Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
Playing Parts is a module about voice, communication and social engagement. How do poems and plays create their effects? What makes a successful speech? How can you use social media to get your message across? We will help you to develop your communication skills, through reading, watching and analysing a variety of speeches, poems, and at least piece of drama. You will practise your speaking and writing in weekly workshops, learning real-world skills such as how to give a speech and how to run a social media account. We will also spend time engaging with selected external partners, such as theatres, museums and those who work professionally with social media, which will you a chance to apply your skills to real-world scenarios.
Aims
This module is designed to develop students' ability to engage and interact with the wider world using the skills they are developing through their literary studies. Part of the module focuses on the development of communication skills, particularly public speaking and the use of social media. The other part of the module involves students being given the chance to reflect on how the literary skills they are developing may be applied in workplaces such as theatres, heritage sites, and educational establishments.
Talis Aspire Reading ListAny reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/eng-10029/lists
Intended Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate confidence and skill in public speaking.: 1Demonstrate an understanding of what makes a speech effective, both in terms of its delivery and its structure.: 11,2Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between communicative acts (e.g. a speech, a tweet, a label on a museum exhibit) and the audience that they are aimed at.: 2Demonstrate an understanding of the goals and needs of specific workplaces (e.g. a theatre, a heritage site, a school) and show how their literary skills could be applied to fulfilling those needs.:
Active Learning 36 hours:24: Workshops12: SeminarsIndependent Study 114 hours:70: Class preparation10: Presentation writing and preparation34: Final Assignment preparation and writing
Description of Module Assessment
1: Presentation weighted 20%PresentationStudents will have the choice of two options: 1) To recite a poem from a tutor-created anthology that will be made available to them and then speak for 2-3 minutes on what interests them about their chosen poem and why they picked it, or 2) To deliver a short speech (3-4 minutes) on a subject of their choice, making use of appropriate rhetorical techniques. Marks will be awarded based on both delivery and content.
2: Assignment weighted 80%1200 word written assignmentStudents will be given a choice of at least 3 assignments, all based on real-world scenarios. The precise assignment options may differ from year to year depending on which outside partners (e.g. theatres, museums) are involved with the module, but some options students may be offered are: 1) Plan a virtual exhibition, based on a text they have studied on the module; 2) Create a lesson plan for a secondary-school class, based on one of the texts they have studied on the module; 3) Create a mock social media campaign for either a production of a play or a museum exhibition. Each assignment will be accompanied by a paragraph (c. 300 words) of reflection on the task and its challenges. The assignment will be 1200 words (+/- 10%) in total.