BART 97A00 - Act, Inform, Inspire : Using Theatre as a Tool for Dialogue & Social Change

The performing arts are a powerful tool for introspection, dialogue and transformation. In this laboratory-style course, students will be guided through a variety of theatre-based activities and exercises that interrogate questions and dilemmas that we currently face individually and societally. Students will learn about ways that theater has been used in social justice movements, while themselves creating performances in response to contemporary causes.

This course is geared towards participants with no theatre experience who are interested in group facilitation, community building, and social justice, as well as to theatre practitioners who are looking for innovative ways to brainstorm theatrical themes and create original material.

The course will also serve as an introduction to Theater of the Oppressed techniques developed by theatre activist and reformer Augusto Boal.

Each class will consist of on your feet "games" followed by creative composition assessments. If necessary, activities will be adapted towards online participation.

As the course final, students are required to participate in a 5-10 minute original work created in collaboration by small teams.

Course Objectives:

Through lectures, improvisations, theatre games, and class exercises the following objectives will be achieved:

● Through individual and peer presentations students will learn about the ways that artists have used and continue to use the arts as a tool for dialogue and social change.

● By participating in and analyzing outcomes of improvisation, theatre games, group experiments and class assignments students will explore the ways that theater can be used as a tool for exploration and analysis of contemporary topics.

● As a final project students will work in small groups to create short original performances with the aim to create a space for dialogue around contemporary topics chosen by the class.

● Students will engage each other weekly in conversations, debate, and critical analysis of the topic at hand.

● By the end of the course students will have participated in numerous experiments, made group presentations, and created a unique work of performance for the theatre.

You do not need any knowledge about the material prior to taking this course.

Final Project 30% ________________

10 0%

Students are required to participate weekly in classroom assignments, improvisations, experiments, presentations and the final assignment. Participation grade will be assessed based on:

• Participation in discussions
• In all online classes it’s essential for your camera to be turned on at all times. Your participation portion of the grade will be impacted if the camera is off.
• Participation in improvisation and group activities
• Active engagement in preparation and execution of weekly composition assignments.

Deadlines and Format for submissions: All work that is turned in is to be typed and must include the writer's name, the date and title. Please use Times New Roman font in size 11. Students will be expected to hand in work in the format requested and by the assignment due date.

Attendance and Lateness Policy:

Students are expected to arrive on time, participate actively and be prepared to engage both intellectually and physically in all assignments, improvisations and experiments.

Absence Policy:

If a student misses 2 sessions, their grade is lowered by one grade letter. If a student misses 3 sessions, they will be considered to be in “default” (see below).

Tardy Policy:

Three late arrivals equate to one absence. If the student is more than 30 minutes late to class, it will count as an absence.

When a class is canceled, it will be rescheduled at a later date. Attendance at this make-up session is mandatory, except in the event of a schedule conflict with another required class.

Student Default After more than two absences, including justified absences, from a course spanning 24 hours or more, or after one absence from a course spanning less than 24 hours, a student will be considered to be in “default”, whatever the reason for the absences. The same applies if a student fails to comply with the evaluation procedures for a course. The grade “default” will be recorded on the student’s transcript.

Intellectual integrity (from Academic Rules & Regulations)

Any failure to conform to basic standards of honesty and integrity constitutes non-compliance with the duties and obligations of academic study.

Students suspected of cheating during an exam will be allowed to complete the exam. A report will then be submitted, signed by the director’s representative and countersigned by the proctor who observed the alleged cheating.

Teachers suspecting students of plagiarism must inform the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs, providing all available evidence. Plagiarism is deemed to have occurred when a student’s ideas as expressed in his or her work cannot be distinguished from those of other authors. It may be constituted by any of the following: clusters of consecutive words (five or more) without citation, paraphrasing, translation and verbatim copying.

A document about plagiarism is distributed to all students upon arrival at Sciences Po, in an effort to prevent it from occurring. Anti-plagiarism software is in use by the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. Any student may be requested to submit his or her work in digital format.

In the event that cheating or plagiarism can be demonstrated, the student concerned will be given a grade of 0/20 for the course. The Director of Sciences Po may also refer cases to the disciplinary committee.

Behavior in class: Collaborations aren’t always easy, but the expectation of respect is never negotiable. There will be zero tolerance of sexist, racist or derogatory comments, even if they are done in a humorous way.

Cell phones: The use of cellphones in class or in the hallways outside classrooms is disruptive and diminishes the quality of class time. Please do not use your cell phones in class. If you have an emergency and need to keep your phone on you, please let the instructor know in advance.