54-381 Special Topics in Drama

6 units, Carnegie Mellon University

Every semester, members of the School of Drama's faculty offer seminars on special topics that investigate some aspect of theatre history, dramatic literature, dramatic theory, or a particular author, period, or genre. Like all Dramatic Literature classes, these are academically rigorous, requiring some amount of intensive critical reading and writing. This special topics course explores how contemporary theatre imagines and constructs the near future. Through close study of contemporary plays that engage artificial intelligence, transhumanism, sci-fi, and the climate crisis, students will examine how to dramaturgically shape speculative worlds on stage. Students will develop analytical tools for staging speculative environments and apply them in structured class activities and collaborative exercises.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2027, Fall 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025

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