This MA programme offers students an in-depth insight into the ways drama and theatre education can enhance teaching and learning in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in applied and community settings. We introduce you to a range of hybrid pedagogic strategies that are underpinned by rigor and that aspire to make learning accessible, playful, creative and engaging.
We celebrate drama and theatre as subjects in their own right whilst also recognising the substantive body of evidence-based research into the ways drama and theatre can be used as pedagogical tools across the curriculum and for community purposes. This MA is aimed at practitioners, or aspiring practitioners, working in schools and colleges, and community and educational theatre settings.
The course of study provides a planned and structured programme, which is sufficiently flexible to respond to the needs of a wide range of pedagogic and cultural contexts. Practical activities are at the heart of our course structure, so there will be a number of opportunities to work with your peers, collaborating, debating, and researching practical solutions. Your interdisciplinary skill set will be developed throughout the MA, enabling you to pursue a diverse array of career pathways.
Core modules
Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice
The new revised MA in Drama and Theatre Education offers teachers in both primary and secondary phases of education a rigorous and relevant course of training and academic study in the theory and practice of drama and theatre education. The course is flexibly designed to respond to and develop the professional needs of both home and overseas students. The course is built upon the research and teaching strengths of the course team who have a national and international reputation for their publications and teaching in the field of drama and theatre education.
Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice is an introductory module which focuses on drama and theatre as means of artistic communication. How does drama/theatre communicate its meanings? How do we read a wide range of performance genres? What are the alternative historical and avant-garde connections between communicating in theatre and in drama education? The module explores, through study and practice, the use of signs and symbols in theatre and drama and semiotic and anthropological approaches to drama as a cultural system.
Drama and Literacy
The Drama and Literacy module is responsive to the stress placed internationally on the development of literacy in both primary and secondary schools in recent years. Following on from Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice, it looks specifically at theories of literacy that emphasise the importance of cultural semiotics and social context. It considers the close historical relationship between drama and English in schools and explores the specific contribution drama can make to children’s language development in general and the development of reading and writing in particular.
The Role of Story in Drama and Theatre Education
The new revised MA in Drama and Theatre Education offers teachers in both primary and secondary phases of education a rigorous and relevant course of training and academic study in the theory and practice of drama and theatre education. The course is flexibly designed to respond to and develop the professional needs of both home and overseas students. The course is built upon the research and teaching strengths of the course team who have a national and international reputation for their publications and teaching in the field of drama and theatre education.
This module, The Role of Story in Drama and Theatre Education, connects closely with the module Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice. Due to its emphasis on practical theatre making, it requires the students to put into practice the theories on culture and semiotics covered in this module and to consider closely how meanings are made and communicated through drama. It connects, too, with the Drama and Literacy module with its stress on stories as conveyors of cultural and moral values.
Foundation Research Methods in Education
This module encourages students in understanding, designing and implementing research in the field of education. It will introduce you to a range of established research strategies and techniques, including data collection and analysis. These skills will enable you to design and carry out a dissertation research project, as well as to disseminate its findings. As part of this module, you will present your research design and have the opportunity to receive feedback ahead of completing your dissertation.
You can choose either Dissertation by Reflective Practitioner Route (Drama Education) or one of the standard Dissertation modules.
The dissertation is an opportunity to explore, in depth, an area of academic and/or professional interest related to your degree. Building on the knowledge and skills developed during the Foundation Research Methods module, and your other modules, you will conduct an independent research project, developing a deeper understanding of your chosen topic. From your research project you will produce a dissertation, with guidance from a supervisor who will be allocated to you. Through the dissertation you will demonstrate the ability to analyse and synthesise relevant literature, produce coherent arguments supported by relevant evidence and logical discussion, and acknowledge sources of ideas and information.
Optional modules
Theatre-making with/for/by young people is strongly recommended.
This programme has a number of optional modules to choose from. Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date.
