Objects and Things: Theater, Performance, and Material Culture

Objects, devices, machines, technologies--how do we engage with the material things that come across our research, into our performances, and out of our lives? This course examines how various scholars, theorists, and practitioners have defined and engaged with material culture. We will read popular theories of thing-ness including but not limited to object-oriented ontology (Bill Brown and Jane Bennett), commodity things (Arjun Appadurai), actor-network theory (Bruno Latour), scriptive things (Robin Bernstein), and prop theory (Andrew Sofer). The course will use their theories as lenses on the objects of our own research, countering the Western historiography through case studies, alternative readings, and in-class presentations. New work from performance studies (Uri McMillian etc.) will also provide current case studies in scholarship. Focusing on theater and performance studies, this class will also draw on sociology, anthropology, the history of technology, and art history. TAPS 252 is a graduate-level course---advanced undergraduates should email the professor if interested!