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Home My WebLink AboutTHR-113Bergen Community College Division of Humanities Department of Visual and Performing Arts Course Syllabus Voice and Movement THR 113 Basic Information About Course and Instructor Semester and Year: Course and Section Number: Meeting Times and Locations: Instructor: Office Location: Phone: Departmental Secretary: Office Hours: Email Address: Course Description Voice and Movement is a fundamental and experiential course designed for students wishing to enhance their abilities as performing artists, speakers, presenters, teachers, and more. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of the body and voice as instruments of expression and communication. Students explore embodied techniques as they engage with a variety of poetic and dramatic texts, bringing them to life in performance. Student Learning Objectives: The overall goal of this course is to give the student total immersion in all types of stage movement and the accompanying vocal aspects of performance. The course introduces and utilizes a wide range of physical, vocal, and speech exercises, theater games, and textual analysis techniques, all aimed at improving skills and increasing vocal and physical expressivity and range, imagination and creativity. Students will be expected to present to the class a final performance piece as an actor, dancer, or both. Students will also: ● Implement daily body and vocal warm-ups to develop as a performing artist. ● Distinguish between a variety of movement disciplines and the sounds that convey a character’s objectives. ● Apply the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to better understand intonation, dialects, and accents. ● Examine a variety of texts in order to strengthen vocal performance. ● Identify and analyze different forms of movements and sounds found within the activities of human beings of all ages in various situations and record these in a Kinetic Journal. ● Analyze and discuss the challenges of creating a performance piece from major periods of theatre history. Learning Assessments: In support of the above-mentioned goals, the course will include daily performance assignments, both prepared and improvised. Students will take an active part in all class activities. Objectives will be assessed as follows: ● Successful completion of individual and group performances. ● Quality and completeness of performances and Kinetic Journal. ● Demonstrated insight, effort, and completeness of observational readings/writings. ● Active supportive participation in class discussions, presentations, and projects. ● Quality and effort demonstrated for performance and written projects (group and individual). Course Texts and/or Other Study Materials Required: Purchase a notebook specifically for your notes in this class and your Kinetic Journal. Optional: Bogart, Anne and Tina Landau. The Viewpoints Book. Theatre Communications Group, 2004. ISBN: 0873388283 Loui, Annie. The Physical Actor: Exercises for Action and Awareness. Routledge. ISBN: 9781134035878. Snow, Jackie. Movement Training for Actors. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN: 1408157136. In addition, multiple handouts and video links will be provided. Be sure to check our Canvas site regularly, where all materials will be located. Grading Policy The final grade in this course will be determined by a student’s overall mastery of the subject matter as evidenced by participation, the Kinetic Journal, quizzes/exams, and Final Assessment. Participation 30% (attendance, punctuality, communication, attitude) Reflections 20% Kinetic Journal 30% (this will be handed in at the end of the semester) Midterm Assessment 10% Final Assessment 10% Students will be evaluated on attendance and participation in class using the following criteria: consistent attendance; evidence of studying text and assignments; completed daily assignments; quality classroom responses. Kinetic Journal: You will write and maintain a daily journal describing, in detail, your perceptions of the movements and sounds of human, non-human, and inanimate objects that they have viewed throughout the semester. Grading Scale: 90-100 = A 86-89 = B+ 80-85 = B 76-79 = C+ 70 - 75 = C 65-69 = D 0–64 = F Official Withdrawal = W Incomplete = INC Skills that define a professional attitude are: 1. Empathy, integrity, honesty, good interpersonal skills, curiosity, courage, and desire for change. 2. Ability to adapt to a working environment that is both rigorous and demanding. 3. Ability to show flexibility to changes. 4. Ability to function in the face of uncertainties, questions and stresses, which are inherent in the training and artistic process, as well as the profession. 5. Ability and willingness to respond physically to appropriate verbal and tactile cues given by their teachers. 6. Acknowledgment that the work is the discipline and self-discipline will lead to the attainment of one’s goals. BCC Attendance Policy All students are expected to attend punctually every scheduled meeting of each course in which they are registered. Attendance and lateness policies and sanctions are to be determined by the instructor for each section of each course. These will be established in writing on the individual course outline. Attendance will be kept by the instructor for administrative and counseling purposes. Bergen Community College Academic Policies: Bergen Community College is committed to academic integrity – the honest, fair and continuing pursuit of knowledge, free from fraud or deception. Please review the college catalog or student handbook for further information on this topic. Bergen Community College has adopted an internal grievance procedure to provide for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by federal regulation implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (ADA). Please review the college catalog for further information on this topic. Bergen Community College is committed to providing its students and employees with an academic and work environment free from sexual harassment or discrimination. Please review the policy prohibiting sexual harassment in the college catalog. SUPPORT SERVICES Students are encouraged to use the student support services of the college. Some of these are listed below. Center for Student Success (Academic Counseling, Academic Advising, Transfer Services, Career Counseling) A-118 https://bergen.edu/center-for-student-success Portal Help (for Canvas, BCC email, registration) Portal is located at my.bergen.edu https://bergen.edu/portalhelp Tutoring Center L-125 https://bergen.edu/tutoring English Language Resource Center (for students whose first language is not English) Room C-212 201-879-5292 https://bergen.edu/tutoring/english-language-resource-center Writing Center (for all students) Room L-125 201-447-7489 https://bergen.edu/tutoring/writing-center/ Office of Specialized Services (Disability Services) Room L-116 201-612-5270 www.bergen.edu/oss Sidney Silverman Library Room L-226 201-447-7970 www.bergen.edu/library Statement on Accommodations for Disabilities The Office of Specialized Services (Pitkin Education Center: L-115, 201-612-5269, http://www.bergen.edu/oss) promotes an inclusive environment for students with disabilities through the provision of accommodations and auxiliary support services. Students are strongly encouraged to contact OSS before the semester begins or during the first week or class to request accommodations. Faculty and staff are available to meet with students via phone, in-person, and WebEx (online meeting app). You can also connect by phone: 201-612-5269 and email: ossinfo@bergen.edu. For more information regarding the above, see the section entitled: Office of Specialized Services or Services for Students with Disabilities in the current Bergen Community catalog. The Bergen Cares Center Pantry Any student who has difficulty accessing sufficient food to eat, stable housing, or meeting other basic needs, and believes this may affect performance in this course, is urged to contact me (your professor) or the Bergen Cares Center for support. The Bergen Cares Center Pantry is located in room C-111A on the Paramus Campus at Bergen Community College. For more information contact the BCC Coordinator at rsloma@bergen.edu or call 201-447-7191. Library Resources All students are encouraged to visit and use the BCC Library. There are particularly excellent resources available to students studying the performing arts. Recommended Readings and Resources LibGuides: Theatre and Dance: https://bergen.libguides.com/theatre-dance Music: https://bergen.libguides.com/music Researching Shakespeare: https://bergen.libguides.com/shakespeare BCC Databases: JSTOR Images (ARTSTOR) Digital Theatre Plus - highly recommended for theatre students! Arts and Humanities Database Music Online Bloom’s Literature Literature Research Center Kanopy: Documentaries and feature films Films on Demand: With equal emphasis on recordings of live performances and documentaries, this collection spans both time and space to cover a wide variety of music and dance from around the world and throughout history. Opera, jazz, and classical. Ballet, modern, and step dancing. Oxford Music/Grove Music Online: A gateway to Oxford's music reference publications, offering users the ability to search Grove Music Online together with The Oxford Companion to Music and the Oxford Dictionary of Music, a total collection of more than 70,000 articles on music written and reviewed by subject experts and suitable for musical amateurs, professionals, and scholars alike. Online Resources: Artlex, the Original Art Dictionary and Encyclopedia (http://www.artlex.com), is a good resource for visual arts terminology. The Maxine Greene Institute: Aesthetic Education Course Outline This course outline is tentative and subject to change depending upon the progress of the class. Week Dates Topic/Activity Assignments/Events 1 1/18 Introductions Understanding the fundamentals of the course Discuss the Kinetic Journal/Reflections Begin the Kinetic Journal: purchase a notebook and write down observations about movement that you make over the weekend. 2 1/23 and 1/25 Laban Movement Developing kinesthetic sense and movement Vocal vocabulary Exploration: Rudolf Laban and the Eight Efforts Reflection #1 Due 3 1/30 and 2/1 Laban Movement Analysis Chart Animal Characterization Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 4 2/6 and 2/8 Animal Characterization 4-Minute Warm-up Reflection #2 Due 5 2/13 and 2/15 Vocal Characterization Characterizations using dialects and voice problems (IPA) Watch 44 Phonemes Memorization and Vocal Development: “The Word” Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 6 2/20 and 2/22 Begin "The Word” by Pablo Neruda Exploration: Jacques LeCoq Reflection #3 Due 7 2/27 and 3/1 Spoon River Anthology monologues Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 8 3/6 and 3/8 Exploration: Anne Bogart and Tina Landau: Viewpoints Reflection #4 Due Memorization and Vocal Development: Shakespearean Sonnet SPRING BREAK (3/13 - 3/17) 9 3/20 and 3/22 The Classical Greek Chorus Classical Greek/Choral work Ensemble Playing, Modern dance warm-up Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 10 3/27 and 3/29 Stage Combat Workshop Reflection #5 Due 11 4/3 and 4/5 Exploration: Jerzy Growtowski Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 12 4/10 and 4/12 Exploration: Michael Chekhov Reflection # 6 Due 13 4/17 and 4/19 Decide on individual final project topic and performance Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 14 4/24 and 4/26 Exploration: Alexander Technique Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 15 5/1 and 5/3 James-Lange Theory for Creating a Role/ Final Projects Continue to write in your Kinetic Journal 16 5/8 and 5/10 Final written exam Final Course Reflection due