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Modern and Contemporary Theatre (ENGL20030)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
To learn more, visit 2023 Course and subject delivery.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject is a study of some of the major developments in 20th and 21st century theatre and drama set within the cultural and historical context of aesthetic modernism and modernity. We start with revisionings in the 21st century of canonical works of modern drama including Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People and Chekhov’s The Seagull. We then consider the anti-realist movement through Bertolt Brecht, focusing on Mother Courage and Her Children, and Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty and its influence on the British dramatist Sarah Kane in 1990s Britain. Samuel Beckett remains central to modernist theatre and we study his lesser known short plays, Rockaby and Not I. The subject then turns to the social realism of Shelagh Delaney and debbie tucker green, and the enduring political and ecocritical force of Caryl Churchill. American theatre is represented through Tony Kushner’s gay fantasia Angels in America. You will study the play texts and their theatrical performances by drawing on archival materials including digital theatre platforms.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of the subject students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the key concepts and aesthetic practices of modern and contemporary theatre
- Apply high level critical and conceptual thinking to comparing dramatic texts and their theatrical performances
- Articulate the relationship between modern and contemporary theatre and its social, historical and cultural contexts
- Write about theatre and performance using a variety of sources including textual and academic literature, digital archives, visual images, and sound recordings
- Develop capacity for informed self-reflection as active participants in cultural life
- Work effectively and creatively in a team to develop to oral presentations.
Generic skills
Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to:
- Demonstrate sound and independent critical and ethical thinking in their choice of materials and processes
- Present written and oral communication to a professional standard regarding their treatment and material choices.
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
A mid-semester assignment (either a formal essay or a creative pitch)
| Mid semester | 40% |
An essay
| During the examination period | 60% |
Hurdle requirement: This subject has a minimum requirement of (or at least) 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars, or workshops. There is an expectation that students attend lectures, in person or via online delivery. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass this subject. For the purposes of meeting this hurdle requirement, each submitted assessment must be complete and constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task. (Complete not less than 50% of word count). | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Additional details
Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 2% per working day
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Coordinator Andrew Fuhrmann Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total 24 hours: a 2 hour seminar per week. Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 24 July 2023 to 22 October 2023 Last self-enrol date 4 August 2023 Census date 31 August 2023 Last date to withdraw without fail 22 September 2023 Assessment period ends 17 November 2023 Semester 2 contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
This subject contains online lecture and video screenings most weeks of 0.5-2 hour. AV materials can be accessed in the student’s own time, some online through modules and others through the library system.
Last updated: 27 April 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Texts could include plays by: Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, Anton Chekhov, Caryl Churchill, Shelagh Delaney, Henrik Ibsen, Sarah Kane, Tony Kushner, and debbie tucker green.
For example:
Anton Chekhov, The Seagull, Faber, 2007, ebook (UniMelb. Library)
Caryl Churchill, Far Away, Nick Hern Books, 2000, ebook (UniMelb. Library)
Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Nick Hern, 2017, ebook (UniMelb. Library)
debbie tucker green, nut, Nick Hern Books, 2013, ebook (UniMelb. Library)
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Major English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies Breadth Track Theatre Studies - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Biomedicine
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 27 April 2024