Using Spontaneous Role-Playing Methods to Study Literature and Legend in a College Course

Abstract

In this article, the author reports his use of spontaneous role-playing methods, which formed the vast majority of the learning process, in a one-semester college undergraduate course studying the Arthurian legends and Holy Grail mythology. He describes specific techniques that included empty chair dialogues and role reversals with characters, extended scene settings leading to explorations of character experience, and an extended psychodrama vignette for a character not mentioned by the author. The students' responses and learning outcomes reinforce claims that sociodrama offers a valuable tool for the study of literature.