Acting Fundamentals for Stage and Screen

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Demonstrate appropriate and ethical oral communication messages for given contexts and communicators to increase knowledge, foster understanding, and/or promote change.
• Analyze and evaluate messages according to context, audience, intent, and other principles of oral communication, to contribute to the ongoing development of knowledge and relationships.
• Memorize and perform selected dramatic material.
• Analyze a scene or script for performance.
• Effectively critique acting performances.
• Interpret theatrical works in relation to cultural values.
• Identify the fundamental roles of expression in personal and collective experience.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Participation (Class Exercises, Discussions, and Feedback) and Growth	24%
Warm-Up	5%
Open Scene	10%
Partner Scene	30%
Beginning-of-Semester Questionnaire	1%
Performance Reflection 1	5%
Performance Reflection 2	5%
Mid-Term Check-In	5%
Scene Score Part 1	5%
Scene Score Part 2	5%
Final Reflection	5%

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
93–100%	A
90–92%	A-
87–89%	B+
83–86%	B
80–82%	B-
77–79%	C+
73–76%	C
70–72%	C-
67–69%	D+
63–66%	D
60–62%	D-
0–59%	F

Attendance/Participation:

Your presence in class is crucial to your success. Please make your attendance a top priority whenever possible. This also means taking care of yourself. Sleep. Eat. Drink Water. Moderation in all things is a means to a healthy life. Please take care of yourself.

Each student will be allowed 3 absences, no questions asked, over the course of the semester. That being said, this is a participation-based class. Unexcused absences over the allowed amount will negatively impact your grade. Your attendance is especially crucial when you are scheduled to present or rehearse scene work in class as this affects other students. In-class rehearsals may NOT be made up without an excused absence.

Full participation in class exercises, games, discussions, and in-class rehearsals both when working and observing classmates’ work is expected. Curiosity is the cornerstone of learning. Often, more can be learned and absorbed while watching a classmate work than while you are working yourself. It is very likely that everything your classmates are working on in class would be helpful for you to also bring into your work. If a student is distracted, they miss this opportunity. For example, if a student is using their phone for something not class-related or doing homework, their participation grade will be calculated accordingly.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.