| Unit name | Politics of Performance |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THTR20005 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sedgman |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Theatre |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit provides an opportunity to engage with theoretical approaches at the heart of the discipline of Theatre and Performance Studies, considering both the politics of theatre-making and how performative modes of critique and expression can be used to effect change within contemporary social contexts. You will have the opportunity to engage with a range of theoretical approaches and performance case studies, which may go beyond performances in traditional theatre spaces. The Politics of Performance unit provides an important bridge between your learning in the first year and the more independent study you will undertake in your third year, taking a project-based learning approach to support your development as a researcher.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study:
The Politics of Performance unit builds on your learning on the Analysing Performance unit. You will develop your understanding of a range of critical theories and hone your skills in applying these theories to relevant case studies. Close reading and performance analyses will play an important part of your learning on the unit, building on your studies in Reading Drama. As well as using theory to interpret performance, you will also be encouraged to reflect on the politics of performance-making and its relationship with major issues affecting society. Thus, the unit will speak to your learning on Making Theatre and Pitching Performance, contributing to your development as a critically engaged practitioner, as well as providing a theoretical foundation for the independent work of your third year.
An overview of content
This unit explores the relationship between performance, politics and identity, providing students with a foundation in a range of theoretical approaches, which might include Post-Colonialism, Critical Race Theory, Feminism, Queer Theory, Eco Criticism, and Cultural Studies. Through your lectures, seminars, and independent study, you will apply these theories to a range of performance case studies, in order to interrogate their political significance. Case studies span a range of theatrical and performance forms and might include resistant forms of performance, such as Theatre of the Oppressed, Epic Theatre, tribunal theatre, protest movements such as Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter, along with recent approaches to political theatre. They might also include examples of performance from the dominant culture, including Shakespeare, musical theatre, and the classical canon. The unit will consider these examples in detailed social and historical context and in dialogue with questions concerning political, national, local and cultural identities.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
By the end of the unit, you will have encountered a range of theoretical perspectives which provide different ways of reading and understanding both theatre and performance and the wider world. You will have reflected on your own position within wider political and social structures, as well as how the process of theatre and performance-making relates to these structures. You will have developed your understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives as well as your skills in applying that theory to performance case studies and your ability to construct and sustain an argument.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the unit, you will be able to:
This unit takes a project-based learning approach: sessions will be structured around the process of conducting a research process including drafting a research question, identifying sources, applying scholarship, and structuring an argument. This pedagogical approach scaffolds your learning so that you develop new knowledge and skills which you apply to a case study of your own choosing, allowing you to explore areas about which you are curious and to develop your independence as a researcher.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will work as a group to give a student-led seminar presentation during class time. This will be an opportunity to work collaboratively on a research process, developing skills in drafting a research question, identifying sources, applying scholarship, and structuring an argument. You will receive peer and tutor feedforward, which will support you with preparing for the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay, 3000 words (100%) [ILOs 1-3]
This essay will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your learning across the three learning objectives, by analysing a performance case study through a theoretical lens in order to sustain a coherent argument.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. THTR20005).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
