Students analyze the plays of Henrik Ibsen in
English translation using a variety of critical approaches. Students
investigate ethical issues and themes in Ibsen's plays by examining
the plays through the lens of ethics, using readings in ethical
theory to better understand both the ethical issues and
the plays themselves. Students also study Ibsen's dramatic
technique and the historical and literary context of his work.
Prerequisite: completion of BTS-T or permission of instructor.
Instructor: Solveig Zempel, OM 14D, x3471 (home 663-0451)
Office hours: by appointment, call 3471 or e-mail
zempel
Credit: GE: EIN Counts toward major/concentration:
Norwegian/Nordic Studies
In this course we will study the plays of Henrik Ibsen
in English translation. Lectures and additional readings
will help place the works in a historical and literary context,
will introduce philosophical ideas on which Ibsen based his
ethical concerns, and will present various critical approaches.
Class discussion will investigate ethical issues and themes
in Ibsen's plays. Since class discussion will focus on the readings,
you will need to come prepared by thinking and writing about
each assigned text. Several short papers and one final paper
will be assigned, as well as oral presentations and group
projects. You will be encouraged to use the internet for
further information, and links will be provided.
Students who have completed Norwegian 232 are eligible for the
FLAC component. Those in the FLAC group will have assigned readings in
Norwegian and will meet once a week for one hour to discuss the readings
in Norwegian. You will find the FLAC syllabus
here
.
Course Requirements:
- Attendance is required!
- Preparation for and participation
in class discussion
- Participation in "ethics expert"
group
- Daily
response
papers (with discussion questions)
- One 4-6 page paper
- Group oral presentations (
scene
and trial
, with scene paper and trial script)
- Final 7-10 page paper
- Portfolio (contains response papers,
class notes, short paper, scene paper, trial script and
final paper)
Response/question papers: Response/question
papers are informal and designed to prepare for and stimulate
class discussion. They should be 1/2 to 2 pages long, and
computer produced. The response/question papers will be prepared
before class on the assigned reading for the day and will
reflect your thinking about and response to the text in question.
Specific guidelines may be found here
. Response papers may be informally written, making use
of lists, key words, and incomplete sentences where appropriate.
These informal "papers" serve several purposes. They provide
an opportunity for you to practice critical responses in writing,
to work through ideas for paper topics, to come to class prepared
for discussion, and to encounter ideas from others in the class.
Response papers will be turned in at the end of each
class period, and will be returned for inclusion in your portfolio.
One critical paper. During the course of the
semester, you will turn in one critical paper of 4-6 pages.
I will be happy to work with you on brainstorming, drafting,
and preparing the final version. Your response/question papers
and class discussion will help you think of topics and ideas.
This paper may reflect class discussion and should use the text(s)
as evidence. You can explore an ethical perspective, give
further consideration to responses, argue interpretations
offered in class, or relate one text to another or to other
interesting ideas.
Due March 30 (just after spring break)
One scene paper (due April 13) and one trial script
(due May 13)
Final paper: This 7-10 page paper will serve as
a presentation and review of a significant ethical issue
in one or more of the plays we read (or an optional reading).
In it you will critique the text(s) you have chosen, integrating
perspectives from class discussion, other primary and secondary
texts read, and in some cases critical articles or other background
material. The paper will serve as the final exam for the course,
and the final version will be due May 19 during the
scheduled exam period .
Portfolio: You will gather your informal response/question
papers, class notes, short paper, scene paper, trial script,
and final paper in a portfolio to be handed in at the scheduled
final exam period (May 19). A preliminary portfolio
will be turned in just before spring break.
Oral presentations:
1) You will be assigned (with several other students) to
become the class experts on one of the significant
ethical theories.
2) You will work in a group to present a scene from an Ibsen
play. The scene you choose and your interpretation of it should
reflect an important ethical issue.
3) You will work in a group to try in a court of law a significant
character from an Ibsen play on an ethics charge. Each group
will need an accused, several witnesses, a lawyer for the defense
and a prosecutor.
If you have a documented disability that will impact your work
in this class, please contact me to discuss your needs. You will also need
to register with the Student Disability Services Office, Academic Support
Center, Old Main Annex room 1.
IBSEN TEXTS:You will need to purchase the Geoffrey
Hill (Penguin Classics) translation of Brand, and Rolf
Fjelde's Ibsen: The Major Prose Plays.
OTHER readings: You will need to purchase Lawrence
Hinman, Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral
Theory (Third edition), Richard Hornby, Script into
Performance , and a reading packet.