Course Offerings

courses > 2019 spring

Provocative Performance

THAR 279.401

crosslisted as:
Engl 303 & GSWS 279
instructor(s):
Tuesday & Thursday 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm

What is feminist theatre?  How do artists use live performance to provoke not
 only thought and feeling, but also social, personal, and political change?
 This course will examine a wide array of plays and performances by and about
 women; these pieces are, in turn, serious, hilarious, outrageous,
 poignant--and always provocative.  Our focus will be on English-language works
 from the late 20th century to the present (#metoo) moment.  We will read these
 performance texts and/or view them on stage/screen; we will also read essays
 that provide contextual background on feminist theatre theory and history.
 Throughout the semester, we will engage diverse perspectives on women and
 race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and gender identity; the issues we
 encounter will also include marriage and motherhood, career and community,
 feminism and friendship, and patriarchy and power.  The class will take full
 advantage of any related events occurring on campus or in the city, and will
 feature visits with guest speakers.  Students will have the opportunity to
 pursue research on their own areas of interest (some recent examples are
 "women in comedy," trans performance, drag kings, feminist directing, etc.).