THR 301 ,302 - Theories of the Theatre:Feminist Theories

Institution:

Muhlenberg College

Subject:

Description:

This course introduces students to the intellectual viewpoints, critiques, and new questions (and the new objects of study to match the new questions) that have arisen in the late twentieth and early twentyfirst centuries feminist theories of the theatre. In order to move through the theoretical models employed by feminist critics in the theatre, we will begin with those key essays in film theory, semiotics, and materialist analysis that contributed to the current body of theoretical feminist material. Reading theories of reception and representation, of race and whiteness, and of unmaking mimesis, students will become familiar with analyses articulated by contemporary scholars. As objects of study upon which to practice these theoretical approaches, the class will read contemporary plays of feminist writers. In addition, as part of our rereading of canonical works, students will look at texts such as Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusage (Ladies Day). Reading theoretical essays as well as scripts, we will explore the complex embodiments of gender as performance. Ultimately, we will apply the materialist theories which integrate psychoanalytic approaches with Foucaultian analysis to reveal, through their reframing, complex processes of making and experiencing theatrical representation. These critical languages will give us the tools to understand the implications of how plays construct our ideas about gender, race, sexuality, class, and national identity. Prerequisite: THR 100 Theatre & Society: An Historical Introduction or permission of instructor Meets general academic requirement W when offered as 302.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.muhlenberg.edu

Phone Number:

(484) 664-3100

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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