Autumn Semester

• To deepen knowledge of the interplay of cultures, histories and politics in 21st century dance production and practices.
• To interrogate competing definitions and models of culture, and to recognise their different manifestations in particular contexts and case studies.
• To examine a range of political frameworks affecting arts and dance practices, including the perception and place of dance in different national and regional contexts.

• An in-depth knowledge of current theories of culture.
• An advanced understanding of how socio-economic and political factors have affected not only dance production but also the politicisation and/or preservation of particular dance forms and practices.
• A specialised knowledge of particular choreographers, dance writers and agencies, and of ideological imperatives determining policies and practices.

• Ability to critique and synthesise existing theories of culture, history and politics and to apply them to dance.
• Ability to situate specific dance forms and practices within particular cultural contexts and to articulate reasoned arguments for their ideological and aesthetic status.
• Ability to analyse the work of a range of choreographers, writers and agencies in order to engage critically with particular policies and practices through written and oral means.
• Ability to construct sophisticated, independent arguments about dance as cultural production and to debate alternative models and approaches.

• Ability to locate and use a range of resources with minimum guidance.
• Ability to undertake self-directed research on selected topics and to demonstrate originality in problem-solving.
• Ability to sustain arguments and debate complex ideas both orally and in written form.
• Ability to lead seminar discussions and to engage confidently and professionally with others.
• Ability to direct and manage own learning and also to guide the learning of others.

• The module addresses competing definitions of culture; for example, the contrasting positions of mass culture theory versus notions of cultural populism.
• The module investigates different cultural histories and analyses specific models as case studies; for example, Ann Daly’s feminist perspective; Lynn Garafola’s Marxist stance.
• The module also explores governance and the arts, as well as the political impact on particular dances and practices, as for example, the dances of present-day Europe, North America, and South Asia .

Lecture, video analysis, seminar discussion, self-directed research.

09.01.07