DRAM 284: Studies in Dramatic Theory and Criticism:
Major Modern Dramatists
Course Overview
DRAM 284 provides a survey of major dramatists of the twentieth and twenty‐first centuries. It strives
to equip the student with a common vocabulary and understanding of the concepts utilized in the
study and collaborative work of the theatre. It also explains the role of playwrights who have helped
to shape contemporary theatre.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
recognize key theatrical movements and identify major writers in these movements
define important theatrical terms
analyze the purpose of a theatre piece and the point‐of‐view adopted by those who create it
explain the social, cultural, and political influences on theatre
navigate and assess Web sites devoted to drama and theatre
pursue an interest in current professional theatre, including active theatre‐going.
Required Texts
See course description for current materials.
Course Requirements
DRAM 284 has several components, as described below:
Discussion Forum—15% of final grade
You will have the opportunity to share your ideas and insights, pose thoughtful questions, and
respond to fellow students' opinions regarding theatre in our electronic classroom, the discussion
forum. Each week's lesson includes a set of questions that should guide and jumpstart the discussion.
You will be graded on both the quality and consistency of your responses, and you are expected to
engage in discussion at least three times a week. One posting must be an answer to or comment on
one of the discussion questions listed for that week; one must be a question about the reading for
that week; and the third must be a response to a question someone else has posted. Comments
should express an awareness of the topic being discussed and a thoughtful understanding of the
reading material. Don't just agree with what someone else has said; add to the discussion in a
meaningful way. Please use the forum to ask questions about the readings, share ideas, form
opinions, and work with fellow students throughout the semester.
Exams—60% of final grade
You will take one midterm exam and a final exam, each of which will count 30% towards your final
grade. The exams will include multiple‐choice, true‐false, short answer, and short essay questions,
and will cover major points of the readings and discussions. The final exam will be cumulative. Both
exams will be e‐mailed to you by your instructor, and you will e‐mail your answers to your instructor.
There will be no makeup exams.
Course Paper—25% of final grade
You will prepare one analytical paper of four to six pages in length. Papers may be submitted
electronically. See Course Paper Guidelines for details.
Grading
Your grade will be assigned based on the following standardized ten‐point grading scale:
A = 94‐100
B+ = 87‐89
B‐ = 80‐82
C = 73‐76
D+ = 67‐69
A‐ = 90‐93
B = 83‐86
C+ = 77‐79
C‐ = 70‐72
D = 60‐66
F = 00‐59
Paper Grading Policies
An A paper features exceptional insights and flawless presentation. It reflects original thinking
and superior effort. It is well structured, clear, coherent, excellently supported through
appropriate examples, and completely free of grammar and usage errors.
A B paper features superior insights and presentation. It reflects a thoughtful, understanding
grasp of its subject. It is reasonably structured, well supported, and competently written, with
virtually no stylistic errors.
A C paper features average effort and execution. It lacks clear focus and organization, its ideas
are weak and/or uninteresting, there is inadequate support, and it contains distracting
grammar and usage errors.
A D paper reflects substandard work. It has no identifiable purpose, fails to provide the
significance of its thesis, is poorly written, and contains many technical errors.
An F paper reflects plagiarized or unacceptable, fatally flawed work.
Academic Policies
By enrolling as a student in this course, you agree to abide by the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill policies related to the acceptable use of online resources. Please consult the Acceptable
Use Policy on topics such as copyright, net‐etiquette, and privacy protection.
As part of this course, you may be asked to participate in online discussions or other online activities
that may include personal information about you or other students in the course. Please be
respectful of the rights and protection of other participants under the UNC‐Chapel Hill Information
Security Policies when participating in online classes.
When using online resources offered by organizations not affiliated with UNC‐Chapel Hill, such as
Google or YouTube, please note that the terms and conditions of these companies and not the
University’s Terms and Conditions apply. These third parties may offer different degrees of privacy
protection and access rights to online content. You should be well aware of this when posting
content to sites not managed by UNC‐Chapel Hill.
When links to sites outside of the unc.edu domain are inserted in class discussions, please be
mindful that clicking on sites not affiliated with UNC‐Chapel Hill may pose a risk for your computer
due to the possible presence of malware on such sites.
Honor Code
Remember that as a student of UNC‐Chapel Hill, you are bound by the University's Honor Code, which
states that “It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating,
or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic
personnel acting in an official capacity.”
All graded academic work must include a pledge comprised of the following: “No unauthorized
assistance has been received or given in the completion of this work.”
An especially serious Honor Code violation is plagiarism. If you are uncertain about what constitutes
plagiarism, contact me and/or familiarize yourself with this plagiarism tutorial, courtesy of UNC
Libraries.
Course Outline
Lesson 1: Beginning to Study Modern Drama
Lesson 2: Modern American Drama and The Glass Menagerie
Lesson 3: Twentieth‐century Theatre: Tragicomedy and New Forms; Understanding Modernism
Lesson 4: Major British Drama; The Birthday Party
Lesson 5: Major American Drama; Fool for Love
Lesson 6: Understanding Modern Realism
Lesson 7: The Nonrealistic Play, Footfalls
Lesson 8: Modern Dramatic Genres and Theatrical Styles
Lesson 9: Retro Genius; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Lesson 10: Making Theatre Appealing to Modern Audiences
Lesson 11: Feminist Drama; How I Learned to Drive
Lesson 12: New Voices, New Forms; Fences
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Send comments and questions to fridaycenter@unc.edu.