1. Demonstrate mastery in your own practice, drawing on cutting edge professional working methods of your choosing, framed by academic discourse and understanding.
2. Apply and critically appraise feedback mechanisms to your work.
3. Implement an advanced, informed, ethical and innovative set of critical, creative and interpretive skills.

All individually assessed:

ASSESSMENT 1: Pitch [LO 1,3]
Project Pitch which may include detailing rationale, research methodology, literature review, budgets, aims and objectives of projects, timescales and resources.

ASSESSMENT 2: Project [LO 1,2]
A negotiated artefact (live or digital) drawing on mediums of your choosing, or an extended piece of writing/audio-visual essay which demonstrates an extended argument.

Your individual work will be informed and supported by your previous learning across the whole of the course, which we hope will prepare and empower you to take ownership as well initiative apposite and innovative processes and practices, and take responsibility and control of your work.

If practical, you will be asked to determine an identity and ethos for your individual project establish your target audience(s) and agree on the material you wish to create for public consumption, whether theatre, film, written form or a hybrid. You will be using practice-as-research (PaR) as a vehicle for supporting your learning.

You will determine your specific role or roles for your project and identify any areas where you may need to bring in additional help. You will receive a small budget, which you will be responsible for allocating and managing.

If research based, the project is an in-depth independently undertaken study into an appropriate area that results in the production of an extended piece of work in the form of either a written or audio-visual dissertation or presentation. Chosen in consultation with a potential supervisor, the research project should reflect your personal interests and build upon the knowledge, skills and expertise that you have acquired during your study so far.

The project involves developing and applying effective methods and approaches for conducting research and critical analysis into the chosen subject area. Engaging with and drawing on appropriate literature and theories, the essay should demonstrate evaluation and reflection regarding the possible implications of the research project for the broader field.

Examples of the subject matter of the research include genre, adaptation, movements, storytelling styles or modes of production, specific practitioners, artists or companies, industrial, economic, and technological changes and continuities, representation, reception, relationships between texts and social or cultural contexts, or theoretical issues.

You will be expected to take ownership of the creative processes, challenges and logistics.

Practical work will be presented in the form of a mini on-campus festival and the research projects as part of a ‘conference’ sharing-style event.

You will be asked to review and analyse your work through a project report or negotiated alternative such as a viva that will be approved by use of a negotiated learning contract for this module, as well as relevant ethical clearances.

When you reach the end of your degree, you can negotiate a project of your choosing, whether theatre, film, literature or a hybrid, or undertake a piece of extended research.

This will allow you to play to your strengths and ensure that you can tailor your project to your specialisms, interests and potential career trajectory.

The work for this module is student-led whilst being informed and supported by the learning to date on the programme. It actively encourages and promotes heuristic principles of learning. You will determine your own working timetable, modes and methods of working, establish targets and set deadlines and take collective control and ownership of your work.

You will work independently, interpersonally and within the demands of project or research-based working with flexibility, imagination, self- motivation and organisation. Individual or group tutorials will allow for hyper-personalised learning approaches.

A negotiated learning contract will be used with your supervisor to help shape the work.

The Library Home Page [which includes a Summon search box along with other resources]

https://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/libraryresources

Please see the Module Handbook and VLE for general guides on project management. Your supervisor will be able to direct you towards resources that are relevant to your own project. The following resources may also be useful:

Ackroyd, J. (2010). Performing Research. Trentham Books
Barrett, E and Bolt, B (Eds). (2019) Practice as Research: Approaches to Creative Arts Enquiry. London: Bloomsbury
Bolt, B and Barrett, E (2019). Practice as Research: Approaches to Creative Arts Enquiry. Bloomsbury
Candy, L. (2021) Creative Reflective Practitioner. London: Routledge
Day, T. (2018) Success in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. London: Red Globe Press.
Dechery, C and Duggan, P (2020) Performing Collaboration in Solo Performance. Intellect.
Ha Thuc, C. Research Based Arts Practices in Southeast Asia. Palgrave Macmillan.
Nelson, R (2013) Practice as Research in the Arts: Principles, Protocols, Pedagogies and Resistances. Palgrave Macmillan.
Piotrowska, A (2022). Creative Practice Research in the Age of Neoliberal Hopelessness. Edinburgh University Press.
Smith, H (Ed). (2009) Practice-led Research, Research-led Practice in the Creative Arts. Edinburgh University Press.

Rehearsal studios, tutorial and seminar space
Presentation facilities for formal presentations
Media Centre and equipment
Drama Studios
University Library
IT facilities
VLE