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2015/16 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ENGL3275 Text, Body, Space: Contemporary Theatre Practices in Europe and the UK

20 creditsClass Size: 20

School of English

Module manager: Dr Lourdes Orozco
Email: l.orozco@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2015/16

Pre-requisite qualifications

Grade B at 'A' Level in English Language or Literature or equivalent or an achieved mark of 56 or above in a Level 1 module in English.

Please note: This module is restricted to Level 2 and 3 students. Enrolment priority will be given to Level 2 students for a restricted time (as detailed in the School’s Module Handbook).

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module examines interdisciplinary performance practices throughout the 20th and the 21st centuries. Focusing on dramatists, theatre practitioners and visual artists whose work explores the fusion of the literary and the visual, the sensorial and the spatial, 'Text, Body, Space' will consider theatre plays and performances which pose a challenge to disciplinary boundaries. The module will investigate the connection between early 20th century experimental practices in Europe and the US and contemporary European and UK works looking at issues of liveness, presence, the real, non-human performance (cyborg and animals), risk and responsibility, and engagement.The module looks at contemporary literature, dance, visual arts and performance practices such as Bertolt Brecht, Heiner Muller, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Sarah Kane, Jan Fabre, Forced Entertainment, La Fura dels Baus, Societas Rafaello Sanzio, La Carnicería Teatro amongst others. It will also consider the work of visiting companies to Leeds venues when appropriate.

Objectives

To enhance students' knowledge and skills in the core educational aims of Theatre Studies.
To acquire knowledge of theatre and performance trends in Europe and the UK from the second half of the 20th century to today.
To develop an awareness of the relationship between form and content in theatre and performance production.
To develop an understanding of the role of theatre in contemporary society and of the ways contemporary theatre engages with other artistic forms.
To gain critical awareness and develop analytical skills in approaching theatre and performance practice.

Learning outcomes
To critically engage with the concepts of 'text', 'body' and 'space' in theatre and performance making.
To acquire knowledge around the concept of 'intermediality' and 'intertextuality' in order to understand theatre practices in the chosen period and their engagement with other artistic disciplines.
To acquire knowledge of the intersections and distances between practitioners working in a range of cultural contexts.

Skills outcomes
- Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
- Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
- Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
- Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
- Critical reasoning.
- Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
- IT skills.
- Time management and organisational skills.
- Independent learning.

Syllabus

Bertolt Brecht, The Threepenny Opera
Heiner Muller, Synthetic Fragments
Jan Fabre, The Power of Theatrical Madness
Welfare State International
Pina Bausch, 1980
La Fura dels Baus, MTM
Forced Entertainment, Bloody Mess
Sarah Kane, 4:48 Psychosis
Mark Ravenhill, Shopping and Fucking
William Forsythe, Three Atmospheric Studies

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	1	1.00	1.00
Practical	3	2.00	6.00
Seminar	8	1.00	8.00
Private study hours			185.00
Total Contact hours			15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will be asked to read primary and secondary texts and view performances. Possible visits to theatre performances in Leeds will be organised by the tutor outside teaching hours. Office hours will be available for students' queries on any aspect of the module.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students' progress will be monitored by three different pieces of assessment which are scheduled in stages throughout the duration of the module.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	Report on group performance project - 1,250 words	10.00
Presentation	Group performance - 20 minutes duration	40.00
Essay	2,750 words	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 22/04/2015

Disclaimer

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• Undergraduate module catalogue
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• Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue

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