TERRY CONVERSE
converse@wsu.edu
Spring 2011

Teaching Assistants:

HEATHER WILSON
(heather.wilson@email.wsu.edu)

NICK FITZGERALD
nicholas.fitzgerald@email.wsu.edu

Lomhlaba Unzima, Lohmhlaba.
[This world is a harsh place, this world.]
–Zulu Proverb

What a time!
What a civilization!
– Cicero (106 - 43 B. C.)

DESCRIPTION:

Through readings, videos, and interactive internet projects, we will examine the richness and diversity of contemporary theatre and drama from a global context. More people with differing cultural heritages and religious outlooks live more closely together today than in any other period, and with this in mind, this course centers around a single pivotal question:

When contrasting cultures collide, what is the outcome, and how has theatre from around the world dramatized this question?

Between e-mail, faxes, and jumbo jets, the world has gotten smaller and smaller and never before in human history has there been such a world wide concern with the common problems such as environmental pollution, overpopulation, urban sprawl, and nuclear warfare. The two specific clusters of focus for this course are:

Post–Colonial Drama:
Cultures Apart and Together

Contemporary theatre and drama from former British colonies such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India, and The West Indies will be studied. Gender, race, and class become key issues in understanding the ramifications of these colliding cultures.

African-American and Asian-American Drama:
Spiritual Downsizing

Right here on the homefront there is much to learn about the conflicting feelings of being caught between two cultural worlds. Downsizing is everywhere, and many theatre artists are quick to remind us that there has been a kind of spiritual downsizing as well as an economic one. Such discontent and insecurity generate even more tension than usual when different cultures come together.

Colliding cultures as the theme for this course helps promote cultural sensitivity, appreciation, and understanding in what has rapidly become aptly named our “global village.” For many years, the U.S., has exported rock music, movies and television giving the rest of the world an insight into our culture. As the United States and Europe become less dominant in world affairs, it becomes increasingly important to abandon our smug isolationism and to absorb other lifestyles and philosophies to successfully participate in the global economy. The study of contemporary world theatre provides the student with a window through which to study the important issues confronting people in different cultures.

Contemporary World Theatre
WEB SITE

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(URL): http://www.wsu.edu/~converse/Dra145.html

A pivotal part of this course is an interactive web site which is designed to further stimulate class discussion by extending it outside the bounds of the traditional classroom. To help insure that this really happens, all students are required to have web access and current e-mail accounts.

On-Line Extra Credit is the perfect way to improve your final grade. An extra 10-15 points can make a substantial difference in the outcome of your final grade. All of the available web based projects are designed to stretch your thinking beyond the conventional classroom experience. Details about these innovative, on-line extra credit projects can be found at:

http://www.wsu.e du/~converse/critical_tools/excreditonline.html

Not including extra credit generated from submitted quiz and discussion questions, the amount of earned extra credit is limited to a maximum of 15 points

MASTER SCHEDULE

DATE

CLASS ACTIVITY

READINGS

SPRING VACATION: Mar. 14-18 (Mon. — Fri.)