DRAMA 101: Intro to Theatre Syllabus

Fall 2009

Instructor: Karen Jo Fairbrook

E-mail: kfairbro@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone: 425-564-2719

Office location: E-120

Office Hours: Tues/Thurs @ 12:30 - 1:30 pm and as Arranged

Course Information

Course Outcomes

Understand and analyze the relationship between culture and theatre.
Identify a process of analyzing theatre to become a more critical audience member.
Analyze the script, directorial concept, design elements, and acting styles of a variety of plays.
Describe the process in which a play goes from "page to stage" becoming fully produced.
Evaluate theatre as a potential lifelong interest as an audience member, professional or amateur theatre artist.
Identify and analyze the objectives of theatre including education, entertainment & enlightenment.
Understand and experience the group process that leads to theatrical collaboration.

How Outcomes will be met

--ASSIGNMENTS: This class uses a variety of tools to present material and enhance your ability to learn. These tools range from take-home questions to play reviews, videotapes, lectures, play reading in and out of class, student presentations, written analysis, the mid-term and the final. From the first day, the presentation of material (and your understanding of it) will rely on what has been covered before. In order to do well you should keep daily notes and be responsible for finding out what you’ve missed if absent. This will help you with quizzes/exams. Reading The Theatre Experience is essential – you need the information to write your papers and to take the mid-term and final. You are responsible for the whole text, even if we don’t cover it all in class.

--PRODUCTIONS: You must see “Fuente Ovejuna” being done here at BC; and are strongly encouraged to see the other production put on by BC late this quarter, DIRECTions. Play dates: Nov. 12 – 21 in Stop Gap Theatre, Thur-Sat evenings.

WORK WILL INCLUDE:

Reading the Text: The Theatre Experience

Reading 6 plays during and outside of class (5 from Drama: A Pocket Anthology, and Fuente Ovejuna)

Class Participation (includes attendance)

Attendance at Fuente Ovejuna with a critique due of the play

3 short papers on text chapters and plays assigned

2 Short Quizzes on the plays

An Acting Scene with written support material

A Design Project with written support material

Production Assignment (Your Choice of One):

10 Hours of work in the shop, on costumes, or front-of-house/concessions

Crew work backstage on a show

5-page research paper on an aspect of production agreed on with me

Midterm

Final Exam

EXTRA CREDIT: Attending & critiquing additional plays --or-- doing two Production Assignments

Grading

Class Participation (includes attendance) -- 10%

Attendance at Fuente Ovejuna w/ critique due of play -- 10%

3 short papers on text chapters and plays assigned -- 15%

2 Quizzes on the plays -- 10%

An Acting Scene with written support material -- 10%

A Design Project with written support material -- 10%

Production Assignment (Your Choice of One): -- 10%

10 Hours of work in the shop, costumes or front-of-house Crew work backstage on a show

5-page research paper on an aspect of production agreed on with me

Midterm Written Exam -- 10%

Final Project -- 15%

EXTRA CREDIT: Crew work; Attending & Critiquing extra Plays; Doing two Production Assignments;

Books and Materials Required

Fuente Ovejuna (play script) – Lope de Vega

The Theatre Experience (Eleventh Edition)– Wilson

Drama: A Pocket Anthology (Fourth Edition)– Gwynn/Penguin Academics

Final Exam Schedule

Our FINAL PROJECT presentation & FINAL EXAM will take place: MONDAY DEC. 7^TH @ 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

http://bellevuecollege.edu/classes/exams

Classroom Learning Atmosphere

Instructor’s Expectation

--ATTENDANCE / PARTICIPATION / PREPARATION: You must attend class every day. This is not strictly a lecture class – it involves your participation. If you are late you will be marked “tardy” – habitual tardiness is a class disruption. Three “tardies” equal one “absent”. Five “absences” will cause your final grade to automatically be lowered one whole grade. Ten “absences” causes failing the class. Let me know ahead of time (email or leave a voice message) if you know you will be missing a particular class for an excusable reason (illness, emergency, or school-related conflict)!

Be prepared and ready to participate in each day’s topic or class presentation. Bring your Drama: A Pocket Anthology every day unless otherwise instructed. Read the assigned material by the due dates and turn in assignments on time or you will not get full credit. Particularly important is being a good “partner” when working on group projects. If you do not attend or are not prepared for class activities – you leave your partner incapacitated and unable to fully participate which is extremely rude and unfair!

Be sure to have all CELL PHONES turned OFF before class! I will take phones up to my desk and return them after class if they ring or you are caught texting during class. We only have 50 minutes . . . you can survive that long without telecommunicating. This includes using laptops during class unless approved for a specific project or reason. Unfortunately, too many “during class computer game-players” have made this mandatory.

You are welcome to bring drinks, but please refrain from eating during class – and particularly no gum chewing as these get in the way of our readings and exercises. Exceptions are video-watching days.

Mutual respect and understanding that we all have different views and tastes is paramount in our class. Diversity and a variety of points-of-view are the norm . . . there is very little “right or wrong” in our discussions. We can learn a great deal from each other and when applicable: agree to disagree! Every single student MUST feel safe and welcome to express their opinions, thoughts and feelings in this class. I will be a stickler and very

proactive about this! Those of us who participate in theatre are accustomed to “taking risks” – this is a safe place to do so! Absolutely no name-calling, slurs or prejudicial talk will be tolerated.

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

Division Statements

STUDENT PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS

Arts and Humanities Division

Students in all Arts and Humanities courses should be aware of the following:

1. Attendance:

Attendance at all scheduled class meetings is mandatory. This requirement is particularly meant to apply to courses that are designated for classroom delivery, although distance education courses may also have certain attendance requirements. This requirement is intended 1) to prevent instructors from having to adjudicate individual excuses, and 2) to recognize that excuses are ultimately irrelevant both here at BC and in the workplace.

While specific attendance requirements are up to individual faculty members, the Arts and Humanities Division recognizes that attending class and participating actively are perhaps the most important way in which students can set themselves up for success. Conversely, not attending class almost certainly leads to failure.

Students in performance courses (Drama, Music, etc.) are reminded that attendance builds the professional relationship necessary between partners or in working groups.

In order for students to be eligible for a grade in a course, they must not miss more than ten classes, or 20% of the total class time scheduled, for any reason. When absences go beyond ten, instructors may a) give a grade of "F" for the course, or b) lower the final grade as much as they see fit. This does not imply that you may be absent fewer than ten times or 20% without seeing an effect on your grade; indeed, we wish to emphasize that any absence undermines your progress and will result in your having to work harder to catch up. Ten absences or 20% is merely the figure beyond which you cannot go without risking your eligibility for a course grade. In cases of legitimate hardship, students may also request that instructors grant a “HW” (hardship withdrawal), which is a non-credit grade.

In summary, when you are absent from a class more than ten times or 20% in any given quarter, you may receive a failing grade. Whatever written policy an instructor has in the syllabus will be upheld by the Arts and Humanities Division in any grievance process.

2. Dropping A Course:

If you decide to drop a course, you are responsible for doing the required paperwork at the Student Services Center. Should you fail to do so, your name will appear on the final roster and your instructor will be required to assign a grade for you—in most cases, that will be an "F." Many instructors, in fact, feel strongly that students who take up seats in this unproductive way are keeping more serious students from getting an education, so they use "F" grades for "phantoms."

3. Classroom Environment:

The college's "Affirmation of Inclusion” is posted in each classroom and sets forth the expectation that we will all treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of whether or not we agree philosophically. This expectation is in line with the principle of free speech in a free society: we have the right to express unpopular ideas as long as we don't show disrespect for reasonable people who might believe otherwise. In an on-line course, you will be expressing ideas through the medium of the course site rather than face to face in the classroom. In that case, these expectations refer to the courtesy with which you communicate with one another through e-mails and e-discussions.

Part of this respect involves professional behavior toward the instructor, colleagues, and the class itself. Disruptive behavior is disrespectful behavior. The Arts and Humanities Division honors the right of its faculty to define "disruptive behavior," which often involves such things as arriving late, leaving early, leaving class and then returning, talking while others are trying to hear the instructor or their group members, doing other homework in class, wearing earphones in class, bringing activated beepers, alarm watches, or cellular phones into class, inappropriate comments or gestures, etc. In on-line courses, “flaming’ anyone in the class is also considered disruptive behavior. Such behavior interrupts the educational process. When you are in doubt about any behavior, consult your instructor during office hours: we recognize the judgment of the instructor as the final authority in these matters.

When disruptive behavior occurs, instructors will speak to or e-mail the students concerned. Those students are then responsible for ending the disruptions at once. Failure to do so may result in removal of the students from class.

4. Values Conflicts:

Essential to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of expression which might conflict with one’s personal values. By being exposed to such ideas or expressions, students are not expected to endorse or adopt them but rather to understand that they are part of the free flow of information upon which higher education depends.

To this end, you may find that class requirements may include engaging certain materials, such as books, films, and art work, which may, in whole or in part, offend you. These materials are equivalent to required texts and are essential to the course content. If you decline to engage the required material by not reading, viewing, or performing material you consider offensive, you will still be required to meet class requirements in order to earn credit. This may require responding to the content of the material, and you may not be able to fully participate in required class discussions, exams, or assignments. Consult the syllabus and discuss such issues with the instructor.

5. Academic Honesty:

The principle of academic honesty underlies all that we do and applies to all courses at Bellevue College . One kind of academic dishonesty is plagiarism, which may take many forms, including, but not limited to, using a paper written by someone else, using printed sources word-for-word without proper documentation, and paraphrasing or summarizing the ideas of others without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism can also occur when non-written ideas are taken without documentation--using someone else's design or performance idea, for example. In short, plagiarism is passing off someone else's ideas, words, or images as your own; it amounts to intellectual theft--whether or not it was your intention to steal. Bellevue College instructors have access to commercial plagiarism detection software, so please be advised that any work you submit may be tested for plagiarism.

Participating in academic dishonesty in any way, including writing a paper or taking a test for someone else, may result in severe penalties. Dishonestly produced papers automatically receive a grade of "F" without the possibility of make-up. The Dean of Student Services will also be notified of such conduct, and repetition of the behavior will result in progressively more serious disciplinary action (for example, an instructor may recommend that the student fail the course for a second offense or even that a student be expelled for a serious offense, such as stealing an exam).

Grades lowered for plagiarism or other forms of dishonesty may be appealed through the regular channels, and any further disciplinary action taken by the Dean may also be appealed through existing processes.

Students in all courses requiring research papers should note that matters of documentation form go beyond editing; they are closely related to the content of the paper. Improper form in research papers is grounds for failing the paper. Individual instructors will clarify documentation requirements for specific assignments. If you have any doubts as to whether you are documenting properly, do not hesitate to consult your instructor.

6. Reading Level:

Reading skills are absolutely essential for your success in any college program. The following reading levels are recommended for our courses.

most 100 level courses: high developmental , or college level

Our experience shows that students reading three levels below the level of a course text can expect to fail the course.

7. Writing Level :

Writing skills are equally essential for your sucess in any college program. The following writing levels are recommended for our courses.

most 100 level courses: ENGL& 101 placement

Our experience shows that students writing below the level of a course text can expect to work much harder than prepared students and may even still perform poorly on exams and papers.

8. The First Week of Classes:

It is important to attend classes from the very beginning. If you cannot do so, you are responsible for notifying your instructor. Your instructor is in no way responsible for re-teaching material that you missed because of your failure to attend the first classes. Indeed, missing crucial introductory material may affect your performance during the remainder of the course.

9. Classroom Materials:

Students are responsible for consulting the course syllabus daily and bringing to class the appropriate texts and materials. Failure to do so does not constitute an exception from the daily work.

10. Late Work:

Individual instructors make their own rules on accepting or grading late work. The Arts and Humanities Division believes strongly that honoring deadlines is essential for student success. Consult your instructor regarding any late work. In general, late work may be a) downgraded as severely as the instructor chooses, b) given no credit, but still be required for passing the course, or c) not accepted at all. The extent to which late work affects grades is up to the instructor. Instructors may also elect not to give feedback to works in progress if required drafts or plans are not turned in on time.

Failure to attend class on the day a paper is due does not constitute an excuse for lateness. Similarly, missing an exam does not oblige the instructor to give a make-up. Your instructors will inform you about their individual penalties for late papers and missed exams.

All lateness or absence on due days or exam days should be arranged with the instructor well in advance.

11. Auditing:

Auditing a course does not excuse students from doing the work of the course. All auditors need to meet with the instructor during the first week to sign a contract specifying the level of participation that is expected.

12. Waiting Lists:

Bellevue College uses an automated waitlist process that offers students a fair and consistent method of being enrolled in a full class if openings occur. If a class is full, you can choose to be put on the waitlist; you will automatically be enrolled in the class when a space becomes available and you are first on the list. Students move up on the list as others are enrolled. It is your responsibility to check your schedule daily to find out if you have been enrolled into the class. After the open enrollment period ends, instructors may admit students using blue “Special Permit to Enroll” cards, at their sole discretion.

13. Retaining Student Work:

Your instructor is free to destroy any student work not picked up during the first week of the quarter immediately after your course was offered. If you want work held longer for pick up, you must make arrangements in advance with your instructor.

14. Student Responsibility:

Instructors may, at their discretion, agree to accept student work that is submitted in various ways, including in person, to the division office, or via e-mail. It is the student’s responsibility to verify that all assignments are actually received by the instructor, whether they are submitted in person or electronically.

It is the student's responsibility, not the instructor's, to initiate communication about progress or concerns with the course. Instructors are under no obligation to inform students that work is overdue, to nag students to complete assignments, or to call students who fail to attend class. Similarly, students need to keep themselves informed about syllabus changes that may have been made in class. We suggest finding a partner the first week of classes and keeping each other up to date if one is absent.

15. Students With Special Needs:

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) , room B132 (telephone 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110), to establish their eligibility for accommodation. The DRC office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require accommodation in class must review the DRC accommodation letter with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.

Students with mobility challenges who may need assistance in case of an emergency situation or evacuation should register with Disability Support Services, or review those needs with the instructor as well.

revised Juner 25, 2009

Information about Bellevue College copyright guidelines can be found at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/lmc/links/copyright.html

A good resource for Plagiarism is the Writing Lab: http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html

Student Code

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

Important Links

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam .

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services website.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

Public Safety

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day,7 days per week. Their phone number is 425.564.2400. The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/

Academic Calendar

The Bellevue College Academic Calendar is separated into two calendars. They provide information about holidays, closures and important enrollment dates such as the finals schedule.

Enrollment Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/deadlines/. On this calendar you will find admissions and registration dates and important dates for withdrawing and receiving tuition refunds.
College Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/holidays/0910.asp. This calendar gives you the year at a glance and includes college holidays, scheduled closures, quarter end and start dates, and final exam dates.

Course Calendar

SEPTEMBER 2009
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	21 FIRST DAY Introductions & Theater Tour	22 Have read entire online syllabus!	23 What is Theatre / Theater ? - - - - - - - - - Auditions for *Fuente Ovejuna*	24 Bring DRAMA: Anthology to class! - - - - - - - Auditions for *Fuente Ovejuna*	25 “Role of the Critic” paper assigned; Read Chapters ___ in Theatre Experience - - - - - - - - Stage Fright @ 12:30 in Theater Lobby