Our courses reflect current developments in education and a broad range of theatre and drama work.  There is a balance between the study and practice of drama as an academic and practical subject in schools and colleges and the use of drama for a wide range of personal and community purposes.  The course of study provides a planned and structured programme, which is sufficiently flexible to respond to the needs of students from a wide range of pedagogic and cultural contexts.

The course welcomes students from a variety of nationalities and cultures and is designed to cater for individual interests and needs. For more information on our postgraduate courses click here

MA Drama and Theatre Education Pathway
There are four specialist modules in the course (30 CAT points each) and a core module in research methods and dissertation (60 CATS).  Many drama and theatre education students choose to take all the specialist modules. However, MA students may take one option from other degrees within the Warwick Masters in Education instead of one of the specialist modules.  At Warwick we highly value the fact that our students come from a variety of national and ethnic backgrounds and we thrive on the diversity of cultural experience and knowledge that our students bring to the course.

Post Graduate Certificate in Drama Education Pathway
Students can obtain a post graduate certificate in drama education by completing two specialist modules.

The Modules
All of the modules provide a balance between practical experience of a wide range of drama and theatre practices and a planned reading programme.  The weekly sessions are built around practical workshops led by the programme tutors, invited guests and students themselves.  These workshop opportunities are designed to give students a hands-on experience of drama as well as methods and ideas for using drama and theatre in their own workplace.  The workshops are supported by reading and clearly demonstrate theory in practice.

·   Drama and Theatre Studies in Theory and Practice
This introductory module forms the foundation blocks for the rest of this course.It focuses on drama and theatre as a means of artistic communication.  The module explores, through study and practice, the use of signs and symbols in theatre and drama and semiotic and anthropological approaches to drama as a cultural system.

·   The Drama Curriculum
The module examines drama’s claim to be a learning medium; styles of teaching and learning; drama as a cross-curricular method; planning and delivering a drama curriculum.  The course evaluates  a number of perspectives on the curriculum and how it should serve the needs of young people. 

·   Drama and Literacy
This module is designed to reflect the significant pedagogic relationship between drama education and approaches to the teaching of literacy.  This relationship is acknowledged in the Orders for English in the National Curriculum which require all teachers of English to include drama in the teaching of speaking and listening, reading and writing.  It also proves to be a useful course in understanding pedagogic approaches in language acquisition for both first and second language learners.

·   The Role of Story in Drama and Theatre Education
This practical module explores the relationship between storytelling and theatre.  It examines traditional tales from a range of cultures as sources for drama and the complex critical lenses through which we can analyse and respond to their meanings.  These theoretical perspectives are interwoven with specific approaches to incorporating storytelling with drama as an integrated performing art.  Students are then asked to work in groups and devise a performance from a traditional tale for an audience of an age range their choice.

·   Research Methods and Dissertation
This core module includes a variant of the Warwick Institute of Education’s Foundation Research Methods module, designed specifically for students working in the drama and theatre field. It is in two parts.  In the first, students are introduced to a range of research methods appropriate to investigating drama in school and community contexts.  In the second part, students design and implement a research project designed to support them in their own professional context.  This project forms the basis for their dissertation or research portfolio.

Course Outcomes
All students are encouraged to develop a career plan based on successful completion of the course.  A system of regular tutorial support helps students to plan projects, choose assignments and a thesis topic which will enhance their career prospects.  Students can expect to develop sufficient skills and theoretical understanding of drama and theatre education to gain successful employment as drama specialists in schools,  theatre in Education workers, advisers and lecturers in drama, education officers or community drama workers.  A number of students have progressed onto doctoral study here at Warwick, and we have often seen students who have joined the course with no prior teaching experience go on and join the PGCE course.

THE COURSE DIRECTOR FOR THE MA IN DRAMA AND THEATRE EDUCATION AND POST GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN DRAMA EDUCATION IS DR JOE WINSTON  
Tel:  +44 (0) 24 7652 2291
E-mail: j.a.winston@warwick.ac.uk