Studies in Literary Form 3: Drama

This module explores a diverse range of plays and illustrates the shifting historical and performance contexts that govern theatrical expectations and dramaturgical practice. The course will begin by examining Wole Soyinka?s late twentieth-century interpretation of Euripides The Bacchae (c. 400BCE) and consider the extent to which the traditional and imperatives of drama can be reignited within an alternative cultural framework. The course will continue by examining, in historical sequence, a variety of plays each of which make use of different formal conventions and make different assumptions about the nature of the world, the nature of drama, and the nature of audiences. By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be able to analyse critically many of the dramatic and theatrical devices that have been ?naturalised? by long usage and appreciate that constant innovation is the only constant in the world of live performance.

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a basic awareness of theoretical approaches to the study of theatre
- Show a basic understanding of the social, economic, and political forces that shape the writing and production of dramatic texts
- Subject a range of dramatic texts to a technical or formal analysis
- Summarise material effectively and synthesise arguments and make clear points in a lucid, grammatical and confident manner
- Write responses to exam questions, making convincing arguments based on reading primary and secondary texts
- Identify and use relevant subject-specific electronic resources and other library resources

Teaching & Learning Methods:
- This module is taught through a combination of lectures and Reading and Criticism Seminars. Seminars run for four weeks at the start of semester and attendance is mandatory.
- Lectures: 20 hours
- Independent student activities: 60 hours

Assessment:
- University scheduled written examination: 100%