Free Online Courses » literature http://freeonlinecourses.info be free to learn Mon, 31 May 2010 23:51:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Approaching Plays with The Open University http://freeonlinecourses.info/2010/03/16/approaching-plays-with-the-open-university/ http://freeonlinecourses.info/2010/03/16/approaching-plays-with-the-open-university/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:46:41 +0000 Gina Alianiello http://freeonlinecourses.info/?p=187 Course / Program Name: Approaching Plays

Hosted by / Sponsored by: The Open University

Course of Study: Theater Arts: Plays

Course Link: Take this Course

Description: This unit is an in-depth intermediate study of literary plays. Available through The Open University, the course provides a deeper understanding of basic technical terms and methods for approaching and interpreting text and performance of plays.

There are several pieces to the course:

  • Approaching Plays: How the text of a performance play differs from a poem, short story or novel.
  • Dialogue: Tension and structure of dialogue.
  • Stage directions: Interpreting the possibilities of stage direction in a text.
  • Blank verse: Analyzing and marking up a text to recognize patterns, rhythms and themes in blank verse.
  • Play Structure: Understanding exposition, climax and denouement along with other modern structural theory. Examines delivery, movement and  staging in relation to audience.
  • From Text to Performance: Looks at possibilities of translating dramatic language to stage, as well as spatial relationships with audience.
  • Dramatic Conventions: Soliloquy, Asides, Masks and Disguises, and Doubling of actors.

The self-paced fifteen-hour course is designed with readings, recommended texts and resources, activities, lecture discussions  and discussion forums.

]]> http://freeonlinecourses.info/2010/03/16/approaching-plays-with-the-open-university/feed/ 0 Writing and Reading Short Stores from MIT http://freeonlinecourses.info/2009/03/02/writing-and-reading-short-stores-from-mit/ http://freeonlinecourses.info/2009/03/02/writing-and-reading-short-stores-from-mit/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:06:14 +0000 Jennifer Mattern http://freeonlinecourses.info/?p=122 Course / Program Name: Writing and Reading Short Stories

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of MIT’s OpenCourseWare program. As a student, you’ll be able to explore lecture handouts and past student stories as you learn about the art of short story writing.

The original on-campus course involved writing workshops designed to have students write their own short stories. You can pursue this on your own using the included lecture notes in the “readings” section, even though you won’t have class interaction to evaluate those stories.

]]> http://freeonlinecourses.info/2009/03/02/writing-and-reading-short-stores-from-mit/feed/ 0 Introduction to Fiction with MIT http://freeonlinecourses.info/2009/03/02/introduction-to-fiction-with-mit/ http://freeonlinecourses.info/2009/03/02/introduction-to-fiction-with-mit/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:02:12 +0000 Jennifer Mattern http://freeonlinecourses.info/?p=120 Course / Program Name: Introduction to Fiction

Hosted by / Sponsored by: MIT

Course of Study: Writing / Literature

Course Link: Take this course.

Description: This free online course is a part of MIT’s OpenCourseWare initiative, and is designed to teach the student the fundamentals of better understanding fictional works.

Unlike many of the MIT free online courses, this one includes some of the reading materials in downloadable format.

You’ll look at novels from Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Leo Tolstoy, and others as you explore a variety of narrative styles.

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