Course Objectives

The aims will be achieved through work with the four target areas:
· Forms of dramatic expression
· Explorative drama work and subject didactics
· Theatre production
· Subject theory
Forms of dramatic expression
The student will be able to:
· Use the various possibilities of body, and material means in dramatic activities.
· Develop characters using drama-pedagogical methods.
· Use improvisation techniques in various contexts.
· Give an account of, and be able to use, basic knowledge of the theatre and dramaturgy in the twentieth century.
· Apply knowledge of elements from puppet theatre, mask theatre and performance theatre in theatre production.
· Work with the possibilities of expression when using space in various dramatic contexts.
Explorative drama work and drama didactics
Students will be able to:
. Experiment with various drama conventions and methods for constructing fiction in an exploration of various themes and questions.
. Assess various drama conventions on the basis of ethical and aesthetic criteria: drama as culture and anti-culture.
. Experiment with various interpretations and approaches to the theatre in the twentieth century and reflect upon the relationship to the subject drama.
. Master and reflect upon the various teaching skills in drama and theatrical pedagogical work.
. Lead and guide a group of pupils in a process from a text or idea towards a performance.
. Place scenographic work with children and youth in a didactic context.
. Evaluate pre- and follow-up work related to children/young people’s theatre experiences.
Theatre production
Students will be able to:
. Carry out a text and performance analysis.
. Create a director-concept for a performance.
. Work with, and assess, scenographic tools; experiment with the use of digital tools and fill the theatre space with significant signs.
. Plan and develop a theatrical production for specific groups of children and adolescents in which physical and visual forms of expression and tools are integrated.
. Use basic improvisation techniques as tools in a process towards performance.
. Experiment with various acting techniques/systems – such as, Stanislavsky and Brecht and use this insight in a specific theatrical production.
Subject theory
The student will be able to:
. Describe, reflect upon and discuss drama-aesthetic learning processes.
. Describe and discuss important trends in recent drama pedagogy in relation to drama pedagogy’s theoretical foundation and social framework.
. Document knowledge of, and assess, the ethical principles and learning potential in central drama-pedagogical theory and practice.
. Give an account of the basic characteristics of twentieth century theatre history with a focus on its renewal, represented by Stanislavsky’s and Brecht’s dramatic theory, re-theatricalisation and experimental theatrical expressions.
. Give an account of the views concerning the stage, scenography and the art of acting as it has developed through the various periods.
. Discuss the function of the theatre and its importance for society.
. To document knowledge regarding the function and history of children’s theatre and be able to relate it to the work of creating a theatre production for children and adolescents.
. Reflect upon and assess methods for development work in drama.

Course Description

Drama and theatre represent a meeting place for many different art forms. Experimental work and creative imagination will be emphasised and challenged in the work through the integration of elements and forms of expression from art and handicrafts in particular, but also from dance and music.
The teacher education’s five central competence areas are: subject and didactic competence, social competence, professional-ethical competence and the ability to participate in change and development; an attempt is made to realise these aims through the various learning aims that are formulated in the curriculum.
The drama course has a practical-theoretical approach to the subject. This is reflected in the teaching methods, the work with the dramatic forms of expression and in the various professional projects.
The subject of drama combines verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. In Drama 2, there is a focus on continuing the work started in Drama 1 and, in addition, especially work on the physical and visual aspects of theatrical expression. Students will be provided with a further foundation for planning, organising and leading drama and theatre work in schools, culture schools and leisure activities; and also activities with drama in kindergartens. Figures will be used in a dramatic context, with an emphasis on investigating the possibilities of expression inherent in materials, objects and space.
In working with the total visual expression, which theatre represents, an implementation of scenographic learning processes with regard to children and young adults will also be attempted.
In the theoretical and historical approach to the material the course will primarily relate to the twentieth century period, both concerning the various forms of theatrical expression and the development of the drama subject’s academic foundation.

Learning Methods

Drama 2 is organised as a full-time study over one semester. Teaching is mainly allocated to three days of the week. Learning methods will vary based on which topics are in focus at any given time. It is a goal of drama teaching training to use theory and practice in mutual and equal interaction.
Practical rehearsals of drama work with children* may be carried out, for example, in schools / kindergartens, children’s theatre groups or for groups of children / young people invited to the campus.
* For 3rd-year students on the Subject Teacher: Practical & Arts Subjects study programme (PELU) who are taking Drama 2 as part of their four-year study, the placement period is described in the practice handbook for the programme.
For other students, maximum 15 hours.
A mandatory study trip (approximately 4 days) is included in the programme in order to provide students with varied and current ideas from national and international drama and theatre environments.
Teaching and learning methods
The teaching will consist of alternation between theatre-artistic experience, drama-pedagogical practice and theoretical knowledge and reflection.
. Teacher-guided practical explorative work
. Theory lectures and seminars
. Performance activities
. Independent explorative work with children and youth
. Independent explorative and performative group work/project (theatre workshop, drama workshop/performances) including presentation
. Supervision – individually and in groups
. Study trips and theatre visits

Assessment Methods

Students will work with demonstrations, course requirements and portfolio work in relation to the teaching throughout the semester. This work will be subjected to ongoing assessment and includes individual or group feedback. The work will receive a graded mark or pass/fail mark.
In order to be finally assessed the student must have completed and received pass marks for the required assignments and portfolio work.
Course requirements
The course emphasises practical drama work. Consequently, students are expected to study parts of the theoretical part of the syllabus on their own. Students must be prepared to use time in addition to the normal teaching for some of the projects.
All practical-artistic teaching, group work and supervision require participation and is therefore obligatory. This includes study trips and theatre-visits.
Continuous and final assessment
Portfolio assignments
Written assignments and other types of documentation are collected in the student’s work portfolio, for example photography, models, sketches and video recordings. They will receive a pass/fail grade.
Portfolio assignments may include:
. Theatre seminar presentation: Log related to practical-artistic work with theatrical expressions from the twentieth/twenty-first century
Academic reflection note related to practical drama or theatre work for or with children and youth.
. Theatre analysis/theatre criticism
. Monologue work
Practical assignments which are related to the teaching must be carried out and documented in the student’s work portfolio in the form of a video recording or photographs with enclosed commentary, oral or written, which includes professional reflection.
Several pieces of student work, written and documented by video, will be selected and included in the student’s presentation portfolio for assessment, and will form part of the final assessment.
Final assessment
The final assessment comprises the following components:
· Presentation portfolio – individual (35 %)
· Individual written examination (25 %)
· Practical-artistic group work which is related to the work period as well as discussion in groups (40%)
A graded mark will be awarded, graded from A to F, where A is the highest grade, and E is the lowest passing grade. Each course unit must receive a passing grade in order to achieve a final passing mark. Please refer to Telemark University College’s examination regulations for further information.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean