| Unit name | Decolonising Performance |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THTR20019 |
| 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 |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Theatre |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This second-year unit examines plays and performances produced in a range of colonial and postcolonial contexts. By introducing key theories of postcolonialism it explores the strategies of power that are wielded by colonising nations, and demonstrates how theatre has been used within different cultures as a tool for resistance. Case studies span a range of contexts that could include Australasia, Nigeria, India, the Black Power movement and the contemporary Black Lives Matter campaign, the changing landscape of globalisation, and competing local/national identities within the 'United Kingdom'. Through studying specific plays, playwrights, and theatre-makers within their social contexts, students will explore the interplay between place, identity, race, and nationalism. This unit enquires how playwrights from 'subaltern' (i.e. subordinated or oppressed) cultures have sought to find a voice for 'their' people through performance, and what potentials theatre may hold for creating a more equal society today.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1) locate colonialism and postcolonialism within its social and theatrical contexts through engagement with key theories of interculturalism;
2) analyse a range of plays and performance events by applying frameworks of power, identity, resistance, and community;
3) conceptualise new potentials for developing strategies of performative critique and expression within contemporary social contexts;
4) demonstrate the ability to undertake primary and secondary research and to use this research to sustain a coherent argument, as appropriate to Level I.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures, seminars, on-line discussion forums and self-directed exercises.
Formative assessment: Seminar presentations in preparation for and responding to digital assessment, including bibliography, survey of relevant literature, and argument. Assessed for formative purposes.
Summative: Digital performed presentation* (12-15 minutes) for an individual mark (100%) ILOs 1-4
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. THTR20019).
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 Faculty 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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
