MODULE SPECIFICATION
Code: UARPDB 30-1 Title: Introduction to Theatre Studies Version: 6
Level: 1 UWE credit rating: 30 ECTS credit rating: 15
Module type: Standard
Owning Faculty: FCA Field: Drama
Faculty Committee approval: Quality & Standards Committee Date: 24 June 2010
Approved for Delivery by: indicate name of affiliated institution if module will only be delivered by them
Valid from: Sept 2010 Discontinued from: Sept 2008
Contributes towards:Awards up to BA (Hons)
Pre-requisites: None
Co-requisites: Introduction to Theatre Practice
Entry requirements: If the module is offered as CPD or stand alone, indicate the entry requirements
Excluded combinations: None
Learning outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to demonstrate:
• an ability to identify the relationships between the social and political content of the drama (assessed through all components and elements of assessment)
• an ability to identify the genre of drama employed by the playwright (assessed through all components and elements of assessment)
• an understanding of how these genres have been built on or subverted throughout history (assessed through all components and elements of assessment)
• an ability to demonstrate key transferrable skills in academic research and writing (assessed through all components and elements of assessment)
• a critical awareness of theatre history and its relationship to stage practice (assessed through all components and elements of assessment)
• an ability to participate in group discussion (assessed through element 3 of Component B)
Syllabus outline:
The emphasis of this module will be on a comprehensive range of texts and critical approaches:
1. Students will be introduced to a wide range of theatrical texts and will be encouraged to make connections and draw distinctions between different historical periods, dramatic genres and the political place of the stage in society.
2. Students will be given clear instruction on how to structure written work and how to present essays according to academic guidelines.
Teaching and learning methods:
The Module will operate through a combination of lecture and seminar sessions.
Reading Strategy
The list of essential texts for purchase will be made available to students in advance of the module’s start date, as will the list of recommended secondary reading. These lists will also be included in the module handbook and posted on Blackboard. Copies of both core texts and key secondary reading will be put in the library short loan collection. Supplementary reading will be distributed between the short and medium loan collections. Students will be given training in how to access library resources and will be given advice on using search engines and electronic resources.
Students will be required to read articles from the electronic journals collection. These will be linked to the relevant pages on Blackboard.
The library also houses a broader collection of sources that reflect a range of possible interests and this will be expanded where necessary to include new publications. Students will be encouraged to read widely and will receive guidance from individual seminar/workshop tutors about their wider reading. Advice and guidance on the use of Blackboard, electronic resources and other library services will be offered throughout the module.
Indicative Reading List: (see guidance notes)
The following list is offered to provide validation panels/accrediting bodies with an indication of the type and level of information students may be expected to consult. As such, its currency may wane during the life span of the module specification. However, as indicated above, CURRENT advice on readings will be available via other more frequently updated mechanisms.
Brandt, George W. (ed.), Modern Theories of Drama: A Selection of Writings on Drama and Theatre 1840-1990 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998)
Carlson, Marvin, Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey from the Greeks to the Present (Ithaca, London: Cornell University Press, 1984)
Mayne, Andrew and John Shuttleworth, Considering Drama (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1986)
Pickering, Kenneth, Key Concepts in Drama and Performance (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)
Trussler, Simon, Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994)
Zarrilli, Phillip B., Bruce McConachie, Gary Jay Williams and Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei (eds), Theatre Histories: An Introduction (London: Routledge, 2006)
Assessment
Please state which element of assessment should be recorded as the final assessment for the purposes of submitting data on non-submissions to HEFCE. (For further information please contact Academic Registry.)
Weighting between components A and B (standard modules only) A: 40% B: 60%
ATTEMPT 1
First Assessment Opportunity (Sit)
Component A
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Exam (2 hours) Final Element of assessment 40%
Component B
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Essay 1 (1500 words) 20%
2 Essay 2 (2000 words) 30%
3 Participation (for the whole module) 10%
Second Assessment Opportunity (Resit) (further attendance at taught classes is not required)
Component A
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Exam (2 hours) Final Element of assessment 40%
Component B
Description of each element Element weighting
1 Essay 1 (1500 words) 25%
2 Essay 2 (2000 words) 35%
EXCEPTIONAL SECOND ATTEMPT (Retake): Attendance at taught classes is required.
Specification confirmed by …………………………………………………Date ……………………………
(Associate Dean/Programme Director)