Students

CUL 233 – Theatre and Performance Practice

2018 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Yuji Sone
Contact via yuji.sone@mq.edu.au
Y3A 191E
Tuesdays: 12-2
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
15cp at 100 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
What is involved in making theatre and performance in the twenty-first century? This unit introduces students to theatre and performance practices, giving students experience in aspects of contemporary performance making and production. This unit is a studio-based, practice unit. It complements the department's other performance studies units.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Recognise various styles of performance practices, including verbatim theatre and devised theatre, in relation to wider social, cultural and artistic contexts.
  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

General Assessment Information

Late Submissions​

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

Attendance and Active Participation:

As active participation in the process of learning is linked to and underpins the unit Learning Outcomes, you will need to either apply for Disruptions to Studies to cover any missed tutorials (if the disruption is greater than three consecutive days) or supply appropriate documentation to your unit convenor for any missed tutorial (if less than three consecutive days).

Independent Work:

Students are expected to work independently outside of scheduled tutorial times when they are working on their performance experiments. CUL233 students will need to do their own reading of relevant texts or online materials outside class time.

Group Exercises:

Students are expected to work in groups for tutorials. Students in this unit must be willing to work within a group and to assume responsibility for the group's progress. Students are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and shoes for practical exercises and workshops. 

*Assessment standards in this unit align with the University's grade descriptors, available at: https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy­planning­and­governance/university­policies­and­procedures/policies/assessment 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Weekly Report 30% No Week 4, 5, 6
Research essay 35% No W10, October 21
Performance Project 35% No W6, W12

Weekly Report

Due: Week 4, 5, 6
Weighting: 30%

Each student is expected to document his or her research and learning processes for the group performance experiments in W6 in an online journal on CUL233 iLearn in W4 and W5. Week 6’s report will discuss student performances. Students will submit their reports to Turnitin by the end of Sunday (11.59 pm) in W4, W5, and W6. The detailed instructions for this task will be provided in class.

The criteria for this assessment (3 weekly entries: 7.5% + 7.5% + 15%) are:

  • The extent of the student's knowledge and understanding of weekly material.
  • The extent to which the student is able to synthesise the material and formulate an informed critical position on the topic.
  • The level of effort and the quality of writing, in terms of meeting academic writing standards.

Refer to the assessment rubrics on iLearn for more information. Feedback and grades for this assessment task will provided in class in W8 by the tutor. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise various styles of performance practices, including verbatim theatre and devised theatre, in relation to wider social, cultural and artistic contexts.
  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Research essay

Due: W10, October 21
Weighting: 35%

In the written assignment (1,200-word essay), students discuss notable approaches in performance practices with reference to relevant theories and debates that are introduced in this unit. Students will submit their essays to Turnitin by the end of October 21 (11.59 pm).

The criteria for this assessment are:

  • The extent to which correct academic writing protocols - including formatting, referencing, grammar, spelling, clarity - have been applied to the report.
  • The extent to which self-regulated research has been undertaken and extent to which critical, analytical and integrative thinking has been applied to the report.
  • The extent to which there is a well-devised organisation and structure that clearly articulate the student's response to and understanding of the essay topic.

More detailed information, including the rubrics for this assessment task, will be provided in class and available from iLearn.

Feedback and grades for this task will provided on Turnitin.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise various styles of performance practices, including verbatim theatre and devised theatre, in relation to wider social, cultural and artistic contexts.
  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Performance Project

Due: W6, W12
Weighting: 35%

Students will work on two performance experiments. The first one will be a group performance task in W6. The second project will be an individual performance presentation in W12. Students’ commitment to their projects will be assessed individually in W6 (10%) and W12 (25%). [Total: 35%]

The criteria for this assessment are:

  • The extent to which the performance is well rehearsed and structurally coherent.
  • The extent to which the student has challenged him/herself to make a performance work that critically engages with the unit themes.
  • The extent to which there is an appropriate, creative and well-researched response to thetask individually (W12) and as a group (W6), including how spoken text is integrated into the performance, how ideas are physically embodied, and how staging elements are integrated.
  • The extent to which W6 group performance has been developed collaboratively, and reflects shared responsibility and open communication during the group's creative process and in the performance outcome.

More detailed information, including the rubrics for this assessment task, will be provided in class and available from iLearn.

Feedback and grades for the first task will provided in class and for the final presentation as part of the comments for the final essay on Turnitin. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise various styles of performance practices, including verbatim theatre and devised theatre, in relation to wider social, cultural and artistic contexts.
  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Delivery and Resources

Classes

 

Date

Time

Location

Session 2

 

Thursday

 

10am-12pm

 

Y3A 187

 

*CUL233 class will start in Week 1.

 

Required Reading

There is no Unit Reader for CUL233. A full list of recommended readings is available on iLearn.

Recommended readings (available in the Library)

Balme, Christopher B. 2008. The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre Studies. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.

Pickering, Kenneth, and Mark Woolgar, 2009. Theatre Studies, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gordon, Robert. 2006. The purpose of playing: Modern acting theories in perspective. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Brown, Paul (ed.). 2010. Verbatim: staging memory and community. Strawberry Hills, N.S.W. : Currency Press.

Cantrell, Tom, and Mary Luckhurst (eds.). 2010. Playing for real: actors on playing real people. Houndmills, Basingstoke, UK and New York: Palgrave Macmillan.  

Technology Used and Required

The unit uses the following technology: iLearn and Turnitin

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

MMCCS Session Re-mark Application  http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment task

  • Performance Project

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment task

  • Performance Project

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.

Assessment task

  • Research essay

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Recognise various styles of performance practices, including verbatim theatre and devised theatre, in relation to wider social, cultural and artistic contexts.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly Report
  • Research essay

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Recognise various styles of performance practices, including verbatim theatre and devised theatre, in relation to wider social, cultural and artistic contexts.
  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment task

  • Research essay

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment task

  • Performance Project

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Interpret developments in the history of performance practice, and apply an understanding of them to performance making.
  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Absorb, understand and apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in oral, written and creative practice forms.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment tasks

  • Weekly Report
  • Research essay
  • Performance Project

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment task

  • Performance Project

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Conceptualise and produce practical experiments while developing communication skills.
  • Explore unit themes independently and collaboratively in response to project aims and demands.

Assessment task

  • Performance Project