Last modified: 22 May 2019 17:07
Drama was the entertainment phenomenon of the early modern period: a popular art form that developed swiftly and attracted mass audiences. London was both the city that played host to this new cultural form, and the subject of much of its output. The course will examine the relation between life in the early modern city and the great flowering of drama by celebrated authors of the period. Using works by well-known writers such as Middleton, Jonson and Shakespeare, as well as lesser known authors, we will explore how the plays of the period engage with key concerns of urban living.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Old Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
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Course Aims
To examine how the urban drama of the early modern period is shaped by its cultural environment
To locate dramatic works within the contexts of production and performance
To examine the relationship between literature and other cultural spheres
To analyse works of literature with attention to content, style and historical significance
To gain a broader understanding of the development of drama in the Renaissance
Main Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding of:
- A range of plays by key authors from the period
- The conditions of drama in early modern London
- Key critical concepts in the study of early modern drama
Intellectual Skills -- an ability to:
- Analyse works of literature in an historically informed way
- Locate dramatic works in a critical context
- Explain how literary content, style and function are linked
Transferable Skills -- an ability to
- summarise complex arguments
- express ideas clearly and succinctly both orally and on paper
- present written work in a scholarly form
Course Content
Drama was the entertainment phenomenon of the early modern period: a popular that art form that developed swiftly and attracted mass audiences. London was both the city that played host to this new cultural form, and the subject of much of its output. In this course we will examine the relation between life in the early modern city and the great flowering of drama by the most celebrated authors of the period. Using works by well know writers such as Middleton, Jonson and Shakespeare, as well as lesser known authors, we will explore how the plays of the period engage with key concerns of urban living. Incorporating interactive technology, we will plot the relations of key texts to the places and locations of the early modern city. The course will cover such topics as: urban ritual, sexing the city; ideal cities, and spatial drama.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
1st Attempt
1x 3000 word essay (50%)
1 x project exercise (40%)
SAM (10%)
Resit
For honours students only: candidates achieving a CAS mark of 6-8 may be awarded compensatory level 1 credit. Candidates achieving a CAS mark of less than 6 will be required to submit a new essay.
Oral feedback via seminars and written feedback via essay cover sheets and SAM forms
Written feedback on essays and project
SAM mark/comment sheet
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