Assignment: On Tuesday, January 23, you will be assigned to a group and that group will be assigned a play. Your group will take responsibility for providing a short literature review of some salient themes in recent criticism on that play and presenting one scene from the play. You need not act out the scene; rather, you may present it as "reader's theater" (a static performance in which you read from a text). You may use props or costumes as you like, and you may use any part(s) of the classroom. You should be prepared to discuss your presentation with other members of the class and to defend your interpretation of the scene. You will have 30 minutes to present your review, present the scene, and take questions from the audience.

Method: Plan to do the great bulk of your group work for this project by email. Create an email distribution list for all group members as soon as you are assigned to the group. Begin researching your play (thinking ahead to a topic you might like to pursue for your Term Paper). Write a short annotation of one scholarly article (that is, a short-paragraph summary--around 100 words--of the article's argument). Begin your annotation with a citation of the article using either MLA or Turabian (Chicago) style. (Your group should decide together which to use so that all of your citations conform to the same style.) Identify the author of each annotation. Then work together as a group to write a short (one-paragraph) summary of your research findings. You will email the summary and bibliogaphy to me by class time on the day your group is scheduled to present. I will then put your review online as a resource for other students to use in their research and writing.

Have an email discussion about which scene in your assigned play you would like to present. Two or more of you could share a role if there aren't enough to go around in a scene that you're particularly anxious to present. Also, not all parts need to be speaking parts. Should one of you play a thing that's important to the scene? Do you want to use props at all? Costumes? One item of costume to signify something about your character? Should the gender of the actor be the same as that of the character? How do you understand the scene? That will determine how you say your parts. In other words, talk with each other about how to present the scene. You may plan to rehearse together if you like. You will have about 15 minutes to rehearse on the day of the presentation (during the time other students are taking the quiz). Gather in the hallway outside the classroom or somewhere else nearby so that you can be called easily when it is time for you to make your presentation.

Purpose: Your review of scholarship on the play assigned to you will enlarge the understanding of all class members. You will be launched on your Term Paper assignment. And you will find that you understand the play infinitely better by having to think through even one scene in depth.

Evaluation: The literature review will be graded on its fulfillment of the terms of the assignment and on style and mechanics (including citation form). You will not be penalized if one or more members of the group do not turn in their annotations, but they will not receive credit for the group project. Your presentation of the scene will be graded based on the thought, creativity, and preparation evident in your presentation. The Group Presentation counts as 10% of your grade.