Readings
Don't worry about memorizing
facts from the readings. Any theatrical facts you need to know will be discussed
in class, or I'll tell you to pay attention to it in the readings. Read
the articles and the plays for what they reveal about American society and
theatre's place in it at that time period.We won't be talking about the
plays from a script analysis point of view, but we'll look at how characters
and themes reflect the time period. Also - don't panic about the articles.
Most of them are quite short and easy to read.
Exams
I do not give multiple choice
exams. They are all writing, so come with plenty of paper (no blue books,
for reasons I will explain), and a warmed-up hand. My exams are about application
of knowledge. Trace a trend, or what can you tell me about one thing based
on what you know about something else, etc. I will give out sample essay
questions before each exam. The exams are mostly short answer, with a few
long answer. Other than very specific dates that I will be clear about,
I will not ask you dates. That's why they invented reference books. I know,
it sounds horrible, but if you ask people who have taken my exams in the
past, they're really not bad.
History
of the American Theatre Assignments