Overview
English 431: Indigenous and Canadian Drama is a senior-level, three-credit course that surveys plays by Indigenous and Canadian playwrights from the 1960s to the present. ENGL 431 examines a diversity of theatrical styles and themes, in works from across the territory occupied by the Canadian nation-state. The plays are grouped in three “Acts” according to commonalities in the social, political, and philosophical issues they address, rather than according to chronology, although students are encouraged to consider the historiographic context of each play.
ENGL 431 focuses primarily on the analysis of individual plays—on their own and in comparison with each other—as theatre and literature, but also as knowledge production and political action. Special attention will be paid to the cultural differences between Indigenous and settler understandings of performance, the use of theatrical innovation or derivation, elements of dramatic form, shared themes, sociological or psychological orientation, the uses of literary language, and stagecraft.
Outline
ENGL 431 consists of a Prologue, three Acts, and two optional Appendices. Each of the Acts assigns five or six plays to be read, together with accompanying Study Guide commentary and recommended sources.
- Prologue
- Act I: Developing Indigenous and Canadian Drama
- Act II: Staging Atrocity, Absurdity, and Adaptation
- Act III: Cultural Collisions and Intercultural Encounters
- Appendix I
- Appendix II
Learning outcomes
After completing ENGL 431, you should be able to
- Trace the history of dramatic rituals in Indigenous cultures, the development of Canadian drama, and the formation of a “national” drama.
- Analyze recurrent or distinctive themes in Canadian drama since 1967, and ascertain to what extent these express regional, cultural, or national concerns.
- Describe the concerns of Indigenous and Canadian drama since 1967.
- Compare the stylistic strategies used by Indigenous and Canadian dramatists (realist, expressionist, absurdist, filmic, etc.).
- Identify the styles and themes unique to individual playwrights, and compare and contrast these with the styles and themes of others.
- Describe the multiplicity of perspectives—including Québécois, feminist, LGBTQ2S, settler, colonized, immigrant, diasporic—that are operative in contemporary Indigenous and Canadian drama and theatre.
- Analyze the function of character, plot, and set in sixteen Canadian plays.
- Critically evaluate published articles and reviews of Indigenous and Canadian drama in order to arrive at your own understanding of the above issues.
Evaluation
To receive credit for ENGL 431, you must achieve a composite course grade of at least 50 percent, a grade of at least D (50 percent) on each assignment, and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final exam.
Some post-secondary institutions require an average higher than 50 percent for the purposes of transfer credit. If you intend to transfer this course to another institution, check with the office of the registrar at the institution to which you are applying.
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1: Scene Analysis (1,000 words) | 10% |
| Assignment 2: Review Critique (1,500 words) | 20% |
| Assignment 3: Part A: Essay Proposal or Script Rationale (250–750 words) | 10% |
| Assignment 3: Part B: Essay or Script (2,000+ words) | 25% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
| 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
Physical course materials
The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:
Arnold, Daniel and Medina Hahn. Tuesdays & Sundays. Dramatic Publishing, 2007.
Campbell, Maria and Linda Griffiths. The Book of Jessica: A Theatrical Transformation. Coach House, 1997.
Conolly, L. W., editor. Canadian Drama and the Critics. 2nd rev. ed., Talonbooks, 1995.
Loring, Kevin. Where the Blood Mixes. Talonbooks, 2009.
Taylor, Drew Hayden. In a World Created by a Drunken God. Talonbooks, 2006.
Wasserman, Jerry, editor. Modern Canadian Plays. 5th ed., vol. 1, Talonbooks, 2013.
Wasserman, Jerry, editor. Modern Canadian Plays. 5th ed., vol. 2, Talonbooks, 2013.
Online Resources
All other learning resources will be available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
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 431 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on a research essay, at least a D (50 percent) on the examination, and at least a D (50 percent) overall.
| Activity | Weight |
| Research Essay | 50% |
| Exam | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form