Performance Studies 3: Introduction to Ritual Studies

Rationale and Purpose of the Module: To introduce students to the academic discipline of ritual studies and its impact on performance and performance studies: to explore research methods developed in ritual studies which are relevant to the study of performance; to engage with the paradigm of ritual towards a creative and reflexive understanding of performance.

Syllabus: An introduction to ritual studies and its relevance to performance studies including ritual paradigms of theatre, musical performance, dance performance, social drama, play, sport, games, trance, shamanism, puppetry, masking, liturgy and rites of passage; the exploration of creative research methods generated from the use of symbolism in ritual and the development of nascent rituals.