| Unit name | Criticism and the Arts |
|---|---|
| Unit code | DRAM10029 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Krebs |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | Department of Theatre |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit offers all 1st-year students in the departments of Music, Film and Theatre the opportunity to encounter creative practices, performances and perspectives within and outside of their respective subject specialisms. Students will be taught how to engage critically with all three art forms, and explore communicating their experiences, interpretations and analyses through different modes of writing. The aim of this unit is to enable students to develop their critical writing skills in response to creative work; to move beyond a populist appreciation and modes of expression, and towards a comparative and conceptual understanding of these cultural forms.
(1) to introduce students to key methods and approaches to analysing music, film and theatre;
(2) to develop a range of writing skills necessary for the professional practice of reviewing music, film and theatre.
(3) to establish critical vocabularies and frameworks used to articulate the reception of music, film and theatre in scholarly articles.
4 x 1hr plenary lectures
8 x 2 hr seminars
Attendance of at least 4 events (music, film and theatre respectively)
Portfolio of 3 x 400-word reviews. One on a music event, one on a theatre performance and one on a film screening. (50%) ILO 1-2.
1 x 1,500-word article on either a film, music, or theatre event (50%) ILO 1-3.
Billington, Michael (1993), One Night Stands: A Critic’s View of the Theatre from 1971 – 1991
Butt, Gavin, ed. (2005) ‘Introduction: The Paradoxes of Criticism’, in After Criticism: New Responses to Art and Performance, London: Blackwell.
Carroll, Noel (2009) On Criticism, New York: Routledge.
Clayton, Alex and Andrew Klevan, eds. (2011), The Language and Style of Film Criticism
Haskell, Harry (1996), The Attentive Listener: Three Centuries of Music Criticism
Sontag, Susan (1961) ‘Against Interpretation’, in Against Interpretation and Other Essays, London: Penguin.
