Syllabus
Fall, 2005
THA36 Readings in Dramatic Literature
Irish Drama – 1775 to the Present
1:00 p.m. –The Playhouse
Dr. Doug Cummins – 294-2127
Office Hours: 11-12 M-F
Course Objective: I intend in this course to introduce you to the rich variety of style and content in dramatic literature written by Irish natives, which is now recognized as one of the most remarkable bodies of national literature in the world. In the process of reading the plays we will examine the history of Ireland, Celtic mythology, the Irish worldview and the unique resilience of the Irish people who have survived political and religious oppression, famine and economic ruin to become today's "Celtic Tiger." We will also take a brief glimpse at the Irish cinema, especially as it relates to the "Troubles" of the late 20th century in Northern Ireland.
Course Procedures: The course will be conducted more like a seminar than a reading/lecture class. The assigned plays will require brief writing exercises that you will present in class on the days of discussion as starters for the conversation we will have about the plays. They should be no longer than two or three pages . These written responses will also be turned in for grade and will constitute 60% of your semester grade. I will periodically present lectures on matters and people I feel are essential to understanding Irish drama.
There will be no tests.
Another major assignment will be an 8-10 page research paper on some aspect of Irish dramatic literature, which you will present to the class on December 13 at 2:30 p.m.. This assignment is fully described below. It will count for 40% of your semester grade.
Research Paper: An 8 -10 page paper on a topic relevant to our study of Irish dramatic literature. This topic may be a playwright we do not study in class, a topic of Irish drama you find interesting (i.e. the "cottage play" of the Abbey Theatre), a political, religious or mythological theme you wish to examine or some other topic you and I agree will be fruitful for your study. The paper must have at least 10 bibliographical references of which only three may be on-line citations. I also encourage you to use as many primary sources as possible and to quote directly from scripts as much as possible. You and I must agree on your topic by mid-term (Oct. 31). The final draft is due in my hands by November 30. You will present the paper to the class and any invited guests on December 13 at 2:30 p.m.
Academic Honesty and Integrity
Integrity gives the educational enterprise its legitimacy. Honesty, respect, and personal responsibility are principles that guide academic life at Furman, in and out of the classroom. Academic misconduct in any form (plagiarism, cheating, inappropriate collaboration, and other efforts to gain an unfair academic advantage) threatens the values of the campus community and will have severe consequences, such as failure in the course, and/or suspension or dismissal from the university.
As part of our effort to protect academic integrity at Furman, the University now subscribes to Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism detection service. In this course I will utilize this service either by submitting your papers electronically to Turnitin.com and/or by asking you to do so. In turn, I will receive an “originality report” highlighting matches between words or strings of words in the submitted papers and sources found on Turnitin’s extensive database. Your papers, like all materials submitted to Turnitin, will be stored on the service’s restricted access database for the sole purpose of detecting possible plagiarism of such documents. For more information about Turnitin, refer to www.turnitin.com.
If you have any question about what constitutes plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, it is your responsibility to consult with me so that you will fully understand what I expect of you in this course. If you have any doubts, ask! You should also be familiar with the Academic Integrity & Plagiarism and Academic Integrity at Furman materials available at www.furman.edu/main/integrity.htm. A copy of Furman’s policy on academic dishonesty can also be found at this site.
Class Schedule
A schedule is listed below. I believe this is an ambitious plan and there is a possibility for adaptation as we move through the term.
Day Date Topic Assignment
Tue 9/13 Introduction to the course
Wed 9/14 Lecture: Irish Theatre Before 1900
Thu 9/15 Lecture: The Non-Irish Irish Playwrights Sheridan, The Rivals
Fri 9/16 Discuss Sheridan's The Rivals Analysis
Mon 9/19 Boucicault and the "Stage Irishman" The Shaughran
Tue 9/20 Discuss The Shaughran Analysis
Wed 9/21 Lecture: Irish/English symbols John Bull's Other Island
Thu 9/22 Discuss John Bull's Other Ireland Analysis
Fri 9/23 Library Visit: Rare Books Lady Windermere's Fan
Mon 9/26 Discuss: Lady Windermere's Fan Analysis
Tue 9/27 Lecture: The Irish Literary Revival
¤ Gregory, Yeats, Martyn
¤ The Abbey Theatre
¤ J.M. Synge
¤ Sean O'Casey
Wed 9/28 Lecture: Irish Humor Oisin vs Patrick The Gaol Gate, Spreading the News
Thu 9/29 Discuss Gregory's plays Analysis
Fri 9/30 Lecture: W.B. Yeats On Baile's Strand;
Countess Cathleen
Mon 10/3 Discuss Yeats' plays Analysis
Tue 10/4 Lecture: J.M. Synge The Playboy . . .
Wed 10/5 Discuss Playboy Analysis
Thu 10/6 Lecture: Sean O'Casey The Dublin Plays
Fri 10/7 No class
Mon 10/10 No class
Tue 10/11 Lecture/Discussion: The English/Irish Question
Wed 10/12 continued - The "Rising"
Thu Ð Sun 10/13 Ð 16 Fall Break
Mon 10/17 Discuss The Plough and the Stars
Tue 10/18 Discuss Juno and the Paycock
Wed 10/19 Discuss The Shadow of a Gunman Essay
Thu 10/20 Lecture: The Rising and Its Consequences
Fri 10/21 Open The Big House, The Paddy Pedlar
Mon 10/24 Discuss The Big House Analysis
Tue 10/25 Discuss The Paddy Pedlar
Wed 10/26 Lecture: The Catholic Question Maurice Harte
Thu 10/27 Discuss Maurice Harte The Tinker's Wedding
Fri 10/28 Discuss The Tinker's Wedding Analysis
Mon 10/31 The New Irish drama
Tue 11/1 continued The Quare Fellow
Wed 11/2 Discuss The Quare Fellow
Thu 11/3 Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot
Fri 11/4 Discuss Waiting for Godot Analysis Da
Translations
Mon 11/7 Discuss Da Analysis
Tue 11/8 Discuss Translations Analysis
Wed 11/9 Lecture: New Forms and Structures The Weir
Thu 11/10 Discuss The Weir
Fri 11/11 Lecture: The "Troubles"
Mon thru Fri This week will be spent discussing Irish cinema and viewing some representative examples, such as The Boxer and In the Name of the Father.
11/19 to 1127 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Mon 11/28 Discuss research papers
Tue 11/29 Discuss Observe the Sons of Ulster . . .
Wed 11/30 Discuss Stones in His Pockets Research Paper
Thu 12/1 Discuss Portia Coughlin
Fri 12/2 Discuss Dancing at Lughnasa
Mon 12/5 Discuss The Beauty Queen of Leenane
Tue 12/6 Summary Discussion
Wed 12/7 Open Ð Last Day of Class
Paper reading December 13 2:30 p.m.