UNSW Handbook Plan - Theatre & Performance Studies

Theatre & Performance Studies - THSTA13403


	Faculty: ARTSC - Faculty of Arts&Social Science
	School: School of English, Media and Performing Arts
	Contact: http://empa.arts.unsw.edu.au
	Program: 3403 - Arts
	Award(s):
	Bachelor of Arts (Major)

Plan Outline

This plan is only available to students commencing from 2009

The Major in TPS covers the theoretical and historical study of a wide range of human performance in the arts with a focus on contemporary forms of theatre and dance in Europe and Australasia. It is distinguished by an emphasis on engaging with disparate modes of performance – theatrical and cultural, European and Asian, contemporary and historical, text and non-text based, low and high culture – through a combination of both concept-driven and experiential learning.
While the primary objects of study in the Major are theatre and dance, they are regarded in terms of their production of meanings, subjects, and social relations. Practical work is therefore undertaken in the BA program not to train students as professional practitioners, but in order that they may develop an informed critical language for the discussion and analysis of theatre and dance as areas of performance and reach a fuller appreciation of the production process and construction of meaning in the respective media.

Impart the fascination and rigour of historical enquiry through relating events to the widely varying contexts of the past
Provide perspectives on current issues and debates which draw on History’s distinctive capacity for exploring the nature of change over time. In so doing, students will be encouraged to engage in a dialogue between what is familiar from the present and the otherness of the past.
Explore the way in which we understand and construct the past and the way in which such understanding helps shape present identities.

The subject-specific aims of the BA Major in TPS are:

to foster the ability to describe, interpret and evaluate performance as events producing social meanings, subjects and relations;
to develop the ability to theorise diverse performance from a range of critical perspectives;
to generate analytical and embodied understanding of historical and contemporary performance making processes and skills:
to develop competence in reading and realising the performance possibilities implied by a script, score and other textual or documentary source;
to develop skills in group-based learning and ethical engagement with collaborators and receivers;
to foster an understanding of the cultural and historical specificity of theatre and performance as well as an appreciation of the global nature of performance knowledges and practices;
to encourage reflection on the nature and functions of live art in the contemporary world

Plan Structure

A student who wishes to gain a major sequence in Theatre and Performance Studies must complete 54 units of credit including 12 uoc at level 1, at least 18 uoc at level 2 and at least 18 uoc at level 3 including the capstone course.

Level 1

ARTS1120 Intro to Theatre & Performance (6 UOC)
ARTS1121 Reading Performance (6 UOC)

Level 2

Level 2 offers electives that introduce a diverse range of critical perspectives relevant to contemporary theatre and performance studies, as well as the latest developments in repertoire and performance practice. Level 2 also provides both theory-based and practical courses which provide opportunities to further explore these critical perspectives through fields of study such as: acting and performing, comedy and popular culture, Australian drama and theatre, and the staging and writing of performance texts.

Level 3

Level 3 courses introduce the study of performance from diverse cultural and historical contexts, as well as the issues at stake for performance in contemporary Western mediatised culture. It also offers courses specialising in non-text based, hybrid and/or multimedia forms, including live art, dance theatre and physical theatre. In addition, level 3 contains intensive practical courses that offer opportunities for developing skills in research-based solo and ensemble performance making