Course Requirements
 

The requirements for the course are

  1. to read the required texts, to engage with the material on the course webpage, and to prepare for and participate in class discussions, video viewings, projects, and exercises;
  2. to take careful notes on the reading, including questions you would like addressed in class, and to bring them to the class discussion;
  3. to read and respond thoughtfully to questions and postings to the class bulletin board at least five times during the semester;
  4. to attend at least two group cold readings outside of class (see below)
  5. to attend all departmental productions in the Minor Latham Playhouse and in 229 Milbank;
  6. to pass both the midterm paper and final examinations.

Principles and Policies

Attendance is expected and will be taken at every class, and lateness will also be noted. Your final grade will be lowered by ½ letter for every unexcused absence or late arrival beyond the second (e.g. a final grade of "B" with three absences or three late arrivals becomes a "B-"). You must also remain in the room for the duration of the class.

BC 3150 is primarily a lecture course, but one in which discussion is required. In class, I will pose specific questions and develop project assignments related to the material on the electronic bulletin board and the course webpage, and will ask you to voice your reactions and further questions in discussions, which will take place during every class meeting. We will also engage with the material through projects, panel discussions, debates, physical exercises, and dramatic readings. Slides and excerpts from videos will also frequently be presented in class.

 

Cold readings (plays to be read are indicated by double asterisk after the title)

Plays are meant to be heard; this is how they are first encountered in performance. Several play titles below are followed by a double asterisk; these I feel are particularly difficult to get through on a first silent reading. Periodically during the semester, I will schedule group "cold readings" which will take place on weekends or in the evenings and to which everyone in the class, as well as friends and colleagues, are invited. These will last a maximum of two hours, regardless of whether we finish the play! You are required to attend at least two of these readings, though I hope you will attend more-after all, we all have to read the play, and it's more lively this way, whether you're reading or listening.
 

Grading Criteria

Grades will be calculated according to the following percentages:

30% =
 5-7 pp. midterm paper
30% =
 final examination
40% =
class participation, including active participation in class presentations and exercises; participation in at least two group "cold readings" outside class; and bulletin board postings, to be evaluated on the basis of content, not sheer length or volubility!
 

The Barnard College Honor Code

Each student who registers at Barnard agrees to maintain the Honor Code. It reads: "We, the students of Barnard College, resolve to uphold the honor of the College by refraining from every form of dishonesty in our academic life. We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any papers or books not authorized by the instructor in examinations, or to present oral work or written work which is not entirely our own, unless otherwise approved by the instructor. We consider it dishonest to remove without authorization, alter, or deface library and other academic materials. We pledge to do all that is in our power to create a spirit of honesty and honor for its own sake."