一、課程名稱：戲劇概論 (Introduction to the Theatre)
二、所屬領域：人文領域
三、學分數：三學分
四、授課教師：戲劇系胡耀恆教授
五、課程目的及方法：

1. 研讀兩個劇本，藉以培養學生欣賞、分析及批評劇本的能力。
2. 講解、督導學生熟讀教課書 The Essential Theatre中的第一部分（約50頁），以及Glossary 中的相關項目（約40個），使其能取得閱讀英文戲劇教課書的能力（本書為美國類似課程最常採用），同時以上面兩個劇本為印證，使學生獲得戲劇理論的基本知識。

六、進度週次：

1. Week 1-3 Introduction to the class,《伊底帕斯王》
2. Week 4-7 Death of a Salesman
3. Week 8 Quiz 1 (on the two plays)
The Nature of Theatre (pp.3-4)
The Basic Elements of Theatre (pp.4-7)
4. Week 9 Theatre as a form of art (pp7-8; pp. 10-14)
Prior censorship and self-censorship (p. 9)
Special qualities of theatre (pp.14-16)
Art and Value (pp. 16-19)
5. Week 10 Performance, audience, and critic (pp.21-22)
Watching a performance (pp. 22-23)
Preparing the audience (p. 24)
Who is the audience (pp. 24-27)
Conditioned audience response (p. 26)
The audience and critical response (pp. 28-29)
Influence of criticism (p. 30)
The basic problems of criticism (pp.33)
6. Week 11 Qualities needed by the critic (p 33)
Info Trac College Edition (p. 33)
The playscript and on reading a play (pp. 35-36)
Dramatic action (P. 36) and Aristotle’s Poetics (p. 37)
Methods of organizing dramatic action (pp. 37-39)
Plot (pp. 39-41); character and characterization (pp. 41-43)
7. Week 12 Quiz 2 (on pp. 3-43, 含翻譯)
Thought, diction, music and spectacle (pp. 43-45)
Analyzing scripts (p. 46)
Reference materials on Oedipus the King (to be provided)
8. Week 13 Form in drama, tragedy, comedy and other forms (pp. 47-50)
Reference materials on Death of a Salesman (to be provided)
9. Week 14 Style in drama (pp. 51-53)
Continue discussions on the two plays
10. Week16-17 Review and recapitulation

六、主要參考書：

1. Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball. The Essential Theatre, 8th Ed. 2004.
2. 索福克里著，胡耀恆、胡宗文編譯。《伊底帕斯王》，增訂新版。台北：桂冠，2004。
3. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, c1996.

七、成績評定方法：

1. 兩次小考，各佔總分30％，大考 40％。
2. 曠課、遲到按學校規定扣分；參與討論優秀者酌與加分。
3. Final examination: 限用英文作答，內容主為基本戲劇觀念的解釋，以及應用這些觀念分析劇本。