Instructor: J. Howard
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. (Seminar). This seminar, which will be limited to twelve participants, will study the bulk of Tony Kushner’s published work. This will include a number of his essays; plays such as Bright Room Called Day, Angels In America Parts I and II, Hydriotaphia, The Illusion, Slavs!, Caroline or Change, Homebody/Kabul, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, plus screenplays for the films Munich and Lincoln. We will scour the city for productions of any of the plays and screen the two films. We will try to understand Kushner both as a theatrical innovator and as the inheritor of particular traditions of European and American theater; and we will read his work in relation to political and social events in turn-of-the-century America.
There will be several short written assignments in the course of the semester and a more substantial final paper. No exams.
Application Instructions: E-mail Professor Howard (jfh5@columbia.edu) by noon on Tuesday, November 6th, with the subject heading, “Tony Kushner seminar.” In your message, include basic information: your name, school, major, year of study, and relevant courses taken, along with a brief statement about why you are interested in taking the course.
