DRA1016 - Performance Analysis
2022/3 Module description
| Staff | Professor Heike Roms - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 4 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 2: 11 weeks; |
Module description
This module will introduce you to the analysis of live and recorded performance, an essential skill in theatre studies. Each week we will be investigating a key analytical question that can be asked of theatre and performance (eg. ‘how does theatre create meaning?’, ‘how does an audience experience a performance?’, ‘for whose benefit is theatre made?’). And we will introduce the theoretical approaches and methods that allow you to develop answers to these questions, from semiotics to feminism, postcolonialism to queer theory, covering some of the key debates in theatre studies.
By the end of this module, you will be able to critically analyse a variety of theatrical and performance practices, and their relationship to different cultural, economic, social and political contexts, using a range of analytical tools.
Module aims
This module aims to:
- Introduce you to key methods of theatre studies
- Explore ways of analysing performance
- Examine the nature and place of performance within culture
- Introduce you to key theoretical and analytical approaches to theatre studies
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Utilise a range of critical and analytical approaches to performance and theatre studies
- 2. Employ and evaluate a range of performance analysis methodologies
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 3. Utilise basic research tools effectively and develop academic writing skills appropriate to performance and theatre studies, demonstrating basic library and IT skills in independent additional research, including research utilising audio-visual documentation of performance work
- 4. Contribute confidently to research in small groups in effective presentations and to analyse and critique key scholarly texts in theatre and performance studies
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 5. Demonstrate basic personal research skills, and identify and evaluate personal learning strategies, at a basic level
- 6. Demonstrate confidence in communication skills and simple analytic abilities in discussions
- 7. Demonstrate self-management, undertake basic problem solving and critical analysis, and learn to value your own and others' ideas and beliefs
- 8. Collaborate in various groups and group sizes and develop confidence in aspects of teamwork and presentation
Syllabus plan
The module looks at ways of approaching theatre as an art form and a cultural practice. The module will introduce you to different ways of talking and thinking about performance in the light of contemporary theoretical and analytical approaches.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 267 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 16.5 | Lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 16.5 | Seminars |
| Guided independent study | 267 | Independent study: assigned weekly readings and viewings, preparation for lectures and seminars, weekly responses to designated discussion topics, follow-up work after taught sessions, assessment preparation, research and writing |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semiotic Analysis writing exercise | 300-400 words | 1-3, 5, 7 | Formative feedback within seminars |
| Essay plan (essay 2) | 250-300 words | 1-3, 5, 7 | Formative feedback within seminars |
| Mini guided discussion task | 5 minutes | 1-2, 4, 6, 8 | Formative feedback within seminars |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous assessment (including seminar participation and guided discussion task) | 20 | Continuous | 1-2, 4-8 | Written feedback |
| Essay 1 | 30 | 1500 words | 1-5, 7 | Written feedback |
| Essay 2 | 50 | 2000 words | 1-5, 7 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous assessment | Mitigation or repeat study | 1-2,4-8 | N/a |
| Essay 1 | Essay 1 (on a different topic) | 1-5, 7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Essay 2 | Essay 2 (on a different topic) | 1-5, 7 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Aston, Elaine and George Savona (1991) Theatre as Sign-system: A Semiotics of Text and Performance, London: Routledge.
- Balme, Christopher B. (2008) The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre Studies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Campbell, Patrick (ed.) (1995) Analysing Performance; a critical reader, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
- Counsell, Colin and Wolf, Laurie (2001) Performance Analysis. An Introductory Handbook. London: Routledge.
- Davis, Tracy C. (ed.) (2008) The Cambridge Companion to Performance Studies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Elam, Keir (1980) The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama. London: Routledge. Greetham.
- Fortier, Mark (2016) Theory/Theatre: An Introduction, 3rd edition; London and New York: Routledge.
- Martin, Jacqueline and Sauter, Willmar (1995) Understanding theatre : performance analysis in theory and practice. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell.
- Pavis, Patrice (1998) Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis, Toronto and Buffalo, University of Toronto Press.
- Pavis, Patrice (2003) Analyzing performance: theatre, dance, and film, transl. David Williams, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
- Pickering, Kenneth (2005) Key Concepts in Drama and Performance (Palgrave Key Concepts), Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan
- Schecher, Richard (2002) Performance Studies. An Introduction. London: Routledge.
- Warburton, Nigel (2007) The Basics of Essay Writing, London: Routledge
- Additional reading material provided on the Electronic Learning Environment
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
12/03/2020
Last revision date
06/05/2022
Key words search
Performance analysis, contexts, theatre, performance, drama
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