Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE DCS2018

 
TITLE Dance Education

 
UM LEVEL 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 5

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Dance Studies

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit first explores a general overview of education and the arts, raising well-rehearsed issues such as process-product, and objective/subjective debates, detachment and involvement, expression and creativity. Then follows a brief history of the development of formal dance education in UK, USA and selected countries in Europe, questioning philosophies, rationale and status - including social dance and physical recreation, modern educational dance, artistic discipline and formality, and the concept of a National Curriculum.

Students will investigate in theory and practice current curricular requirements, subject specifications, examination systems and resource-based teaching and be guided as they create a portfolio of design specifications and applied lesson plans pertaining to the development of formal dance education in primary, secondary and tertiary education.

Study-unit Aims:

- To develop understanding of theories and practices of arts education;
- To investigate theories/practices of dance education and the relationships between professional and educational dance education;
- To explore and examine the basic premises of making, performing and appreciating dance in formal dance education contexts;
- To examine the ideas of key practitioners and of relevant theories, issues and debates relating to the subject;
- To engage with current debates on arts education and dance education;
- To apply understandings gained to the balanced design and teaching of workshops to pupils in primary school, and students in secondary and tertiary education.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be:

- Able to demonstrate knowledge of theories, practices and debates of arts education through class discussion;
- Able to demonstrate application of rhythm and musicality within dance education;
- Able to design, teach and peer-review the teaching of a class/workshop to a chosen group.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Demonstrate critical and analytical skills in developing ideas and constructing arguments and the capacity to evaluate and present them in a range of ways;
- Show a developed capacity to analyse and critically examine and evaluate forms of discourse and their effects on representation in the arts;
- Design and teach a workshop at an appropriate level;
- Handle creative, personal and interpersonal issues;

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts

- Buckroyd, J. 2000. The student dancer: emotional aspects of the teaching and learning of dance, (Hampshire, Dance Books Ltd).
- Dickson, Beth. 2010. Education and the Arts: policy and practice in education, (Dunedin Academic Press).
- Gibbons, Elizabeth 2007 Teaching Dance: The Spectrum of Styles (Bloomington: Authorhouse).
- Gough, Marion, 1999. Knowing Dance: A Guide for Creative Teaching (London: Dance Books).
- McCutchen, B.P. 2006. Teaching Dance as Art in Education, Human Kinetics, (Champaign: 2006).
- Preston-Dunlop, Valerie, 1987. Handbook for Dance in Education, 2nd edition, (Longman).
- Sanders L. 2013. Dance teaching and learning: Shaping practice (London, Youth Dance England).
- Smith-Autard, Jacqueline. 2002. The Art of Dance in Education (Methuen).

Supplementary Readings

- McFee, G. 2004. The concept of dance education, (Eastbourne, Pageantry).
- Meyer, Fran A (ed). 2010. Implementing the National Dance Education Standards, (National Dance Association).
- Robinson, Ken. 2001. Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative, (Oxford: Capstone).
- Shapiro, Sherry B. 1998. Dance, Power and Difference: Critical and feminist perspectives on dance education (Human Kinetics).
- Abbs, Peter. 2003. Against the Flow; Education, the Arts and Postmodern Culture (Routledge Falmer).
- Benjamin, A. 2002. Making an Entrance: Theory and Practice for Disabled and Non-Disabled Dancers (Routledge).

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Blended Learning

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Oral and Written Exercises SEM1 Yes 50%
Workshop SEM1 Yes 50%

 
LECTURER/S

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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