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A study of African Amer­i­can dra­matic lit­er­a­ture to ex­plore the com­plex ways in which the black ex­pe­ri­ence is con­structed and pre­sented by play­wrights. Stu­dents may have an op­por­tu­nity to ex­pe­ri­ence a the­atri­cal pro­duc­tion in New York City. More specif­i­cally, this course is di­vided into dis­tinct sec­tions. It in­cludes a his­tor­i­cal overview of early Black the­atre through­out the di­as­pora. It con­sid­ers how mid-twen­ti­eth cen­tury play­wrights like Lor­raine Hans­berry, James Bald­win, Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka, and Ntozake Shange shape the aes­thet­ics and dis­courses within Black the­atre, and in doing so, cre­ate tra­jec­to­ries for con­tem­po­rary Black play­wrights, who also ex­plore the so­cial, po­lit­i­cal and cul­tural ex­pe­ri­ences of Africana peo­ple.

A study of African American dramatic literature to explore the complex ways in which the black experience is constructed and presented by playwrights. Students may have an opportunity to experience a theatrical production in New York City. More specifically, this course is divided into distinct sections. It includes a historical overview of early Black theatre throughout the diaspora. It considers how mid-twentieth century playwrights like Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka, and Ntozake Shange shape the aesthetics and discourses within Black theatre, and in doing so, create trajectories for contemporary Black playwrights, who also explore the social, political and cultural experiences of Africana people.

The se­nior the­sis pro­ject, uti­liz­ing skills in an in­no­v­a­tive way to de­velop a pro­ject that re­lates to the en­ter­tain­ment in­dus­try. Pro­jects are de­vel­oped through courses in the en­ter­tain­ment tech­nol­ogy and/or emerg­ing media tech­nol­ogy pro­grams. Pro­jects re­quire ap­proval by the ad­vi­sor and must demon­strate man­age­ment, tech­ni­cal de­sign and pre­sen­ta­tion skills. Doc­u­men­ta­tion of plan­ning, de­sign and re­al­iza­tion is pre­sented to a com­mit­tee of in­struc­tors, both in en­ter­tain­ment tech­nol­ogy and re­lated dis­ci­plines, as well as to in­dus­try pro­fes­sion­als se­lected by the stu­dent and ap­proved by the ad­vi­sor. Though stu­dents en­roll in this course dur­ing their se­nior year, de­vel­op­ment of the pro­ject should begin dur­ing the sec­ond se­mes­ter of the ju­nior year.

The senior thesis project, utilizing skills in an innovative way to develop a project that relates to the entertainment industry. Projects are developed through courses in the entertainment technology and/or emerging media technology programs. Projects require approval by the advisor and must demonstrate management, technical design and presentation skills. Documentation of planning, design and realization is presented to a committee of instructors, both in entertainment technology and related disciplines, as well as to industry professionals selected by the student and approved by the advisor. Though students enroll in this course during their senior year, development of the project should begin during the second semester of the junior year.

This course will allow stu­dents to ex­am­ine the re­la­tion­ship be­tween film and their lit­er­ary sources. Through class­room dis­cus­sions and out-of-class as­sign­ments, stu­dents will an­a­lyze clas­sic and con­tem­po­rary lit­er­ary texts and their cin­e­matic ver­sions. Stu­dents will ex­am­ine the re­la­tion­ship be­tween film and lit­er­a­ture, with spe­cific focus on the tech­niques used in fic­tion, drama and film and the in­flu­ences of cen­sor­ship and so­ci­ety. Stu­dents will focus on the sim­i­lar­i­ties and dif­fer­ences of lit­er­ary works adapted into films.

This course will allow students to examine the relationship between film and their literary sources. Through classroom discussions and out-of-class assignments, students will analyze classic and contemporary literary texts and their cinematic versions. Students will examine the relationship between film and literature, with specific focus on the techniques used in fiction, drama and film and the influences of censorship and society. Students will focus on the similarities and differences of literary works adapted into films.

The pur­pose of this course is to gain a bet­ter un­der­stand­ing of the pop­u­lar genre of the Gothic as it was de­vel­oped and prac­ticed in the late-eigh­teenth cen­tury and through to today in a va­ri­ety of cul­tural con­texts. An im­por­tant foun­da­tion to this class is the idea that the Gothic is more than sim­ply mys­te­ri­ous or strange; it is a trans­gres­sive and provoca­tive sort of strange. The course will focus on key con­cepts such as hor­ror, haunt­ing, mad­ness, mon­sters, and the un­dead, con­cepts that serve as entry points to the­o­ries such as the un­canny, queer­ness, and the sub­lime. Stu­dents will crit­i­cally read, an­a­lyze, and write about the ways that the Gothic ques­tions what it means to be nor­mal or ac­cepted. The class will learn about and prac­tice using tools for read­ing, in­ter­pret­ing, and crit­i­cally re­spond­ing to fic­tion, film, po­etry, and other cul­tural man­i­fes­ta­tions of the Gothic. In ad­di­tion, stu­dents will par­tic­i­pate in con­ver­sa­tions about con­tem­po­rary Amer­i­can iden­ti­ties and also en­gage in ex­pe­ri­en­tial learn­ing through field trips to Gothic ar­chi­tec­tural spaces. Avatar photo by James Cherry, used with per­mis­sion of the artist

The purpose of this course is to gain a better understanding of the popular genre of the Gothic as it was developed and practiced in the late-eighteenth century and through to today in a variety of cultural contexts. An important foundation to this class is the idea that the Gothic is more than simply mysterious or strange; it is a transgressive and provocative sort of strange. The course will focus on key concepts such as horror, haunting, madness, monsters, and the undead, concepts that serve as entry points to theories such as the uncanny, queerness, and the sublime. Students will critically read, analyze, and write about the ways that the Gothic questions what it means to be normal or accepted. The class will learn about and practice using tools for reading, interpreting, and critically responding to fiction, film, poetry, and other cultural manifestations of the Gothic. In addition, students will participate in conversations about contemporary American identities and also engage in experiential learning through field trips to Gothic architectural spaces. Avatar photo by James Cherry, used with permission of the artist