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| Semester | spring semester 2024 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers |
Refiloe Lepere (refiloe.lepere@unibas.ch)
Patience Mlangeni (patience.mlangeni@unibas.ch) |
| Content | The purpose of this seminar is to delve into the dynamic notion of Story Circles, a novel approach to facilitation that combines the transformational qualities of Theater of the Oppressed and Black Feminist theatre practices. This seminar aims to equip participants with tools for engaging in transformational pedagogical experiences based on the underlying idea that artistic practice and critical thought can inspire long-term political change. Story Circles is a resistance tool and Black Feminist theatre practice rooted in community building. The circles are welcoming, engaged, and caring environments. They disclose historical and contemporary intricacies for self-exploration, conscientization, and criticizing social inequities. This theatre-making/aesthetic approach combines art, activism, and social relevance, and it sees storytelling as a knowledge-making tool for real change. Furthermore, the workshop seminars will emphasise the significance of Black Feminist theatre practices that centre the experiences and voices of Black women and non-binary people. Participants will be introduced to fundamental concepts such as embodied storytelling and radical empathy. Participants will get a better understanding of the transformational possibilities of inclusive, intersectional feminist praxis as a result of this exploration. Participants will engage briefly in techniques such as Image Theater and Forum Theater, all inspired by the Theater of the Oppressed. Through participatory processes, these theatrical methods devised by Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal invite participants to analyse power dynamics, uncover the origins of oppression, and collaboratively envision alternatives. Participants will gain insights into the complexity of power and oppression and create tactics for transformational action through embodying lived experiences and engaging in critical discussion. Participants will work together to create a supportive learning environment that encourages empathy, solidarity, and critical consciousness through experiential activities, group discussions, and reflection exercises. Participants will leave the workshop with practical strategies for incorporating Story Circles and Theater of the Oppressed practices into their own educational and community-based endeavours, enabling them to effect long-term political change through artistic expression and critical reflection. |
| Learning objectives | The circles are interactive drama with theoretical and cognitive learning where the possibilities are endless. It is a method of exploring social issues through a dramatic process of role-playing. The desired goals of the Seminar will be: • Inter-active theatre – we deal with issues that students are faced with on a daily basis (gender related issues, stress, mental illness, drugs, crime and abuse) • In-act out possibilities they want to see in their lives. • In-depth facilitation of personal and group identity constructs. • Age appropriate material and methods of engagement. • Excellent use of aesthetics specific to drama. The circle is a tool of resistance; they are open, engaged, safe and compassionate spaces. They reveal historical and contemporary complexities for conscientization, and critiquing social disparities and for self-exploration. This theatre-making/aesthetic process is an intersection of art, activism and social relevance and sees theatre as an instrument of real change. |
| Bibliography | Ahmed, S. (2014). Willful subjects. Duke University Press. (read pages 1-23) Boal, A. (2013). The rainbow of desire: The Boal method of theatre and therapy. Routledge. (read pages 77 - 112) Hooks, B. (1996). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Journal of Leisure Research, 28(4), 316. Chicago Lepere, R., & Mlangeni, M. P. (2020). Story Circles: A conversation on Black Feminist theatre practices drawn from creating the play ‘Postcards: Bodily preserves’. Agenda, 34(3), 62-73. Lorde, A. (1997). The uses of anger. Women's Studies Quarterly, 25(1/2), 278-285. |
| Comments | Refiloe Lepere, Lecturer at Tshwane University of Technology in Johannesburg (South Africa). Contact: leperer@gmail.com Patience Mlangeni, Lecturer at University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (South Africa). Departement of Philosophy. Contact: mamakimm@yahoo.com |
| Weblink | https://bildungswissenschaften.unibas.ch |
| Admission requirements | BA-Abschluss. Immatrikuliert im Masterstudiengang Educational Sciences oder Fachdidaktik bzw. Doktoratsprogramm IBW. Studierende anderer Studiengänge wenden sich bei Interesse bitte zuerst an bildungswissenschaften@unibas.ch. Hörerinnen und Studierende anderer Studiengänge sind zugelassen. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | See individual dates | ||
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 05.04.2024 | 14.15-17.45 | Alte Universität, Besprechung 003 |
| Saturday 06.04.2024 | 09.15-16.45 | Alte Universität, Besprechung 003 |
| Modules |
Modul: Lehren und Lernen (Master's Studies: Educational Sciences) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | - active participatoin required - achievements for certification will be announced during the seminar |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Institute for Educational Sciences, bildungswissenschaften@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Institute for Educational Sciences |