Communication Arts & Sciences

W40 Theatre in London. This course is a basic primer in theatre criticism. The goal of the course is to provide students with specific information relevant to theatrical style, to expose students to a wide range of theatrical styles in a relatively short period of time, to sharpen students’ critical awareness, and to introduce students to a unique cultural experience. During the three weeks abroad, students develop tools for criticism as they attend nightly theatre performances and daily classroom discussions. Students keep a daily trip journal. The group tours a number of theatres including the Royal National Theatre in London and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford. Students are evaluated on the basis of participation in discussions, presentation of oral critiques, demonstrated development of critical tools, and the daily trip journal. Fee: $2925. D. Leugs. Off campus.

W41 Playing (with) Richard. This is a cross-disciplinary course in contemporary Shakespearean production, which culminates in a staging of Richard III in the Laboratory Theatre, using five or six actors, combining live and on-camera action, video-recording, and with on-stage musicians performing a score specially composed for the production. Students in this class collaborate with the professors in this process and work primarily as one of the following: actors, stage managers, theatre or video technicians, dramaturges or researchers, archivists, prop managers, assistant video designers, musicians, and assistant directors. Students are evaluated on the quality of their individual contribution to the creative process and/or production, and on their commitment to, and involvement in the class as a whole. M. Page, S. Sandberg.

CANCELED W42 Narrative Theatre Workshop. This is an intensive creative workshop to translate four stories by renowned writer Shirley Jackson into dramatic texts and performances. Each student is challenged to write adaptations of scenes from Jackson’s narratives, create and perform truthful characters in a workshop production. Rather than engaging in a traditional rehearsal of a play, students collaborate as a team of artists—using a broad range of artistic skills (creative writing, acting, directing, designing) to create a unique performance at the end of the Interim. This class serves students in creative writing, art, English, communication, theatre, and language arts. Students perform in a workshop of all pieces for the public the final evening of Interim. D. Freeberg, K. Kelly.

CANCELED W43 Sacred Texts in Performance. This course will develop students’ performance and critical skills through the exploration of sacred literature, everyday discourse, and ritual/ceremony by means of analysis and embodied enactment. Students will be introduced to fundamental techniques of textual analysis: (e.g. dramatistic and performative). Students will then turn their analyses of two (2) of these sacred tests into graded solo performances before the group. Sacred texts (which may be from a variety of religious traditions) include personal faith narratives, sacred literary texts, ethnographies of sacred communities, and sacred ritual/ceremonial texts. One of the graded assignments will be an ethnography and performance of a sacred tradition very different from their own (e.g. Hispanic Catholic, African Methodist Episcopal, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu). Students will develop their expressive instruments (the voice and the body) and will deepen their understanding and appreciation of expressions of faith. L. Welker.

W60 Broadcast Journalism Taught By Broadcast Journalists. This intensive, hands-on class meets from January 10-21. In the first week, Wayne Vriesman (retired General Manager of WGN Radio, Chicago part of the Tribune Broadcasting Co., formerly TV News producer/writer. Board Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, Radio Television News Directors Association and the Illinois Broadcasters Association) will teach the basics of the broadcast business including news, programming, promotion, engineering and sales. In the second week, Steve Vriesman (chief news editor at KCNC TV, Denver, Emmy award winner in editing, and active member of the National Press Photographers Association, twenty years experience in developing TV newscasts and documentaries) will teach the technical side broadcast news, including photography editing, and reporting. Also included will be instruction on how to put together a professional resume tape for broadcast job applications. Prerequisites: CAS 190 or consent of Instructor Wayne Vriesman (waynetbc@aol.com) W. Vriesman, S. Vriesman.

W80 American Films of the 1960s and ‘70s. This course is an examination of one of the most creative periods in American film history. A combination of influences—artistic, technological, sociological, political, cultural, economic—induced a period of transition in Hollywood in the 1960s and ‘70s. Reflecting the social, political, and generational conflicts of the time, films during this period explored the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, the counterculture, African-American culture, and the women’s movement. Significant changes were also underway in the film industry, including the influence of the European art cinema, advances in technology affecting production and exhibition, the end of the Production Code and institution of the rating system, shifting audience demographics, and the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers (Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg among them). Prerequisite: CAS 251, 281, 282, or permission of instructor. W. Romanowski.

W81 Deconstructing the King: The Life and Art of Elvis Presley. Everyone has an opinion of the life and art of Elvis Presley. Some find him to be a pop culture icon, others see him as a joke, a clear symbol of American decadence, and still others consider him to be the most influential artist of the 20th century. This class explores all thing Elvis, studying the tapestry of opinions, critiques, and memorializations of the (un)disputed King of Rock n’ Roll. From his humble beginnings at Sun Studio in Memphis, to his elaborate comeback in 1968, Elvis stands as a mythical character of American culture—this course aims to deconstruct that myth. Students taking the course write two short review essays and one longer analysis essay. Extensive reading, music listening, and image analyzing skills are employed by each student. Prerequisite: CAS 140 or 230. C. Smit.

W82 Advanced Film Directing Workshop. This course focuses on intensive scene work through a variety of classroom exercises and video productions. With a strong emphasis on acting for film/video, blocking, camera movement, and creative communication, students direct, operate cameras, and edit a collaborative setting that reflects the realities of the film industry. Students explore how camera angle, image size, and actor positioning can impact the effectiveness of a scene and experiment with storyboarding as well as focus on the differences between acting for stage and acting for camera. In addition students see a wide range of current short films from the festival circuit. Evaluation is based on quizzes, homework exercises, a final project, and class participation. There is room for 12 director/production students and 4 acting students. Prerequisite: CAS 190 for the director/production students or permission of the instructor. There are no prerequisites for the acting students. R. Swartzwelder.

101 Oral Rhetoric (core). Students in this course examine the principles of oral and visual rhetoric, with an emphasis on guided practice in the development of effective speeches. The course leads students to understand the role of rhetoric in society, to think critically about rhetorical situations and practices, and to gain proficiency in the art of rhetoric. NOTE: This course is open to engineering students only. A. Van Eerden.

330 Global Media, Global Culture. NOW BEING TAUGHT ON CAMPUS. This course, taught in Larnaca, Cyprus at the facilities of Middle East Reformed Fellowship, examines communication occurring across international borders, with special attention to the development of a global culture based in media flow. Teaching in the Middle East provides opportunities to understand the use of media as a tool of American foreign policy, evangelism, and journalism in a troubled area. Topics include the history, use and regulation of international communications technologies, information and cultural impacts of media flow, international law, and the role of media in international politics, economics, culture, and religion. The course includes significant attention to the development of global media organizations and their impacts on indigenous culture. Evaluation is based on one exam and daily journals and reflection papers. ON CAMPUS COURSE. R. Fortner.

IDIS W16 Capital Culture in Scandinavia. D. Freeberg.