Course Description
01:595:342 Postcolonial Caribbean Theater and Performance
- Instructor: Camilla Stevens, Ph.D.
- Description:
In this class you will become acquainted with the theatre and performance traditions of the post-colonial Caribbean and its diaspora. Through the study of plays from the 1960s to the present, we will investigate how theater and performance engage in the concepts of colonialism and post-colonialism. Some of the topics that will organize our discussions will include:
- Storytelling and the Oral Tradition Re-visioning European Dramatic Traditions
- Ritual and Carnival Politics and the Performance of Race, Class, and Gender
- Transnationalism, Diaspora, and Exile
Readings will include plays by authors from the English- (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago), French- (Guadeloupe and Martinique), and Spanish- (Cuba and Puerto Rico) speaking islands of the Caribbean, as well as selections on culture, colonialism/post-colonialism, and theater. All readings will be in English. Through class discussions of the plays, lectures, videos, and music, students will learn to analyze the texts and performances in relation to their specific historical and cultural contexts.
This course is certified for Core Curriculum Goal Writing and Communication goal (WCd): Communicate effectively in modes appropriate to a discipline or area of inquiry; evaluate and critically assess sources and use the conventions of attribution and citation correctly; and analyze and synthesize information and ideas from multiple sources to generate new insights.
- Learning Goals:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze the social and cultural values and problems of individual and collective identity manifested in the texts.
- Analyze the elements of performance that construct the communication of meaning for readers and spectators.
- Analyze the texts and performances in relation to their specific Caribbean historical and cultural contexts.
- Write a theater scene analysis.
- Write a research paper that analyzes and synthesizes different sources.
- Format papers and works cited according to appropriate style guides.
- Required Reading:
Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz, available at Rutgers bookstore (ASIN: B004R12DZI).
The rest of the reading selections vary from semester to semester and will be available on Canvas.
- Evaluation:
Class Grade: 10%; Annotated Bibliography: 15%; 15% short textual scene analysis; 25% final paper; Creative and Collaborative Presentation: 10%; Exam: 25%
The readings and grade breakdown may vary slightly from semester to semester. This course synopsis is intended for informative purposes only; it is provisional and subject to change before the beginning of the semester.
- Credits: 3
- SAS Core Certified: WCD
- Disclaimer: The information in this course description is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on your course site (e.g. Canvas).
