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INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA
SPECIAL EMPHASIS: REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN
English 2029, Section 2
Tues/Thurs 12:10-1:30, Spring 2007
Instructor: Erin Breaux
Office Hours: Wed, 1-2; Thurs, 1:30-2:30; Fri, 1-2
Email: ebreau7@lsu.edu
Office: Allen Hall, Room 2
Phone: 225-578-4370
Classroom: 32 Allen
Course Description: Welcome to English 2029! This class focuses on improving reading, critical thinking,
and interpreting plays. Our section has a special emphasis on women characters, women’s issues, and
female playwrights. We will consider: dramatic genres, historical & social contexts, gender relations,
race, family, text vs. performance, problems of translation, film adaptations, and questions of audience.
Can you bring up other topics that you’re interested in? Of course!
Course Objectives:
 to read closely in order to explicate the literal and figurative meaning of passages
 to identify larger themes and patterns in a dramatic work as a whole
 to begin to relate a dramatic work to conventions of genre and literary traditions
 to understand the cultural and historical contexts of a dramatic work
 to articulate critical insights about dramatic texts, defending independent interpretations and
evaluating conflicting arguments
 to consider how writing about drama resembles and differs from writing about other texts
 to identify and effectively use terms basic to dramatic interpretation
 to trace patterns, changes, or conflicts of gender and female experience through historical periods
and the medium of drama
Course Materials: You can find these in the University Bookstore or Co-op Bookstore on Burbank (and
possibly at the other used-text bookstores around campus).
 Lysistrata, ISBN: 0872206033
 Othello and Tragedy of Mariam, ISBN: 0321096991
 Twelfth Night, ISBN: 0140714898
 The Heidi Chronicles, ISBN: 0679734996
 At this time, DO NOT BUY Streetcar Named Desire
 For Colored Girls who have considered suicide…, ISBN: 0684843269
 Buy a large binder ASAP. I will put the other plays and essays on Blackboard, under “Course
Materials” then “Reading Packet.” You should print these out, keep them in your binder, and
bring it to class as you would a textbook.
Note: Please make sure to check your LSU email address (or have LSU mail forwarded to your
regular account) and Blackboard everyday. I will post readings, updates, assignments, and grades.
Course Requirements: The assignments for this course include:
 Two Short Papers (3 pages), the first of which will be a monologue or soliloquy explication, and
the second of which will be a film or performance review. Details will follow closer to the due
dates. You do not have to turn in a response paper the week that these assignments are due.
 Literary Analysis Essay (5-7 pages), which will asks you to argue a claim based on one or more
texts (having to do with language, dramatic devices, a character or theme, etc), back it up with
textual references, and have clear organization and style. We will discuss options later, but you
should keep your eye out for plays or themes that really interest you. You may even have a small
idea in a response paper which can be developed. Later, you’ll come up with a topic and get it
approved by me.
 Weekly Responses, which ask you to reflect/connect/question what you have read for the day.
You are required to turn in one response per week— which means you can turn it in either
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Tuesday or Thursday. The response needs to be about that day’s readings (or the day before if the
same play was discussed) and should be at least 1 page typed, double-spaced.
o When thinking about the acts, consider any of these prompts: Did a particular passage
strike you? How so and why? Was it something about the language or a memory it
brought up? Were there certain images that the author seems to use for a purpose
throughout the play? Can you connect something in this play with another play we have
read or another piece of literature/art/film/pop culture? How did the play make you
feel? Did you identify with certain characters or experiences? Why or why not? Does it
relate to contemporary events or attitudes? How?
o Feel free to write on anything else the passage makes you think about, but show me that
you’ve read it and thought critically. If you have questions, put them at the bottom of
your paper in case they come up during class.
o You will turn in the response at the end of class, so that during class discussion you can
remember what you wrote or asked; I may even call on you to share with the class. There
is no response due during the first or last week of the semester, as well as the weeks that
your essays are due. There will be 10, which will basically add up to another essay grade.
Outline (for the Literary Analysis), which gives me your proposed thesis and evidence in an
organized fashion, so that I can see how much work you’ve done. I will comment on this and
return it to you.
Final Exam, which will cover important dramatic terms, historical context, and the texts we have
read and discussed. The final will be comprehensive. Possible scenarios: identifications, short
answer, multiple choice, explication, essay question. The last day of class will be a review session.
Occasional quizzes, in-class writing and group activities which require you to be in class, to have
read the day’s material, and to think creatively. These count toward your participation grade.
Grades: Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
Short Paper 1
Short Paper 2
Literary Essay
Final Exam
Response Papers/Outline
Participation/Attendance
15%
15%
20%
20%
15%
15%
Writing Assignment Format:
 All assignments must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and with 1
inch margins.
 Put your name, the course, my name, and the due date in the upper left-hand corner, and include
a title for your essays. For responses, please title “Response [Number you’re on].”
 Your assignments should be stapled. If you often print in the library, buy a mini-stapler to keep
in your booksack.
 Pages should be numbered consecutively in the upper-right corner with your last name.
 Please use white paper and black ink only.
 All citations should be in MLA or APA style. I will show you how to cite plays.
 Be sure to save copies of your work. Don’t turn in your only copy!
Late Policy:
 All essays are due at the beginning of class on the due date; turning one in more than ten minutes
after class begins will constitute a 5 point penalty. Each day thereafter that the essay is late,
another 10 points will automatically be deducted. If the paper is more than two days late, I
reserve the right to refuse it.
 No make-ups on quizzes, reading responses, and in-class activities. You cannot turn in two
responses in one week (to make up for one missed), because I’m giving you the choice between
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class days. Contact me with special circumstances, although this does not guarantee that I will
make an exception.
If you will be absent on a due date, you should speak to me beforehand to make arrangements
for turning in your paper. If you realize you will miss class due to illness or family emergency,
please contact me as soon as possible.
Class Attendance and Participation:
 I expect you to come prepared for class with all materials--that means the play we are reading
and any additional essay(s) I may have assigned. This class depends on your input, so
participation means talking, writing, and listening. It also requires that you have read the
assigned acts. For this class to be interesting, you need to participate.
 If someone is sleeping, having extraneous conversations, working on other homework, etc, I will
consider him or her absent for the day. I expect you to be here in body and mind. You should also
be on time for class; if you are late, please come in quietly.
 Cell phones should be silent or off during class time. I also don’t allow laptops in my class,
because it can be distracting for the user, teacher, and other students.
 Each student is allowed three unexcused absences before it affects his or her grade. The only
absence exceptions must be accompanied by proper documentation (i.e. doctor’s note or
university-mandated excuse). When an absence is unavoidable, you are responsible for finding
out what you missed and still turning in assignments on time unless you made previous
arrangements with me. I recommend getting email addresses and phone numbers of a few
classmates. Remember: quizzes and reading responses cannot be made up.
Conferences: At mid-term, we will schedule individual conferences to discuss your performance. It is
mandatory that you register for and attend your conference time. Of course, if you ever have questions
and concerns, you are welcome to visit me during office hours or schedule an appointment.
Academic Misconduct: Turning in any work written in part or whole by someone else, or which includes
the work, language, or ideas of others without giving proper credit is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism
is cheating and will not be tolerated; it can lead to a failing course grade and even dismissal from the
university. I report such cases to the Dean of Students. Familiarize yourself with Section 5.1 of The Code of
Student Conduct for more details.
Resources:
 My Office Hours—I will not edit or proofread your paper, re-teach material from a class period
you missed, or discuss an essay less than two days before it is due, but I can talk to you about
other stages in the process, questions you have about the material, or where you’re going with an
essay topic. If you want to discuss an essay grade, you can contact me 24 hours afterwards.
Directions to my office are on Blackboard under “Staff Information.”
 Email – I check this frequently, so it is the best way to reach me. Please remember our
professional relationship, and address me respectfully in emails. Also identify yourself and any
details that would help me assist you better, since I have a lot of students!
 The LSU Writing Center offers free (one-on-one) tutoring to help students in drafting, revising,
and editing written work. To make an appointment, call 578-4439 or drop by B18 Coates.
Disabilities: LSU and I will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Notify the Office of Disability Services (112 Johnston Hall), and show me the documentation as soon as
possible.
Note: This syllabus is subject to change, and any changes will be announced in class, posted on
Blackboard, and/or sent in an email. You are responsible for noting these changes and for turning in all
assignments on time to avoid penalization.
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