Course summary

Under the supervision of one or more staff members with expertise relevant to the project topic, students on the MA Research will produce: either an academic dissertation of 20000 words OR an academic dissertation of 12000 words and a piece of creative work. The dissertation must include a critical reflection on the relationship between the dissertation and the piece of creative work. The 12000 word dissertation is a critical piece of writing, demonstrating an advanced ability to research, investigate and discuss relevant ideas, debates, contexts, creative processes and products/texts. The dissertation should provide a contextual framework for the piece of creative work and demonstrate advanced levels of appropriate subject knowledge, insight and understanding. It should also use appropriate academic referencing and bibliographic conventions. The piece of creative work can comprise different types of material depending on the research topic and subject matter. Examples could include: · A performance of between 60 and 120 minutes, with the candidate taking the part of lead actor or director/facilitator (other roles for the candidate to be negotiated with the candidate’s supervisor). This might be a performance in a theatre, an installation, or a site-specific performance (other possibilities to be negotiated with the candidate’s supervisor). · A stage play of between 60 and 120 minutes which has been written by the candidate.