A campaign is calling on Trinity’s School of Creative Arts to reinstate two modules, Women in Theatre and Applied Womyn and Performance, for the 2017/18 year after the modules were removed from student’s option lists.
The Women in Theatre module, however, is available to students for the next academic year, and was mistakenly left out of the list of module options that was sent to students on April 27th.
Christine Poulter, Head of Drama, which is part of the School of Creative Arts, said in an email to The University Times that Dr Melissa Sihra, who runs the Applied Womyn and Performance module, “only had 4 takers” for the Applied
Womyn and Performance module this year and thus “has decided not to offer it next year”. “This is perfectly in order as it was a recent addition to facilitate follow-up for students interested to follow up on their Women and Theatre module”, Poulter stated.
“Any students interested to do so next year can propose something under the Advanced independent project module but [Sihra] did not think the numbers eligible would justify a module given she would not be teaching it”, Poulter continued, adding that the module “may return the following year”.
A petition, created by drama, theatre and performance student Anna Mc Namara Taylor and at the time of writing had just under 200 signatures, is calling on the school to reinstate the two modules, stating that the absence of a lecturer for the year is “not an excuse for the subject and discourse surrounding women in theatre to not be taught, studied or discussed in an academic setting, and as such the modules should be reinstated with the provision of a guest lecturer or otherwise”. It has since been clarified, however, not only is the Women in Theatre module to continue, but that Sihra is only away for Michelmas term of the next academic year.
In an email statement to The University Times, McNamara Taylor said that she was running the campaign alongside her classmates because “the modules were struck without warning from the module options” for third and fourth year students. The drama and theatre studies course runs such that both third and fourth year students can choose similar modules, and students can choose to sit the “advanced” or “applied” option of a module after doing the topic in third year.
As the module handbook was circulated to students after business hours, those campaigning on the issue were unable to contact the school about the module. Poulter stated that “no student has been in touch to query this with me” and that she was “surprised to hear about it first” from contact with The University Times.
McNamara Taylor stated that students were not made aware that the module was not on offer to students until it was not included in the module handbook.
Speaking to The University Times, Paraic McLean, who is the Convenor for the School of the Creative Arts for Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and is supporting this campaign in that capacity, stated that the issue had generated a “lot of heat in a short amount of time”.
McLean noted increasing efforts to “push forward for women in theatre”, from playwrights to directors. Students in Trinity are the “next generation” of Irish theatre, he stated. McLean plans to bring the issue to the next meeting of the school’s executive committee, which takes place next week.
In a statement to The University Times, President of TCDSU, Kieran McNulty, said that he had signed the petition “in a personal capacity” and that the union is “going to investigate further with the School of Drama over next week”.
Under the petition, supporters noted the importance of modules that address the trans community, and referenced the Waking the Feminists campaign, which criticised the Abbey Theatre’s male-dominated 2016 programme.
Correction:
May 2nd, 2017
An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the Applied Wimyn and Performance module. In fact, it is the Applied Womyn and Performance module.
