11/21/2024 7:07:33 AM	THAR 6 Course Outline as of Spring 2015	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  THAR 6	Title:  MULTICULTURAL THEATRE
Full Title:  Multicultural Perspectives in American Theatre
Last Reviewed:1/25/2021

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		17.5 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade Only
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

An introduction to cultural influences and trends in American Theatre through the study of contemporary African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American drama.  The course will focus on script analysis, video presentations, and play productions to gain a deeper understanding of theatrical expression in each culture.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

An introduction to cultural influences and trends in American Theatre through the study of contemporary African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American drama.  The course will focus on script analysis, video presentations, and play productions to gain a deeper understanding of theatrical expression in each culture.

(Grade Only)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 1995	Inactive:
Area:	E G	Humanities American Cultures/Ethnic Studies
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C1	Arts		Fall 1996
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3A	Arts		Fall 1997
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1995	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1997	Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1.   Define and articulate the cultural differences of African American, Asian American,

     Latino, and Native American theatrical traditions.

2.   Demonstrate an understanding of the economic, political, and historical forces that shaped

     these diverse American theatrical traditions.

3.   Analyze and interpret the theatrical practices and dramatic literature of these diverse

    American cultures.

Objectives:

1. Recognize the values, beliefs, and behaviors that define a culture.

2. Define key terms of cultural awareness such as oppression, privilege, racism,

     ethnocentrism, and classism.

3. Identify the influence of ritual, ceremony, and storytelling on diverse American

    theatrical traditions.

4. Identify the historical negative stereotypes of African American, Asian American,

    Latino, and Native American people perpetuated by the entertainment industry and

    analyze the effect of these negative stereotypes within the framework of American culture.

5. Place a work of contemporary, multicultural theatrical art in its historical and stylistic context.

6. Distinguish among the theatrical conventions of diverse American theatrical traditions.

7. Analyze and interpret works of dramatic literature by key playwrights or performance artists

     from diverse American cultures.

8. Apply these tools of identification, analysis, and cultural understanding to live theatrical

     presentations.

Topics and Scope

I.   Introduction

    A. Definition of relevant theatrical terminology.

    B. Key terms of cultural awareness including oppression, privilege, racism, ethnocentrism,

         and classism.

II.  Overview of Native American, African American, Asian American, and Latino Theatre.

    A.  The use of ritual, dance, music and story-telling in the lives and world view of each group.

    B.  Understanding creative endeavors within a cultural context.

    C.  Diverse methods of theatrical presentations.

    D.  Development of theatrical conventions according to the historical

           traditions of each group.

    E.  Synthesis of cultural understanding with artistic interpretation

          of theatrical productions and play readings.

    F. Negative stereotypes of African, Asian, Latin and Native Americans perpetuated by the

         entertainment industry.

III. Native American Theatre

    A.  The influences of colonialism, brutality and oppression.

    B. Assimilation attempts, treaties, boarding schools, tribal society, the oral tradition, the

          Civil Rights Movement, American Indian Movement, and a rediscovery of traditional

          spirituality.

    C.  Possible playwrights include:  Hanay Geiogamah, Thomson Highway, William

          Yellowrobe, SpiderwomanTheatre, Greg Saris, and the theatrical organizations with

          which they have worked.

IV.  Latino Theatre

    A.  Geography, immigration, labor, and Catholicism.

    B.  Latino literature, magical realism, and poetry.

    C.  History of Latino Theatre and how it continues to be shaped by political, social, and

          economic issues.

    D.  Possible playwrights include:  Luis Valdez, Milcha Sanchez-Scott, Luis Alfaro, and the

           theatrical organizations with which they have worked.

V.   African American Theatre

    A.  Slavery, minstrel shows, the Civil War and Reconstruction, and the Northern Migration

    B.  Harlem Renaissance, the Depression, and the Federal Theatre Project.

    C.  African American oral tradition and literature, poetry, and the Civil Rights Movement.

    D. African American playwrights include:  August Wilson, Amiri Baraka, Pearl Cleage,

          Anna Deavere Smith and the theatrical organizations with which they have worked.

VI.  Asian American Theatre

    A.  The influences of immigration, labor and exclusion laws.

    B.  Effects of World War II, the internments camps, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and the

          Civil Rights Movement.

    C.  Traditional Asian theatrical conventions.

    D. Possible playwrights include:  Philip Kan Gotanda, David Henry Hwang, Margaret Cho,

          Diana Son, and the theatrical organizations with which they have worked.

VII.  Units of study may also include other theatrical traditions such as Arab American, gay,

       Deaf, and religious theatre.

Assignments:

The student will complete:

1.  Weekly reading assignments:

     10-14 representative plays of varying lengths and related material.

2.  Three short 500-word essays

3.  10-15 quizzes on the assigned reading

4.  Midterm and Final Exam

5.  A creative project, with written documentation, consisting of one of the following:

     a.  An oral presentation on a multicultural performance group.

     b.  An oral presentation on a multicultural theatre artist.

     c.  A costume or set design for one of the plays that are assigned for the course.

     d.  The design and construction of a culturally-specific production element  (i.e.a mask, traditional performance garment, etc.).

     e.  A performance of a culturally-specific performance style.

     f.   A ten-minute play written by the student that deals with one of the terms of cultural awareness (oppression, privilege, racism, ethnocentrism, classism, etc.).

6.  May include required attendance at Theatre Arts Productions.

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 20 - 55%
Written homework, short essays, responses to a productions relevant to the subject area.
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 25 - 50%
Essay exam and quizzes.
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 10 - 30%
Oral presentation, performance or creative project

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Three Plays. Wilson, August. University of Pittsburgh Press. Copyright 1991. (Classic)

 

Asian American Playwrights: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Miles Xian Liu. Greenwood Publishing Group. Westport, Conn. 2002. Ebook http://www.netlibrary.com/  (Classic text.)

 

Stories of Our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays. Geiogamah, Hanay.

(Editor)  Jaye T. Darby (Editor). University of California, American Indian Studies Center. 1999. (Classic)

 

New Native American Drama. Geiogamah, Hanay.  University of Oklahoma Press. 1980. (Classic)

 

The Land Called Morning: Three Plays. Heath, Caroline, ed. Fifth House.1986. (Classic)

 

Seventh Generation: An Anthology of Native American Plays. Mimi Gisolfi D'Aponte (Editor), Theatre Communications Group, 1998. (Classic)

 

On New Ground: Contemporary Hispanic-American Plays. Edited by M. Elizabeth Osborn. Theatre Communication Group, New York, 1987.  (Classic)

 

The Creative Spirit:  An Introduction to Theatre, 6th Edition. Stephanie Arnold.  Lewis and Clark College: 2014.

 

Instructor prepared materials

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