Department of Drama
Flinders University
Information for Postgraduate Students and Examiners
Master of Arts & Doctor of Philosophy
The Drama Department at Flinders University offers two research degrees, the
Master of Arts (MA) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The Master of Arts is
usually undertaken over two years, the Doctor of Philosophy over three years.
Scholarships are available for both degrees.
Students enrol in research degrees to develop their capacity to undertake research of
significance at the highest levels of originality, creativity and intellectual achievement.
Students in the MA and PhD undertake supervised research leading to the
presentation of a thesis. A thesis in Drama may consist of scholarly work, or a
combination of scholarly and artistic work.
Research topics
The topic of the research and the design of the project are developed in consultation
between the student and their supervisor. The following list of topics indicates the
range of research interests amongst the staff in Drama:
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Modernist theatre; theatre historiography; reviewing and criticism; Ibsen
Studies; Shakespeare on stage and screen
Popular performance, music theatre, comedy and satire, television drama,
social performance
Directing, performance making and actor training; dramaturgy, adaptation and
creative development
Performance and gender; emotion and corporeality
Intercultural studies and the cultural politics of performance
eResearch methodologies for the performing arts; new media and
technologies in performance
Artistic practice and research
Postgraduates in Drama at Flinders are often practising artists engaged in scholarly
research. This blend of scholarly and artistic activities reflects the profile of the
Drama Department staff.
We believe that artistic practice is enriched when artists incorporate the intellectual
practices of scholarly analysis, criticism, theorisation and debate.
We regard artistic research and creative development as research methods to be
incorporated alongside archival research, field work, and the analysis of image, text,
discourse and performance.
We encourage our postgraduates to pursue creative outcomes. We also expect them
to become proficient in the genres of academic presentation and publication.
Thesis
All postgraduates are required to present a thesis for examination. A thesis for a
higher degree in Drama at Flinders should be:
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Significant – regarded by experts as an original, innovative, creative,
valuable, useful, effective, incisive, insightful, engaging and beautiful
contribution to its field.
Substantial – embodying the results of an intensive, sustained and focused
project of research, resulting in a written thesis which may include a dossier
of creative work.
Well-formed – a cogent and coherent work in which the form reflects its
content, the content reflects the research process, and the research process
reflects the rationale of the project.
A thesis demonstrates a student’s expertise and achievement. It should reflexively
articulate the subject position of its author within a field of knowledge. It should also
extend beyond the author through its encounters with a field of practice and its
address to an audience.
The thesis for a PhD embodies the equivalent of three years full-time work, resulting
in a thesis of 75,000-100,000 words. Where creative work is included in the thesis,
the written component for a PhD is 50,000-75,000 words.
An MA thesis embodies the equivalent of two years full-time work within a written
thesis of 35,000-50,000 words or creative work and written component of 25,00035,000 words.
Students work with their supervisor in their first year to develop a detailed proposal
outlining their research project and the form of their thesis.
Creative Work
Creative work must form an integral part of a research project. Students develop
creative projects in close consultation with supervisors and in conjunction with the
Drama Centre program. Students usually work on creative projects in the Drama
Centre, with the involvement of undergraduate students.
The creative work should demonstrate the student’s ability to excel as a professional
artist in a chosen genre. It will embody the results of research into the genre and
display a mastery of the appropriate craft that reaches current industry standards and
develops the art form in new ways.
The length of the creative work depends upon the art form and will be negotiated with
the supervisor. In general, the work should represent a significant, substantial and
well-formed contribution within a genre.
As a guide, these creative products (or their equivalents in other genres) are
acceptable:
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a series of creative developments for a work;
a full-length script, developed through dramaturgical research;
a series of productions in the Drama Centre;
a pilot for a feature film or documentary, including a filmed excerpt;
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mixed media or multimedia works forming a substantial contribution in a
genre.
In consultation with supervisors, students may seek external-funding to present
professionally-produced work outside the university. Supervisors will advise whether
professionally produced work is appropriate for submission within a thesis.
A thesis combining both creative and scholarly work is assessed as the whole
outcome of a student’s research. The thesis, as a whole, must fulfil the requirements
for an MA or PhD by research as laid down in the Flinders University Research
Higher Degrees Policies and Procedures.
Please contact the postgraduate coordinator if you wish to discuss creative work as
research in Drama.
Admission requirements
Applicants for PhD must hold an approved bachelors degree in drama with honours
class 1 or 2A or an equivalent qualification. For MA the requirement is an approved
bachelors degree in drama with honours. Under certain circumstances the Faculty
Board may, and subject to specific conditions, admit others who can show evidence
of fitness for candidature.
Applicants will only be enrolled where (a) their program of studies has been approved
by the Faculty Board; (b) the proposed program of studies can be conveniently
pursued and appropriately supervised; and (c) the person is judged by the Faculty
Board to be qualified to undertake the program.
Application Deadline: 31 October for students applying for postgraduate
scholarships. Applications for admission to the degree only may be made at any
time.
Postgraduate Coordinator
All applicants should discuss their application with the postgraduate coordinator
before applying.
Dr Jonathan Bollen
Location: Room 236A Humanities Building
Phone: (+61 8) 8201 5874
Fax: (+61 8) 8201 3635
Email: jonathan.bollen@flinders.edu.au
(February 2009)