ENGL 782 (01) - Modern and Contemporary Drama

Modern and Contemporary Drama

Durham   Liberal Arts :: English
Credits: 4.0
Term: Fall 2021 - Full Term (08/30/2021 - 12/13/2021)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Class Size:   25  
CRN: 16539
An overview of the best writing for the modern stage. We'll survey developments in theater in the past 100 years, sampling such genres as absurdist drama, psychological gothic, "in yer face" theatre, theater that incorporates new media, and work by women, African-American, Latinx, gay and immigrant writers. We'll discuss the changing role of theater in society, identity politics onstage and off, and shock, sex and violence as dramatic techniques. Live and filmed performances as available. Prereq: ENGL 401.
Department Approval Required. Contact Academic Department for permission then register through Webcat.
Only listed campus in section: Durham, Manchester
Classes not allowed in section: Freshman
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Instructors: Douglas Lanier

Times & Locations

Start Date End Date Days Time Location
8/30/2021 12/13/2021 MW 2:10pm - 3:30pm HS 108
Additional Course Details: 

Fall 2021 Course Details:Modern and Contemporary Drama

This course offers you an overview of the best writing for the modern and contemporary stage. After surveying some of the key figures who revolutionized theater in the early twentieth century, we'll sample such contemporary genres as absurdist drama, psychological gothic, “in yer face” theater, work by African-American, Latinx, queer and immigrant writers, documentary theater, and plays that incorporate new media. We'll be asking how theater addressed changes in its status and social function in the eras of film, television and the internet, how plays engage with identity politics both on and off the stage, and how and why contemporary theater has taken up controversial dramatic techniques like sex, shock, violence and audience participation. Interspersed in our conversations will also be snippets from key theorists of modern theater, so we can address the philosophies behind the plays. Where they are available, we'll also look at video and filmed performances to see how practitioners have realized and adapted these works.

This course satisfies a Post-1800 literature requirement for English Department Majors.

This course may be taken for Capstone credit by English majors; please fill out a Capstone Declaration Form. Contact the ENGL Main Office for assistance: 603-862-1313.

Reminder: 700-level classes taken to fulfill the English Major Capstone MAY NOT be double counted towards other major requirement areas.