UCCI Course Description

In this unit, students will explore how the arts can serve as an agent of change. Through their study of classic and modern drama and literature such as The Crucible and The Laramie Project as key texts, they will seek answers to the following questions: What is civic/social action? What is an activist? What connotations and imagery are associated with the word, “activist”? Students will also explore the use of design elements to convey an identified theme. Additionally students will investigate a local activist or cause, building a foundation for a documentary style performance piece. Students will share their interpretations of how writers and artists can be activists through a multimedia performance. The unit will wrap up with a class discussion on the use of various tools and formats to illustrate a social cause.

Texts:

• The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman

• The Crucible by Arthur Miller

• Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (supplemental)

The texts in this unit offer inspiration for organizing thought into action. As an introduction, students will listen to and discuss a news feature and how drama can be used to promote broader awareness. The core text students investigate, The Tortilla Curtain, poses questions about the cultural, social, and class status that permeate the immigration issue. Students will use the text to participate in a debate based on the conflicts presented. Students will then read and analyze “Border Town” from Culture Clash in AmeriCCa and create their own satirical sketch reflecting upon a current event.  Students will also read and respond to the nonfiction text Students Against Sweatshops: The Making of a Movement in their Digital Journal. The unit will culminate in a “call-to-action” performance piece.

Texts:

• The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle

• Culture Clash in AmeriCCa by Ric Salinas, Herbert Siguenza, and Richard Montoya

• Students Against Sweatshops: The Making of a Movement by Liza Featherstone

• Learning Through Theatre: The Changing Face of Theatre in Education by Anthony Jackson and Chris Vine

• Cootie Shots edited by Norma Bowles and Mark E. Rosenthal

• NPR interview about street theatre in response to social issue and video of street theater

• Theatre for Change by Robert J. Landy and David T. Montgomery

A. Students will read Tortilla Curtain then participate in a student-lead discussion and debate about borders and immigration by referring to textual evidence and outside research with the goal of forming to a thoughtful, well-reasoned stance. Each student will be evaluated by the instructor using a rubric based on the Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards.

B. Students will read and analyze the vignette “Border Town” from Culture Clash in AmeriCCa  for the purpose of analyzing the use of metaphor, symbolism, and satire while applying concepts of community and current events. As a class, socratic discussion will focus on the multilayered nature of the term “community.” After exploring the connections between the text and current events, students will then develop a sketch using the satirical structure similar to “Bordertown.”

C. Students will read Against Sweatshops: The Making of a Movement. As part of the recurring assignment, Performance Writer's Journal, students should specifically focus on the following: examining and responding to the issues and social action challenges detailed in the text, how the descriptions of stories, events, and processes from the texts will manifest in and support the organizing of a social movement.

D. Students will review and discuss the role of the audience in creating social action pieces. They will be introduced to Cootie Shots (Fringe Benefits), Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), Theatre in Education (TIE) and additional youth focused arts organizations using Learning Through Theatre by Anthony Jackson and Chris Vine and Theatre for Change by Robert J. Landy and David T. Montgomery. Students will reflect on the following prompts in their Digital Journal: Who decides the age appropriateness of an artistic piece? How does a work like Brundibar by Tony Kushner (or other exemplary texts) address adult issues by translating them into a child friendly format? How can a piece be modified to appropriately convey a message to a specific age range?

E. Students create a call-to-action performance piece based on a current policy issue, controversial subject, or event. In this group project, students will plan the course of events, participant roles, whether or not it is performed live or recorded, and how they will measure the impact at the end. They will design the scene, costumes, setting, audience, and whether it is staged or improvised.

F. Students will defend their call-to-action piece and the choices they made during the creative process in a 3 to 5 page expository essay. The essay will include a summary and justification of the issue or controversial event, description of connections drawn between the topic and their production choices, the relevance to their community, and impact expectations.

Under the social action umbrella, students will discuss the social value an arts organization may potentially provide a community, referred to in social entrepreneurial research as its “Social Value Proposition (SVP).” As potential future social entrepreneurs in the arts, or as employees of organizations claiming social missions, students will analyze globally-known as well as local organizations. In order to recognize the role and function of professional art organizations, students will analyze the SVP of various art organizations as well as the organizational structures including concepts such as board development, funding, leadership structures, mission and vision. They become familiar with the organizational knowledge and structure necessary to bring arts, media, and entertainment to the public. Focusing on expository resources and research skills, students will come to an in-depth understanding of the various aspects of arts organizations and contemplate their future career roles.

Texts:

• Philanthropy in America by Olivier Zunz

• “Arts Organizations Structure and Social Goals” Slideshow by Marcie Grill

• Theatre for Change by Robert J. Landy and David T. Montgomery

A. As a precursor for the 12th grade course project, students will begin an understanding of arts organizational structures. Using the presentation tool “Arts Organizations: Structure and Social Goals,” as a discussion guide, the class will discuss social entrepreneurship, nonprofit status, and the difficulty in measuring the social value proposition of an organization. The main components of Social Mission (SVP), Capital, People, Opportunity, and Context are presented in a graphic organizer which students will use to analyze an exemplary (global) social action organizations in a small group project. Students will read and discuss “Introduction: The Praxis of Theatre for Change” by Landy and Montgomery. Student groups will research from a potential list of organizations including Theater for Young Audiences (TYA), Cornerstone Theater, El Teatro Campesino, Tectonic Theater Project, Mo’olelo Performing Arts Company, and Children’s Theater of Minneapolis). Students will summarize their findings applying the same graphic organizer in the presentation as a framework and give an oral presentation to the class presenting each of the summary components.  

B. Using Philanthropy in America by Olivier Zunz and additional research sources, students will research and participate in socratic discussion on the role of philanthropy in America historically and contemplate its role in advancement of the arts in the modern era.  Students will write a 2-3 page analytical essay including a developed thesis regarding the role philanthropy to the arts and potential implications of donors to an arts organization.

C. Students will focus on local organizations for more detailed research and analysis. The class will begin by creating a listing of potential performing arts organizations in the teacher identified area or region and identify each by descriptors such as  community, regional, unionized,tax status (nonprofit), etc. To deepen students’ understanding of the sustainability of an art organization, students will conduct in-depth research on one of the organizations, including revenue streams and donor roles. At the discretion and oversight of the teacher for student safety, students might formulate interview questions or write formal letters requesting  information not available online. Visits to organizations might be arranged or guest representatives from organizations might be invited to a be interviewed on panel of experts if possible. Students will also evaluate sources of information online including primary organizational sites, directly-related foundations, and evaluative programs such as GuideStar.org. Students will present their findings and analysis in a essay drawing upon multiple sources.

D. Students will orally and visually present the results of their investigation of art organizations in a multi-media format such as Powerpoint, Prezi, Animoto, Google Slides, Slideshare, etc. The presentation will include information on: how the organization is fulfilling its mission / vision, what aspect(s) of the organization make it successful/sustainable, the role of the organization in addressing social issues in the community, and how the organization has responded to challenge.