DRAM 228 - African American Literature

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as AFRS 228 and ENGL 228) Topic for 2019/20b: From the Page to the Stage: Turning Black Literature into Black Drama. This course will explore the expressive possibilities of 20th century black literature by means of critical reading, critical writing, and critical performance. Students will examine key works in their historical context, paying attention to the criticism and theory that have shaped their reception (Hayden, Giovanni, Brooks, Hurston, Baldwin, Morrison, Johnson, Whitehead). They will then attempt to transform parts of these texts into scenes as informed by past and present theories of performance and theatre making. Their work will culminate in a public performance of the pieces they have conceived. Tyrone Simpson

Two 75-minute periods and one 2-hour lab.