Performing Arts (Top Up)

UCAS code: W470

Here's what University Centre South Essex says about its Performing Arts (Top Up) course.

*subject to revalidation In response to the present employment climate within the Performing Arts sector, it is important for students to recognise that to navigate a successful career which is both sustainable and has longevity requires adaption and a multifaceted approach. Through the proposed third year Top -Up programme, students will have the opportunity to audit and evaluate their own skills set in relation to the myriad of employment opportunities available to them.

At level six, students will be encouraged to expand their awareness of the diverse nature of the Performing Arts Sector. The proposed structure will enable students to create their own bespoke learning experience, crossing performance specialisms, allowing for extended diversity to their individual career development. With units designed specifically to facilitate student’s growth as emerging practitioners, critical analysis within a plural context of current industry expectations will allow students to navigate their own unique career path. Theoretical scrutiny of underpinning theories, approaches and contextual factors which have influenced the art form, will support personal lines of enquiry and the critical evaluation of their own adaptability and entrepreneurial attitude for sustainable employment.

• PM301: Dissertation (30 credits) This unit will provide students with the opportunity to develop a critical awareness, undertake in-depth research and to form a sustainable argument for an area of investigation. Students will negotiate with a supervisor a line of enquiry that is relevant to their chosen field of study and undertake an avenue of research that underpins their knowledge base within the application of their practical work and for future employment or post-graduate study. This unit presents the potential for interweaving lines of enquiry for the students in plural context through PM303.

• PM302: Professional Practice (30 credits) This unit is designed to focus on the development of a student’s personal, transferable, specialist and employability skills to meet the demands of professional practices in the Performing Arts industry. The unit aims to encourage students to identify potential progression routes and support them by preparing for entry into their chosen profession. Through involvement in a guest speaker programme, current skill base workshops (Aerial skills and MOCAP/Green Screen) employment portfolio including CV, headshot and showreel, additional teaching qualifications and creating an appropriate online forum, students will examine their career routes allowing them to achieve sustainability and longevity.

• PM303: Independent Study (30 credits) The aim of this unit is to allow students the creative space to establish their own voice as an emerging performing arts practitioner. Students will be given the opportunity to independently locate their practice for the project realisation in relation to the diverse natures of the performing arts sector. Students will focus on professionally identifying, defining and developing their individualism and personal identity within their work through their chosen area exploration. The structure of the unit will provide students with a way of showing their competence, skill and ability within their chosen area, be it a single, dual or multi-disciplinary pathway. The context of the unit will be defined by the students through consultation and ongoing communication with Tutors. It will actively encourage independent learning, self-directed research and time planning and necessitate a rigorous approach.

• PM304: Collaborative Performance (30 credits) This unit will provide students with an opportunity to build relationships with other performers within an industry-based setting. Through a collaboration project stimulated by industry, students will develop an understanding of their individual and collective roles and responsibilities through the creative process, refining specific skills in rehearsal and workshop settings and respond to the demands of delivering a live performance. In a multi-disciplined theatre performance piece, students will be required to critically reflect and evaluate their performance to inform and improve their own practice.

Course work is assessed in a range of different ways in order to accommodate a variety of learning styles and aptitudes including, workshops, rehearsals, performances, presentations, viva voce, written essays, dissertation and portfolio