• Semester 1 (Day)

Synopsis

The study of the performance event, and of dramatic texts and dramatic
theory,  provides  insights  into human experience  and  places  these
experiences  in  the context of society. This unit  provides  students
with an introductory overview of some of the major plays, theories and
historical  features of drama in performance from primitive  times  up
until the Enlightenment. Texts will be drawn from both the Eastern and
Western  theatrical performance traditions. The unit will also provide
students with an introduction to some contemporary approaches  to  the
study  of  performance,  and  will include  a  special  study  of  the
fundamental techniques of debate and scholarship in drama.