Course Syllabus
Course: THEA 2290
Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
Department: Theater Arts
Title: Special Topics in Theatre
Semester Approved: Spring 2018
Five-Year Review Semester: Spring 2023
End Semester: Spring 2024
Catalog Description: A variable content course which treats subjects of special interest. The content will change from semester to semester and will be advertised in advance. May be taken by both majors and non-majors. Repeatable for credit.
Semesters Offered: TBA
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 1-3; Lecture: 1-3; Lab: 0
Repeatable: Yes.
Justification: This course allows instructors to explore topics of special interest that are not currently being addressed in the departmental curriculum. This also affords the Instructor an opportunity for a more in depth exploration of a topic that receives a limited amount of coverage as part of the regular curriculum. This course responds to the need to offer students additional learning opportunities in their field of study in theatre. Similar courses are taught at most other institutions in the state. Topics may be extensions of the current field of study or it may include possible future additions to the departmental curriculum.It also responds to a unique strength of the Snow College Theatre Department: uniquely tailored, practical theatrical educational experiences. For students undertaking the foremost positions in theatre that demand intense artistic vision and leadership (such as Director, Lead Designer, or Playwright) this course serves as the core for these high impact individual projects.It also allows for The Snow College Theatre Department to partner with outside schools, professional companies, and industry professionals to develop unique curriculum. It is intended, in part, to bring instructors from these industry institutions and individuals to temporarily teach at Snow College. It expands Snow's artistic connections and gives theatre students opportunities to learn from instructors with even more varied and exotic methodologies and develop networking opportunities for the future.
Student Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcomes and assessment tools will be determined by faculty and student.
Content:
This course concerns itself with highly specific topics of theatre, ranging from performance methods, design subjects, technological study, play creation, theatre education, criticism, and/or dramaturgy. Possible performance/acting topics for this course include: - Acting Shakespeare - Acting Chekhov - Period Acting Styles - Contemporary Acting Styles - Avant-Garde Acting - Unarmed Stage Combat - Armed Stage Combat: Short Sword/Rapier - Armed Stage Combat: Long Sword - Armed Stage Combat: Quarterstaff - Armed Stage Combat: Firearms - Movement for the Actor: Viewpoints - Movement for the Actor: Suzuki Technique - Movement for the Actor: Michael Chekhov - Movement for the Actor: Grotowski - Historical Dance Styles - Alexander Technique - Singing for the Actor - Advanced Speech Work: Vocal Coaching - Advanced Speech Work: Dialects - Audition Technique - Acting as a Profession: Unions/Agents - Acting as a Profession: Contracts/Finances/NegotiationsPossible playwriting/literary topics for this course include: - Playwriting - Playwriting: Adaptation/Translation - Screenwriting - Writing for TV - Writing for Musical Theatre - Character Development - Dramaturgy - Devised Theatre - Playback Theatre - Children's Theatre - Theatre Education - Feminist Theatre - African American Theatre - Indigenous People's Theatre - Theatre of Eastern Asia - Theatre Criticism Possible directing/stage management topics for this course include: - Stage Management - Production Management - Text Analysis - Artistic Collaboration - Theatrical Storytelling - Directing: Civic Engagement - Directing: History and Context - Director/Designer Collaboration - Director/Playwright Collaboration - Rehearsal Techniques - Directing Studio: Devising - Directing Studio: Musical Theatre - Directing Studio: Physical Theatre - Directing Studio: Theatrical Adaptation - Directing Studio: Site-Specific Theatre - Directing Studio: Toy TheatrePossible design/technical topics for this course include: - Prop Furniture - Armament - Periods and Styles - Design and Media - Videography - Puppetry - Technical Direction - Sound Design - Properties Design - Advanced Scenic Construction - Theatre Scenographic Technology - Projections - Electricals - Design CollaborationThis course may also serve as an independent study for students assuming positions of great responsibility in a production. Eligible positions would include designer, director, or playwright, all of whom are accountable for a preponderance of creative and artistic decisions for a production.
Key Performance Indicators:
Key performance indicators may include: quizzes, exams, project work, presentations, performances, and written assignments relative to the special topic. These KPI's will demonstrate increased knowledge, skills and/or abilities.
Representative Text and/or Supplies:
None or varies based on special topic.
Pedagogy Statement:
Regarding topics covered in the workshop section, pedagogical methods will follow the same basic structure. Beginning with a theoretical introduction presented through primary source texts, scholarly articles, and discussions with authorities on the specific practices. In some cases, readings and assignments may be preparatory for the course. Workshop courses will then advance into a practical application of the introduced theory, guided instruction through a series hands-on laboratory activities. Each will then culminate with a project that allows the students to both synthesize the topic into their own creation, self-evaluate it, and respond effectively to peer work.For the independent study sections of this course, teaching methods will take the form of a long-term research project (the creation of a director's book and research, the full flight of designer's concepts and accompanying research, dramaturgical work and several iterations and revisions of a new script) concluding with the work realized in a full-length production. During both the research and practical stages direct guidance will be given by a faculty member resembling an apprenticeship/mentorship relationship that includes weekly assessments, self-evaluations, and post-mortem interview following the culmination of the student's project.
Instructional Mediums:
Lecture
Workshop
Maximum Class Size: 32
Optimum Class Size: 16
