BA (Hons) Education Studies and Applied Drama

How do people learn? What gets in the way of learning? Where might people learn best – and how? Do we need schools? Is it possible to ‘school’ the world? Can education make a difference to human rights? Women's rights? Nationally? Globally? These are just some of the big questions that you will examine through studying Education Studies at BGU. We are proud of our highly contemporary, reactive and issues-based course that has been carefully designed to give you that ‘bigger’ picture of education in a global society. An Education Studies degree from BGU will equip you well for the future, no matter what your career destination, but if you are planning to go on to teach you will find that our modules will open your eyes to some different ways of thinking about education and its purpose and place in society.

Studying Education Studies with us will provide you with an excellent understanding of education in its widest sense, nationally and globally, and is a great choice if you are interested in a career in teaching or are thinking about working in other education-related areas. It will provide you with a deep and reflective knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues in education, directly related to everyday practice. You’ll debate education policy, find out more about the drivers of educational change in England today and critically consider different approaches to schools and schooling, both within the UK and globally.

A key feature of Education Studies is a focus on you as a developing practitioner. You will be encouraged to develop a strong personal ideology of education and will be supported in the development of secure employability skills through our work-based placements. A number of core modules each year incorporate placements in schools or other education-related settings and carefully structured placement tasks will ensure that you gain valuable first-hand practical experience.

Applied Drama

Applied Drama at BGU is for you if you are lively, curious and interested in making a difference to others. It's ideal if you want to take your projects into the community, such as into special needs and mental health settings, care homes, schools, nurseries, youth groups and many more - whilst all the time improving your performance skills, communication skills and knowledge of the subject.

We encourage our students to express individuality, connect with local communities and demonstrate what they have to offer. You’ll learn how to assess community needs, use your energy and imagination to respond accordingly, devise workshops and performance work, and learn organisational, fundraising and event management skills at the same time. In addition to the academic study of drama and theatre, you will find yourself working in a lively atmosphere with like-minded people on interesting projects. Many of these projects are taken into schools and other community settings, such as youth groups, special needs units and care units, making drama work for individuals, community groups and society as a whole. You’ll have the opportunity to work collaboratively in groups, acting, directing and studying theatre.

In addition to our full-time and part-time staff, we bring in specialist practitioners to all our drama degree programmes. This means that we can offer an up-to-date and relevant professional perspective. Our specialist practitioners offer students the chance to work alongside professional companies and take part in local and national festivals. Elements of enterprise and problem-solving, which are invaluable assets in the employment market, are central to our drama courses. As well as performance skills, you’ll develop good communication skills, confidence and resourcefulness.

At all stages of the course, you will practice what you learn through practical study and live projects. Extended placements make this a unique course, tailored perfectly for you. We encourage individuality and are genuinely interested in your ideas and what you have to offer.

BG offers two full time single honours Drama degrees. The BA (Hons) Drama programme provides an alternative route for students who do not wish to study drama within a more specialised community context. It has a contemporary focus – creating, adapting, devising and developing new work with fresh ideas. The ultimate goal of the programme is not to train actors, however, a substantial amount of acting is part of the programme at all levels, and a Level 4 module, Acting Skills, which focuses on Stanislavski’s acting techniques is meant to lay a firm foundation for this. You will develop your skills in critical analysis and interpretation of play texts from different playwrights, while enhancing your research skills and advancing their knowledge and understanding of drama in general. The programme is grounded in the academic elements of drama as well as practical performance making. It is designed to equip students with analytical skills enabling them to contribute to academic debate on drama, theatre and performance. You will gain valuable experience and skills which will be nurtured through a variety of teaching methods including productions, lectures and seminars, theatre visits and practical workshops, providing a thorough and in depth understanding of professional practice. Although the programme focuses on contemporary drama it has a strong practical element which will enhance graduate employability. The structure of the new programme, therefore, will enable you to combine theory with practice, identifying the link between the two.