ERIC Number: EJ1023009
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-8756-7555
EISSN: N/A
Devising and Interdisciplinary Teaching: A Case Study in Collaboration between Theatre and Humanities Courses
Mahoney, Kristin; Brown, Rich
College Teaching, v61 n4 p143-149 2013
We use an experimental course collaboration that occurred in the winter of 2012 as a case study for an approach to interdisciplinary collaboration between Theatre and Humanities courses, and we argue that the theatre methodology of "devising" can serve as a particularly rich locus for collaboration between Theatre students and other Humanities students because it allows students to cooperate in generating a creative product that draws on two different areas of expertise. In this case, English students operated as critically informed advisors for Theatre students who devised original performances using a canonical text as source material. This experimental collaboration produced many of the positive results that have been discussed in previous studies concerning interdisciplinary pedagogy, including thoughtful consideration of the nature of each discipline, transferring of tools and methodologies between disciplines, increased student enthusiasm, and faculty development. However, it did not require extensive resources or curricular restructuring and thus might operate as a useful model for instructors with reservations about or limited resources for attempting interdisciplinary collaboration.
Descriptors: Interdisciplinary Approach, Theater Arts, Humanities Instruction, Cooperative Learning, Creativity, College Students, Teaching Methods, English Instruction, Reading Materials, Workshops, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Instructional Effectiveness, Student Attitudes, Case Studies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Washington
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A