ENGL 311

I. Course Title: Playwriting

II. Course Number: ENGL 311

III. Credit Hours: 3 credits

IV. Prerequisites: ENGL 111 and ENGL 112.

V. Course Description: 

A workshop-based creative writing course that focuses on the structure of the dramatic play, character development, plot, theme, set design, and stage direction.

VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:

This course is an introduction to the basics of storytelling and the creation of dramatic texts using both organic and formulaic models with an emphasis on the one act play. Students will learn to observe the world for meaning, build characters, place characters in settings, write monologues, create dialogue between characters, and lay the groundwork for longer, more substantive work. In addition to creative writing, students will also be expected to acquire an understanding of the principles and methods of dramaturgy, analyze existing playscripts, research historical and cultural contexts of those works, and apply the principles of dramaturgy to peer evaluation of other students’ works. Students will read plays and attend live performances as appropriate.

VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:

The following instructional strategies may be used in the course, depending on instructor preference:

1. Lecture
2. Readings
3. Discussions
4. Writing assignments
5. Oral Presentations
6. Guest lecture
7. Small- and large-group workshop
8. Peer-led learning
9. Problem-based learning
10. Public performances
11. Attending outside performances

VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:

Students will be encouraged to see writing for the stage as creating a blueprint for collaboration with other artists in the realization of that script in performance. At the end of the course, students should be able to produce original dramatic works (a ten-minute play and a one- act play) as well as articulate clear, perceptive, and informed analyses of dramatic texts.

VIII. Assessment Measures:

Students will be assessed using a variety of formative and summative measures. Students may be assessed via:

1. Homework
2. Informal, in-class activities
3. Informal targeted writing activities completed outside class
4. Reflective journals
5. Formal activities such as writing stories, dialogues, monologues, and short plays
6. Writing multiple drafts of plays
7. Peer-to-peer writing workshops
8. Collaboration with peers
9. Application of peer and instructor feedback
10. Class discussion

Review and Approval

August 2020

March 01, 2021