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The Dramatic Writing Program: Courses
Note: Playwriting and screenwriting courses with the DWR prefix are listed here. The courses below reflect those taken by dramatic writing BFA majors through spring 2013.
DWR 1000–1999 (lower level)
DWR 2000–2999 (lower level)
DWR 3000–3999 (upper level)
DWR 4000–4999 (upper level)
Note: In two-semester course sequences offered every year, successful completion of the first course is a prerequisite for the second course.
Playwriting I
DWR 1000 / 4 credits / Fall
An introduction to the basic techniques of writing for the stage, beginning with the story. Multiple short writing assignments emphasize character, plot, diction, subtext, and meaning. They include writing from personal experience, adapting a short story and a classical play, and using a current news story as inspiration. Students discuss Aristotle’s elements as they pertain to the scene, apply basic elements of the craft, read several short plays, and attend performances on campus and in New York City.
Screenwriting I
DWR 1010 / 4 credits / Fall
An introduction to the basic techniques of writing for the screen, beginning with the story. The elements of the story, including character, plot, theme, image, and voice, are analyzed. Students learn the proper screenplay format, write short assignments weekly, and analyze a classic screenplay and its realization in film in their study of screenplay structure.
Plays and Playgoing I
DWR 1250 / 4 credits / Spring
Using the classics of dramatic literature as well as plays that are new to the stage, students read and examine the ideas and mechanics of each play. The class attends productions of plays on campus and in New York City.
Screenwriting II: Adaptation
DWR 2000 / 4 credits / Spring
The use of old stories—which is as old as the story itself—develops the ability to analyze how a successful story works. Students delineate the elements of a story, experience their importance and power, and translate an original prose narrative into a piece for a narrative film. Students then choose a scene they have written and analyze it as a film director, gaining another perspective on approaches to the medium and enriching their understanding of the craft.
Prerequisite: DWR 1010
Playwriting II: Theory and Practice
DWR 2010 / 4 credits / Fall
Students study some key texts and theories, including Aristotle’s Poetics, Brecht’s Epic Theatre, Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty, and Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Students attend plays on campus and in New York City, weighing and analyzing the work through the lenses of the theorists studied. Playwriting assignments explore and incorporate ideas from each and include a 30-page play that incorporates at least one of the central ideas of the seminal theatre artists studied.
Prerequisite: DWR 1000
Screenplay Analysis
DWR 2100 / 4 credits / Fall
In-depth analysis of four or more well-known movies to identify the main principles of story building. Students then write scenes in which the main conflict of the feature film is transferred to their own experience or imagination.
The Writer and the Documentary I
DWR 2120 / 4 credits / Spring
Defines the writer’s role in the production of documentary films. Documentary films are screened and analyzed in class. Field assignments involve research and interview sessions; written assignments include narration exercises, documentary summaries, and scripts.
Shakespeare Then and Now
THP 2205 Refer to Theatre and Performance Courses for description.
Plays and Playgoing II
DWR 2250 / 4 credits / Fall
A continuation of DWR 1250. Using the classics of dramatic literature and plays that are new to the stage, students read and examine the ideas and mechanics of each play. The class also attends productions of plays on campus and in New York City.
Prerequisite: DWR 1250
Acting for Writers
DWR 2310 / 3 credits / Fall
Explores the elements of acting to acquaint dramatic writers with the problems involved in bringing their words to life.
The Collaborative Process
DWR 2500 / 3 credits / Spring
Dramatic writing cannot be effective without an understanding of the collaborative process. Students direct, act, and write in this course, which is taught by a professional theatre director. Each student directs a scene from dramatic literature, writes scenes to be directed and acted by fellow classmates, learns some fundamental exercises for the actor, and develops the beginning vocabulary and techniques of the theatre director.
Cinematic Expression I and II
CIN 2760 and 2770 Refer to Cinema Studies Courses (School of Film and Media Studies) for description. Prior to Fall 2011, also offered as TFI 2760 and 2770. As of Fall 2012, replaced by CIN 1500 and 1510.
Theatre Histories I and II
THP 2885 and 2890 Refer to Theatre and Performance Courses for description.
Screenwriting III
DWR 3000 / 4 credits / Fall
An introduction to full-length narrative and the three-act structure employed by Hollywood. Students learn how to correlate the tenets of Aristotle’s Poetics to the Los Angeles paradigm. The art and craft of screenwriting are developed through narrative analysis, and through developing, writing, and rewriting a full-length screenplay (30 to 40 pages). Techniques covered include overlapping dialogue, establishing shots, the use of voice-over, montages, and the seeding and follow-through of elements to create tension and payoff.
Prerequisite: DWR 2000 or permission of instructor
Playwriting III
DWR 3010 / 4 credits / Spring
Completion of a full-length work. Collaboration with actors and directors from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts is encouraged.
Prerequisite: DWR 3000
Offered for dramatic writing BFA majors only, through Spring 2012; discontinued after Spring 2012. Other students should refer to DWR 3200 on the playwriting and screenwriting site.
Writers’ Scene Workshop I: Writing
DWR 3105 / 4 credits / Fall
Under the supervision of a professional writer/director, students write brief scenes, which are produced in the second semester (DWR 3115).
This course was inadvertently omitted in the 2011–13 College Catalog.
Writers’ Scene Workshop II: Production
DWR 3115 / 4 credits / Spring
A continuation of DWR 3105. Students work with a filmmaker to produce the scenes written in DWR 3105.
Prerequisite: DWR 3105
Directing for Screenwriters: Production
DWR 3215 / 4 credits / Every year
Students write and direct a narrative (fiction) short scene in digital video. Emphasis is on writers learning to look at their work from the perspective of the director and the actor. Students learn to interpret a text and use that interpretation in all subsequent directorial and editing decisions. Students also learn the fine anatomy of writing and directing the scene.
Prerequisite: DWR 2000
Documentary Theatre: Performing Real Life
DWR 3500 Refer to THP 3500 in Theatre and Performance Courses for description.
Adapting Literature for Performance
THP 3725 Refer to Theatre and Performance Courses for description.
Writing for Television
DWR 4000 / 4 credits / Spring
Screenings and discussion of various forms of the medium, including the sitcom, television movies, and documentary and experimental forms. Students write a script that is critiqued in class and rewritten, with concentration on the world of the story, tone, character, style, dramatic tension, pacing, and evolving narrative.
Offered for dramatic writing BFA majors only, through Spring 2012; discontinued after Spring 2012. Other students should refer to DWR 3300 on the playwriting and screenwriting site.
The Business of Writing
DWR 4100 / 2 credits / Spring
An introduction to the realities of the field. Students meet with professional playwrights and screenwriters to learn about the opportunities and pitfalls that beginning dramatic writers face.
The Writer and the Documentary II
DRW 4120 / 4 credits / Fall
Students put the research and writing competencies achieved in DWR 2120 to practical use by writing and completing short audio and video documentary assignments. Classroom instruction includes techniques for working with audio and visual material as well as utilizing applicable computer programs.
Senior Seminar: Showcase Prep
DWR 4170 and 4171 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
The process of translating the written word onto the stage is investigated, and text is refined and distilled into its most palpable, active form. Students develop tools for augmenting characters, scenes, and plays, working toward the development of short pieces that may be used in the dramatic writing showcase in the spring semester. This two-semester seminar is designed to provide insight into the process of directorial conceptualization.
Prerequisite: DWR 3115
Offered for dramatic writing BFA majors only, through Spring 2013; discontinued after Spring 2013.
Added Spring 2012 (1/19/12):
Senior Seminar: Showcase Prep for Actors
DWR 4172 / 4 credits / Spring
Acting majors work with dramatic writing seniors on a showcase presentation.
Offered for acting BFA majors only, through Spring 2013; discontinued after Spring 2013.
Senior Project: Playwriting
DWR 4180 and 4181 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
The two-semester culminating project for dramatic writing majors in the playwriting concentration. In the fall, students meet regularly with their mentor and write an outline and rough draft of a full-length play, culminating in a reading of the draft. The spring semester is devoted to revision of the play.
Offered for dramatic writing BFA majors only, through Spring 2013; discontinued after Spring 2013.
Senior Project: Screenwriting
DWR 4190 and 4191 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
The two-semester culminating project for dramatic writing majors in the screenwriting concentration. In the fall, students meet regularly with their mentor and write an outline and rough draft of a full-length screenplay, culminating in a reading of the draft. The spring semester is devoted to revision of the screenplay.
Offered for dramatic writing BFA majors only, through Spring 2013; discontinued after Spring 2013.
Advanced Studies in Screenwriting
DWR 4200 / 2 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Intensive work with selected advanced writers on their screenplay projects.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
Updated Jan. 19, 2012
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