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Australian Theatre and Performance (ENGL40020)
HonoursPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable (login required)(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 the Australian performing arts from 1960 to the present with a special focus on the shift from national drama to diversity, and from the sole-authored play to devised and collaborative theatre. The study is framed by the changing landscape of Australian culture and the key insights of modernism, postcolonialism, feminism and gender theory. Students will read selected plays in relation to context, genre, and performance history; view DVDs of live performance; engage in online and library-based archival research; and undertake detailed textual and performance analysis; and investigate the role of performance as a medium of cultural life.
The subject is arranged in sections including single-author or theatre maker studies; the New Wave of the 1970s; Indigenous dramatists; and performance and live art. There will be scope to develop specialist studies of dramatists, theatre companies, and the performing arts industry.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- To understand Australian theatre and performance in relation to the intersections of Indigenous history, colonial culture, and a culturally diverse modern nation
- To understand how works of theatre and performance studied in this subject involve encounters among embodied performers and audiences in time and place
- Apply interdisciplinary methodologies to understand the dramaturgical, technological, cultural, social and environmental perspectives that intersect in the making of dramatic literature and performance
- Articulate how Australian theatre contributes to culture and society
- Discuss how theatre relates to storytelling, history and community.
Generic skills
At the completion of this subject, students will gain the following generic skills:
- The ability to prepare and present their ideas in both verbal and written mode to an advanced level and in conformity to conventions of academic presentation
- The ability to participate in discussion and group activities and be sensitive to the participation of others
- The ability to apply creative and critical thinking in the analysis of artistic works
- The ability to manage time effectively in the completion of assessment tasks
- Able to access a broad range of resource material, including traditional text, art works and electronic media.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Admission into or selection of one of the following:
- English and Theatre specialisation (formal) in the BH-ARTS Bachelor of Arts (Degree with Honours)
- English and Theatre Studies specialisation (formal) in the GC-ARTS Graduate Certificate in Arts
- English and Theatre Studies specialisation (formal) in the GCA-ARTS Graduate Certificate in Arts (Advanced)
- English and Theatre Studies specialisation (formal) in the GDA-ARTS Graduate Diploma in Arts (Advanced)
- English and Theatre Studies specialisation (formal) in the GD-ARTS Graduate Diploma in Arts
Students in the Master of Arts and Cultural Management may enrol in this subject with the permission of the coordinator.
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
It is recommended that students have at least 25 points in Theatre Studies or related area.
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: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
A short essay
| Mid semester | 30% |
A final essay
| End of semester | 70% |
Hurdle requirement: 1. Attendance hurdle requirement: This subject has a minimum requirement of 80% attendance at tutorials, seminars, or workshops. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Hurdle requirement: 2. Late Penalty and Assessment hurdle requirement: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at five per cent (5%) of the possible marks available for the assessment task per day or part thereof. All pieces of assessment must be submitted to pass the subject. Each submitted assessment must be complete, constitute a genuine attempt to address the requirements of the task and will not be accepted after 20 University business days from the original assessment due date without written approval. | Throughout the semester | N/A |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Denise Varney Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours A 2-hour seminar per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 22 July 2024 to 20 October 2024 Last self-enrol date 2 August 2024 Census date 2 September 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 20 September 2024 Assessment period ends 15 November 2024 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.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Texts will be selected from a range of playwrights and theatre makers including: Andrew Bovell, Alex Buzo, Patricia Cornelius, Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman, Jane Harrison, Leah Purcell, William Yang, Patrick White, and David Williamson.
Examples include:
Patricia Cornelius, Shit, Currency Press, 2017
Leah Purcell, The Drover’s Wife, Currency Press 2016
William Yang, Sadness (DVD)1999, 2010
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Diploma in Arts and Cultural Management (Advanced) Informal specialisation PD-ARTS English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies Specialisation (formal) English and Theatre Studies - 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.
Additional information for this subject
Subject coordinator approval required
Last updated: 31 January 2024