TH 0411 - Theatre for Social Change

Demand 3 Credit Hours
Designed to lead students through a process of creating social change around issues pertinent to their own lives through various forms of performative activism. Through classroom and community presentations utilizing interactive theatre we will focus on student leadership, and address issues of power, privilege, social identity and structures of oppression. We will discuss relevant reading material about these issues in our social history and we will explore our own and other’s experiences in a variety of social and institutional contexts. In-class, we will introduce tools for creative and non-violent action for social change, beginning with community building, intergroup dialogue, and oppression awareness activities. These will coincide with course readings and assignments designed to provide students with an Institutional Oppression analysis. Coursework consists of readings and performance viewings spanning artists including Bertolt Brecht, Augusto Boal, and Anna Deveare Smith. Students will also develop expressive skills through theatre activities helping them become more comfortable performing onstage and improvising in life. Outside class assignments will include readings, journaling, and group work. Prerequisite: TH 0351.