ENTA W4724

not too bad at all. play per class. 5 2 page papers about any topic (i really enjoyed being able to write about whatever i wanted, whatever i got the most out of, nice to be able to explore) and a final (for undergrads)...oh yeah or substitute a reading log for your papers.

I ended up getting bored with O'Neill, Williams and Miller because of this class. Probably the slowest, most unrewarding class I have taken during my four years at Columbia. The jokes were often painful and there was no college-level analysis of the plays, which is a pity because most of the plays were great--it was just difficult to appreciate them in this classroom. Perhaps Professor Brietzke is more knowledgeable of the performances and staging (rather than, say, analysis of texts, which one might expect to learn in an English class) but he did not offer any memorable insights on this either. On the bright side, the grading is very generous, so it's not difficult to get an A in this class. I'd say the plays are good, but you're not going to learn much about them in this class. So why not just read them in your own time (preferably on a beach)?

Wow.. i really liked this guy. Class was small, ran like 3/4 lecture, 1/4 seminar. but that was fine, b/c this guy obviously knows his stuff and gives good, but dry lectures. wish they had been more theoretical or linked to dramaturgy, but still interesting. he really treats the class like a college course (5 2 page papers on whatever you want to talk about or a reading log instead) and neither babies you nor takes you very seriously. he's just kind of chill, and, being wise, he has a right to be. for some reason, class is a magnet for old people and some grad students. he was totally respectful and nice to me as a freshman, very personable after class, and i loved that he openly contradicted ass-kissing and pompous grad students. he's fair dammit.

A play per class. 5 question sets. 2 play reports (you have to go see to dramas). Final exam

I agree with the post below. The class really is a waste of time. WHO gave this man a silver nugget?!! The work is fairly light but an hour and fifteen minutes never went by so slowly... The readings weren't bad at all, they were actually pretty interesting! But listening to elementary comments from the class for the entire class time with absolutely no guidance whatsoever made me wonder why i even bothered to read. There is no doubt that the man likes to hear himself speak. He merely asks for feedback about the play for that class, and then talks about that one comment for 30 minutes until he realizes that no one is listening and then says "any other comments?" I am sorry to say that I didn't get much out of this class. Although the reading list is pretty fabulous, there is no direction and even less structure to this class filled with grad students looking to skate by the semester.

Average. Light readings for every class, 5 question sets made up of the most boring questions you will ever come across, 2 papers 5-7pgs each, (again, come up with your own topic because his have so obviously been thought up during a 5-minute coffee break) and 1 final.

The last review is spot on. Brietzke must have a knack for coming up with really interesting class titles and descriptions, because this class sounded great, and had a really fun syllabus. Unfortunately, I stopped going to class about a month into the semester because it added NOTHING to my own readings of the play. In fact, reading them on my own was more insightful than discussing them in class. On top of that, this class was entitled, "Modern Drama II: Theatricality on the Godforsaken Stage'. I have never once heard a reference to the theological revolution that was going on while these plays were being written. Zander is a funny professor and seems like a nice guy, but for English or Theatre majors, this class is a SERIOUS waste of time. Don't do it.