(Un)Popular Performances/Performances (Im)Populaires
CHUM 363
Spring 2021
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 363, FREN 363, MDST 363, THEA 363 |
In 1607, a young Scotsman named William Drummond was studying law in Bourges, France, a popular "study abroad destination" for Scottish students as well as an important stopover city on the routes of itinerant professional and amateur actors. While in Bourges, these actors performed a variety of different kinds of plays, including tragedies, comedies, tragicomedies, pastorals, and farces. Although these performances were often met with hostility from the city's religious authorities, Drummond attended several plays during his stay and, lucky for us, took rather detailed notes about them. His observations from the 1607 "season" are preserved in his personal papers in the National Library of Scotland.
This course will use Drummond's notes as a guide to discover and examine other forms of evidence--both traditional and nontraditional--that help us understand what was at stake in theater, performance, and (un)popular culture in late 16th- and early 17th-century France. We will study the ways the past has been organized and cataloged, how traditional sources and research have shaped our view of the past, and how unconventional methodologies can help us locate new sites of knowledge and culture. Written assignments, class discussions, and (most) readings will be in French. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ARHA)(CGST-MN)(COL)(FRST-MN)(FRST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
William Drummond's manuscript; three plays; other primary and secondary materials provided in a coursepack or made available on Moodle
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Examinations and Assignments:
Active student participation; several short papers with rewrites; weekly response papers with rewrites; one student presentation; term paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
While any student who has completed FREN 215 (with a minimum grade of B) or has placed out of FREN 215 through the placement test may sign up for this course, it is an advanced course intended for students who have already taken two courses in French beyond FREN 215 or already studied abroad in a French-speaking country. Written assignments, class discussions, and (most) readings will be in French. The Department of Romance Languages & Literatures normally does not recognize CR/U except for COL students. The reason is that learning effectively in another language calls for regular completion of multiple activities over the course of the term, including faithful attendance and informed participation. In our experience students have counted on grades to determine where to focus their efforts. Because of the pandemic we have made the CR/U option available, but it should be chosen only as a measure of last resort. Since a full university credit is involved no matter what the grading option, bear in mind that CR/U assumes students will complete all graded activities including attendance and participation satisfactorily. Remember, too, that the French Studies major/minor and study abroad continue to require that courses be completed with a minimum grade. If you take your course CR/U, your professor will record the letter grade and the French section will decide accordingly whether the grade is sufficient for you to continue to the next level, to study abroad, to meet the requirement for acceptance into the major, or for the course to count for the major. Students who are not admitted to the course through pre-registration are strongly encouraged to submit an enrollment request and attend the first class. Course will meet primarily online. 3-4 person in-person sections will meet at the comfort of students who are on Wesleyan's campus. |
| Instructor(s): Meere,Michael Times: ....R.. 01:00PM-03:50PM; Location: CFH202; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 12 | | SR major: 7 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 4 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 0 | SO: 1 | FR: 1 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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