Module Descriptors
POSTMODERN THEATRE
DRAM60187
Key Facts
Faculty of Arts and Creative Technologies
Level 6
30 credits
Contact
Leader: Derrick Cameron
Email: D.F.I.Cameron@staffs.ac.uk
Hours of Study
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: 24
Independent Study Hours: 276
Total Learning Hours: 300
Assessment
- COURSEWORK -ESSAY weighted at 60%
- GROUP PRESENTATION weighted at 20%
- CRITICAL ANALYSIS weighted at 20%
Module Details
Module Indicative Content
Students will explore representations of the postmodern in European theatre after 1960, locating the plays within the wider debate of issues such as:
The impact of the breakdown of 'grand narratives' on art, history and politics;
The nature of social power relations under 'late' capitalism;
The 'de-centering' of traditional subject and gender identities.
The fist part of the module will be devoted to sampling key statements of postmodern culture by leading artists and theorists of the period. The main emphasis of the module will be on textual analysis in an attempt to establish whether and in what sense the plays looked at could themselves be regarded as paradigmatic manifestations of the period and can be categorised as 'postmodern drama'.Plays studied will normally be: Reza, Art; Muller, Hamletmachine; Frayn, Copenhagen; Wertenbaker, The Love of the Nightingale; Koltes, Roberto Zucco; Weiss, Marat/Sade.
The impact of the breakdown of 'grand narratives' on art, history and politics;
The nature of social power relations under 'late' capitalism;
The 'de-centering' of traditional subject and gender identities.
The fist part of the module will be devoted to sampling key statements of postmodern culture by leading artists and theorists of the period. The main emphasis of the module will be on textual analysis in an attempt to establish whether and in what sense the plays looked at could themselves be regarded as paradigmatic manifestations of the period and can be categorised as 'postmodern drama'.Plays studied will normally be: Reza, Art; Muller, Hamletmachine; Frayn, Copenhagen; Wertenbaker, The Love of the Nightingale; Koltes, Roberto Zucco; Weiss, Marat/Sade.
Module Additional Assessment Details
Comparative Coursework Essay, including a discussion of theoretical positions [Learning Outcomes 1-3, 5]Group Presentation [Learning Outcomes 4, 5]Critical Analysis [Learning Outcomes 5]
Module Learning Strategies
Teaching will be through lectures, workshops and seminars. You will work independently (on research, preparation of lectures, seminars and seminar presentations) and in pairs or small groups (on seminar assignments and presentations).
Module Texts
Amongst the critical background texts studied will typically be a selection from the following:
Lyotard, Francois. Postmodern Condition
Jameson, Frederic. Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
Baudrillard, Jean. The Ecstasy of Communication
Gaggi Silvio, Modern/Postmodern, A Study in Twentieth Century Arts and Ideas, Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania Press) 1998.
Reinelt J. and Roach J. (ed.) Critical Theory and Performance, Ann Arbor (University of Michigan Press) 1992.
Kershaw Baz, The Radical in Performance between Brecht and Baudrillard, London (Routledge), 1999
Lyotard, Francois. Postmodern Condition
Jameson, Frederic. Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism
Baudrillard, Jean. The Ecstasy of Communication
Gaggi Silvio, Modern/Postmodern, A Study in Twentieth Century Arts and Ideas, Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania Press) 1998.
Reinelt J. and Roach J. (ed.) Critical Theory and Performance, Ann Arbor (University of Michigan Press) 1992.
Kershaw Baz, The Radical in Performance between Brecht and Baudrillard, London (Routledge), 1999
Module Resources
Library IT Software (word-processing, presentation software)
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available (where relevant) to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.
The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available (where relevant) to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook.