Module manager: Alison Andrews
Email: a.andrews@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is approved as a discovery module
The module is aimed at challenging traditional attitudes towards the analysis of the performing arts. No art exists in a vacuum and yet conventional analysis can treat it as such. The arts are too often examined in isolation and yet that is seldom the way in which they were conceived or are performed today. The module therefore presents a range of contextualised case studies drawn from Dance, Drama, Music (Classical and Pop), Film and Musicals drawn from iconic performances from the turn of the Twentieth Century to the present day. The purpose is to make you students question what the performances reflected at the time of their creation? How were the artists influenced by the world around them? Does the socio-political context of the time manifest itself in their work? How do they speak to the audience of today? How do meanings changeover time? Etc.
On completion of this module, students should be able to:Understand the basic critical frameworks for the examination of theatre, film, music and dance and relate them to a variety of contexts;Demonstrate cultural knowledge through a detailed study of an agreed and focused performance area;Begin to apply appropriate historical, critical and comparative methodologies to the articulation and development of arguments;Recognise key formal patterns, thematic concerns, and notions of performativity in the relevant medium;Demonstrate sensitivity to socio-political influences on the performing arts.Analyse recent trends in the performing arts
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Awareness of generic analytical approaches to the performing arts.
2. Familiarity with appropriate methodologies to discuss and present contextual analytical case studies in the performing arts.
3. Understanding and utilisation of the basic vocabularies appropriate to the genre under discussion
4. Acquaintance with the structural/formal conventions appropriate to the chosen genre
5. Discussion of key socio-political contextual themes within their analysis(es).
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
6. Develop and communicate critical arguments
7. Understand impacts of the contexts in which performing arts developed
Indicative themes and structure
Debunking Elitism: (What is art? Culture? Cultural analysis?)
Myth & adaptation: (From Stage to Hollywood)
The sum is greater than the parts: (Ballets Russe)
Kitchen Sink Drama: (Social Realism and the New Wave)
Censorship and Performance: (Theatres Act and Hair)
Creativity and the Politics of Repression: (Shostakovich & Jooss)
Entertainment or Exploitation? (Lloyd Webber and Reality TV)
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class tests, exams and assessment | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Lecture | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Private study hours | 176 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 24 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Contribution to classes.
Discussion with tutors (as appropriate)
Specific assignment support in small group seminars
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2,000-3,000 word essay | 70 |
| Presentation | 15 minute group presentation | 30 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 30/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team