Programme Specifications
Drama and Theatre (with integrated year in professional practice)
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
Dance, Drama and Performance
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
September 2023
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
• 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 an opportunity to apply discipline-specific approaches, concepts, skills, methods and theories in a professional work-based context.
• To develop highly valued transferable and professional skills during a work placement.
• To enable students to learn about professional creative practice in theatre and performance through undertaking an extended work placement.
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
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.
A12 Insight into a field of professional creative practice in theatre and performance and the activities and operations of organisations and practitioners in that field.
A13 Awareness of professional working practices and the challenges of professional creative practice.
Learning and Teaching
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. A major work placement undertaken in the 3rd year of study will be a key component.
During their year of professional practice students will be embedded in a working environment, allowing for the development of a range of transferable skills, as specified at A12 and A13. Students will have the potential to utilize the knowledge and skills associated with other outcomes developed at Levels 1 and 2. This will be in part dependent on the nature of the placement they undertake.
Assessment Strategies and Methods
Assessment is via formal and performed essays, written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations and group activities.
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:
10.2.1 Intellectual Skills
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.
B10 The ability to reflect on and evaluate personal and professional development.
Learning and Teaching
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. A major work placement undertaken in the 3rd year of study will be a key component.
Outcome B10 will be achieved by through completing an extended period in a suitable professional environment or workplace. A major work placement undertaken in the 3rd year of study will be a key component.
Assessment Strategies and Methods
Assessment is via formal and performed essays, written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations and group activities.
10.2.2 Professional practical skills / Discipline Specific Skills
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.
By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to demonstrate:
C1 Apply discipline-specific principles, methods, approaches, concepts, skills and theories in performance, as well as understand the challenges of working in a professional environment.
C2 Take responsibility for the successful performance of a role through demonstrating skills such as independence, initiative, negotiation, communication, planning, and presentation.
Learning and Teaching
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. A major work placement undertaken in the 3rd year of study will be a key component.
The skills identified in C1 and C2 will be primarily developed through spending a year in professional practice.
Assessment Strategies and Methods
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.
Information provided by Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies:
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.
D11 Demonstrate professionalism and an understanding of health and safety and ethical working practices
Learning and Teaching
The transferrable skills identified in D1 to D11 will be developed and enhanced through spending a year in professional practice.
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. A major work placement undertaken in the 3rd year of study will be a key component.
Assessment Strategies and Methods
Assessment is via formal and performed essays, written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations and group activities
BA Drama and Theatre (with integrated year in professional practice) [W402]
Academic Year: 2024/2025Single Honours scheme - available from 2018/2019
Duration (studying Full-Time): 4 years