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Performance and the World (ENGL30048)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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Semester 2 - On Campus
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Performance is everywhere. We encounter it not only on stage, but in public spaces, on our devices, in everyday life – and in the mirror. It is used for entertainment, invention, provocation and profit, often at the same time. In this subject, we apply a Theatre Studies approach to a diverse and fascinating range of artistic events and cultural practices to help us think critically and appreciatively about how performance both shows and shapes the world around us. Among other topics, we consider how intercultural performances stage cultural difference; how activists use performance to bring about social change; and how artists use experimentation to challenge what audiences think they know about history, memory, the body, identity and our relationships with technology and the non-human world. Reflecting the varieties of performance studied, class activities and assessments combine critical and creative thinking in ways that are original, interesting and fun.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of key artists and thinkers whose work has contributed to the contemporary understanding of performance.
  • Identify the relevance of key theories of performance to the examples studied in the subject.
  • Analyse diverse forms of performance, including traditional theatre, avant-garde experiments, contemporary dance, and cultural performances.
  • Interpret information from multiple sources, including published texts, audio-visual materials, and live performances, to develop a coherent argument about performance studies.
  • Evaluate the aesthetic, cultural and social significance of the performances studied in the context of a world where diverse forms of performance are widely practiced.
  • Construct well-reasoned, evidence-based arguments about performance practices and their cultural significance in written form.
  • Create novel, inventive responses to the material studied using an appropriate medium, from live performance to digital media.

Generic skills

At the completion of this subject, students should gain the following generic skills:

  • Demonstrate sound and independent critical and ethical thinking in their choice of materials and processes
  • Be able to present written and oral communication to a professional standard regarding their treatment and material choices
  • Be able to engage in critical thinking and analysis by communicating arguments and ideas effectively
  • Develop understanding of social, ethical and cultural contexts.

Last updated: 15 January 2026