SE2551: Modern Drama: Page, Stage, Screen

School English Literature
Department Code ENCAP
Module Code SE2551
External Subject Code 100319
Number of Credits 20
Level L6
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Dr Robert Lloyd
Semester Autumn Semester
Academic Year 2022/3

Outline Description of Module

This module explores some key developments in modern drama from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, with a particular focus on the relationship between drama, society, and varying ideas as to what makes an art form modern. We begin with a study of influential European dramas and dramatists, including Ibsen and Strindberg, whose revolutionary approaches to stagecraft and to such subjects as the New Woman, class, sexuality and individual will would set the stage for subsequent developments. The module’s exploration of twentieth and twenty-first century drama focuses primarily on representative trends on the English and American stage. We will examine diverse manifestations of contemporary drama, including works by G. B. Shaw, Harold Pinter, Tennessee Williams, Sarah Kane and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Topics to be explored include social realism, the ‘theatre of menace’, absurdist and existential theatre, ‘in-yer-face’ theatre, poetry and myth, and the Broadway musical. We will pay close attention to the relationship between written drama and stagecraft, and make strong use of audio-visual resources to examine the representation of many of these plays on screen.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

  • discuss drama, theatre and performance from a variety of critical perspectives
  • compare historical developments and trends in dramatic presentation
  • synthesise readings of individual texts with a consideration of larger issues discussed in class
  • evaluate critically and analytically individual dramas

How the module will be delivered

This module will be delivered through a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities, as part of this programme’s blended provision, which will include on-campus and online teaching and support.

The precise mode of delivery and details – subject to Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance – of the teaching and support activities will be made available at the start of the semester via Learning Central.

Skills that will be practised and developed

Academic skills: the particular skills of the module involve reading and understanding how a literary genre (in this case, modern drama) adapts to, negotiates with and transforms the culture from which it emerges. Analysis of the complex relationship between different forms of media in generating meaning will also be an important facet of this module. This requires careful scholarship, sensitivity to language through close reading and a broader historical awareness of social change.

Employability skills: these include the ability to synthesise information, participate in group-based discussion, to negotiate different and conflicting standpoints, to communicate ideas and to produce clear, informed arguments in a professional manner. Student-led research will encourage skills of information collation, selection and synthesis.

How the module will be assessed

The methods of summative assessment for this module are detailed in the table below.

Formative work to be submitted before each summative assessment: you can choose between submitting, as appropriate, an essay plan/structure, synopses of essay topic options (if undecided) or sample paragraph/s; for creative assignments, you can submit working drafts of parts of your composition, as arranged with the workshop convenor.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:
As with School policy, failed or unsubmitted assessments can be retaken during the August resit period.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 100 Essay N/A

Syllabus content

Indicative Syllabus:

  • Henrik Ibsen, Hedda Gabler (1891)
  • August Strindberg, Miss Julie (1889)
  • George Bernard Shaw, Candida (1894)
  • Terence Rattigan, The Deep Blue Sea (1952)
  • Samuel Beckett, Happy Days (1961)
  • Harold Pinter, The Homecoming (1965)
  • Sarah Kane, Phaedra’s Love (1996)
  • Tennessee Williams, Suddenly Last Summer (1958)
  • Suzan-Lori Parks, Topdog/Underdog (2001)
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, Hamilton: The Revolution (2016)

Content warning: please be aware that several of the texts/topics discussed in this module deal with difficult themes (including misogynistic, homophobic and racist attitudes, as well as graphic representations of physical and sexual violence), which some students may find distressing. If you have any concerns about this, please contact the module leader for advice.


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