Course Syllabus

Performance in Historical Context: Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Course Information

Discipline and number: DRAM 3323 Section: 001

Term: Spring 2008
Days: MW 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
Course Title: Performance in Historical Context: Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Professor Contact Information

Dr. Nadine D. Pederson

ndpederson@utdallas.edu
Mail Station JO 31
Office telephone: 972-883-2168
Office location: JO 5.708
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays
3:00 – 3:45 pm (and by appointment)

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

Introductory-level Arts & Humanities course.

Course Description

Performance in Historical Context: Medieval and Early Modern. This course will explore the
practice of theatre arts in medieval and Early Modern Europe. Special attention will be paid to the
larger social and cultural background of theatrical performance. In the first half of the class
[PART ONE: Medieval European Theatre History and PART TWO: Early Modern European
Theatre History], we will discuss major trends regarding the production context, plays and
playwrights, actors and audiences, and performance spaces. We will focus on using primary
documents - visual and textual - to explore the history of theatre. In the second half of the class
[PART THREE: Dramaturgy], we will focus on bringing the history of theatre to life through a
final group project: a 30-minute adaptation of a medieval or Early Modern play, to be performed
as part of UTD’s Spring Festival. All students will be able to pursue their individual interests on
this collaboration: Historical Studies students might wish to carry out background research and/or
create program notes; AP students might wish to perform and/or design sets or costumes; Literary
Studies and Creative Writing students might wish to work on the adaptation of the script or the
program notes; ATEC students might wish to design a multi-media component. Fulfills Arts in
Historical Context Requirement.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

• Students will analyze and evaluate primary texts relating to the practice of theatre arts in
medieval and Early Modern Europe.

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 1

 • Students will construct scholarly arguments regarding the historical context of theatre arts
using primary texts.
• Students will discuss the transfer of the kinds of evidence used in the study of theatre and
performance to other forms of history (cultural, social, political, etc.).
• Students will participate in a project that demonstrates their understanding of medieval
and Early Modern dramaturgy.

Required Textbooks and Materials

9 Phillis Hartnoll and Enoch Brater, The Theatre: A Concise History, 3rd Edition (Thames
& Hudson, 1998); ISBN 978-0500203125.
9 A.M. Nagler, A Source Book in Theatrical History (Dover Publications, 1959); ISBN
978-0486205151. [also on reserve at UTD library]
9 John Harris, Medieval Theatre in Context: An Introduction (Routledge, 1992); ISBN
978-0415067829. [also on reserve at UTD library]
9 Martin White, Renaissance Drama in Action: An Introduction to Aspects of Theatre
Practice and Performance (Routledge, 1998); ISBN 978-0415067393.
9 All films listed on the academic calendar are considered REQUIRED VIEWING.
9 You will also need to consult Oxford Reference Premium– available in the UTD library’s
e-text collection, as well as selected internet documents.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

Monday, January 7
Introduction

I. HISTORY: MEDIEVAL EUROPE

Wednesday, January 9
Lecture: Theatre Historiography
Assignment Due: Article choice e-mail to Dr. Pederson

***

Monday, January 14 [Last day to register late]

Lecture: Medieval Overview
Reading Due: Hartnoll, Chapter 2; Harris, Chapters 1-8

Wednesday, January 16
Discussion: Medieval Theatre [bring notes]
Reading Due: Medieval Sourcebook online [“The Plays of Roswitha”: Prefaces. See link on
WebCT]
Assignment Due: Post Questions

***

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 2

[Monday, January 21: MLK Holiday, University Closed]

Wednesday, January 23
Lecture: Medieval England
Film: Everyman
Reading Due: Harris, Chapters 9-12

***

Monday, January 28
Discussion: Medieval England [bring journal]
Reading Due: Nagler, 39-41 [document 1] and 49-53 [documents 6 and 7]
Assignment Due: Post Questions
JOURNAL I DUE

Wednesday, January 30
Lecture: Medieval Continental Europe
Reading Due: Harris, Chapters 13-16

***

Monday, February 4 [WP/WF Begins]

Discussion: Medieval Continental Europe [bring notes]
Reading Due: Nagler, 41-44 [documents 2 and 3]; 45-49 [Documents 4 and 5]
Assignment Due: Post Questions
SCHOLARLY ARTICLE SUMMARY DUE

II. HISTORY: EARLY MODERN EUROPE

Wednesday, February 6
Lecture: Renaissance Italy
Film: The Spirit of Commedia (DVD 0819)
Reading Due: Hartnoll, Chapter 3

***

Monday, February 11
Discussion: Renaissance Italy [bring journal]
Reading Due: Nagler, 73-81 [document 4]; 102-110 [document 7]; 259-60 [document 2] ; 261-67
[document 4]
Assignment Due: Post Questions
JOURNAL II DUE

Wednesday, February 13
Lecture: Renaissance & Restoration England
Film: Restoration Theatre (DVD 0802)
Reading Due: Hartnoll, Chapters 4 and 6
(Recommended: Shakespeare’s Globe –DVD 0800)

***

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 3

Monday, February 18
Discussion: Renaissance & Restoration England [bring notes]
Reading Due: Nagler, 122-32 [documents 8 and 9]; 158-64 [document 22]; 213-14 [document 16]
Assignment Due: Post Questions

Wednesday, February 20
Lecture: The Golden Age of Spain and France
Films: Pedro Calderon de la Barca (DVD 0824)
Molière and the Comédie Française (DVD on order)
Reading Due: Hartnoll, Chapter 5

***

Monday, February 25
Discussion: The Golden Age of Spain and France [bring journal]
Reading Due: Nagler, 57-62 [documents 1 and 2]; 177-82 [documents 3 and 4]
Assignment Due: Post Questions
JOURNAL III DUE
MID-TERM PAPER DUE

III. DRAMATURGY
Wednesday, February 27
Introduction: Renaissance Drama in Action
Discussion: Final Project [bring project notes]
Film: Meredith Monk: Book of Days (DVD 0818)
Reading Due: White, Chapter 1

[Friday, February 29: Mid-Term Grades Available]

***
Monday, March 3
Discussion: Staging the Play [bring project notes]
Film: Period Movement (DVD 0825)
Reading Due: White, Chapter 2

Wednesday, March 5
Discussion: Performing the Play [bring project journal]
Film: Playing Period I (DVD 0826)
Reading Due: White, Chapter 3
JOURNAL IV DUE

[Friday, March 7: Last day of WP/WF period]

***

March 10 - 15: Spring Break

***

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 4

Monday, March 17
Discussion: Outdoor and Indoor Playing Spaces [bring project notes]
Film: Playing Period II (DVD 0826)
Reading Due: White, Chapter 4 and 5

Wednesday, March 19
Discussion: Resolutions [bring project journal]
Reading Due: White, Chapter 6 and 7
JOURNAL V DUE

***

Monday, March 24
Rehearsal I [bring project notes]

Wednesday, March 26
Rehearsal II [bring project journal]
JOURNAL [last one] VI DUE

***

Monday, March 31
Rehearsal III
Due: TBA

Wednesday, April 2
Rehearsal IV
Due: TBA

***

Monday, April 7
Rehearsal V
Due: TBA

Wednesday, April 9
Rehearsal VI
Due: TBA

***

Monday, April 14
Rehearsal VII
Due: TBA

Wednesday, April 16
Rehearsal VIII
Due: TBA

***

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 5

Monday, April 21 & Wednesday, April 23
Schedule TBA -- Spring Festival Rehearsal

***

Monday, April 28 [Last Day of Class]

Schedule TBA -- Spring Festival Rehearsal

Thursday, May 1 - Saturday, May 3

SPRING FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE
Schedule TBA [30 minute slot]

***

[Wednesday, May 7: Final Grades Posted]

Grading Policy

20% Participation
30% Journals
10% Article Summary
20% Mid-term Paper
20% Final Project

Grade changes
All grades are final, unless you sincerely believe an error has been made. In that case, please
submit a written explanation (no longer than one page) to me within one week of receiving your
grade for a particular exam or assignment, detailing the reasons why you think an error or
misjudgment has been made. I will reevaluate your work, but bear in mind that I may find
additional problems I had not noticed on my first reading. It is therefore possible that you may
end up with a lower grade rather than a higher one. I highly advocate a 48-hour time period to
consider your options before challenging your grade. If, after this procedure has been followed,
you still believe your grade is inaccurate, you have the right to appeal through university
channels.

Course & Instructor Policies

ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO PASS THIS CLASS.

Handouts regarding all assignments will be distributed in class and posted on WebCT.

Missed assignments
If you are ill or have a family emergency, please either e-mail me or leave a message on my
office phone before the assignment is due. I do not look favorably on make-up work, and it is my
policy not to accept any late assignments unless the student found himself/herself in an
unavoidable situation for which there is written documentation. There are few situations that meet
that kind of criteria. Don’t risk it.

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 6

Participation
I am primarily concerned with your contribution to the scholarly atmosphere of the course.
Examples of things that contribute to that atmosphere include coming prepared to class, asking
questions that help to clarify the assigned readings, making comments that link the readings to
outside material (perhaps from other courses), and especially contributing to the discussions of
readings.

Examples of things that detract from that atmosphere include arriving late or leaving early, cell
phone use, distracting behavior during lectures, speaking unkindly or disrespectfully to or about
anyone in the classroom, or expecting special treatment.

Most weeks, students will be required to post three to four questions on assigned readings to the
discussion board of WebCT no later than 3:00 pm on the day we are scheduled to discuss them.

Technical Support

If you experience any problems with your UTD account you may send an email to:
assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-883-2911.

Field Trip Policies

Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address
http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is
available from the office of the school dean. Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-
related activity associated with this course.

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern
student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained
in the UTD printed publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each
academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
Regulations, Series 50000, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, and in Title V,
Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.
Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391) and online at
http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 7

 A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the
standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because
the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the
student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual
honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic Dishonesty, any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to
discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the
submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another
person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a
student or the attempt to commit such acts.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see
general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the
web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Copyright Notice

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials, including music and software.
Copying, displaying, reproducing, or distributing copyrighted works may infringe the copyright
owner’s rights and such infringement is subject to appropriate disciplinary action as well as
criminal penalties provided by federal law. Usage of such material is only appropriate when that
usage constitutes “fair use” under the Copyright Act. As a UT Dallas student, you are required to
follow the institution’s copyright policy (Policy Memorandum 84-I.3-46). For more information
about the fair use exemption, see http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email
address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a
UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD
furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 8

 must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any
class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork
to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the
class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities,
of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments
of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to
resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the
grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain
primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at
that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the
respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the
respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of
Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic
Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic
appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at
the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade
must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the
specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
disabilityservice@utdallas.edu

If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with the
Coordinator of Disability Services. The Coordinator is available to discuss ways to ensure your
full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations
are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with Disability Services to notify them of
your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. Disability Services can then plan how best to
coordinate your accommodations.

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 9

 It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members
to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special
accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding
the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to
take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period
equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the
instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A
student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or
his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus: Performance in Historical Context Page 10