About this course: Learn how theatre and globalization have affected each other over the past century, and how to conduct your own research on global theatre histories.
Who is this class for: There are no prerequisites for this course. That said, an interest in common media depictions of globalization will help you understand the main arguments more quickly. Relatedly, reading and writing comfortably in English at the undergraduate college level will enable your more active engagement in course discussion forums and peer assessment exercises. A basic understanding of theatre history, especially in the 20th century, would be advantageous.
Created by: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
Taught by: Christopher Balme, Professor
Institut für Theaterwissenschaft / Department of Theatre Studies
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Definitions, Methods, and Resources for Writing Global Theatre Histories
Introductions with definitions of "theatre" and "globalization"; conceptualizing 'global theatre histories'; overview of online resources for researching the history of theatre during the late 19th and 20th centuries.
6 videos, 5 readings
Graded: Researching Digital Newspaper Archives
WEEK 2
Theatre on the move: Migration, Mobility and Modernization
How we can relate migration and mobility to the dissemination of theatre.
6 videos, 2 readings
WEEK 3
Global Players: Actors, Managers and Agents
Actors, Managers, and Theatrical Agents; with a focus on the people who organized the global migration of theatre.
7 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Midterm
WEEK 4
Global Hubs and Local Theatres
Theatre Buildings as 'Cultural Hubs' and 'Contact Zones'; methodologies and concepts for approaching theatres as places where different people, languages, and cultures met and interacted.
6 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Researching Local Theatres
WEEK 5
East versus West: Cold War Rivaleries
Theatre and the Cold War; theatre as a site of the rivalry between East and West.
10 videos, 2 readings
WEEK 6
Festivalization, Megamusical and Theatrical Global Media
Festivals, Megamusicals, and Livestreaming; how contemporary types of theatre reflect globalization and new technologies.
9 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Final
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Creators
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences.
Ratings and Reviews
great course, learned a lot from this simple course.
covered a lot of interesting ideas about theatre
Enjoyable course. Thanks. I learned a lot about my own community.
Very interesting course that makes someone to wide his mind and understand that art can not evolve without technology or economy. Also it becomes quite clear that art is not one persons or countrys privilege, but of the whole world and everyone can help theatre to evolve.
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Enjoyed it.