- UCAS course code
- W400
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA Drama
Study a wide range of drama - on stage, screen and beyond - including options to work with our acclaimed centre for applied and social theatre.
Duration: 3 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: W400 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
- Typical A-level offer: AAB
- Typical contextual A-level offer: BBB
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBC
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 35 points overall with 6,6,5 at HL
Course unit details:
Drama in Education
| Unit code | DRAM21252 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Please note that this unit is delivered on-campus only and is therefore not available to remote learners
In this course students will explore the theory and practice of drama in education, developing hands-on skills and experience in planning and delivering drama workshops in schools. The first half of the course will introduce a range of techniques that belong to the traditions of process drama and are widely used within educational and community contexts while asking critical questions about the social function of drama (as education) and about the role of creativity within education. In the second half, students will work in small groups leading drama workshops under the supervision of the course tutors. At the end of the module, we will reflect as a whole group how this practical experience has re-shaped our understanding of the key questions introduced at the outset. Students will thereby continue to develop as critical reflective practitioners.
Pre/co-requisites
| Available as Free Choice (UG) or to other programmes (PG)? | No (although students with evidence of practical experience in drama and/or education to substitute for the pre-requisites are welcome to make enquiries to the Course Director)
|
| Pre-requisite units | Performance Practices 1 or 2. |
| Co-requisite units | Any L2 core course unit - Theatres of Modernity; Screen, Culture and Society |
Aims
- To engage with the theory and practice of drama in education
- To explore drama techniques used within educational contexts
- To discuss and debate the role of drama in education
- To develop students’ skills in process drama and workshop facilitation
- To reflect critically on how practice might challenge our understanding of process drama and its educational potential
Knowledge and understanding
- Identify the key features of the main traditions of process drama
- Understand key arguments for the value of drama as pedagogy
- Understand key theoretical issues about the role of drama in education
- Articulate process drama aesthetics
Intellectual skills
- Describe and analyse drama in education practice
- Evaluate and critically reflect on their own and colleagues’ practice
- Articulate the relationship between their own practice and broader traditions of drama in education
- Reflect critically on their own practice as workshop facilitators
Practical skills
- Plan, structure and deliver process drama workshops in educational contexts
- Evaluate and reflect on their own and others’ practice
- Facilitate creative work by children or other non-professionals
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Work professionally within an external context e.g. a school
- Work to a deadline
- Work confidently with children from a range of backgrounds
- Collaborate with peers
- Stimulate and facilitate the creative work of others
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Emotional intelligence - ability to use emotional and cognitive capacities when approaching challenges
- Group/team working
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team, as part of creative and critical projects that present unpredictable and challenging scenarios
- Innovation/creativity
- Ability to utilise engaging and dynamic forms of self-presentation
- Project management
- Project management - planning, undertaking, managing and evaluating projects
- Oral communication
- Advanced communication skills - verbal, written; prepared/rehearsed and improvised
- Problem solving
- Creative thinking - creative and critical approaches to problem-solving;
- Research
- Understanding of professional cultures/environments - professional approaches to timekeeping, peer support/review, self reflection/evaluation and dealing with sources of concern/complaint.
- Written communication
- Ability to present self and ideas effectively, including when dealing with complex and sensitive topics
- Other
- Awareness of the importance of contributing to public life and demonstrating good citizenship - our curriculum is socially and politically engaged, and encourages students to develop a sense of social responsibility in their professional and personal life
Assessment methods
| Group project: Planning and facilitation of a series of process drama workshops & submission of corresponding workshop session plans | 60% |
| Reflective essay | 40% |
Feedback methods
| Verbal and written feedback on draft and final session plans | Formative and Summative |
| Verbal feedback on group presentation | Formative |
| Peer and discursive feedback on practice in group reflection sessions | Formative and Summative |
| Written feedback on final reflective essay | Summative |
| Additional one-to-one feedback (during consultation hour or by making an appointment) | Formative and Summative |
Recommended reading
Bolton, G. (1998). Acting in Classroom Drama: A Critical Analysis. Staffordshire: Trentham Books Limited
Bowell, P. and Heap, B. (2013). Planning Process Drama: Enriching teaching and learning. Oxon: Routledge
Davis, D. (2014). Imagining the Real: Towards a new theory of drama education. London: Trentham Books
Moyles J. (1989). Just Playing. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Neelands, J. (2009). “Acting Together: ensemble as a democratic process in art and life”. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 14 (2), pp.173-189
Nicholson, H. (2009). Theatre & education. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
O'Neill, C. (1995). Drama Worlds: A framework for process drama. Portsmouth: Heinemann
O’Neill, C. (Ed.) (2014). Dorothy Heathcote on Education and Drama. London: Routledge
Winston, J. (1997). Drama, Narrative and Moral Education. London: Routledge
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 33 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Simon Parry | Unit coordinator |