DRM2060 - DISSERTATION

Module Identifier

DRM2060

Module Title

DISSERTATION

Academic Year

2003/2004

Co-ordinator

Dr Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe

Semester

Semester 3 (Summer)

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	Dissertation 20,000 words maximum	100%

Aims

To enable students to produce a longer, coherent piece of academic writing relating closely to the topics covered in their MA scheme

Content

Under supervision of one or more member(s) of staff, the student will write a dissertation of no more than 20,000 words on a topic agreed with the supervisor(s) and confirmed by the External Examiner(s).

Brief description

In February 2001, an initial meeting will be held for all current MA students to discuss the dissertation, both content and administrative procedures. Students are encouraged to present a thesis proposal already at this stage, or, at the latest, in May 2001. Supervisors are allocated, based on expertise with the proposed topic, and in discussions with the students concerned, subject to approval by the Head of Department. The final thesis topic is also subject to approval by the Head of Department and the External Examiner. Once the topic has been approved, a total of three hours of supervision time is given to each student, to be arranged with the supervisor(s) on an individual basis. A brief minute of each supervision meeting is taken, signed by supervisor and student, and placed on file for the record.

Practical Project in lieu of Dissertation
Students on the MA in Theatre and the World, and those students on the MA Theatre, Film and Television Studies who want to work, for their dissertation, in the field of theatre/performance, may choose, upon approval, to embark on a practical project in lieu of dissertation. The following regulations apply for this
1] Conceptual presentation
Students are invited to give a live presentation of 15 minutes on their practical project proposal to a panel of assessors, to be followed by 15 minutes of questioning.
The presentation must include:
? a statement of purpose: why is this project being undertaken? What is it intended to examine or reveal about dramaturgical procedures? What are its unique features?
? a description of the theme or source material of the project;
? an outline of the artistic concept : description of genre, style, aesthetic;
use of site, space and duration; use of dramaturgical elements, text, action, sound, scenography; relationship to audience and to context;
? an outline of the methodologies and dramaturgical procedures to be employed: procedures of devising and rehearsal;
? a description of resource management : the effective employment of personnel, space, budget and timetable;
? an appreciation of genealogies of practice within which the project is set: what are its stylistic antecedents and parallels?
? an appreciation of the relationship of the proposal to course work undertaken
The presentation may include the use of video, slides, sound, data projection, OHP and elements of live demonstration and performative practice.
In assessing the presentation the panel will expect:
? the demonstration of an intellectual understanding of the relationship between the chosen theme, the proposed artistic concept and the methodologies and techniques of exposition to be employed;
? an appreciation of the feasibility of the proposal: that it demonstrates a practical understanding of the relationship between conceptual proposition, methodology and resource management;
? a precise plan for the design and exposition of the project;
? an understanding of the relationship of the proposal to work of a similar nature in its style or location or aspiration
? a clarity and coherence of exposition: persuasiveness commensurate to competence with the media employed.
2] Outcomes
? Successful presentation will lead to the student being invited to develop the proposal with an appropriate supervisor. The student is also expected to provide a 5,000-word analysis of the subsequent project after its successful completion.
? Unsuccessful presentation will lead to the student being invited to develop a written, academic thesis with an appropriate supervisor.
3] Assessment
In assessing the practical project the examiners will expect:
? a successful practical realisation of the conceptual, methodological and resource management procedures outlined in the presentation
? effective embodiment of thematic material as outlined in the presentation
? effective organisation of resources as outlined in the presentation
? innovative approaches to form and functioning in performative exposition
In assessing the 5,000-word analysis the examiners will expect:
? reflection upon the relationship between the given theme and the practices and procedures of concept, exposition and stylistic convention employed in the project
? reflection upon the relationship between the stylistic conventions of the project and historical and contemporary parallels as evidenced by personal reading and research

Reading Lists

Books
dependent upon your chosen topic

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7