A survey of the work of First Nations playwrights, exploring the stories, concerns and aesthetics of these contemporary, mostly Canadian, theatrical practitioners. Course work involves reading, discussion, and writing descriptively, critically or creatively about selected pieces in artistic, social and/or political contexts.
After completing DRAM 303, students should come away with the following knowledge and skills:
The ability to develop and effectively express ideas in writing using a variety of genres and styles.
Dram303 is a course about reading plays, and listening to, through their work, a collection of dynamic, challenging, often hilarious, inspiring, provocative, and brilliant indigenous playwrights and theatre artists. Your job as a student is to let the work of these writers affect you, critically as student-scholars, but also creatively, emotionally, intellectually, and intimately as people. You will be asked to read these plays, engage with the ideas and stories you encounter in them, and then respond thoughtfully, intelligently, and with generosity of spirit in your own writing.
Some First Nations commentators say these plays are part of the fulfillment of Louis Riel’s prophecy: “My people will sleep for one hundred years. When they awake, it will be the artists that give them back their spirit.” Others take John Ralston Saul’s conception, in A Fair Country, of an indigenously inflected Canadian identity to heart. However interpreted, this body of work represents an alternative Canadian artistic theatre practice focused through traditions of storytelling, traditional beliefs, political articulation and activism, social rescue, cultural survivance, and reconstruction. Through these plays and other writings by these playwrights, students will encounter alternative ways of seeing the world, and variant means of interpreting our place within it.
| First Impressions Responses | 20% |
| Guides Discussion Forums | 20% |
| Four Short Play Reports | 60% (15% each) |
*Evaluation Subject to Change*
CDS reserves the right to make changes to the required material list as received by the instructor before the course starts. Please refer to the Campus Bookstore website at http://www.campusbookstore.com/Textbooks/Search-Engine to obtain the most up-to-date list of required materials for this course before purchasing them.
Required Textbooks
In addition to the books listed above, we will also be reading plays and essays from a variety of online sources. You will not need to purchase these sources. We will provide links to them in onQ via the course ereserves.
Students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours a week (120 hours per term) in study/practice and online activities for DRAM 303.
SOLUS is Queen’s Student On-Line University System. You’ll have access to a SOLUS account once you become a Queen’s student. You’ll use SOLUS to register for courses, add and drop courses, update your contact information, view financial and academic information, and pay your tuition.
onQ is Queen's online learning platform. You'll log into onQ to access your course. All materials related to your course—notes, readings, videos, recordings, discussion forums, assignments, quizzes, groupwork, tutorials, and help—will be on the onQ site.
Queen’s courses are weighted in credit units. A typical one-term course is worth 3.0 units, and a typical two-term course is worth 6.0 units. You combine these units to create your degree. A general (three-year) BA or BSc requires a total of 90 credit units.
To take an online course, you’ll need a high speed internet connection as well as a microphone and speakers to be able to watch videos, hear sounds, and participate in interactive online activities. A webcam is recommended but not necessary.
System Requirements:
See also Getting Started.
The deadlines for new applications to Queen’s Arts and Science Online courses are in our Upcoming Application Dates section.
The information below is intended for undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Academic Regulations in other Faculties may differ.
| Letter Grade | Grade Point |
| A+ | 4.30 |
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.70 |
| B+ | 3.30 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.70 |
| C+ | 2.30 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.70 |
| D+ | 1.30 |
| D | 1.00 |
| D- | 0.70 |
| F | 0.00 |
GPA Calculators
Have your SOLUS grade report handy and then follow the link to the Arts and Science GPA calculators.
How does this affect my academics?
See the GPA and Academic Standing page.
Follow the link above for an explanation of how the GPA system affects such things as the Dean’s Honour List, requirements to graduate, and academic progression.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Grading Scheme
Please follow this link to the FAQ's
Tuition fees vary depending when you start, your year, faculty, and program. Fees for Summer Term 2018 first-year Distance Career Arts & Science Domestic students are as follows: for a 3.0-unit course, $685.90; for a 6.0-unit course, $1371.80 See also Tuition and Fees.
All textbooks can be purchased at Queen’s Campus Bookstore.
All Queen’s Arts and Science Online courses are open to students at other universities. Before applying as a visiting student, request a Letter of Permission from your home university that states that you have permission to take the course and apply it to your degree. See also Apply.
Please see Queen’s policy statement on academic integrity for information on how to complete an online course honestly.
Call us at 613.533.3322 or email us.
