World Theater Histories

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

In this interdisciplinary seminar, we will investigate the themes, forms, and functions of five influential world theater traditions, including: the ancient theaters of Greece, Rome and India; the golden ages of classical Chinese and Japanese dance-theater-song; and the religious ritual as well as secular comedies of medieval Europe (and Japan). By engaging case studies of early theater traditions, we will consider their relation to other performance modes--such as religious ritual, civic performance, and/or spectacle. Comparative focus on theater’s early sources and the migrations in and between specific, varied cultures will also help students to develop critical and creative respect for theater’s possibilities and historical role/s. In so doing, we will also consider divergent manifestations of meaning, power, play, culture, divinity, gender, aesthetics, and identity as negotiated through theater. Our comparative methods, paired with case studies, will help students to recognize diverse cultural and social legacies in today's world. Audio-visual materials, live performance, lecture, and group discussion are included. This seminar is intended for students from varied disciplines, including TPST, Comp Lit, CULP, History, and Anthropology, among others. It fulfills the HALC and a Diversity distribution requirement.