Develop your portfolio work
The MLitt in Performance Studies develops your practical skills and theoretical and historical knowledge of performance art.
This programme will be available in 2021-22
Performance is a part of our everyday lives, and its role in the history of the visual arts and music is unique.
The MLitt in Performance Studies develops your practical skills and theoretical and historical knowledge of performance art, offering hands-on, real-life experience to prepare you for future study or work in the world of performance.
Performance continues to dominate in the visual arts, and its interdisciplinarity and openness lends itself to being utilised by artists in music, dance and theatre.
Our MLitt in performance studies offers the opportunity for you to develop your performance portfolio, from within the disciplines of either the visual arts or music while developing your fluency in the theory and history of performance.
This degree programme provides a solid foundation in contemporary music, art and theory, and practice.
30 Credit Points
This course will examine the history and development of live art genres, including happenings, performance art and socially engaged art. Students will be introduced to the various theoretical lenses for looking at and analyzing performance art, including debates regarding documentation and re-performance.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course will introduce students to a range of methods of visual analysis and approaches to research in the fields of film and visual culture. We will example key theoretical concepts and paradigms, such as authorship, spectatorship, materiality, and employ them in rigorous analysis of film, material and visual culture.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course will introduce students to the work of key contemporary texts in aesthetics relating to music and the other arts. Texts will be studied, discussed and related to one another. While selected texts will vary from year to year, readings will be taken from writers such as Adorno, Badiou, Benjamin, Barthes, Bloch, Boulez, Deleuze (and Guattari), Dahlhaus, Derrida, Dufrenne, Eco, Gadamer, Habermas, Heidegger, Husserl, Jameson, Jencks, Lachenmann, Lyotard, Nancy, Nietzsche, Rancière, Rihm, Sartre, Schoenberg, Serres, Sloterdijk, Spivak, Stockhausen, Vattimo, Wittgenstein, Zizek.
Examples of issues and questions that may be covered include the nature of modernity, post-modernity more idiosyncratic variable theorisations of recent aesthetic history; the nature and purpose of the contemporary artwork; the beautiful and the sublime; relationships between the arts; the materiality of contemporary art forms; musique informelle.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course examines some critical approaches and theories that have shaped modern literary inquiry. An organising theme of the course is different notions of ‘text’, ranging from historicist definitions of the ‘material text’ to poststructuralist theories of intertextuality and the practice of modern textual editing. The relevance to literature of different types of context is also explored, as are the interpretative possibilities of various forms of ideological critique, including feminism and post-colonialism. Throughout the course students are exposed to a wide variety of primary and secondary texts.
View detailed information about this courseYou will undertake the following course:
from a selection of optional courses:
30 Credit Points
This course will involve students in a project related to film and visual culture, wherein methods in film and visual culture will be applied to practical experience. Students will take a leadership role in the project, being responsible for its completion from start to finish. Students will work with a local arts and cultural organization and develop a portfolio of material, depending on the project. A particular focus will be placed on public engagement with research, in other words, presenting the project to the public through blog posts, social media, film, or other for a. Workshops will prepare the students for the portfolio and assessed work, involve close analysis and discussion of specific examples.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course is designed to allow the creation of a programme of individual study where other appropriate course options at masters level are not available. It will run at the discretion of the programme co-ordinator. In discussion with a designated supervisor students will be able to identify and design a programme of research and study, which may include the completion of an undergraduate course, with assessments appropriate to masters-level work, or which may be consist of a short programme of research conducted over one semester. This programme of study will be subject to approval by the convener of the relevant M.Litt programme. Where appropriate courses at masters level are available, this course will not run.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
Students will gain practical experience in the film industry and/or visual culture organisations, providing real work experience in preparation for the next steps following their degree.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
Art and culture are integral to our daily lives, and the ways in which these are experienced are continually changing. Whether it is in a street performance, a public gallery, an academic festival, a webcast, a documentary or in social media, the relationship between the creative artist and those who consume it, is complex and can itself be a creative process. This course explores the many ways in which creative materials can be brought to public view, and how different forms of communication, aural, verbal and visual, can enhance public engagement with aesthetic experiences and the discourses around these.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
Why do human beings collect and what is the purpose of museums? ‘The Museum Idea’ examines these questions by focusing on the history and philosophy of museums and relating these to contemporary museum practice. The course will examine the role of museums in society through case studies of exhibitions and other museum projects in a variety of settings, including art, history and ethnographic museums.
View detailed information about this courseDissertation in Performance Studies
Fee category | Cost |
---|---|
EU / International students | £19,400 |
Tuition Fees for 2021/22 Academic Year | |
Home / RUK | £9,200 |
Tuition Fees for 2021/22 Academic Year |
Those starting the degree in January should be advised that they will complete the dissertation over the summer and finish the programme with the Semester 3 selection of courses. Taught courses do not run in the summer. Students wishing to do their dissertation at the end of the programme should consider starting their study from September.
30 Credit Points
This course will involve students in a project related to film and visual culture, wherein methods in film and visual culture will be applied to practical experience. Students will take a leadership role in the project, being responsible for its completion from start to finish. Students will work with a local arts and cultural organization and develop a portfolio of material, depending on the project. A particular focus will be placed on public engagement with research, in other words, presenting the project to the public through blog posts, social media, film, or other for a. Workshops will prepare the students for the portfolio and assessed work, involve close analysis and discussion of specific examples.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
Art and culture are integral to our daily lives, and the ways in which these are experienced are continually changing. Whether it is in a street performance, a public gallery, an academic festival, a webcast, a documentary or in social media, the relationship between the creative artist and those who consume it, is complex and can itself be a creative process. This course explores the many ways in which creative materials can be brought to public view, and how different forms of communication, aural, verbal and visual, can enhance public engagement with aesthetic experiences and the discourses around these.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course examines the social, political and cultural construction of place in literary texts. The imaginative co-ordinates of places such as ‘Scotland’, or ‘England’ exist in a constant state of flux, refusing to yield an essential, authentic image. Using core texts from the early modern period paired with more recent literary responses we explore the idea of place in its various forms. Key themes and issues to be discussed will include the rural and urban divide; literature and nationhood; the nature of community; the significance of emigration, and displacement; walking texts, metropolitan literature, and ideas of the “new world”
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
Why do human beings collect and what is the purpose of museums? ‘The Museum Idea’ examines these questions by focusing on the history and philosophy of museums and relating these to contemporary museum practice. The course will examine the role of museums in society through case studies of exhibitions and other museum projects in a variety of settings, including art, history and ethnographic museums.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course will examine the history and development of live art genres, including happenings, performance art and socially engaged art. Students will be introduced to the various theoretical lenses for looking at and analyzing performance art, including debates regarding documentation and re-performance.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course will introduce students to the work of key contemporary texts in aesthetics relating to music and the other arts. Texts will be studied, discussed and related to one another. While selected texts will vary from year to year, readings will be taken from writers such as Adorno, Badiou, Benjamin, Barthes, Bloch, Boulez, Deleuze (and Guattari), Dahlhaus, Derrida, Dufrenne, Eco, Gadamer, Habermas, Heidegger, Husserl, Jameson, Jencks, Lachenmann, Lyotard, Nancy, Nietzsche, Rancière, Rihm, Sartre, Schoenberg, Serres, Sloterdijk, Spivak, Stockhausen, Vattimo, Wittgenstein, Zizek.
Examples of issues and questions that may be covered include the nature of modernity, post-modernity more idiosyncratic variable theorisations of recent aesthetic history; the nature and purpose of the contemporary artwork; the beautiful and the sublime; relationships between the arts; the materiality of contemporary art forms; musique informelle.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course examines some critical approaches and theories that have shaped modern literary inquiry. An organising theme of the course is different notions of ‘text’, ranging from historicist definitions of the ‘material text’ to poststructuralist theories of intertextuality and the practice of modern textual editing. The relevance to literature of different types of context is also explored, as are the interpretative possibilities of various forms of ideological critique, including feminism and post-colonialism. Throughout the course students are exposed to a wide variety of primary and secondary texts.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
This course is designed to allow the creation of a programme of individual study where other appropriate course options at masters level are not available. It will run at the discretion of the programme co-ordinator. In discussion with a designated supervisor students will be able to identify and design a programme of research and study, which may include the completion of an undergraduate course, with assessments appropriate to masters-level work, or which may be consist of a short programme of research conducted over one semester. This programme of study will be subject to approval by the convener of the relevant M.Litt programme. Where appropriate courses at masters level are available, this course will not run.
View detailed information about this course30 Credit Points
Students will gain practical experience in the film industry and/or visual culture organisations, providing real work experience in preparation for the next steps following their degree.
View detailed information about this courseFee category | Cost |
---|---|
Home Students | £9,000 |
Tuition Fees for 2020/21 Academic Year | |
International Students | £19,000 |
Tuition Fees for 2020/21 Academic Year | |
EU / International students | £19,400 |
Tuition Fees for 2021/22 Academic Year | |
Home / RUK | £9,200 |
Tuition Fees for 2021/22 Academic Year |
We will endeavour to make all course options available; however, these may be subject to timetabling and other constraints. Please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
The programme is delivered by means of seminars and workshops that are tutor- and student-led as appropriate. Students will complete independent and group work, and lead their own projects with the guidance and support of the course tutors. Assessment methods include essays, portfolios, practical projects and other coursework.
Assessment methods include essays, reflections, critiques, and practical work such as portfolios, and video and film documentation of work.
The MLitt also requires a 12,000-word dissertation (which can also include practical components), while the PG diploma and PG certificate consist of coursework alone.
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
Students are normally required to have a good 2.1 degree (or its equivalent) in a subject relevant to Visual Art, Visual Culture or Music, such as:
OR
An undergraduate degree plus relevant professional experience in the arts and humanities industry
Please enter your country to view country-specific entry requirements.
To study for a Postgraduate Taught degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 90 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 62 with: Listening - 51; Reading - 51; Speaking - 51; Writing - 54
Cambridge English Advanced & Proficiency:
OVERALL - 176 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen
Eligible self-funded international Masters students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Visit our Funding Database to find out more and see our full range of scholarships.
The Aberdeen Global Scholarship is open to European Union (EU) students.
This is a £2,000 tuition fee discount available to eligible self-funded Postgraduate Masters students who are classed as International fee status and are domiciled in the EU, plus another £3,000 discount for eligible Postgraduate Masters students who would have previously been eligible for Home fees (Scottish/EU) fee status.
View Aberdeen Global ScholarshipIn addition to providing research training to enable students to go on to pursue an academic career, this programme will also be of interest to those wishing to follow a career in performance art, music performance, arts education, or art criticism.
Professor Amy Bryzgel
Professor Amy Bryzgel is the author of Performance Art in Eastern Europe since 1960, the first academic monograph to explore the history and development of performance art in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe.
Dr Suk-Jun Kim
Dr Suk-Jun Kim is an award-winning composer whose main output is electroacoustic music. He is the author of Humming, a book that offers an interdisciplinary perspective on this seemingly everyday activity.
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. Staff changes will occur from time to time; please see our InfoHub pages for further information.