Fall 2006

PRS 361 • Iranian Drama

Course Description

This course follows the development of Iranian drama from the 19th through teh 20th century. Representative plays from the Qajar, constitutional, Pahlavi adn post-Islamic Revolutionary periods are examined for their socio-cultural content and aesthetic value in the light of traditional performing arts in Iran. Attention will also be paid to the influences of traditional Iranian performing art forms, such as ta'ziyeh, ruhowzi, as well as Western theater on this drama. The works of such notable playwrights as Fath'ali Akhundzadeh, Bahram Beyza'i, Bahman Forsi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Hasan Moghaddam, Abbas Na'lbandiyan, Akbar Radi, Gholamhoseyn Sa'edi, Mirza Aqa Tabrizi, Faramarz Talebi, and Mohsen Yalfani will comprise the basic reading component of the course.

May not be used to fulfill the foreign language requirement for an bachelor's degree.

Grading Policy

Two papers, 60%; weekly reports, 20%; class participation, 20%.

Texts

M. R. Ghanoonparvar and John Green, eds., Iranian Drama: An Anthology; M. R. Ghanoonparvar, ed., 'Othello in Wonderland' and 'Mirror-Polishing Storytellers', Hamid Dabashi, ed., Theater of Diaspora.

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