Core Module Information
Module title: Bloody Bodies: Violence in Early Modern Drama

SCQF level: 09:
SCQF credit value: 20.00
ECTS credit value: 10

Module code: CLP09140
Module leader: Georgina Lucas
School School of Arts and Creative Industries
Subject area group: Generic - School of Arts and Creative Industries
Prerequisites

There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added

Description of module content:

This module considers the thematic and theatrical power of violence on the early modern stage, paying attention to different typologies of violence and the stage technologies used to represent them. We will cover tragedies from the Elizabethan and Jacobean, including plays by canonical authors, such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe alongside less-studied works. In doing so, the module aims to give you a deeper understanding of the social, political, and cultural contexts that informed the dramatization of violence, and a richer sense of early modern theatrical culture. Each week centres a form of violence that animates the play in which it appears, for example assassination in Shakespeare?s Julius Caesar, or domestic violence in John Webster?s ?Tis Pity She?s Whore. Through a combination of historically informed close-readings and an analysis of early modern staging, you will evaluate the rich and myriad meanings of violence in these plays, questioning orthodoxies about senseless violence, and evaluating the appeal of violence to dramatists and spectators.

Learning Outcomes for module:

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Identify and critically reflect upon the ways early modern drama represents different typologies of violence.

LO2: Demonstrate a well-informed understanding of the political, social, and cultural contexts that informed early modern violence and its dramatic representation.

LO3: Undertake close readings and critical analyses of early modern drama that account for the materiality of the stage and the effects of performance.

LO4: Access and search key scholarly resources and databases relating to the study of early modern violence and drama.

LO5: Appraise key trends in the history of criticism on violence in early modern drama and evaluate these trends in your own assessment of drama.

Full Details of Teaching and Assessment
2024/5, Trimester 1, In Person,
VIEW FULL DETAILS
Occurrence: 001
Primary mode of delivery: In Person
Location of delivery: MERCHISTON
Partner:
Member of staff responsible for delivering module: Georgina Lucas
Module Organiser:


Student Activity (Notional Equivalent Study Hours (NESH))
Mode of activityLearning & Teaching ActivityNESH (Study Hours)NESH Description
Face To Face Lecture 10 Our lectures will introduce the primary dramatic text and stage technologies, outline key historical, political and theatrical contexts, and a range of resources and approaches for you to engage with in your own independent research.
Face To Face Tutorial 20 Our tutorials will consolidate and enrich learning that takes place during the lectures, enabling you to have a greater stake in the scope and direction of discussion. Learning will occur in a variety of formats to allow for a range of learning styles. Typically, this will include group work, presentations, independent research, peer-review, close readings, individual oral contributions, reading and writing assignments and the production of original written material. These activities
Online Guided independent study 170 Each week, you will given assigned readings and question prompts. You will also be expected to use this time to prepare for your assessments.
Total Study Hours200
Expected Total Study Hours for Module200


Assessment
Type of Assessment Weighting % LOs covered Week due Length in Hours/Words Description
Essay 70 1~2~3~4~5 Week 12 , WORDS= 3000 words Research Essay
Oral Presentation 30 1~2~3~4 Week 4 HOURS= 8-15 minutes • 1x presentation and, either individually or in pairs, on a key word, object, theme, or practice relating to one of typologies of violence studied on the module. The purpose of this assessment is to foster research independence and to encourage collegial peer-engagement and review: You will choose a presentation topic in class in Week 2, from a list of pre-published topics. There will be 3-5 presentations each week from Week 4 onwards• You will be able to present either individually (8-10 minutes) or in pairs (13-15 minutes)• Presentations will be followed by a brief set of questions from the marker and your peers
Component 1 subtotal: 30
Component 2 subtotal: 70
Module subtotal: 100

Indicative References and Reading List - URL:
CLP09140 Bloody Bodies: Violence in Early Modern Drama Syllabus