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CS92PROD
Theater/Drama Traditions of China and Japan
CEAS 243
Spring 2020
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: THEA 243, WLIT 222

This seminar offers a window into Chinese and Japanese drama and theater traditions from their beginnings to the 20th century. We engage issues of dramatic texts as well as performance practices; thus, the course draws on material from theater history, performance and acting conventions, and the literary history of drama. Readings and discussions span major genres of dramatic writing and their different modes of performance, including the Chinese dramatic genres of zaju and chuanqi; Chinese performance styles of Beijing opera and Kunqu; and Japanese dramatic genres and performance practices of noh, kyogen, kabuki, and puppet theater. Throughout the course, we engage closely with dramatic texts as literature, giving detailed thematic readings to some canonical and non-canonical plays. We also consider how dramatic writing and theatrical performance relate to broader trends in sociopolitical history and literary history, exploring how dramatic texts and theatrical performance embody a multivalent and multisensory space that is unique among creative enterprises. We deal with both the actor and the text, and consider how each are conditioned by modern and premodern contexts. No prerequisites are required, although some prior knowledge of China or Japan is helpful.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA CEAS
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-MN)(CEAS)(CEAS-Lit&Cult)(THEA)
Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above

Last Updated on OCT-08-2024
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