Programme Specifications

• September 2023

• • To empower students to become articulate practitioners and creative thinkers; self-reflexive and analytical; able to communicate and account for their aesthetic interests and choices; curious about research and the exploration of theory; eager to participate in intellectual debate.

  • To provide students with key forms of theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for an understanding of drama, theatre and performance as related sites of study, thought and creative practice.

  • To encourage the academic examination of a broad range of forms and genres of drama, theatre and performance, looking through and beyond historic paradigms to explore and understand the development of contemporary practices.

  • To develop methodologies for critically analysing a wide range of dramatic, theatrical and performative texts and practices, both historic and contemporary, contextualising a knowledge of these within relevant historical, aesthetic and socio-political conditions.

  • To examine ways in which drama, theatre and performance are constructed, disseminated and received.

  • To develop and employ distinctive pedagogical approaches - both practical (practice as research) and theoretical (analytic, historical, critical, contextual) - which utilise the particular cultural and geographical resources of Aberystwyth - its landscape, language and history - and which value its characteristic physical, social and cultural ecology; to utilise the particular material assets of Aberystwyth as a creative stimulus.

  • To draw upon traditions of experimental theatre-making, particularly devised performance and site-specific work, which have been developed in Wales.

  • To provide students with the opportunities and conditions for experiential and reflective learning, encouraging practical initiatives in conceiving theatre and performance and the acquisition of embodied knowledge.

  • To enhance the development of personal intellectual skills (of research and analysis) necessary for independent and collaborative research in both academic and creative contexts.

  • To enhance the development of interpersonal and teamwork skills for independent and collaborative research in both academic and creative contexts, to deadlines and under pressure, with flexibility, imagination, self-motivation and organization.

  • To enhance the development of communication skills, enabling students to express themselves coherently, imaginatively and persuasively in writing, performance and interactive media

  • To provide students with a sufficient range of intellectual, creative, practical and transferable skills and experiences, to make informed career choices.

• To provide students with a grounding in the range of approaches developed for understanding mediated communication, from their foundations in linguistic and visual communication to specific modes of communication in, for instance, journalism, advertising, different kinds of writing, and the current transformations of these in digital environments

• To bring these to bear specifically on current developments in new media, paying attention to processes of globalisation, and convergence and their implications

• To develop in students the knowledge and abilities to be able to consider critically and productively the role of traditional and new media in contemporary social and political processes

• To develop in students a range of skills and understandings that will enable them to take up employment within the wide range of jobs and industries concerned with the production, organisation, storage, distribution and use of mediated knowledge and communication

The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:

• A1 Drama, theatre and performance as related key concepts and sites of study, thought and creative practice.

  A2 A range of dramatic, theatrical and performative texts, practices and genres from various historical, cultural and aesthetic contexts and genealogies.

  A3 A range of key theatre and performance practitioners and practices, including theorists, writers, directors, designers, actors and critics and text-based, body and movement-based, image-based and site-based practices from a variety of performative, aesthetic and cultural traditions.

  A4 The processes, methodologies and strategies by which drama, theatre and performance are created and realised.

  A5 The ramifications of social, cultural, political and historical context upon the nature, form, function, circulation and reception of drama, theatre and performance

  A6 Debates about the social, political and aesthetic function of drama, theatre and performance

  A7 The impact of past traditions and paradigms on contemporary theatre and performance practice.

  A8 Key contemporary trends in drama, theatre and performance practice.

  A9 Critical perspectives on drama, theatre and performance and the interplay between practice and theory.

  A10 The ramifications of cultural and geographic context upon dramaturgy and techniques of exposition.

  A11 Personal responsibility for working within defined parameters, structures and resources to achieve creative outcomes; the importance of health and safety in the working environment

• Key concepts and theories of communication and mass communication

• The role of media in the history of communication

• Contemporary transformations of mediated communication associated with globalisation, digitisation and media convergence

• The role of mediated communication within specific (e.g. political) situations

• 10.2.1 Intellectual skills
  
  By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

  B1 The ability to identify, describe, interpret and discuss critically a range of theatre and performance events and practices from various historical and artistic contexts and genealogies at an appropriate level both on paper and through oral means.

  B2 The ability to understand the interplay between theory and practice in the academic study of drama, theatre and performance, its practices and practitioners.

  B3 The ability to analyse, interpret and evaluate the structure and staging of theatre and performance as aesthetic events within a variety of stylistic conventions and genres and from a range of critical and theoretical perspectives.

  B4 The ability to read and interpret performance texts from a range of critical perspectives.

  B5 The ability to demonstrate an intelligent awareness of the repercussions of social and cultural context upon the form and function of drama, theatre and performance.

  B6 The ability to work effectively in group settings to develop, rehearse and produce performances of various genres.

  B7 The ability to embody and sustain intellectual argument through written, live or mediated presentation, demonstrating the requisite communication skills.

  B8 The ability to formulate and implement individual research, drawing upon and selecting from a wide range of information sources to undertake independent enquiry.

  B9 The ability to effectively notate and document workshops and procedures of development, rehearsal and performance.

  Learning and Teaching:

  Teaching methods will include: lectures, demonstrations, seminars, tutorials, and practical workshops. Learning methods will include: structured academic reading; close discussion of topics guided by reading; research exercises, analytic exercises; production exercises; group projects.
  Teaching and learning is via practical workshops, small-group seminars, lectures, production projects and group based project work. Teaching is frequently mixed-mode, interrogating theory through practical investigation and practice through the lens of various theoretical perspectives.
  

  Assessment:

  Assessment methods will include: written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations, group activities, and a dissertation. Increasing emphasis will be placed in teaching, learning and assessment methods on students’ independence and self-management of their own learning as they progress through the degree.

  10.2.1 Professional practical skills (where appropriate)

  The programme does not purport to offer professional theatre training. However, graduates will, in the normal course of study, encounter modules which teach fundamental performance production and theatre design skills. These will include the following: acting, lighting, design, set, scenography and technical theatre.

  At the same time students will be encouraged to think creatively and to produce practical work that reflects current experimental trends in which theatre is seen as a component of an inter-disciplinary network of different artistic practices. To this end students will be asked to think about performance writing, choreography, and the use of digitalised images and other new media forms.

• The ability to examine critically a wide range of communication situations and forms, exploring their history, meanings and implications

• The ability to seek and to draw upon a wide range of sources

• The ability to measure critically the status and strength of knowledge-claims

• The ability to apply course-derived understandings to current social and political policy-debates

• The ability to analyse forms of language and visual communication for their complex meanings

• The ability to use a range of digital media and software applications, with due attention to issues of purpose and audience address

• By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to:

  D1 Apply creative, imaginative and problem-solving skills in a variety of theoretical and practical situations

  D2 Research, evaluate, synthesize and organise information independently and critically.

  D3 Structure and communicate ideas effectively in a variety of situations and using a variety of oral, written, visual, and performative means.

  D4 Develop effective time management, managing workloads effectively and operating within available budgets, resources and deadlines.

  D5 Work responsibly, constructively and creatively in group contexts.

  D6 Work creatively under the guidance of others.

  D7 Work independently, taking the initiative where appropriate.

  D8 Respond positively to constructive feedback and criticism and to be sensitive in offering feedback and criticism to others.

  D9 Be self-motivated and self-disciplined, displaying a capacity for self-assessment and self-criticism and management of stress in a variety of work contexts.

  D10 Use a range of information technology skills and resources.

  Teaching and Learning:

  Teaching methods will include: lectures, demonstrations, seminars, tutorials, and practical workshops. Learning methods will include: structured academic reading; close discussion of topics guided by reading; research exercises, analytic exercises; production exercises; group projects.

  Assessment:

  Assessment methods will include: written and performed, written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations, group activities, and a dissertation. Increasing emphasis will be placed in teaching, learning and assessment methods on students’ independence and self-management of their own learning as they progress through the degree.

During the course of and on completion of this scheme, the following transferable skills will be fostered:

• Oral and written communication will be developed through a range of assessed and non-assessed tasks. Students will be expected to produce a wide range of written work, from traditional academic essays and examinations to notebooks of reflective practice. Oral communication will be developed in seminar and workshop contexts, where the students will be expected to prepare and deliver presentations on set topics and discuss issues (both theoretical and in relation to certain texts/media), as well work towards the production of websites, short films etc. through practical modules.

• Personal initiative will form a key element in the successful completion of this scheme. Students will be expected to formulate their own work routine and demonstrate self-discipline and planning by meeting deadlines. Scope for following personal interests and developing creativity will also be allowed in some modules, where students will be able to formulate their own assignment tasks (based on the approval of the module co-ordinator) or produce films/websites on topics of their choosing.

• Many of the modules, particularly those that involve a 'practical' element, will require the students to work in teams. Further collaboration will be encouraged during seminar contexts where students will need to work collaboratively on set mini-tasks.

• Other transferable skills will include competent use of ICTs and other technologies. Students will be expected to word process their written work, regularly access e-mail, find and retrieve information on-line (as well as in the library context) and operate production/editing equipment.

• Students will have the opportunity to develop and apply a range of research skills