THEATRE STUDIES
(Co-ordinator: Ms T Meskin)
Directing – and the Actor (DRAM703HY)
This module involves the theoretical, historical and practical study of directing for a variety of styles and media, culminating in the direction of a production. Areas of study include directorial function and production procedures; the director, play and playwright; the designer and the director; rehearsal methodology; style and genre; the performance industry.
Acting – and the Director (DRAM704HY)
This module focuses on the critical, theoretical and practical understanding of acting for different styles and genres, including stage and film. Areas of study include the discourse and history of acting theory; classical and contemporary performance styles, including realism, film acting, stand-up comedy and physical theatre; the development of a critical aesthetic from which to begin theorizing performance.
DANCE STUDIES
(Co-ordinator: Ms L Loots)
This module introduces the major fields of dance performance and scholarship from modern and postmodern perspectives, including aesthetics, dance criticism, debates around the body as discourse, and the art/process of choreography. The focus is on both the global context of contemporary dance, and the local context of dance theatre in South Africa. The module culminates in a performance project.
Dance in Education (DRAM709HY)
This module equips learners with the skills for a career in dance education and teaching, through an in-depth investigation and practical implementation of dance education theories, with a particular focus on Outcomes Based Education. Areas of study include dance teaching methodology; Laban’s theories of Dance in Education; Dance in Education in Europe and America; developmental theory and practice; dance therapy; dance and community theatre. (Not available in 2010)
APPLIED THEATRE
(Co-ordinator: Dr M Young-Jahangeer)
Theatre of Debate: Creating Community Dialogue (DRAM714HC)
This module engages learners with the theories of prison theatre, leading to the design and implementation of various modes of performance interventions, and the subsequent documentation and analysis of the project. The focus of the course is on performance as a research methodology, its social impact, and the role and influence of culturally specific aesthetics.
The Politics of Performance (DRAM711HC)
This course will explore how performance in public space has been used, both in Africa and abroad, to challenge perception. In other words how theatre (and this term is used in its broadest sense) has been used in order to communicate a politics of difference with the intention of, in some cases mobilising people to effect radical transformation, and in others conscientisation or raising awareness in order to shift perception. This course involves theory, practice and research (theory in practice).
In addition, all Honours students must register for the Honours Research Paper module (DRAM7RP) to comply with the national requirement for a research component in all Honours degrees. The year-long module will introduce students to postgraduate research techniques and methodologies in order to produce the research paper, on which they will work with individual supervisors. Over the first semester students are required to attend weekly seminars which act to introduce students to academic research and further guide students towards formulating a research topic/area, while also familiarizing students with UKZN’s ethical code of conduct and also proposal writing which forms the base of any graduate research at a university level. In the second semester, students are allocated a supervisor with whom they will complete both an Ethical Clearance Application as well as a Research Proposal before moving on to complete their individual research projects