Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) Introduction to Creative Arts Syllabus - Mumbai University

About this course

This course is designed to introduce students to the foundational principles and practices of the Creative Arts, with a focus on Music, Dance, and Drama. Through practical engagement and critical reflection, students will explore how each discipline serves as a unique form of expression and communication. The course emphasizes the development of both subject knowledge and pedagogical understanding, enabling students to appreciate the value of the arts in education and society. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to plan and implement creative, developmentally appropriate learning experiences that foster artistic growth and engagement in diverse educational settings.

Course objectives

• Develop foundational knowledge of the Creative Arts, focusing on Music, Dance, and Drama as distinct forms of representation, skill, and knowledge.
• Gain an understanding of the content, concepts, and pedagogy across the different strands of the Creative Arts, with an emphasis on educational applications.
• Demonstrate the ability to plan and implement developmentally appropriate and engaging creative arts learning experiences for diverse learners.

Learning outcomes

• CO 77 Identify and describe the key elements of music, dance, and drama, including their historical and cultural contexts, as well as the roles of composers, choreographers, directors, performers, and audiences in each art form.
• CO 78 Analyze the representation of core artistic elements — such as pitch, tone, structure, action, dynamics, and dramatic tension — across various works in music, dance, and drama from diverse times and cultures.
• CO 79 Demonstrate an understanding of how the collaborative processes in music, dance, and drama contribute to the creation and performance of artistic works.
• CO 80 Apply knowledge of artistic elements to critically assess and discuss performances, focusing on the impact of structure, dynamics, mood, and relationships in music, dance, and drama.

Unit I: Music and Dance

• Music: - Scope of the music world including composers/musicians and conductors as makers of music, compositions and performances as musical works, roles of audiences including listeners, critics, concert attendees, etc., and the representation of musical elements including pitch, duration, structure, tone, colour and dynamics in different forms of musical works in a range of times and cultures
• Dance: - Scope of the dance world including choreographers/dancers/performers as makers of dance, performances as dance works, roles of audiences including critics, performance attendees, etc, and the representation of dance elements including action, dynamics, time, space, relationships and structure in different forms of dance works from a range of times and cultures

Essential readings

• Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2011). Transforming the curriculum through the arts. Camberwell, VIC: Palgrave Macmillan Gibson, R. & Ewing, R. (2011). Transforming the curriculum through the arts. Camberwell, VIC: Palgrave Macmillan.

Unit II: Drama Concepts

• Scope of the drama world including directors/actors/performers as makers of drama, performances as drama works, roles of audiences including critics, performance attendees, etc., and the representation of the elements of drama including collaboration, role play, context, dramatic tension, contrast, time, space, focus and mood in different forms of drama works from a range of times and cultures

Essential readings

• Gewing, R. & Simons, J. (2016). Beyond the script: Drama in the English and literacy classroom. Sydney: PETAA