Postgraduate Course: Theatre, Performance, Performativity (CLLC11125)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This 20 credit course will examine the ways in which the modern and contemporary thinking of performance has demanded an exploration of both the social force and functionality of theatre, on the one hand, and of the extra-theatrical powers of performance, on the other. It will also explore the model of social force articulated in versions of the concept of performativity, and the sometimes fraught place of theatre, theatricality and theatrical performance within such theories. The course will also consider how theatre's political and social potential has been understood by practitioners and critics in the light of these varying theories of performativity.
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| Course description |
This course will introduce students to the place of the idea and practice of performativity within the context of performance theory and performance studies. It will bring together readings from a range of different theorists and practitioners across this field, and focus both on developing an understanding of the power and relevance of such work while also testing it against a range of theatrical and ordinary performances.
The course will begin by introducing the challenges of studying performance as a broad field, move on to looking at theories of play and of ritual, then focus specifically on the ways in which the particular concept of performativity has been developed, extended and critiqued over the past five decades. It will conclude by examining the ways in which such a thinking of performativity has impacted on contemporary modalities of theatrical performance. Readings will be taken from the course textbook, which is Henry Bial and Sara Brady, ed., The Performance Studies Reader (Routledge).
The course will be organised into five pairs of seminars and workshops; each seminar will focus on group discussion of selected readings, while each workshop will explore these issues in an experiential context through a range of practical tasks and exercises. Students will record and reflect on their learning through these workshops through entries in a learning journal which will form part of the assessment.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students on LLC MSc programmes get first priority to this course. If you are not on an LLC programme, please let your administrator or the course administrator know you are interested in the course. Unauthorised enrolments will be removed. No auditors are permitted. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 2 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 12,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment will be comprised of two parts:
Learning journal/ Blog entries - Maximum 1.500 words (approximately 300 words each) (50%)
Final Essay - 2,500 word essay (50%)
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| Feedback |
The postgraduate students enrolled into this course are encouraged to submit their essay outlines to the Course Coordinator (approximately 500 words) during weeks 9-11. They will receive a feedback as part of their formative assessment within 7-10 days. Their essay feedbacks will be available within 15 days. Students are welcome to make an appointment with the Course Coordinator during office hours in order to discuss their essays, critical approaches suitable for their topics, library resources, etc. They could also receive an oral feedback on their conceptual framework during such a consultation on one-to-one basis. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate a good working knowledge of performance studies and theories of performativity
- analyse and assess different critical viewpoints on performativity and show an understanding of the place of theories of performativity in the wider discipline of performance studies
- show an understanding of practice-based approaches to performance studies
- devise and execute practical explorations of issues in performance studies
- reflect critically on their theoretical and practical exploration of the course topics
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Reading List
| https://eu01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/public/44UOE_INST/lists/49833874220002466?auth=SAML |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course will be delivered through fortnightly seminars, fortnightly workshops with a practical orientation. Weekly Autonomous Learning Groups will coordinate collective preparation for seminars and workshops. Students and tutor will also use a messaging platform to discuss issues and ongoing ALG work outwith class hours. |
| Keywords | Drama; Performance; Post-dramatic forms of Performance; Theatricality and anti-theatricality |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof James Loxley
Tel: (0131 6)50 3610
Email: James.Loxley@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lina Gordyshevskaya
Tel:
Email: pgordysh@ed.ac.uk |
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