Who: Dian Fox, Professor of Hispanic Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies
LTS Liaisons: Mark Dellelo, Darwin Scott and Lisa Zeidenberg
Course: USEM 36B: Drama and Social Issues, Fall 2008
Summary
In this first-year seminar, students were introduced to plays by Sophocles, Aristophanes, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Susan Glaspell, and Ariel Dorfman. They were asked not only to research and write about the texts but also to study performances of several of them. For one assignment, they were divided into groups and required to produce a short video of a scene from a work that they had not seen in performance. Professor Fox wanted to give their imaginations free reign to dramatize a text they had studied.
Intended Learning Outcomes
One of Professor Fox’s goals was to help her students understand that there are as many different ways of looking at masterpieces of the stage as there are people to perform them. She was gratified to find that each group had a unique way of interpreting the scene they selected for their video, and that they were able to speak confidently about the specific choices they made to bring it to life.
She also wanted to give her students, all of whom were in their first semester at Brandeis, an opportunity to work on a long-term project as part of a supportive group. The pleasure that they all showed in presenting their work, and that they all took from watching each other perform, provided ample evidence that they had come to feel comfortable with each other.
Reflections and Lessons Learned
We held an instruction session for Professor Fox’s class that had two goals. Darwin Scott and Lisa Zeidenberg presented a lesson on how to distinguish between a scholarly article about a play and a review of a performance, and where to look for both of them. Mark Dellelo provided instruction on best practices for shooting and editing a video of a performance.
Professor Fox now feels that it may make more sense to have two sessions in the future—one still focused on research but at a slower pace, as the students had difficulty following it. And she feels that the session on videography, which the students all found helpful, might be more effective if it were taught closer to the start of their video project.
The students were all extremely positive about the help they received in the library from the staff of the Getz Multimedia Lab, which they depended on heavily in preparing their videos.
Contributors: Dian Fox, Mark Dellelo
Last Updated: 01/15/2009
