| Module Code: THE1011 |
Module Title: CHARACTER STUDY |
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Module Provider: Dance,Film & Theatre
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Short Name: THE1011
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Level: HE1
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Module Co-ordinator: WAGNER MD Dr (Dnc Flm Thtr)
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Number of credits: 15
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Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
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| Module Availability |
| Semester 1. |
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| Assessment Pattern |
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Unit(s) of Assessment
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Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
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Summative Assessment
1x Essay
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100%
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| Module Overview |
This module considers depictions of character in a series of key texts from the classical, modern and postmodern repertoire. In so doing, it provides students with approaches to identify connections and contradictions between historical and cultural restagings of these texts. The module introduces issues such as of textual analysis, social and political context, character motivation and agency, character-actor relationship and class, race and gender politics.
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
| None. |
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| Module Aims |
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To provide a critical overview to representations of character in a series of texts and to debate the significance of these interpretations (a, f),
To introduce analytical, historical, critical and contextual approaches to the study of character (b, d, e).
To prepare students to closely analyse character in a text with reference to theoretical knowledge and to present some initial conclusions (c, g).
To enhance students’ ability to articulate complex ideas through formal writing techniques (d, e, h).
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| Learning Outcomes |
On completion of this module students should be able to
Clearly distinguish between forms of character in varying texts (B2, C2)
Evaluate the representation of character in a performance text in terms of specific historical, critical or contextual approaches/concerns (A1, A2, A3, B2, B3).
Present key findings and ideas in written form (D1, D2,
D3, D4). |
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| Module Content |
· The module will consider depictions of character and culture in selected texts. The reading/viewing list will change year to year, but an indicative list may be as follows:
o Euripides, Medea
o Shakespeare, Hamlet
o Madame Rachilde, The Crystal Spider
o Chekhov, The Seagull
o Brecht, Mother Courage and Her Children
o Beckett, Waiting for Godot
o Churchill, Cloud Nine
o Williams, Streetcar Named Desire
o Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
o Fornes, Fefu and Her Friends
o Kane, Blasted, 4.48 Psychosis
· The module will examine such issues as politics, character/identity motivation and agency, character-actor relationship, and class, race and gender politics,
· The module will encourage students to use theoretical material in their analysis of theatre texts to create and present initial conclusions in written form.
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
Lecture/seminars.
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Required:
Huxley, M and
N Witts
, eds. 2002. The Twentieth Century Performance Reader.
London
: Routledge.
Recommended:
Beckett, S, The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett. London: Faber and Faber, 2006.
Brecht, Bertholt. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic. Trans. and Ed. John Willet. New York: Hill and Wang, 1964.
Dasgupta, Gautam. ‘Stirring Still.’ Performing Arts Journal. 12: 2/3 (1990), 8-10.
Fuchs, E, The Death of Character: Perspectives on Theater After Modernism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996.
Pickering, K, Studying Modern Drama. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
Pirandello, L, Goold, R, and Power, B, Six Characters in Search of an Author. London: Nick Hern Books, 2008.
Proehl, Geoffrey. “Rehearsing Dramaturgy: Time is Passing.” Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism. 13:1 (1998 Fall), pp. 103-112.
Styan, J L, Drama, Stage and Audience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975.
Worthen, W. B. Shakespeare and the Authority of Performance. Cambridge: Cambridge Univeristy Press, 1997.
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| Last Updated |
| 13/04/11 |
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