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Drama: Performance, Politics and Society

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Access to HE Diploma

D:30

Pass with 45 Level 3 credits including 30 Distinctions and a number of merits/passes in subject specific modules

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

33

With three Higher Level subjects at 655

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,C

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,B,C

T Level

M

Each application will be considered on its individual merits. Where the T Level subject area does not directly match the degree programme being applied for, the personal statement and reference will be particularly important in demonstrating interest, enthusiasm and suitability for the subject.

UCAS Tariff

120-136

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Drama

**This degree is ideal if you have a passion for using performance for social change. You will learn performance and facilitation skills, while exploring the ideas that underpin them. The degree equips you in a wide range of careers in the arts, charities, education, and beyond.**

- The BA Drama: Performance, Politics, and Society has been running since 2017 and is highly valued by its students, alumni, staff, theatre professionals, and external examiners. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and enthusiastically embrace our blend of practice and theory, producing their own innovative and original work. Students on the programme contribute substantially to the vibrance of the Theatre & Performance Department, as well as College life more widely.

- You will be offered a grounding in the skills and understanding of theatre in socially engaged contexts. As well as working in theatres and other arts settings, you will engage with work in schools, community settings, the criminal justice system, and festivals. You will have access to unique workplace networks in inner London through the work placement option and outward-facing modules. Students often undertake both paid and voluntary opportunities to enhance their career profile. In the third year, you will develop your own independent research and produce practical projects that can be a launching pad for your future career.

- Our staff are exceptionally well qualified to deliver the degree. The research, teaching, and professional profiles of staff are wide-ranging and tuned into student aspirations.

**The field of socially engaged performance**
- There are many ways that performance is used for change. As individual audience members, artists, participants, or students, we engage our imaginations and creativity to help us understand ourselves and the world around us. Performance is a part of our identity, sense of community and learning.

- Performance fulfils many functions – including as entertainment, education, ritual, celebration, and protest. In a wider sense we also ‘perform’ every day. As sociologist Erving Goffman said: "We are all just actors trying to control and manage our public image, we act based on how others might see us."

- At a time when the politics of climate, disability, economics, gender, race, and sexuality are increasingly contended, performance has a unique role to play in creating a better, fairer future.

- In all these contexts, performance has the capacity to be an agent of positive change. We have a conviction that our students can play a crucial role as the next generation creating that change.

**Why study the BA Drama: Performance, Politics and Society at Goldsmiths**
- Work alongside students from all backgrounds, and learn from each other’s different perspectives.

- Join a community – our alumni are involved as mentors and allies, our staff are friendly and accessible, and we promote a supportive and generous working culture.

- Be an independent learner and create your own learning pathways supported by tutors.

- Study in a democratic environment, and have a say in decision-making about course content and ways of learning.

- Build links and partnerships with our local community in South-East London, arts organisations, and increasingly through international networks.

Modules

Year 1
In your first year you will take the following compulsory modules:
Critical Dialogues A
Introduction to Dramaturgy
The Ensemble
Scenography
Theatre Making 1
The Politics of Play, Plays and Playing
Critical Dialogues B

Year 2
In your second year you will study:
Modernisms and Postmodernity A
Questions of Performance
Contexts of Practice
Creativity and Culture A: Contexts
Creativity and Culture B: Crafts
The Goldsmiths Elective
Modernisms and Postmodernity B: Options
OR
Goldsmiths' Social Change Module

Modernisms and Postmodernity B
You'll choose one module from the theme of Modernisms and Postmodernity B. Modules change from year to year, and recent options have included the following:
Bertolt Brecht and Political Theatre 15 credits
Postcolonial Theatre 15 credits
Modernisms and Postmodernity B: Activism and the Theatrical Avant Garde 15 credits
Samuel Beckett: Performance, Writing and Philosophy 15 Credits
Women, Feminism & Playwrighting 15 credits

Year 3
In your final year, you'll complete the following modules:
Culture and Performance A
Major Research Project: Drama

You'll also complete two modules from Theatre Making Three Laboratories and Projects.

You can also choose to study either Culture and Performance B, or choose another optional module from a list that is produced annually by the department.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through a variety of performances, production processes, essays, group projects and a dissertation.

The Uni


Course location:

Goldsmiths, University of London

Department:

Theatre and Performance

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

34%
Drama

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Drama

Teaching and learning

69%
Staff make the subject interesting
54%
Staff are good at explaining things
63%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
40%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

34%
Library resources
81%
IT resources
57%
Course specific equipment and facilities
22%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

75%
UK students
25%
International students
24%
Male students
76%
Female students
98%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Drama

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,200
high
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
51%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
16%
Other elementary services occupations
8%
Managers and proprietors in hospitality and leisure services

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Drama

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£21k

£21k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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