English (ENGL) 303

Overview

This course traces the history of Western theatre from its Greek origins to the beginning of the eighteenth century in England and France. ENGL 303 provides an analysis of individual plays as theatre and as literature, and includes brief background notes on the authors and on the significance of the plays in the context of Western theatre. It traces the common elements of drama from ritualistic and ceremonial dance and song, through the liturgical drama of the Middle Ages, English Renaissance tragedy and tragicomedy, French neo-classical comedy and tragedy, and the social comedy of the Restoration. It also shows the development of the theatre as a physical structure, from the early Greek open-air amphitheatres to the modified tennis courts in London, investigating the relationship of the physical theatre to the structure and style of the drama.

Learning outcomes

ENGL 303 has five major learning outcomes. After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Trace the history of the drama of the Western world from its beginnings in the religious festivals of Greece to the period following the English Restoration in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.
2. Describe the structure of the theatre as it changed to meet the requirements of the society and the drama.
3. Examine the forms of drama in terms of their social and historical contexts.
4. Analyze individual plays as text and as theatre in terms of themes, characterization, style, imagery, structure, and setting.
5. Develop an awareness of how text might be dramatized.

Outline

ENGL 303 is divided into four parts:

Evaluation

To receive credit for ENGL 303, students must complete and submit all of the assignments and write the final exam. Students must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final exam and an overall grade of at least D (50 percent) for the course.

Students will be evaluated on their understanding of the concepts presented in the course and on their ability to apply those concepts. The final grade in the course will be based on the marks achieved for the following activities.

Activity	Weight
Assignment 1: Scene Analysis	10%
Assignment 2: Critical Review	20%
Assignment 3: Essay Proposal	5%
Assignment 4: Essay	25%
Final Exam	40%
Total	100%

The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.

Materials

This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.

Other Materials

All course materials are online.

Special Course Features

Many of the plays in ENGL 303 are available online via the Athabasca Landing and the Athabasca University Library’s Theatre in Video database.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive credit for the ENGL 303 challenge registration, students must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the examination, and a grade of at least D (50 percent) overall.

Activity	Weight
Critical Essay	50%
Exam	50%
Total	100%

Challenge for credit course registration form

Important links

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