ERH 230 - African American Playwrights

Instructor: MAJ Stephanie L. Hodde
Location: Scott Shipp Hall 164
Date/Time: Monday-Friday 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Credit Hours: 3

A study of the ways in which artists in the fine arts, literature, and/or music have responded creatively to social and political issues. The course may focus on a single genre or issue, or it may take a broader view. This course studies the ways in which African American playwrights, as dramatic artists, have responded creatively to contemporary social and political issues. In particular, we will explore the dramatic techniques and rhetorical contexts of American drama through master artists such as Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson and Anna Deavere Smith along with new voices in the field (Lynn Nottage, Dominique Morisseau and Bandon Jacob-Jenkins). Through dramaturgical analysis and creative responses to script and film productions, cadets will engage these playwrights critically from the page to the stage. We’ll explore sociopolitical issues such as social crisis, gender, work, community, and the American dream to understand how these artists humanize the national landscape.The delivery platform to support students placed in isolation/quarantine during VMI Summer Session will be Canvas and Zoom. Prerequisite(s): ERH-102 minimum grade of C