Module manager: Dr Dani Abulhawa
Email: d.abulhawa@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
You will explore popular careers in Performance and Cultural Industries with a focus on choosing a future pathway for yourself that allows you to apply your unique skills and experience, satisfy your interests, build toward your future aspirations, and understand personal barriers. You will participate in discussion inspired by professionals in the sector, and work towards two independent assessment tasks: the presentation of a short talk, and the creation of your own digital portfolio.
Careers and roles will be explored through the input of professionals working in the sector, utilising expertise of staff within PCI, PCI’s visiting teaching fellows, and visiting speakers. Each professional will bring expertise on a specific career area or role. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to speakers, and raise further issues and ideas with peers in vibrant seminar discussion.
Students will develop understanding of their skills and experience, interests and aspirations through reflective prompts given within seminars by the tutor/facilitator. Students will be encouraged to keep a journal documenting their reflections.
Weekly seminar discussion in the first 6 weeks of the module will help students to develop skills in enquiry, argument and verbal presentation of ideas, leading toward each student giving an independent talk on a specific topic or issue relating to their chosen career or role. The module focuses on careers in theatre and performance, but students may want to explore adjacent careers in other sectors that link to their skills, experience and interests.
Two workshops toward the end of the module will be aimed at examining a range of different approaches that the digital portfolio can take – including websites, showreels, or a more personal critical-reflective journal. During these workshops, students will develop their ideas for their own digital portfolio, in preparation for their own independent work.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Identify and select from a range of career pathways within Performance and Cultural Industries and recognise their challenges and opportunities
2. Reflect on and identify personal skills, experience, interests, aspirations, and barriers, in relation to a relevant career or role within or adjacent to Performance and Cultural Industries
3. Demonstrate critical engagement with an identified career or role through discussion of a specific, current issue relating to or affecting that career or role (i.e. relating to ethics, economics, politics, relationship dynamics, etc.)
4. Document individual skills, experience and personal attributes relevant to an identified career or role in a publicly engaging and appropriately organised digital format (i.e. CV and role application, website, showreel)
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Personal/Self/Career Management (Work Ready): demonstrate an understanding of personal strengths, areas for growth, and the ability to set and achieve professional goals.
6. Developing Vision and Purpose (Enterprise Skills): articulate a clear and inspiring vision, setting strategic goals that reflect a commitment to a field of practice.
7. Presentation Skills (Academic): deliver engaging and well-structured presentations, utilising advanced communication techniques to effectively convey knowledge and ideas.
Competence Standards
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following competence standards:
1.Effectively communicates challenges and opportunities of a specific career path
2. Effectively exercises self-learning through communication of reflection on personal skills, experience, interests, aspirations and barriers
3. Effectively uses acquired knowledge to critically examine an issue within a specific career pathway
4. Effectively uses digital skills to document experience and personal attributes relevant to a specific career pathway
Introductory sessions outline the module and take an audit of your skills (using the Leeds skills matrix), experience, interests, aspirations and barriers through a series of reflective tasks.
Following this first week are talks on specific careers or roles within Performance and Cultural Industries, including areas such as:
• Acting and directing careers for stage & screen – Training, collaboration, auditioning, resilience, relationship dynamics.
• Stage management, costume, design, and technical careers for stage & screen – Training, creative interpretation, problem solving, sustainability, relationship dynamics.
• Community working – facilitation, social landscapes, resilience, power dynamics.
• Further education in Performance and Cultural Industries (MAs, PhDs) – Contributing to research and development within the sector.
• Teacher training – Educational landscapes for Performance and Cultural Industries.
• Developing new theatre – Funding landscapes, and relationships between artists and organisations, entrepreneurship and the practicalities of starting a business.
• Arts administration – Organisations, alignment, audience development, funding and programming landscapes.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Practical | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Seminar | 5 | 1.5 | 7.5 |
| Private study hours | 180.5 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 19.5 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Formative feedback is provided throughout the module during seminars and workshops.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | Talk | 50 |
| Portfolio | Digital Portfolio | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Talk duration is 10 minutes per person. Alternative assessment is a 2000 word essay Digital Portfolio should be in the form of a Website, Showreel, or a personal reflective journal etc. negotiated with the module leader. The amount of words here should be equivalent to approx. 2000, plus images, video, sketches, design elements etc. As appropriate.
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