Themes in Theatre History

This course gives a practical-theoretical introduction to the history and development of theatre in a global perspective. Different theatre forms and traditions are approached from historical, aesthetic and social perspectives, through theoretical and practical teaching methods and archival research on historical sources.

The course looks for example at the development of European theatre, its forms and functions; and further on Norwegian theatre history from the Renaissance until today, with an emphasis on the development of Norwegian theatre institutions. The course also looks at a selection of non-Western theatre traditions and offers critical perspectives through readings of decolonial and feminist historiography.

Knowledge

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have knowledge:

• about forms of drama and theatre in and outside of Europe
• about the historical development and function of theatre.
• about typical theatrical genres and ways of communicating in different epochs.
• of basic academic terminology and historiographical research questions

Skills

Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to:

• Present an overview of the diversity of the field of drama and theatre.
• Use academic terminology to describe and analyse phenomena in the field of theatre.
• Find, apply and critically assess different sources of historical information.

The instruction in this course consists of lectures, seminars, group work, oral presentations and practice sessions/workshops.

Students are required to keep updated on messages from the department or the lecturer at Canvas..