The BA Humanities is an innovative, interdisciplinary four-year programme that combines multiple subjects to provide coherence and depth to student learning within nine carefully structured pathways. Taught by expert academics in the Arts and Humanities, the BA Humanities programme offers both intensive training in particular disciplines and unique skill sets that are developed by bringing together subjects that and relate closely to each other. Students will gain essential life and employment skills, including critical, analytical and creative thinking, and expert communications, while learning how to be adaptable and flexible in preparation for employment in a dynamic work environment.
This pathway allows students to immerse themselves in the close, interdisciplinary study of Music, Film and Drama, with the aim of understanding how they have come to engage with and express the core of human experience. By studying them from sociocultural and historical perspectives, students will be able to understand the ways in which they have influenced and continue to transform each other. Students will also learn how to understand the inner workings of these art forms and the theories informing them, while deepening their practical knowledge of how to write about these distinct forms for commercial, creative and critical audiences.
Curricular information is subject to change
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This 4-year pathway allows students to immerse themselves in the close study of music, film and drama, to understand them from cultural and historical perspectives, and to explore the ways in which they influence and transform each other. By providing students with a firm grounding in analytical techniques and aesthetic theory, we encourage the close reading of cultural artefacts to help students develop a nuanced understanding of form, genre, and process. By relying upon a shared body of scholarly work drawn from literary theory, cultural studies, anthropology, and media studies, we give students the opportunity to approach and apply complex theoretical perspectives to a variety of art forms, and appreciate both the similarities and differences between the two. Finally, by incorporating modules that explore the social and historical contexts of music, film, and drama, we emphasize the interconnectedness of art and culture, and help students articulate and appreciate the value of the arts in human life. The first year of the programme builds students’ vocabulary and fluency in key analytical techniques and introduces students to cultural and historical contexts of music, film and drama. Second year modules broaden the scope of inquiry, moving from central texts and practices to the representation of lesser-known voices and issues. In the third and fourth year of the programme, students will begin to forge their own path, taking modules that focus on specific genres and/or issues in these art forms. Students can also choose to incorporate a one-semester humanities internship or semester abroad. In the final year, students will work on a major BA dissertation which will allow them to produce a sustained research project on a topic of their choice, working one-on-one with an expert in the field. The pathway is designed to be progressive; analytical skills developed honed in first and second year are used as the basis for independent research and writing in the final two years of the programme.
The 4-year pathway prepares graduates to pursue careers in Theatre, Music Industry, Journalism,
Media, Arts Administration, Education, Academia, Performance.
In addition to MLitt and PhD programmes in Music, Drama and Film, UCD offers the following taught graduate degrees:
UCD Arts & Humanities Programme Office,
Newman Building,
Belfield,
Dublin 4
Tel: +353 1 716 8321/8102
Web: www.ucd.ie/ahss
Students are pre-registered to 8 core modules (40 credits). Students should then choose a minimum of 3 option modules (15 credits). They will also register for 5 elective credits in the Spring Trimester. It is recommended that students spread their credit workload evenly between the Autumn and the Spring (30 credits per trimester).
Students take two 5-credit Core modules. They then take an additional 40 credits in Option modules, with a minimum of 10 credits and a maximum 20 credits per subject Option group.
They then take an additional 10 credits in Electives, which could include Career Readiness or modules from the subject or performance options.
Students who remain on campus take up to 60 credits with no limitation in each of the Music, Film and Drama Option groups. They may take 10 of these credits as Electives or select all of these from the subject Options groups.
Students who are away for one trimester (on study abroad or internship) must complete 30 credits from the subject Options at Stage 3.
Students who are away for the entire year (on year abroad or trimester abroad+internship) do not need to register for additional modules.
Students take between 30 and 40 credits in Level 3 Option modules - no subject limitations. Students take the Dissertation Research Methods module in the Autumn and the Dissertation module in the Spring.
Students can also take up to 10 credits in Electives.
Module ID | Module Title | Trimester | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
DRAM10010 | Theatre Context and Conventions | Autumn | 5 |
FS10010 | Introduction to Film and Media | Autumn | 5 |
MFD10010 | Music, Film and Drama: Making, Doing, Interpreting | Autumn | 5 |
MUS10150 | Writing about Music | Autumn | 5 |
DRAM10030 | Theatre Matters | Spring | 5 |
FS10020 | Introduction to Film and Media Theory | Spring | 5 |
MFD10020 | Adaptation, Transmediality & Intertextuality | Spring | 5 |
MUS10120 | Music, Culture and Society | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - A)MIN3OF: (Choose 3 of) Choose three option modules (15 credits). Note: Musicianship is recommended to any student who plans to take Music Theory 1 in the Spring. This module will help strengthen your skills in reading music notation and the basic elements of music theory. All students are strongly advised to balance their workload evenly across both trimesters. This means you should pick 30 credits in Autumn (Trimester 1) and 30 credits in Spring (Trimester 2). Students may take additional option modules from this list in place of electives if they wish. |
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FS10060 | Cinema Creatives | Autumn | 5 |
MUS10210 | Musicianship | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20240 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20260 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20300 | UCD Choral Scholars 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20550 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20690 | UCD Composition Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20890 | Traditional Music Practices 3 | Autumn | 5 |
DRAM10060 | Collaborative Practice: Introduction to Physical Theatre | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
MUS10220 | Popular Music | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
MUS20610 | Music in Ireland | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
MUS20880 | Techniques of Songwriting | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
DRAM10080 | Theatre & Activism | Spring | 5 |
FS10070 | Doing Film History | Spring | 5 |
MUS10190 | Music Theory 1 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20250 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20270 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20280 | UCD Choral Scholars 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20560 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20700 | UCD Composition Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20900 | Traditional Music Practices 4 | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - A)MIN3OF: (Choose 3 of) Choose three option modules (15 credits). Note: Musicianship is recommended to any student who plans to take Music Theory 1 in the Spring. This module will help strengthen your skills in reading music notation and the basic elements of music theory. All students are strongly advised to balance their workload evenly across both trimesters. This means you should pick 30 credits in Autumn (Trimester 1) and 30 credits in Spring (Trimester 2). Students may take additional option modules from this list in place of electives if they wish. |
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HUM20040 | Primary Source Research in the Humanities A: Exploring UCD Cultural Heritage Collections | Autumn | 5 |
MFD20010 | Producing Music, Film & Drama | Spring | 5 |
MUS20080 | Musics of the World | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20400 | Early European Music | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20650 | Music Theory 2 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20030 | Studies in Irish Music | Spring | 5 |
MUS20410 | Music History Since 1750 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20640 | Music Theory 3 | Spring | 5 |
DRAM20110 | Contemporary Ireland On Stage | Autumn | 5 |
DRAM20180 | 20thCentury AvantGarde Theatre | Autumn | 5 |
ENG20450 | Writing and Performance in the Age of Shakespeare: Renaissance Literature | Autumn | 5 |
DRAM20030 | Staging Performance: A Practical Approach | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
DRAM20010 | Performance in Everyday Life | Spring | 5 |
DRAM20200 | Contemporary American Drama | Spring | 5 |
DRAM20230 | Ghosts and Monsters On Stage | Spring | 5 |
FS20160 | Action Adventure Cinema - Genre:Action/Adventure | Autumn | 5 |
FS20210 | Women's Authorship in American Cinema | Autumn | 5 |
FS20140 | Irish Cinema & TV | Spring | 5 |
FS20150 | Documentary and Society | Spring | 5 |
MUS20240 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20260 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20300 | UCD Choral Scholars 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20550 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20690 | UCD Composition Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20890 | Traditional Music Practices 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20880 | Techniques of Songwriting | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
MUS20250 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20270 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20280 | UCD Choral Scholars 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20560 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20700 | UCD Composition Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20900 | Traditional Music Practices 4 | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Options - F)MIN0OF: This is a College of Arts and Humanities module. It is the equivalent of an elective. You can take it instead of taking one of your Stage 2 electives. Please make sure that you have selected the correct number of programme options from the list above. This is not one of your required options. It is particularly recommended if you are considering applying for an internship option next year. |
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HUM20030 | Career Readiness (Humanities) | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Options - F)MIN0OF: This is a College of Arts and Humanities module. It is the equivalent of an elective. You can take it instead of taking one of your Stage 2 electives. Please make sure that you have selected the correct number of programme options from the list above. This is not one of your required options. It is particularly recommended if you are considering applying for an internship option next year. |
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Stage 3 Options - A)MIN0OF: Students who remain in UCD for the full year in Stage 3 take between 50 and 60 credits, no subject limitations. Any students away for a single trimester on study abroad or internship in Stage 3 must also complete 30 additional credits at Stage 3 to make up 60 credits. Students who are away for the whole year do not need to register for any of these modules. |
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DRAM30320 | Performance Across the Globe | Autumn | 5 |
FS30170 | Whiteness,Ethnicity&US Culture | Autumn | 10 |
FS30190 | Animation | Autumn | 10 |
FS30240 | Digital Media Cultures | Autumn | 5 |
FS30250 | Feminist Media Studies | Autumn | 10 |
MUS31200 | The Piano Concerto in European Musical Culture | Autumn | 10 |
MUS31270 | The Ethnomusicology of Popular Music | Autumn | 10 |
MUS31460 | New Ideas in Musicology | Autumn | 5 |
MUS31470 | Techniques of Composition | Autumn | 10 |
DRAM30100 | Contemporary Theatre & Performance | Spring | 5 |
DRAM30200 | Queer Theatre & Performance | Spring | 10 |
DRAM30300 | Directing for the Stage | Spring | 5 |
ENG32130 | Irish Gothic | Spring | 10 |
ENG32300 | Making Shakespeare | Spring | 5 |
FS30230 | Cinema and the City: New York | Spring | 10 |
FS30280 | Gender Activism and the Global South | Spring | 10 |
MUS31300 | Blues and Jazz | Spring | 10 |
MUS31330 | Post-Truth, Politics & Music | Spring | 5 |
MUS31340 | Music Theatre | Spring | 10 |
Stage 3 Options - A)MIN0OF: Students who remain in UCD for the full year in Stage 3 take between 50 and 60 credits, no subject limitations. Any students away for a single trimester on study abroad or internship in Stage 3 must also complete 30 additional credits at Stage 3 to make up 60 credits. Students who are away for the whole year do not need to register for any of these modules. |
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MUS20240 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20260 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20300 | UCD Choral Scholars 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20550 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20690 | UCD Composition Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20890 | Traditional Music Practices 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20250 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20270 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20280 | UCD Choral Scholars 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20560 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20700 | UCD Composition Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20900 | Traditional Music Practices 4 | Spring | 5 |
HUM30020 | Internship-Autumn (Humanities) | Autumn | 30 |
HUM30030 | Internship- Spring (Humanities) | Spring | 30 |
HUM30050 | Writing for Life: employability skills for arts and humanities students | Spring | 5 |
ENG30970 | Dissertation Research Methods | Autumn | 5 |
MFD30010 | Dissertation | Spring | 15 |
Stage 4 Options - A)MIN30CR: Students must take at least 30 credits in these Option modules. They may take an additional 10 credits here in place of Electives. Note: the 30 credits here may be made up by any combination of 5 or 10 credit modules but must total 30 credits. All students are strongly advised to balance their workload evenly across both trimesters i.e. 30 credits in Autumn and 30 credits in Spring. |
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DRAM30320 | Performance Across the Globe | Autumn | 5 |
FS30170 | Whiteness,Ethnicity&US Culture | Autumn | 10 |
FS30190 | Animation | Autumn | 10 |
FS30240 | Digital Media Cultures | Autumn | 5 |
FS30250 | Feminist Media Studies | Autumn | 10 |
MUS31200 | The Piano Concerto in European Musical Culture | Autumn | 10 |
MUS31270 | The Ethnomusicology of Popular Music | Autumn | 10 |
MUS31460 | New Ideas in Musicology | Autumn | 5 |
MUS31470 | Techniques of Composition | Autumn | 10 |
DRAM30100 | Contemporary Theatre & Performance | Spring | 5 |
DRAM30200 | Queer Theatre & Performance | Spring | 10 |
DRAM30300 | Directing for the Stage | Spring | 5 |
ENG32130 | Irish Gothic | Spring | 10 |
ENG32300 | Making Shakespeare | Spring | 5 |
FS30230 | Cinema and the City: New York | Spring | 10 |
FS30280 | Gender Activism and the Global South | Spring | 10 |
MUS31300 | Blues and Jazz | Spring | 10 |
MUS31330 | Post-Truth, Politics & Music | Spring | 5 |
MUS31340 | Music Theatre | Spring | 10 |
Stage 4 Options - A)MIN30CR: Students must take at least 30 credits in these Option modules. They may take an additional 10 credits here in place of Electives. Note: the 30 credits here may be made up by any combination of 5 or 10 credit modules but must total 30 credits. All students are strongly advised to balance their workload evenly across both trimesters i.e. 30 credits in Autumn and 30 credits in Spring. |
|||
MUS20240 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20260 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20300 | UCD Choral Scholars 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20550 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20690 | UCD Composition Ensemble 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20890 | Traditional Music Practices 3 | Autumn | 5 |
MUS20880 | Techniques of Songwriting | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
MUS20250 | UCD Philharmonic Choir 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20270 | UCD Symphony Orchestra 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20280 | UCD Choral Scholars 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20560 | UCD Gamelan Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20700 | UCD Composition Ensemble 4 | Spring | 5 |
MUS20900 | Traditional Music Practices 4 | Spring | 5 |
HUM30050 | Writing for Life: employability skills for arts and humanities students | Spring | 5 |
Award | GPA | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Programme | Module Weightings | Rule Description | Description | ||
BHACS024 | Stage 4 - 50.00% Stage 3 - 30.00% Stage 2 - 20.00% |
Standard Honours Award | First Class Honours | 3.68 |
4.20 |
Second Class Honours, Grade 1 | 3.08 |
3.67 |
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Second Class Honours, Grade 2 | 2.48 |
3.07 |
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Pass | 2.00 |
2.47 |