Concepts and Creativity

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This first year level subject will introduce students to a brief history of their art form, and to ways of seeing, understanding and thinking about their own art form and its relationship to other forms of performing arts. Two approaches will be introduced concurrently:
1. A series of one hour lectures on key aspects of the History of the respective art form – e.g. Dance, Production or Theatre. Students will be divided into their separate training areas for these lectures.
2. A series of two-hour seminars, in which practical examples of the art forms will be viewed, and ways discussed of how to view them in relation to their form and their intentions. Students will then lead a seminar in which they practice the processes for themselves. All first year Performing Arts students will attend these seminars and a seminar group will consist of representatives from each training area.

This subject includes an embedded program in academic literacy skills of analysis, discussion, essay writing, research and information retrieval.

This subject will:
• provide a sufficiently comprehensive overview of the art form, to enable students to contextualise their own work within its larger historical framework;
• introduce new ways of viewing arts practice, in order to deepen appreciation of the work of practitioners;
• encourage and facilitate discussion amongst students from different training courses, to enable them to understand, appreciate and learn from the work of other artists;
• develop an appreciation and understanding of the aspects of different artistic languages and the specific materials with which artists work

RESEARCH ESSAY on some aspect of the History of the Art Form– 1000 WORDS – 40%
SEMINAR PRESENTATION on the viewing of a piece of performance work - 40 minutes – 50%. Presentation: Due on the week arranged. Paper: One week after the Presentation – maximum 3 pages – 10%
Hurdle requirements: Students must attend 80% of all scheduled classes and attempt all elements of assessment to be eligible for a pass in this subject.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• On completing this subject students will be able to:
• understand how to place thier own practice within a wider historical (political, social, aesthetic) context;
• discuss work with other practitioners in a constructive and informed manner;
• lead a discussion and to present ideas articulately and clearly;
• listen and respond to the ideas of others without pre-judgment.
• understand research practices as a result of preparing materials for online discussion and essays;
• present opinions and analysis in classroom discussion;
• argue clearly and logically as a result of the planning and writing of essays;
• utilise effective library research skills, including the development of search strategies to find information from a variety of quality information resources, including online databases, books, journals, internet, and a variety of multimedia-rich resources;
• demonstrate effective time-management skills.