DRAMA 202A/B : History and Performance

Arts

2023 Semester One (1233) / Semester Two (1235) (45 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Explores a range of major plays from ancient Greek tragedy to contemporary New Zealand drama. This course examines plays in their historical context and as texts for performance. In Semester Two, students learn skills in theatre production by staging a full-length play, directed by an outside professional director.

Course Overview

DRAMA 202A/B is a core course that is designed to offer a capstone experience in Drama by offering both theoretical and practical study of theatre including the staging of a full-length play. The course encourages students to develop skills in the staging of dramatic texts through practical sessions. These staging exercises are designed to help students build up necessary skills for our stage production in September. This course examines a number of theories of drama, with reference to their practical applications in play-texts and productions. We also explore dramatists’ engagement with the existing genres and traditions.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 60 points passed and approval by the Academic Head or nominee Restriction: DRAMA 204 To complete this course students must enrol in DRAMA 202 A and B

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Contextualize historically significant playwrights with their dramatic tradition and conventions. (Capability 1.1, 2.3 and 6.1)
  2. Situate your view in a theoretical debate including Stanislavski and Brecht (Capability 2.2, 3.1 and 4.3)
  3. Develop a sense of the expressive possibilities of different dramatic languages, such as naturalistic dialogue, poetic rhetoric, mise en scene and movement (Capability 1.2, 3.2 and 4.3)
  4. Create and participate in staging of a full-length play (Capability 3.2, 4.3 and 5.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Class Test 15% Individual Test
Staging Exercise 20% Group Coursework
Staging Exercise 5% Individual Coursework
Journal 10% Individual Coursework
Production 25% Individual Coursework
Production Report 5% Individual Coursework
Essay 10% Individual Coursework
Participation 10% Individual Coursework

Workload Expectations

Student workload for this course is expected to be around 10 hours per week in Semester One and Two, and additional 40-50 hours per week during the mid-semester break and production week in Semester Two. Students are required to attend all lectures and tutorials, and to read texts in advance of the lectures and tutorials. Also, your participation and presentation are essential. 

For this course, every week you can expect 1.5 -hour of lecture and 1.5 hour tutorial or workshop session, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including workshop sessions and group projects  to complete components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings in case of COVID Alert level changes and the course needs to be delivered online. Other learning activities including seminars/tutorials/group presentations will be available as recordings in case of COVID Alert level changes
The course will include live online events including group discussions/presentations.
Attendance on campus is required for test, but if the course needs to be delivered online, then it can be converted into online-test. 
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Attendance is required during the entire rehearsals that is scheduled during the mid-semester break of Semester 2 as well as during the production week in Week 7 of Semester 2, every evening from 5pm to 10pm.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Please see the Talis Reading List for Drama 202 via the Library.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Since this is a full-year course, you will be asked to fill in the SET evaluations only at the end of the Second Semester. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 26/10/2022 10:38 a.m.