Dokuz Eylül University Information Package / Courses Catalog

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code	Course Unit Title	Type Of Course	D	U	L	ECTS
SSB 3004	TEXT ANALYSIS-ABSURD	COMPULSORY	2	0	0	2

Offered By

Department of Performing Arts

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR BANU AYTEN AKIN

Offered to

Dramatic Writing and Dramaturgy
Performance Arts
Stage Design
Play Writing - Dramaturgy

Course Objective

In the course the student gets information about the writer of the text surveyed, as well as the other plays written by the same author, author s life and art. Theater of the era when the play is written is also discussed. Minding the basic features of the play structure, the text is studied within the plot, characterisation, situation, theme. If the play has been realised before, visual material, pitures, DVD-CD and the play s booklet, ad, critics in media, and the interwievs with the writer or the actors will be good examples for a presentation. The text is discussed all together with the other students participation too. (Presentation groups will be consisting 3 students tops)

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1	Bein informed about the conditiouns leading to emergence of the Absurd theater,
2	Knowing the details of the philosophy in the Theater of Absurd tendency,
3	Knowing the importatnt writers within the Theater of Absurd,
4	Capability of discussing the different lifes of the writers whose plays will be surveyed within absurd,
5	Having ideas about, the trending tendency of the Theatre of Absurd s place in Turkish Theater will all be expected.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

SSS 4001 - contemporary directors I

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week	Subject	Description
1	The conditions leading to Absurd and the Theater of the Absurd	Emerging absurd theater after Worl War II and the writers point of view in general.
2	Philosophy of the Theater of the absurd and different approaches of the writers, Apollinaire's play The Breasts of Tiresias	Absud as a tendency not a movement, as a result having writers within, who are holding the differences with various (not similar) approaches. Apollinaire's play The Breasts of Tiresias: first anti theatre and avantgarde approaches.
3	Alfred Jarry, Ubu	As a anti theater example and parodi of idealist dramatic theater.
4	Eugene Ionesco, Rhinoceros	The play is the first example of the absurd (transition) because of the dramatic structure it has
5	Eugene Ionesco, Victims of Duty	It is an interesting example of usage of the improvisation, the writer here criticises the dramatic theater and stand against.
6	Edward Albee, The Zoo Story	The play is built up from the tragic ending created by the absurd relationship between the individuals, marginal and bourgeois.
7	Jean Genet, The Maids	This play is a reflection of hierarchical and bureocratic environment of absurd
8	Jean Genet, The Maids	The play goes with the lady and the maids but the sense of empathy with the switching roles ends up with contemporary theater s concept of otherness
9	Harold Pinter, The Birthday Party	Pinter has the closed up places, like room plays, in his texts. Themes are uncertainty and existence.
10	Harold Pinter, The Dumb Waiter	Another closed up play, indoors with two hired serial killers who do not know the thing they serve in an absurd atmosphere.
11	Samuel Beckett, Endgame	One of the best examples to absurd, Beckett's this play has a blind master and a cripple servant and, parents of the master living in a barrel.
12	Samuel Beckett, Waiting For Godot	With the play, absurd breaks from the modern and first steps of postmodern text is visible; especially for the philosophy, it is a mile stone for the theater comprehension.
13	Absurd in Turkish Theater and Melih Cevdet Anday's play named Yarın Bir Başka Koruda	an amazing short play by Anday who calles them absurds, (excepts) in out theater.
14	Also examples from Jean Tardieu s short plays will form another paper / a week will be for the MIDTERM.

Recomended or Required Reading

Camus, Başkaldıran Insan
Sartre, Varoluşçuluk
Martin Esslin, Absürd Tiyatro
Ionesco; Günlük'ten
Zehra Ipşiroğlu, Uyumsuz Tiyatroda gerçekçilik
Serpilekin Adelina Terlemez, Samuel Beckett in Adlandırılamaz Tiyatrosu
Jean Genet, Açık Düşman
Banu Ayten Akın, Genet'nin ezilenleri ve hainleri
Beckett, Genet, Ionesco, Pinter: all of the related sources and play texts.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Active learning is the core of this class. Learning and teaching based class also lets student speak and present.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER	SHORT CODE	LONG CODE	FORMULA
1	MTE	MIDTERM EXAM
2	FIN	FINAL EXAM
3	FCG	FINAL COURSE GRADE	MTE * 0.40 + FIN * 0.60
4	RST	RESIT
5	FCGR	FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT)	MTE * 0.40 + RST * 0.60

*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

For evaluation, methodologically, it is bound to the student s skills. After gathering the information (about the era of the writer, writer s comments on the play, research of the library books and mags internet sources on the play) and the visual material needed, the student prepares the presentation. The results of the research may be enriched by the other students attributions as the different sources they have found or their critical rewiev on presentation.

Assessment Criteria

Assement crteria student s attendance to the course and participation, teacher s opinion as well as the %40 midterm, %60 final exam. Presentation are important. All are criterias with the %70 obligation to attending.

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Course Policies and Rules

The course depends on debates, presentations and lecturing; it helps to improove seminar skills of the student.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

banu.akin@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

Monday 17.00-18.00

Work Placement(s)