American Drama Classics

Course content

It is difficult to exaggerate the significance of (US-)American drama in American literature, history, culture, media, or, in fact, daily life, even if it is not always readily apparent. At the same time, early American drama, and even 19th century American drama, is curiously under-researched. To remedy this at least somewhat, in this research seminar, we are going to take a closer look at a selection of (US-)American plays before the 20th century, including their historical, cultural, political, and medial contexts. A substantial part of class will be dedicated to research projects. All texts, including secondary material, will either be made available or researched & selected in class.