:50 am, and by appt.
E-mail: cwycoff@pierce.ctc.edu
When leaving messages or e-mails, please give me 24 hours to respond.
Required Texts:
12 Plays: A Portable Anthology, edited by Janet Gardner
Long Day’s Journey Into Night, by Eugene O’Neill
Please note: The books are required immediately. You will not be able to do the work or pass the
class without it. If you will not be able to acquire the books by April 10, please do not take this class.
This is the course policy. Please do not ask that an exception be made for you.
About this Course:
Welcome! This course focuses on the dramatic literature dating from Ancient Greece through the present.
This course will enable you to analyze plays within their historical, biographical, and cultural contexts, as well
in terms of their elements (plot, character, theme, etc.). This class is designed for people who enjoy reading,
who take notes in class, and who want to experience literature in new and complex ways. You will not be able
to Spark Notes your way through this class. Please do not take this class unless you plan to do the reading.
Course Expectations:
Attendance: Because we will be working as a community, your attendance is essential to your success AND
your classmates’ success. This class can teach you a lot, but only if we are all consistently HERE and
PREPARED. Therefore, you will be asked to drop this class if you miss more than 4 days.
Exams: You will take 4 exams this term. You will also be graded on participation (not to be confused with
attendance).
How You're Graded:
Exams:
92% (worth 23 percent each)
Participation:
8% (not to be confused with attendance)
Late work will not be accepted. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. Exams are due at the
BEGINNING of class. Please print and staple your work ahead of time. I will not give you class time to
“run to the lab” to print or staple your work. I will not accept assignments by email because of last minute
emergencies with your printer or thumb-drive. In other words, do not wait until the very last minute to
get things done. Because you have many days to complete every assignment, I will not give last
minute extensions for computer problems, etc. To keep yourself from getting into such a situation,
be organized and plan ahead.
Grading Scale:
94-100= 4.0 (A) * 90-93= 3.7 (A-) * 87-89 = 3.3 (B+) * 83-86= 3.0 (B) * 80-82= 2.7 (B-) * 77-79= 2.3
(C+) * 70-73= 2.0 (C) * 67-69= 1.3 (D+) * 63-66 1.0 (D) * 60-64= 0.7 (D-)* 0-59=0.0 (F)
Other Information:
Academic Dishonesty: All work submitted in this course must be your own and be written exclusively for
this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly documented. In cases of
Wycoff 114 Syllabus 1
clearly established plagiarism, the award of F for the final course grade is the standard practice of the college.
Please e-mail me if you have any questions about your use of sources.
Disabilities: Pierce College provides a fully integrated learning experience for students with disabilities by
promoting an environment that is free from physical and attitudinal barriers. Students with permanent or
temporary disabilities may be eligible for reasonable accommodations and services. If you believe you may be
eligible for services, please make an appointment with the DSS Coordinator (Brenda McKinney), using one of
the following options: (253) 964-6526 (voice), (253) 964-6228 (TTY), (253) 964-6449 (fax), or you may email
Brenda directly at bmckinne@pierce.ctc.edu.
Preparedness:
This class will be heavily centered on lecture and discussion. Your interaction is crucial to the class's success.
Texts are not fixed, perfect things. They are conversations about ideas and writing. I am here to facilitate
these conversations and to make sure we all talk about reading and writing in a dialogue with one another and
the texts. In order to be prepared for this kind of dialogue, you must read all reading assignments and be
able to discuss each one when called upon to do so. If you have not read the assignment completely and
attentively, you will receive an absence for the day. You will also receive an absence if you: Have irrelevant
conversations with neighbors or on cell-phones during class time, if you do work for other classes during this
class, or if you sleep during class. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get notes from a
classmate. Take a minute to exchange email addresses with a few of your classmates. Please do not
email me after an absence to ask, “Did we do anything today?” Thanks.
Tentative Class Schedule
All readings must be done PRIOR to the day they appear on the syllabus!
Course Introduction: About Reading and Writing
4/2: Welcome, Syllabus, course overview
4/3: Discuss: About Drama (hand-out)
4/4-4/5: Discuss “Oedipus” p. 1-45
4/9-4/12: Discuss “Hamlet” p. 91-212
Exam 1: Due 4/12
4/16-4/19: Discuss “The Glass Menagerie” p. 334-389
4/23-4/26: Discuss “Death of a Salesman” p. 390-469
4/30-5/3: Discuss “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (whole text)
Exam 2: Due 5/3
5/7-5/10: Discuss “Top Girls” p. 533-594
5/14-5/15: Discuss “Trifles” p. 321-333
5/16-5/17: Discuss “Master Harold and the Boys” p. 595-632
5/21-5/24: Discuss “The Piano Lesson” p. 633-703
Exam 3: Due 5/24
5/28: No school
5/29-6/1: Discuss “Lysistrata” p. 46-90
6/5-6/8: Discuss “Endgame” p. 470-532
6/11: Loose ends, questions, problems, worries, etc.
6/12: Exam 4 due. THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF CLASS. NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED
AFTER THIS DATE. Happy summer!
Wycoff 114 Syllabus 2