Greek Drama: Theater and Social Justice, Ancient and Modern
CLST 202
Spring 2023
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
THEA 202 |
| Course Cluster and Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory Certificate |
This course introduces students to Greek drama as produced in its original setting in ancient Athens and then adapted in modern times. The majority of our readings will be drawn from classical material: tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, comedies by Aristophanes, and selections from Aristotle's Poetics and Plato's Republic. We will look at production practices, acting and audience experience, and the role of theater in shaping cultural values. Questions will include: How does theater as art reflect the personal, social, and political life of the Athenians? What is the connection between the development of Greek drama and the growth of the first democracy? What are the emotions of tragedy ¿ for its mythic characters and for its real audience? And why have we been talking about catharsis for centuries? What is the relationship between emotions, drama, and social justice? For the last part of the semester, we will turn to adaptations of Greek tragedy in the 20th and 21st centuries by Jean-Paul Sartre, Bertolt Brecht, Sarah Kane, and Yael Farber. We will discuss how the dilemmas and emotions of tragedy are replayed in response to World War II, the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, PTSD, and consumer culture, among others. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CLAS |
| Course Format: Lecture | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CLST-History, P)(CLST-Literature)(CSCT)(THEA) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 75% - 89% |
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