Drama & Education - EDU00007H
- Department: Education
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2026-27
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2026-27 |
Module aims
This module examines diverse relationships between drama and education: these include the representation of education in dramatic texts as well as how drama (texts and methods) exists in education policy, pedagogy, practice and technology. The module takes into account a range of learning environments including schools, theatre, heritage, prisons and healthcare. It uses a range of creative, practical and critical practices (from literary criticism, critical theory, theatre and performance studies) to engage with wide-ranging dramatic texts. Students will develop critical abilities which will feed into other modules & assessments at this level. They will develop graduate skills including teamwork, communication and the ability to work independently.
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
- Students will explore a variety of dramatic texts critically, creatively and practically.
- Students will understand the range and variety of drama work in schools, as well as policy and theoretical frameworks which may be seen to underpin it.
- Students will understand the range and variety of drama work outside the classroom, as well as policy (e.g. arts, cultural) and theoretical frameworks which may be seen to underpin it.
Academic and graduate skills
- Students will develop verbal, written and interpersonal skills and techniques through a variety of activities including textual analysis, critical reviewing, presentations, chairing
- discussions/responding to peer presentations and experiential group work.
- Students will learn a set of skills relating to the teaching of drama in school and other settings e.g. lesson planning, identifying and implementing pedagogic theory.
- Students will be expected to have punctually completed preparatory and follow-up activities as outlined on the VLE. Preparatory reading will be made available to students by the tutor. However, they should also demonstrate the ability to engage with relevant material more widely.
Module content
An outline of the sessions week by week:
Week 2: John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore – drama in heritage and re-enactment
Week 3: Oscar Wilde’s Salome – source study of dramatic texts
Week 4: Nandita Das and Divya Jagdale’s Between the Lines – theatre reviewing as pedagogy
Week 5: Debbie Tucker Green’s Random – drama for therapy
Week 6: Jonathan Harvey’s A Beautiful Thing – drama for inclusion
Week 7: Laura Wade’s Posh – drama for politics and protest
Week 8: David Grieg’s Dunsinane – seeking new audiences for old stories
Week 9: Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabbler – theatre in translation
Week 10: Assessment preparation session
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100.0 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100.0 |
Module feedback
Presentation and essay plan - oral in class and written feedback on
hard copy/email.
Essay or lesson plan + rationale - written
feedback using departmental UG feedback form.
The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.
Indicative reading
Recommended Reading (optional: each week's play is compulsory reading/viewing)
Boal, A. (1992) Games for Actors and non-Actors. London: Routledge.
de Groot, J. (2009) ‘Historical Re-enactment’ in Consuming History. Abingdon: Routledge. 105-124.
Dobson, M. (2011) Shakespeare and Amateur Performance. Cambridge: CUP.
Heathcote, D. and Bolton, G., (1995) Drama for Learning. Oxford: Heinemann.
Hornbrook, D. (1991) Education in Drama. London: The Falmer Press.
Hornbrook. D. (1998) On the subject of Drama. London: Routledge.
Jackson, A. (2008) Theatre, education and the making of meanings. Manchester: MUP.
Jackson, T. (1993) Learning through Theatre. London: Routledge.
National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education. (2000) All our futures: Creativity, Culture and Education. Buckingham University Press.
Neelands, J. (1992) Learning through Imagined Experience. London: Hodder & Stoughton Education.
Oddey, A. (1994) Devising Theatre. London: Routledge.
Somers, J. (1994) Drama in the Curriculum. London: Cassell.
Stredder, J. (2009) The North Face of Shakespeare. Cambridge: CUP.