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Creative Arts: Producing and Curation (MA)

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Course Overview

 

New Drama MA--photo
John Crumlish, CEO of Galway International Arts Festival, with Dr. Charlotte McIvor and Megan Jane Devlin Larsen of Drama and Theatre Studies on the set of Transitions: A Spring Awakening Play, March 2019. 

This is a one-year full time Master’s programme. It defines creative producing as the practice of realising an artistic vision by putting in place the practical steps needed to deliver that vision to an audience—whether the work is in the performing arts, literature, visual arts, or an interdisciplinary area. It sees curation as the assembly and delivery of artistic experiences for audiences, whether those experiences are in the form of arts collections, digital objects on a website, or a programme of performances in a festival (among other possibilities). The programme runs these two strands throughout the academic year, ensuring students have well balanced skills in these two overlapping areas. You will also gain hands-on skills in writing about the arts and your work for public audiences.  This programme also includes a module on career development in which you carry out an internship with an arts organisation and participate in the Galway International Arts Festival’s SELECTED Programme, a bespoke programme that gives you the unique opportunity to see how Ireland’s major annual cultural event is put together. The MA programme concludes with a practice-based dissertation in which students will produce and/or curate an original artistic event for an audience and write a long reflective essay that explores the preparation for and impact of that event. 

Aims

  •  Develop skills needed to successfully run creative arts events and careers. 
  • Equip students to reflect upon and analyse the processes, policies and challenges faced within the creative arts.
  •  Enhance students’ skills in research, communication, and innovative thinking.
  •  Provide professional experience and networking opportunities through internships, placement with partner organisations such as Galway International Arts Festival, and public-facing projects.

Learning outcomes

On successfully completing this programme, students will be able to: 

  • Critique key concepts and debates relating to producing and curating in the creative arts
  •  Employ a range of learnt skills in the areas of event management, networking, exhibiting, promotion, leadership, group project management, and applying for funding.
  •  Understand and implement working structures, processes and policies relating to producing and curating.
  •  Plan, develop and complete an independent practice as research project in producing and/or curating. 

Graduate attributes

Graduates of this programme will be characterised by the following attributes:

Knowledge
Have a broad knowledge of different curating and producing practices and policies from around the world and the innovations, challenges and debates current within creative arts.

Skills
Have skills in producing and curating which will include event organising, artistic programming, project development, policy implementation, managing teams, networking, exhibiting, marketing and promoting; in research methods and critical analysis; in oral and written communication; and in project design and completion.

Critical reflection
Have a critical understanding of the importance of creative arts research and creative practice, and of the need for critical analysis and reflection on the methodologies, processes and impact of these applications.

Scholarships available
Find out about our Postgraduate Scholarships here.

Applications and Selections

Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System

Applicants will require a NQAI Level 8 degree, Second Class Honours, or equivalent, with a 2:1 in a related subject. Where applicants do not meet the formal academic requirements they can apply for entry through the University’s Recognition for Prior Learning Policy.  Selection is based on a candidate’s academic record.

Applicants must submit:

  1. a professional/artistic CV, 
  2. a portfolio,
  3. a personal statement outlining suitability for and interest in the programme, and
  4. Two reference names are required from mentors, educators or employers. 

Who Teaches this Course

  • Marianne Kennedy (professional producing experience)
  • Catherine Morris (professional curation experience)
  • Patrick Lonergan (professional writing experience)
  • Druid Theatre Artist in Residence

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Applicants will require a NQAI Level 8 degree, Second Class Honours, or equivalent, with a 2:1 in a related subject. Where applicants do not meet the formal academic requirements they can apply for entry through the University’s Recognition for Prior Learning Policy. 

Selection is based on a candidate’s academic record.


Additional Requirements

Duration

1 year, full-time

Next start date

September 2021

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

15

Closing Date

Please refer to the review/closing date webpage.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

90

Award

CAO

Course code

1CAP1

Course Outline

Core modules

Producing 1
This module builds understanding of the role of the producer and the practical skills needed to fulfil that role. It covers such areas as setting up a creative arts company, strategic planning and development, financial planning, project management, while also focusing on key case studies from the Irish arts sector. Students will enhance their understanding of the field by attending events in the Arts in Action programme on campus and other arts and speaker events followed by a talk with the relevant producer or performer. 

DT6131: Curation 1
This module involves a practical interaction with the university’s collection of archives and art collection and a weekly examination of key case studies from around the world. There will be regular visits to key cultural venues within Galway and (from time to time) elsewhere in Ireland; it will include international engagement with arts practitioners from around the world through the use of digital resources. 

Advanced Producing and Curation
In this module students will explore further evolving definitions and policies of multifaceted curatorial and producing activity across arts forms. Students will develop a practice based curatorial inquiry and alternative ways of thinking, developing, and implementing artistic activities. 

Career Development and Fieldwork
This module has three elements. In the first, students explore key elements of professionalization (building a CV, forming a network, self-producing). In the second, which will usually happen during the period April–June, they will carry out an internship with a key arts organisation where they will gain hands-on experience in an area of interest. In July, students complete the third part of the module, when they spend two weeks participating in the Galway International Arts Festival SELECTED programme, which requires them to attend key events in the Festival and to go backstage and enjoy talks with key practitioners. 

Production and Curation Ideas Lab
In this module, students work through phases of developing a project that will aim to find innovative solutions to key problems in the creative arts. Established methodologies for working through a project from an idea to its realization are explored through weekly seminars and practical sessions. While the module involves the development of key skills (structuring workshops, pitching for a project) and critical thinking it will also place strong emphasis on learning through doing. There will be a presentation of the project at the end of the semester.  The project developed may form the basis for the larger project explored in the practice-based dissertation. 

Practice-Based Dissertation
The dissertation project has three elements :

  • Proposal and pitch—in the middle of semester two, students must complete a pitch proposal for their practice-based project.
  • Practice-based project
  • Reflective element—students complete a 9,000 word reflective dissertation that places their practice-based project and its outcomes in appropriate contexts (e.g. historical, theoretical, cultural).
Optional modules

You will choose between:

Writing for Theatre and Performance
This module involves a weekly writing workshop that builds skills in writing across the creative arts. Students will create a portfolio of writings that include formulating an artistic statement, applying for funding, building a social media persona, creative arts reviewing, blogging, monitoring and evaluation, and communications.

Critical Methods in Drama, Theatre and Performance
This module aims to develop students’ critical approaches to writing about theatre and performance.  Different modes of ‘seeing,’ analyzing, writing about performance from semiotics to reception theory will be introduced and examined. Students will confront in class discussion and in essays issues related to writing on theatre such as the role of the critic, gender, globalisation, and technology as well as the theoretical perspectives of postmodernism, psychoanalysis and theatre historiography.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Required DT6100: Dissertation


15 months long | Credits: 30

Students carry out a research project, through theatre practice and/or conventional library or archive-based research. They will produce a work of original research on any aspect of Drama, Theatre and/or live performance.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Carry out an independent research project on a topic in the area of drama, theatre, performance
  2. Access and analyse relevant research materials in print and digital format in libraries, public institutions, digital resources, and/or archives
  3. Make use of research conventions in relation to citation and bibliography, in line with best international practice.
  4. write an extended work of up to 15,000 words on an original topic.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module DT6100: "Dissertation" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6131: Curation 1


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module involves a practical interaction with the universities collection of archives and art collection and an exploration of key case studies from around the world. There will be visits to key cultural venues.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify a range of roles and professional areas in the field of curation.
  2. Exhibit knowledge of the scope and interrelationship of major organisations in the field of curatorial arts practice in and outside of Ireland.
  3. Create and implement a plan for individual professional development in the fields of curation in the field of creative arts.
  4. Critically reflect on a site visit with an organization in the field of curatorial arts practice.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Ways of Curating" by Hans-Ulrich Obrist,Asad Raz̤ā
    ISBN: 0241950961.
  2. "Cultures of the Curatorial" by Bismarck, Beatrice von, Jörn Schafaff and Thomas Weski (eds),
    ISBN: 978193410597.
    Publisher: Sternberg Press
The above information outlines module DT6131: "Curation 1" and is valid from 2019 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6127: Producing 1


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module builds understanding of the role of the producer and the practical skills needed to fulfil that role. It covers such areas as understanding how to set up a company, engaging in strategic planning and development, financial planning, project management, while also focussing on key case studies from the Irish arts sector.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Engage with the role of the Creative Producer as creative, financial, administrative, technical and promotional lead of an artistic project or event.
  2. Understand the steps of successful Project management from concepts and contracts, to monitoring and evaluation
  3. Write a strategic plan for an organisation or collective, that is both costed and viable.
  4. Understand the steps of setting up an artistic company or collective through researching case studies and business models.
  5. Plan and cost a 'season' of artistic events.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "So You Want to be a Theatre Producer?" by James Seabright
    ISBN: 9781854595379.
  2. "Introduction to Arts Management" by Bloomsbury
    ISBN: 978147423979.
    Publisher: Bloomsbury
The above information outlines module DT6127: "Producing 1" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6129: Producing and Curation Ideas Lab


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module, students work through phases of developing a project that will aim to find innovative solutions to key problems in the creative arts. Established methodologies for working through a project from an idea to its realization are explored through weekly seminars and practical sessions. While the module involves the development of key skills (structuring workshops, pitching for a project) and critical thinking it will also place strong emphasis on learning through doing. There will be a presentation of the project at the end of the semester. The project developed will form the basis for the larger project explored in the practice as research dissertation.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Develop a critical understanding and engagement with key theoretical frameworks and methodologies.
  2. Application of methodologies and theories in the field of creative arts in the development of an idea to its realisation.
  3. Develop a pitch presentation that persuasively communicates ideas with a foundation in implementation strategy.
  4. Write a research plan for larger practice as research project.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (50%)
  • Oral, Audio Visual or Practical Assessment (50%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "New Media in the White Cube and Beyond" by Christiane Paul
    ISBN: 9780520243972.
  2. "Why are artists poor?: The Exceptional Economy of the Arts" by Hans Abbing
    ISBN: 9053565655.
    Publisher: Leiden University Press
  3. "Performance Theory" by Richard Schechner
    Publisher: Routledge
  4. "Art and its Institutions: Current Conflicts, Critique and Collaborations" by Nina Montmann
    Publisher: Black Dog Publishing
The above information outlines module DT6129: "Producing and Curation Ideas Lab " and is valid from 2019 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6128: Producing and Curation Career Development


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module has three elements. In the first, students explore key element of professionalisation (building a Resumé and profile, forming a network, self-producing). In the second, which will happen during the period immediately after teaching, they will carry out an internship with a key arts organisation where they will gain hands-on experience in an area of interest. In July, students complete the third part of the module, when they spend two weeks participating in the Galway International Arts Festival SELECTED programme, which requires them to attend key events and talks in the Festival with practitioners.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Present themselves as professionals in their chosen field through (CVs, Bios, online presence).
  2. Engage in long range and short term career planning.
  3. Learn how to plan marketing and public relations strategies.
  4. Activate networks relevant to their own particular area of interest.
  5. Complete an internship in an artistic company researched by the student.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "And Then, You Act" by Anne Bogart
    ISBN: 9780415411424.
    Publisher: Psychology Press
  2. "Letters to a Young Artist" by Anna Deavere Smith
    ISBN: 9781400032389.
    Publisher: Anchor
  3. "So You Want to be a Theatre Producer?" by James Seabright
    ISBN: 9781854595379.
    Publisher: Nick Hern Books
    Chapters: 15
The above information outlines module DT6128: "Producing and Curation Career Development " and is valid from 2019 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required DT6132: Advanced Producing and Curation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module students will explore further evolving definitions and policies of multifaceted curatorial and producing activity across art forms. Students will develop a practice based producing and/or curatorial project, demonstrating advanced skills regarding thinking, developing, and implementing artistic activities in association with a range of partners including the Arts in Action University programme and GIAF and the university’s unique digital arts archives and exhibitions programme.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Apply curatorial and / or producing knowledge through directed class project
  2. Explain key creative arts policies and implementation.
  3. Critically reflect on practical approaches and processes of curation and producing.
  4. Work in group and to take leadership within specific roles.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)" by Paul O'Neill
    ISBN: 9780262529747.
    Publisher: Mit Press
  2. "Waarom Zijn Kunstenaars Arm?" by Hans Abbing
    ISBN: 9053565655.
    Publisher: Leiden University Press
  3. "How to Do Things With Art: What Performativity Means in Art" by Von Hantelmann
    Publisher: JRP Ringier and Les Presses du Réel
The above information outlines module DT6132: "Advanced Producing and Curation" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6112: Advanced Theatre Production Practicum


12 months long | Credits: 10

This module integrates MA students into key theatrical production roles on productions staged with BA students in collaboration with staff or guest artist directors. Students contribute centrally to performance responsibilities related to acting, direction, dramaturgy, design and/or management that necessitate peer management and the creation of original content (including material for performance or performance/rehearsal management plans).
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Execute key responsibilities involved in specialized theatre roles such as stage manager, actor, designer.
  2. Administer one or more defined leadership roles within a live theatrical production from rehearsal through public performance as measured by key factors including management of peers, size of role, and independence of design process and execution as possible.
  3. Lead and organise innovative solutions to production problems.
  4. Supervise the delegation of responsibility for solving production problems to peers in consultation with team members and staff in artistic roles.
  5. Analyse theatre techniques and design materials including light, sound and costume in relationship to a complex and developed understanding of theatre history through engagement with independent research relevant to the production in final research essay.
  6. Articulate and probe the relationship between practical experience learned from previous production experiences with challenges and successes experienced during this process.
  7. Track and analyse the evolution of their individual and independently developed production concept such as original design, staging of a scene or movement sequence, or execution of a large acting role with demonstrable originality over the course of the entire process.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The director's craft" by Katie Mitchell
    ISBN: 0415404398.
    Publisher: Routledge
  2. "The Empty Space" by Peter Brook
    ISBN: 0141189223.
    Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (UK)
  3. "Stage management" by Gail Pallin
    ISBN: 1848420145.
    Publisher: Nick Hern
  4. "The Cambridge introduction to scenography" by Joslin McKinney, Philip Butterworth
    ISBN: 0521612322.
    Publisher: Cambridge, UK ; Cambridge University Press, 2009.
  5. "The Routledge companion to theatre and performance" by Paul Allain and Jen Harvie
    ISBN: 0415257212.
    Publisher: London ; Routledge, 2006.
The above information outlines module DT6112: "Advanced Theatre Production Practicum" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DM6100: Moving Image Techniques


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

In this module, students use various moving image techniques and methods, including shooting and editing video, sound production, animation, and preparing content for different outputs.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate understanding of concepts and aesthetics underlying moving image using digital technologies
  2. Develop skills for recording moving image and sound
  3. Operate multichannel editing software for video, animation and sound.
  4. Create content for a range of public outputs, including online and mobile media, screen, and non-traditional formats
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Multimedia foundations: core concepts for digital design" by Vic Costello
    Publisher: Routledge
  2. "Foundations of Digital Art and Design with Adobe Creative Cloud" by xtine burrough
    Publisher: New Riders
  3. "Moving Image" by Omar Kholeif
    Publisher: MIT Press
  4. "Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen" by Michel Chion
    Publisher: Columbia University Press
The above information outlines module DM6100: "Moving Image Techniques" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6102: Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This course explores the history of Irish drama and theatre from 1890 to 1930
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify, describe and analyse key moments in Irish theatre history from 1890 to 1930, with special focus on the Irish literary revival.
  2. produce a substantial research paper that deploys the skills of archival research, textual analysis and performance analysis.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Modern and contemporary Irish drama" by edited by John P. Harrington
    ISBN: 0393932435.
    Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
  2. "The Irish Dramatic Revival: 1899-1939" by n/a
    ISBN: 978-140817528.
The above information outlines module DT6102: "Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6123: Playwright's Workshop I


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

A weekly writer’s workshop in which students will explore fundamental dramaturgical playwriting strategies and structures through analysis of plays from different genres and in-class writing tasks.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Analyse and identify dramaturgical structures as well as particular genre specific theatrical devises
  2. Develop prompts for starting and completing written work
  3. Plan, structure and complete original short play
  4. Critically reflect on writing and situate it within established genres
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Secret Life of Plays" by Steve Waters
    Publisher: Nick Hern Books
  2. "How Plays Work" by David Edgar
    Publisher: Nick Hern
  3. "Playwriting a Practical guide" by Noel Greig
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DT6123: "Playwright's Workshop I" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6118: Digital Literature, Arts, and Creative Practice


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

Postgraduate introduction to digital creative practice in literature and other arts. The course will explore the ways in which new technologies have been used in the creation of born-digital works of literature and other arts, and the wider cultural impact of these developments.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Describe how new media technologies have been used in the processes of literary and other creative practices.
  2. Articulate a comprehensive picture of the expanding field of born-digital creative work
  3. Analyse and critique a range of aesthetic practices associated with digital arts and literature.
  4. Describe the theoretical and methodological implications of digital creative practice.
  5. Employ a selection of digital tools and platforms as a form of creative and critical inquiry.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Cybertext" by Espen J. Aarseth
    ISBN: 0801855799.
    Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
  2. "Writing space" by Jay David Bolter
    ISBN: 0805829199.
    Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
  3. "Prehistoric digital poetry" by C. T. Funkhouser
    ISBN: 0817354220.
    Publisher: University of Alabama Press
  4. "Digital Art and Meaning: Reading Kinetic Poetry, Text Machines, Mapping Art, and Interactive Installations" by Roberto Simanowski
    ISBN: 0816667381.
    Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press
The above information outlines module EN6118: "Digital Literature, Arts, and Creative Practice" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6108: Exploring Michael Chekhov Technique


Semester 1 and Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This is a course for actors and directors exploring Chekhov technique through practice, journal and essay. Following a thorough practical introduction to certain key concepts of Qualities, Psychological Gesture, Centres and Atmosphere, the student will move on to working on scenes and speeches. The experiential component will be backed up by discussion of various chapters of ‘To The Actor’ by Michael Chekhov, and analysis of the training DVDs of the Michael Chekhov Association.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Demonstrate theoretical knowledge of the theory of Chekhov's work academically and its placement in the the history of actor training.
  2. Have some ability in the practise of the technique, in particular, but not exclusively, Qualities, Radiating and Receiving, Centres, General and Personal Atmosphere, Psychological Gesture and Composition.
  3. Select and apply at least two of Chekhov's concepts to a scene from a given play.
  4. Execute written self assessment response of the practical work.
  5. Practically apply the techniques to directing theatre.
  6. Assess the technique by comparing it to at least one other practical performance technique they know about or of which they have experience.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (55%)
  • Department-based Assessment (45%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "To the Actor" by Michael Chekhov
  2. "On the Technique of Acting" by Michael Chekhov
  3. "Lessons for the Professional Actor" by Michael Chekhov
  4. "Three Sisters" by Anton Chekhov (trans. Michael Frayn)
The above information outlines module DT6108: "Exploring Michael Chekhov Technique" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6120: Ensemble Acting and Devising


Semester 1 and Semester 2 | Credits: 10

A practical and theoretical introduction to twentieth-century acting and performance techniques with special emphasis on Artaud, Grotowski, and Peter Brook.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Engage in practical ensemble-based activities for devising theatre practice.
  2. Describe and put into practice modern and contemporary theories of ensemble
  3. Describe and put into practice the ideas of key practitioners, such as Boal, Brook and Chekhov.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Empty Space" by Peter Brook
  2. "Towards a Poor Theatre" by Jerzy Grotowski
The above information outlines module DT6120: "Ensemble Acting and Devising" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6136: Thinking about Books/Thinking about Theatre


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This is a bipartite module. Students spend the first six weeks focusing on the medium of the book and the second six weeks focusing on the medium of theatre. Particular topics and areas of focus may vary from year to year.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Discourse knowledgeably about the medium of the book.
  2. Discourse knowledgeably about the medium of theatre.
  3. Conduct sophisticated oral and/or written analyses of primary texts.
  4. Critically engage with appropriate secondary sources.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Reading List
  1. "MLA Handbook" by Modern Language Association of America
    ISBN: 9781603292627.
The above information outlines module EN6136: "Thinking about Books/Thinking about Theatre" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional FM6102: Digital Play & Practice


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module aims to explore the landscape of current innovations in digital media technologies across a range of arts disciplines. The module will explore emerging technologies in digital arts and media, examining historical precedence in creative innovation and considering on-going experimentations. Students will utilise a practice-based research approach to develop experimental project prototypes.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Comprehend and describe key issues and debates surrounding the development and evolution of new media technologies.
  2. Demonstrate competence in the creation and production of a piece of digital media project.
  3. Demonstrate competence in problem solving, creative and strategic thinking.
  4. Consider and evaluate their own work in a reflexive manner, with reference to academic and/or professional issues and debates.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Digital Art" by Paul, Christiane
    Publisher: Thames and Hudson
  2. "Aesthetics of interaction in digital art" by Katja Kwastek
    Publisher: MIT Press
  3. "The metainterface: the art of platforms, cities, and clouds" by Chris Andersen and Soren Pold
    Publisher: MIT Press
  4. "Enfoldment and Infinity: An Islamic Genealogy of New Media Art" by Laura U. Marks
    Publisher: MIT Press
  5. "Geomedia: Networked Cities and the Future of Public Space" by Scott McQuire
    Publisher: Polity Press
  6. "Garments of Paradise: Wearable Discourse in the Digital Age" by Susan Elizabeth Ryan
    Publisher: MIT Press
The above information outlines module FM6102: "Digital Play & Practice" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6119: Culture Society Technology


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Postgraduate introduction to issues and problems in the relationships among culture, society and technology. The course will examine the impact of technologies, especially digital technologies, from cultural, political, ethical, legal and other points of view.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Describe key aspects of the historical impact of technology on culture, creativity and society, with particular focus on the digital age.
  2. Analyse and critique a range of theoretical debates associated with the interrelations of culture, society and technology.
  3. Evaluate the effect of technologies (especially digital technologies) on aspects of contemporary life.
  4. Describe key legal and ethical issues that arise in the use of new technologies.
  5. Compare ways in which the relations between culture and technology have been described and understood by a selection of writers and theorists of the present and past.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Digital play" by Stephen Kline, Nick Dyer-Witheford and Greig de Peuter
    ISBN: 0773525912.
    Publisher: Montr?eal ; McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003.
  2. "Wired shut" by Tarleton Gillespie
    ISBN: 0262072823.
    Publisher: MIT Press
  3. "Personal connections in the digital age" by Nancy Baym
    ISBN: 0745643329.
    Publisher: Polity
The above information outlines module EN6119: "Culture Society Technology" and is valid from 2017 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6132: Digital Archives, Exhibits, and Curation


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module provides a postgraduate-level introduction to the theory and practice of digital archiving, including the management of digital collections and principles of publishing, exhibition, and curation. Students will gain insight into the impact of digital technology on the archival and heritage sectors, and gain first-hand experience in the management of collections and the curation of exhibitions in the digital environment. The course will be co-taught with staff from the James Hardiman Library digitisation and archives units.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Describe and evaluate the nature and scope of digital archives.
  2. Demonstrate knowledge of key principles and methods associated with the management of archive materials via digital tools and practices.
  3. Create and manage a collection of digital exhibit items.
  4. Curate an exhibition in a digital environment.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Department-based Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "A New Companion to Digital Humanities" by Susan Schreibman
    ISBN: 1118680642.
    Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
  2. "Digital Scholarly Editing: Theories, Models and Methods" by Elena Pierazzo
    ISBN: 1472412117.
    Publisher: Routledge
  3. "Digital Critical Editions" by Daniel Apollon
    ISBN: 0252082567.
    Publisher: University of Illinois Press
The above information outlines module EN6132: "Digital Archives, Exhibits, and Curation" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Further study opportunities
Depending on subjects studied at undergraduate level, graduates of the MA will be eligible to apply for PhD in a variety of arts and humanities disciplines and will also have opportunities for doctoral studies in practice-based research. 

Career opportunities for graduates
Graduates will be able to follow employment opportunities in museums, galleries, libraries, arts centres, arts festivals, cultural centres and producing for theatre companies, arts organisations, arts festivals, and state sponsored arts bodies.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

 

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€6,600 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Tuition

€6,376 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student levy

€224 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Non EU

€15,500 p.a. 2020/21

Find out More

Dr Miriam Haughton
Director of Postgraduate Studies in Drama, Theatre and Performance
E: miriam.haughton@nuigalway.ie
T: +353 91 494 485

Quick Links 

 

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Downloads

  • Postgraduate Prospectus 2021

    Postgraduate Prospectus 2021 PDF (11.3MB)