Module specification

MODULE SPECIFICATION

1. 
   Title of the module
   

2. 
   School or partner institution which will be responsible for management of the module
   

3. 
   The level of the module (e.g. Level 4, Level 5, Level 6 or Level 7)
   

4. 
   The number of credits and the ECTS value which the module represents
   

5. 
   Which term(s) the module is to be taught in (or other teaching pattern)
   

6. 
   Prerequisite and co-requisite modules
   

7. 
   The programmes of study to which the module contributes
   

8. 
   The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
   On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
   

1. 
   Demonstrate developed knowledge and understanding of the genre of musical theatre dance over the 20^th century, including key practitioners and cultural influences
   
2. 
   Demonstrate enhanced movement technique and vocal skills in musical theatre/jazz dance performance appropriate to the module level
   
3. 
   Demonstrate practical embodied and creative knowledge of musical theatre dance technique, aesthetics and style through composition in the style of choreographers and periods covered in the module
   
4. 
   Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the legacy of key musical theatre dance choreographers for current popular dance forms
   
5. 
   Demonstrate the ability to critically analyse musical theatre performance in terms of its representations of historical, cultural, political, and gendered identities
   

9. 
   The intended generic learning outcomes.
   On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
   

1. 
   Critically evaluate a variety of textual, audio-visual, and movement materials
   
2. 
   Demonstrate qualities and transferable skills for independent working: time management, problem-solving, meeting objectives and criteria, analysing and improving own performance using feedback offered
   
3. 
   Demonstrate effective communication skills - e.g., speaking fluently in a public forum, communication effectively with others in group work, writing in a range of modes for different audiences and in performance work.
   
4. 
   Develop skills in team working and project management through work on group presentation/practical demonstration.
   
5. 
   Enhance research skills using a variety of sources including web and academic journals.
   

10. 
    A synopsis of the curriculum
    

Students will explore the historical and cultural contexts of mainstream 20^th century musical theatre/jazz dance by engaging with the aesthetic, technical and stylistic specifics of seminal choreographers such as Jack Cole and Bob Fosse. Learning will be organised around and oriented toward demonstrated understanding of the influences on influential figures and on jazz and musical theatre dance at large of different dance cultures and styles (Indian, African and Latin dance) and the genres of ballet, modern dance, social dance, cabaret, and burlesque theatre. This understanding will be demonstrated through students’ creation of dance choreographies in the style of choreographers covered within the module, contingent on skill level.

11. 
    Reading List (Indicative list, current at time of publication. Reading lists will be published annually)
    

• 
  Card, A. (1998), “The great articulation of the inarticulate: Reading the jazz body in Australian and American popular culture in the 1960s,” Journal of Australian Studies 22:58, 18-28.
  
• 
  Gottschild, B. D. (1998), Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance: Dance and Other Contexts, Westport: Greenwood Publishers.
  
• 
  Grant, M. (2005), The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical, Boston: Northeastern University Press.
  
• 
  Maclean, A. (1997), “The Thousand Ways There Are to Move: Camp and Oriental Dance in the Hollywood Musicals of Jack Cole,” in Bernstein, Matthew and Studlar, Gaylyn, Visions of the East: Orientalism in Film, New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 59-77
  
• 
  McWaters, D. (2008), The Fosse Style, Gainesville: The University of Florida Press, 2008.
  
• 
  Pullen, K. (2011), “If Ya Liked It, Then You Shoulda Made a Video: Beyoncé Knowles, YouTube and the public sphere of images,” Performance Research, 16:2, 145-153.
  
• 
  Stearns, J. and Stearns, M. (1994), Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance, 2 rev. ed. New York: Da Capo Press.
  
• 
  Symonds, Dominic and Taylor, Millie (2014), Gestures of Music Theater: The performativity of song and dance, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.
  
• 
  Taylor, M. and Symonds, D. (2014), Studying Musical Theatre: Theory & Practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
  
• 
  Wasson, S. ( 2013), Fosse. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  

12. 
    Learning and Teaching methods
    

• 
  24 sessions including workshop and seminar sessions (12 x 2 hours, 12 x 3 hours = 60 hours): To teach and allow students to practice the techniques and styles of Musical Theatre dance and develop student-produced choreography. Includes isolation-based warm-up, sequences crossing the floor, and choreographic etudes. One-hour seminar blocks will permit investigate of the development, aesthetics, and style of Musical Theatre dance, including critical studies of the genre and give students guided access to brief video recordings of key performances.
  
• 
  2 x 3-hour musical theatre performance attendance (= 6 hours)
  
• 
  Independent learning hours (234 hours): Comprised of background reading, research, watching brief footage of musical theatre performances, independent rehearsals for performance of choreography, and preparing written work and seminar presentations
  

13. 
    Assessment methods.
    

40% Reflective essay portfolio – 2500 words covering development of choreography with reference to musical theatre history and theoretical discourses

14. 
    Map of Module Learning Outcomes (sections 8 & 9) to Learning and Teaching Methods (section12) and methods of Assessment (section 13)
    

15. 
    The School recognises and has embedded the expectations of current disability equality legislation, and supports students with a declared disability or special educational need in its teaching. Within this module we will make reasonable adjustments wherever necessary, including additional or substitute materials, teaching modes or assessment methods for students who have declared and discussed their learning support needs. Arrangements for students with declared disabilities will be made on an individual basis, in consultation with the University’s disability/dyslexia student support service, and specialist support will be provided where needed.
    

16. 
    Campus(es) or Centre(s) where module will be delivered: