This course traces the history of Western theatre from its Greek origins to the beginning of the eighteenth century in England and France, with specific references to the plays in a core anthology, The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama.
It provides an analysis of individual plays as theatre and as literature, and includes brief background notes on the authors and on the significance of the plays in the context of Western theatre. It traces the common elements of drama from ritualistic and ceremonial dance and song, through the liturgical drama of the Middle Ages, English Renaissance tragedy and tragi-comedy, French neo-classical comedy and tragedy, and the social comedy of the Restoration. It also shows the development of the theatre as a physical structure, from the early Greek open air amphitheatres to the modified tennis courts in London, investigating the relationship of the physical theatre and the structure and style of the drama.
Outline
Act I — The Golden Age: Tragedy and Comedy in Athens
Act II — Medieval Roots and Renaissance Flowerings: Mysteries and Moralities, Tragedy and Tragicomedy
Act III — Sentiment and Wit: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Comedy and Tragedy
Evaluation
To receive credit for this course, you must achieve achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on all of the below assignments and final exam and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. All assignments and final examination must be submitted or completed by the end of your course contract date.
Activity
Weight
Scene Analysis
10%
Critical Review
20%
Essay Proposal
5%
Essay
25%
Final Exam
40%
Total
100%
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Worthen, W. B., ed. The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama. 6th ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2010. (Print)
Wallis, Mick and Simon Shepherd. Studying Plays. 4th ed. New York: Bloomsbury, 2018. (Print)
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ENGL 303 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination, and a grade of at least D (50 percent) overall.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.