New York University Bulletin - Gallatin School of Individualized ...

GALLATIN SCHOOL OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDYDramatizing History IELEC-GG 2575 Dinwiddie. 4 unitsHow does the dramatist bring alive an historical epoch to enliven a work for stage, film ortelevision? What elements are essential to create a compelling narrative? Should the charactersbe actual people or fictionalized composites? And what ethical issues are raised insuch decision making? In this arts workshop students will embark on a journey to bring aliveand shape stories that hold personal significance.Whether the tales are connected to family,culture, gender or ‘race’ memory, there are certain steps that may enhance the creation anddevelopment of dramatic work based on historical information.The goal, based on the student’work, is the fully develop the outline of the story. Readings may include such texts asAristotle’s Poetics, Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing, Robert McKee’s Story JeffreySweet’sThe Dramatist’sToolkit, and plays by David Henry Hwang, Lynn Nottage, MatthewLopez and monologuist Michael Daisey, among othersAmerican Society and Culture in TransitionELEC-GG 2720 Raiken. 4 units.What changes in Post WWII American society led to the current economic crisis and politicalstalemate? For almost seven decades followingWorldWar II the United States and theindustrialized Western World experienced unprecedented economic growth and geopoliticaldominance.The Cold War, a period of superpower nuclear threat, tuned out unexpectedlyto be a period of relative global security.The primary leader and beneficiary of theCold War was the United States. More recently new and unforeseen eruptions of violenceand major geopolitical clashes have caused threats to political stability. Mounting crises inAmerican and European economies have brought about economic downturn,disruption andausterity, also threatening world economies. Conservative forces have reasserted their influencein American society and reignited the Culture Wars of the last four decades;Americansociety and the world order are in radical flux.This seminar introduces the perspectives necessaryfor an interdisciplinary approach to social change and the our uncertain political, socialand economic lives. Readings will include Dorothy Lee, Valuing the Self; Hannah Arendt,On Violence; John Kenneth Galbraith, The Good Society;Tony Judt, Ill Fares the Land; JohnLanchester’s Why Everybody Owes Everybody and No One Can Pay; writings of BarringtonMoore Jr., and economists such as Thorstein Veblen, Amartya Sen, John B.Taylor, JosephStiglitz and Paul Krugman.NewYork University Bulletin 2012-2013 85