Study plan - Theatre in Social, Participatory Art, Community and Educational Contexts

Theatre in Social, Participatory Art, Community and Educational contexts (Theatre SPACEs) is the first Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programme in this field, offered by three full partner universities in Norway, Hungary and Romania, and two associated partner universities from Germany and Czechia, each bringing its own unique expertise to the cooperation. One of the most exciting aspects of the programme is the mandatory semester mobility, which gives you the chance to experience different academic environments, cultural contexts, and teaching approaches across these countries. Upon successfully completing the programme (4 semesters, 120 ECTS), you will receive a joint degree awarded by the partner universities. This programme is co-financed by the European Union (Erasmus+ EMJM programme).

The best candidates will be awarded a scholarship. The EMJM scholarship provides €1,400/month for 24 months. This amount is meant to help cover travel, visa and living expenses during your Master programme.

Theatre SPACEs aims to transmit theoretical and practical knowledge on applying theatre in educational, community, cultural and social contexts. Theatre in Contexts is a recent term to describe a wide range of performative practices that share the intention of contributing to societal, pedagogical or community change. Such performative practices usually

• involve non-professionals (e.g., citizens, pupils, community members, substance users, activists etc.),
• occur in non-conventional theatre sites (e.g., hospitals, schools, public squares, prisons, museums etc.),
• focus on topics relevant for the given community (e.g., poverty, bullying, inequalities, climate change etc.),
• contain a specific objective of changemaking (e.g., communicating with decision makers, competence development, inclusion of minorities, sharing own stories with the wider community etc.).

Theatre SPACEs relies on deep cooperation of five universities:

• Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (coordinator),
• Trinity College Dublin,
• University of Arts Targu Mures,
• University of Hamburg (associated partner) and
• The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (associated partner).

Beyond covering a wide selection of European approaches and methods, the programme will also focus on the adaptation and implementation of the learned methods within different cultures and contexts. The programme includes participatory learning, field visits, group projects, elective courses, artistic research and a longer fieldwork at labour market partners worldwide. The programme also has a strong theoretical-academic component which qualifies dedicated students for enrolling to a PhD programme and continue their academic career in research.

Admission

To be eligible for admission to Theatre SPACEs, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• A Bachelor degree or equivalent
• with a minimum of 180 ECTS credits or equivalent,
• with a minimum average grade of C when converted to the Norwegian grading system.

• The degree must come from a programme recognized in the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-f 2013), with the following accepted fields:

  • 01 Education (all areas)
  • 02 Arts and Humanities (all areas)
  • 0312 Political Sciences and Civics
  • 0313 Psychology
  • 0314 Sociology and Cultural Studies
  • 0321 Journalism and Reporting
  • 0915 Therapy and Rehabilitation
  • 0921 Care of Elderly and Disabled Adults
  • 0922 Childcare and Youth Services
  • 0923 Social Work and Counselling

Proof of English language proficiency, following HVL’s requirements for documentation.

The selection process is entirely online through HVL’s Søknadsweb platform. More details here.

Applications will be open from 1 October to 1 December. Please check back during this time for full details.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the programme, the candidate will acquire the following competencies:

a) Knowledge: The candidate 

• has advanced knowledge of applying theatre and drama in transcultural contexts;
• has advanced knowledge of the major periods, genres and representatives of theatre history, especially applied theatre, and post-dramatic theatre;
• has thorough knowledge of the theory, concepts and methods in applied theatre, drama- and theatre education, process drama, Theatre in Education and Performance Arts Oriented Theatre Pedagogy;
• has thorough knowledge of different methodologies and tools of facilitating drama processes and creating theatre in educational, social, community, health, care and cultural contexts;
• can analyse the ethical aspects and responsibilities of artistic interventions in a community and the role of the facilitator-researcher in the process;
• has thorough knowledge of methods of reflective practice and qualitative drama/theatre education research;
• has advanced knowledge in the theory of drama- and theatre-based participatory artistic research approaches.

b)  Skills: The candidate

• can carry out and evaluate theatrical practices in different educational, social, community, health, care and cultural contexts to achieve specific aims;
• can participate in community artistic processes sensitively, ethically, responsibly, sustainably and creatively;
• can critically analyse existing applied theatre practices in relation to their implementation in different social and cultural contexts;
• can identify practices that can be applied in specific contexts with different logistic realities;
• can independently recognise and reflect on their own needs for further developing their artistic, pedagogical, and social competences;
• can adapt and use their knowledge in multilingual contexts, communicate at a high professional level in their first language and in English;
• can conduct interdisciplinary educational or artistic research individually, and in groups;
• can carry out and complete independently and in groups, a wide range of applied theatre tasks in both the private and public sector (such as various tasks related to theatre arts, community development, project management, the cultural sphere, media, economy, specialized teacher training, curriculum planning, or various academic fields).

c) Attitude: The candidate

• has developed their own artistic and pedagogical style;
• is motivated to develop professionally in the field of applied theatre;
• is characterized by a professional transcultural attitude;
• is open to cooperation and teamwork with colleagues working in other disciplines;
• is creative, systematic, thorough, and accurate;
• is flexible, a good organizer, and good at identifying and solving problems;
• has a highly developed critical attitude due to wide-ranging, interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and practice-oriented knowledge. 

d) General competence / autonomy and responsibility: The candidate

• can analyse relevant academic, research and ethical problems regarding drama and applied theatre;
• can apply a wide variety of drama- and theatre-based participatory artistic research approaches;
• can exploit different methods of reflective practice and qualitative drama/theatre education research;
• can apply their knowledge and skills in new educational-, social-, community-, health- and cultural areas in order to carry out advanced processes and projects;
• communicates independently by mastering the terminology of the academic field;
• can communicate about practical, artistic, and academic issues in the field, both with other specialists and to the general public;
• can contribute to new thinking and innovative processes in the field of drama and applied theatre;
• strives to create communities, enhance cross-cultural dialogue through artistic methods in various contexts, through innovative forms;
• supports the strengthening of international connections, serves the international integration and flow of information, while at the same time, also preserves their own cultural identity.

Content

The Theatre SPACEs programme is a two-year (24-month) programme, consisting of four semesters and a summer school. Theatre SPACEs have a linear structure, all students follow the same mobility pathway, with the exception of the fieldwork in the 2nd semester and the MA dissertation research in the 4th semester. These can be carried out at any academic or labour market partner in the world.

The programme consists of seven modules offered by different consortium members, all with outstanding innovative elements. Modules explore different aspects of Theatre in Contexts, and organically build on knowledge and skills acquired in previous modules.

1. Introduction to drama and theatre pedagogy (Norway, 1st semester).
2. Art and research (Norway, 1st semester).
3. Performative practices in transcultural contexts (Norway, 2nd semester).
4. Theatre in social, health and community contexts(Norway, 2nd semester, includes fieldwork anywhere in the world).
5. Drama in Education and dissertation preparation: The focus of the mandatory Summer School (Ireland, July) is on the study, experience and exploration of the role, value and use of drama and theatre in formal and non-formal educational settings and contexts. Students will be introduced to experiential, reflective and active learning approaches built on the philosophy that good arts education relies on good arts experiences. The Summer School is designed to support students to formulate a critical overview and assessment of varying methods and approaches to drama and theatre in formal and non-formal educational settings and in wider society. The module seeks to increase students’ practical and critical awareness, their ability to embody and discuss theoretical concepts, relate theory to practice and engage in the learning of others.
6. Theatre in Education (Romania, 3rd semester): The module introduces the students to the theory, practice and the different traditions of Theatre in Education (TiE), a well-established practice where theatre companies take interactive performances to classrooms. It offers a complex theatre studies background to contemporary drama and performance practices and key concepts for analysis. Students will experience practice-based courses in improvisation, puppet/object animation, observing and studying the genre of Theatre in Education. Students will practice skills related to facilitation and performance, together with working practically on structuring both performance and interaction aimed at educational contexts.
7. MA dissertation (4th semester, coordinated by Trinity College Dublin with online sessions, students can conduct their Master projects anywhere in the world): The module will deepen the students’ critical approach to academic literacy and a comprehensive overview of research methods, approaches and processes. The module revisits the detailed grounding in academic writing and explores key issues and concepts in artistic, educational and social research. A critical exploration of the foundational concepts in research methodology will support the development of students' research proposals. The knowledge, skills and understanding, and in particular, the competence to engage critically with empirical and non-empirical forms of research, will form the core to students’ conceptual underpinning for preparing their dissertations.

Teaching

Methods of teaching will be a combination of lectures, workshops and seminars, usually 4 days a week. Teaching demands regular attendance and active participation in classes, contribution to workshops and presentations in seminars. Teaching happens both on campus, outside campus and online. Students are also expected to work independently, in pairs and in groups.

Mandatory assignment types

• Individual written task: You will analyse and reflect on a specific task.
• Written group task: A task where you will be required to work together, usually creating a project plan, an application, a script or something similar.
• Individual practical work: Individual exploration around a specific topic that results in a performance, a monologue, a research-based theatre piece or something similar.
• Practical group work: Development, implementation and analysis of a process aimed at a specific target group. The workshop is implemented with other students or with the target group.
• Oral presentation: You will prepare a presentation (a short lecture) on a given topic.

Assessment

Exam types

• Individual written home exam: You will have to work individually for 5 days usually and write an academic essay (or another genre specified) on a topic related to the module. Criteria regarding format, structure and content will be specified by the leader of the module. The teachers are not allowed to supervise during the home exam period.
• Individual oral exam: You will be requested to reflect on group practical work and connect it to theory connected to the module. Criteria regarding format, structure and content will be specified by the leader of the module.
• Practical group exam: The exam is usually a performative presentation for/with a specific target group. The exam takes place either on campus or at a fieldwork partner location (e.g., school, museum, NGO etc.) outside of the university. The leader of the module will specify group distributions and group tasks.

MA dissertation

To submit your MA dissertation, you need to pass all Modules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 with at least an E grade (pass) and get approval for Module 5.

In your fourth semester, you can conduct research at one of the partner universities or even in a third country. The dissertation is a 30 ECTS module registered at Trinity College Dublin, requiring about 750 hours of work over 6 months.

You will be assigned a supervisor from one of the partner universities based on your research topic and staff expertise. Supervision can be done in person (if possible) or online. Supervisors may be from partner universities or external scholars. Supervisors must meet partner university standards.

Your dissertation will be evaluated according to Trinity College Dublin’s regulations.

Internationalization

The entire programme is an international cooperation between partner universities in different countries.