SPST 285: Country Studies: United Kingdom (1 SH)
Interdisciplinary survey of contemporary issues in the United Kingdom. These issues may include geography, cultural history, politics, economics, religion, foreign relations, environment, the arts, etc. May be taken more than once if associated with a different location.
ARTS 255: Field Research Journal (2 SH)
An in-depth focused study of techniques and processes for visual observation and recording of information in the field. Mapping, writing, memory drawing, diagraming, and other methods will be explored, learned, and used. Students use the journal to daily record and organize data, problem solve ideas, and prepare ideas for communicable visual solutions. Offered only on abroad programs.” What does it mean to be an artist? What does it mean to see and experience the world as an artist? These essential questions are explored in this course. Transformative experiences will be recorded, processed and synthesized, including urban, village, and rural life in a foreign country, close study of Shakespeare and the scenes that influenced him (his classroom, birthplace, theatre, etc.). We will map our inner journey as actors, discovering character. The “visual solutions” in this iteration of the course will include theatrical design, and thus, this course will work seamlessly with Theatrical Design.
ENGL 279: Shakespeare I (3 SH) (GEH)
This course offers an overview of Shakespeare’s writings including both his poetry and his plays. The course is designed to help students gain confidence in reading Shakespeare’s work and to understand it in the context of both his culture and our own. Besides studying plays in a classroom setting, students attend professional productions at the Globe Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. This course fulfills the single author requirement for English major or minor students.
THEA 360: Acting Shakespeare (3 SH) (GEA)
This course trains students in the fundamentals of Shakespearean acting. Through workshops, lectures, and instruction from the Globe Theatre in London, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Principia classroom, students learn the cultural and historical context of Shakespeare’s plays and the fundamentals of textual analysis and performance. Students also undertake intensive research at the British Library and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust regarding a single character from a Shakespearean play. The course culminates in a full production of one of Shakespeare’s plays.
THEA 350 Thea Practicum Mainstage Cast (3SH)
Practical application in a mainstage production of classroom courses in theatre performance. Students develop character, analyze text, research cultural and historical background, and engage with an ensemble through a rehearsal process in preparation for performance. May be offered for variable credit from one to three semester hours. May be taken more than once.
THEA 260: Theatre Topics: Designing for Theatre (3 SH)*
Students learn the fundamentals of art in the theatre, including scenic design, lighting design, costume history and design, and scene painting. Professional theatre productions in Edinburgh, London, and Stratford-upon-Avon provide rich resources for studying design, and inspiration for creating their own designs. Students will also visit museums and draw inspiration from experiences in the Field Research Journal course. For theatre majors and minors, this class will substitute for THEA 120 Intro to Theatrical Design as a requirement. If students have taken THEA 120, this course will cover similar topics, but in a whole new, and applied setting, for a much richer experience.
*ENGL 315: Shakespeare II (3 SH) – May be taken in lieu of THEA 260 for upper-level English majors
Examines Shakespeare’s plays through either specific themes or critical approaches. Some familiarity with Shakespeare’s works will be helpful as the course is not a survey course but instead delves deeply into a select number of plays.