Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE DCS3025

 
TITLE Contemporary Dance Contexts

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 10

 
DEPARTMENT Dance Studies

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit is designed to further develop understanding of contemporary dance and choreography by getting to know one specific book intimately. Contemporary Choreography: a Critical Reader was co-edited by Jo Butterworth and Liesbeth Wildschut in 2009. It contains a range of 28 chapters covering choreographic enquiry, traditional understandings of dance making and investigation, and research into the creative process. It features contributions by practitioners and researchers from Europe, America, Australasia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Students will be engaged in interrogating three main contextual areas from this book:

1. conceptual and philosophical concerns;
2. higher education applications;
3. inter-relationships with other disciplines.

Students will first be introduced to selected theories, ideas and applications pertaining to these areas, and investigate through readings and visual material a specific case study for each. Each student will then be required to choose one focus, and to pursue an individual investigation, drawing on appropriate theories and practices, presenting their findings as an e-portfolio. Students will be expected to investigate each other’s presentations, and to respond on-line to questions posed by tutors and fellow students.

Study-Unit Aims

To develop understanding of selected contextual areas of contemporary dance and choreography through the in-depth study of one edited textbook.

To develop study strategies to aid the process of organising and taking in new information, retaining information, or managing assessments.

To compare and contrast the content and structure of selected articles/chapters from three selected areas:

- conceptual and philosophic approaches to dance in academia;
- aspects of dance in higher education;
- selected examples of dance’s interrelationship with other disciplines, such as music, visual arts, dramaturgy, photography or technology.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

-engage with the salient ideas pertaining to three contextual areas of dance study;

- demonstrate understanding of a selected range of these contexts as methodologies for constructing dance knowledge in theory and practice;

- appreciate, employ and critically evaluate one of these contexts with special reference to a specific application;

- effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis through the creation of an e-portfolio.

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

-investigate a new context for dance study through research of theories and applications;

-use and apply analysis of the salient features and main ideas pertaining to the chosen topic.

Indicative Reading:

Selected chapters from Butterworth, Jo and Liesbeth Wildschut, (2009) Contemporary Choreography: a Critical Reader London and New York: Routledge.

Papers and texts selected from the References of each of these chapters and articles.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Independent Online Learning

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM2 Yes 100%

 
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.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit