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Russian |
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RUSS 641 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (1 Credits)
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RUSS 642 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (2 Credits)
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RUSS 643 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (3 Credits)
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RUSS 644 - Honors Independent
Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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Sociology |
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SOCI 110 - Introduction to Sociology
The course provides an overview of the principal concepts that have informed sociological thought and theory. Class readings, discussions, and assignments also explore substantive issues that have served as longstanding concerns of sociological inquiry. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 170 - Sociology of Work
This course will examine recent transformations in the U.S. economy - including deskilling, downsizing, and the rise of the service sector - and it will consider how each of these “transformations” relate to issues of identity, community, family formation, structural inequality and national culture. Work has changed so quickly in the last three decades that we have yet to fully comprehend the micro level consequences in our daily lives and the macro level consequences for American culture and global processes. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 175 - Sociolinguistics Cross-Listed as LING 175
Sociolinguistics is the study of the linguistic diversity. Language and culture are so closely tied that it is nearly impossible to discuss language variation without also understanding its relation to culture, and diversity in language often stands as a symbol of ethnic and social diversity. This course introduces students to the overwhelming amount of linguistic diversity in the United States and elsewhere, while at the same time making them aware of the cultural prejudices inherent in our attitude towards people who speak differently from us. The class involves analysis and discussion of the readings, setting the stage for exploration assignments, allowing students to do their own research on linguistic diversity. Two years in every three. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 180 - Sociology of Culture
When sociologists look at culture they look at things like people’s leisure activities, consumption patterns, style, membership in subcultural groups, and the arts. A common thread throughout most of these studies of culture is how social class and culture intersect. For example, how do people’s class backgrounds influence their forms of cultural expression in terms of their leisure activities, their beliefs, their personal style, or whom they want to hang out with? This course will explore these issues, focusing on class as a common theme. Specific topics include: the role of artists and people’s development of aesthetic taste in the arts; social forces that push us towards conformity or towards individualism; subcultural groups; and how people make distinctions between themselves and those who they describe as “other.” Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 190 - Criminal Behavior/Social Control
The use of imprisonment as a form of criminal punishment is only about as old at the United States. Currently, 1 in 100 adults in the United States are in prison or jail. How should we understand the growth of this form of criminal punishment? How is it similar to other methods to react to and to attempt to control unwanted behavior? What are the social consequences of these formal institutions of social control? In this course, we examine these developments in the processes and organization of social control, paying particular attention to criminal behavior and formal, legal responses to crime. We study and evaluate sociological theories of criminal behavior to understand how social forces influence levels of crimes. We examine recent criminal justice policies in the United States and their connections to inequality, examining the processes that account for expanding criminalization. Finally, we compare the development of formal, bureaucratic systems of social control and informal methods of social control, paying attention to the social and political implications of these developments. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 194 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 210 - Sociology of Sexuality
What is social about sexuality? Sexuality and its components (desire, pleasure, love, the body) is something more than a personal or individual characteristic. It is socially constructed. Sexuality has been configured during different historical time periods as sin, as a means of fostering alliances between powerful families, as perversion, as a means to pleasure, as a symbol of love, and as personal identity. These different sexual configurations are connected with larger social-historical trends such as the development of capitalism, the use of rationalized technologies, and the expansion of scientific-medical discourse. In this course, we explore how sexuality has been constructed through history. We examine how categories shape our understanding of sexuality such as male/female, heterosexual/homosexual/queer. We also will address issues such as child sexuality, prostitution, images of sexual minorities in the media and heteronormativity. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 220 - Sociology of Race/Ethnicity
This course explores historical and contemporary perspectives on racial and ethnic groups in American society, including African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, European Americans, and Americans of Middle Eastern descent. The goal is to develop an understanding of socio-historical forces that have shaped the lives of racial and ethnic groups in America. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 230 - Affirmative Action Policy
The course provides an introduction to US affirmative action policies in education and employment. The first section surveys the historical development of affirmative action in public schools and universities, evaluates alternative approaches to fostering diversity in higher education, and examines the most recent Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action in college admissions. The second major focus of the course is the origins and evolution of affirmative action in employment. This latter section provides an overview of the dynamics of racial and gender discrimination in employment and how affirmative action policies have endeavored to institutionalize equality of opportunity in labor markets. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 240 - Images of Women in the Middle East
This class explores women’s lives in the Middle East. Issues such as the role of women in Islam and the Middle East, their portrayal in the West, nationalism, feminism, and power and patriarchy will be emphasized. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 250 - Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofit organizations are important elements of the public sphere. They are one of the principal means by which we generate, concentrate, and channel our humanitarian and civic impulses. Sociological perspectives on nonprofit organizations presented in this course combined historical and contemporary accounts of the political, economic, and culture dimensions of the third sector: the panoply of private associations devoted to public purposes. Some of the learning goals are to develop an understanding and appreciation of: the legal frameworks that specify the permissible activities of nonprofit organizations; the ethical dilemmas that nonprofit organizations and professionals encounter as they envisage and strive to fulfill their service mission; theoretical scholarship aimed at explaining and justifying the diverse roles of nonprofits organizations in US society; the historical evolution of the relationship between the nonprofit, governmental, and commercial sectors; the challenges of governing and managing nonprofit associations; the transformation of civic engagement in the US; and, the day-to-day workings of nonprofit organizations through a case study based on students’ involvements with and studies of associations of their choice. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 269 - Social Science Inquiry
Social science presents claims about the social world in a particular manner that is centered on theoretical claims (explanations) supported by evidence. This course covers the methods through which social scientists develop emprically-supported explanations. The course covers three main sets of topics: the broad methodological questions posed by philosophy of social science, how social scientists develop research design to generate relevant evidence, and methods with which social scientists analyze data. For both the research design and analysis sections, we will concentrate on quantitative research, learning how to use statistical software. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 270 - Interpretive Social Research
This class introduces students to the methodologies and analytic techniques of fieldwork and ethnography: participant observation, interviewing, and the use of documents. Students will read exemplary, book-length studies and will conduct an extensive field research for their final project. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 272 - Social Theories
This course is designed to engage students with the most sophisticated and useful schools of thought available in the social science disciplines. The course raises a number of questions: How can we best understand the complexities of self and society? Are these units of analysis useful in and of themselves? Are they contained in an essential body or polity that we can identify as some unitary entity called Jenny and John Doe, American, French, Arab/Jew, black/white, modern/primitive, developed/underdeveloped, Oriental/ Occidental, homo/heterosexual, male/female? Or are they socially produced units that have no essence in-of-themselves, produced and made real only through performance with the “Other”? Furthermore, is there something unique about modernity that has fundamentally transformed the notions of our selves, bodies, polities, races, and civilizations? If the answer to the last question is in the affirmative, how and why did this come to be the case, and what consequences does it hold for our understanding of the past and of the future? These are the kinds of questions that great figures in sociology have been asking since the nineteenth-century, including classic theorists like Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx, as well as more recent writers such as Ervin Goffman, Michel Foucault, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Edward Said. Prerequisite(s): one 100-level course in sociology, MCST 110 - Texts and Power: Foundations of Media and Cultural Studies , or permission of the instructor. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 275 - Comparative-Historical Sociology
The course introduces students to principles of cross-national and cross-cultural analysis. The class begins with a survey of the basic methodological orientations that distinguish various modes of analysis in the social sciences. The lectures and discussions in this section provide a general introduction to the logic of causal analysis, explore the relative strengths and weaknesses of differing methodological approaches to understanding social phenomena, and specifically, consider in greater detail the distinctive blend of theoretical, methodological, and empirical concerns that inform comparative-historical social science. The substantive topics of the course include: the Social Origins of the Modern State; the Sociology of Democracy and Authoritarianism; the Sociology of Revolution; and The Rise of the Welfare State. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 280 - Indigenous Peoples’ Movements in Global Context Cross-Listed as
During the last three decades, a global indigenous rights movement has taken shape within the United nations and other international bodies, challenging and reformulating international law and global cultural understandings of indigenous rights. The recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights in international law invokes the tensions between sovereignty and human rights, but also challenges the dominant international understandings of both principles. In this course, we examine indigenous peoples’ movements by placing them in a global context and sociologically informed theoretical framework. By beginning with a set of influential theoretical statements from social science, we will then use indigenous peoples’ movements as case studies to examine the extent to which these theoretical perspectives explain and are challenged by case studies. We will then analyze various aspects of indigenous peoples’ movements and the extent to which these aspects of the movement are shaped by global processes. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 283 - Economic Sociology
Economic activity is a form of social activity: people attribute meaning to economic activity, they pursue such activity in relation to others, and this activity is patterned and organized. Starting from these premises, economic sociologists ask a wide range of questions, such as: How do people find jobs? What historical and social legacies affect prospects for development? How do art dealers know how to set prices on unique original works of art? What social arrangements influence economic inequalities? In what ways do people mix economic activities and intimacy? By surveying recent developments in economic sociology, this course introduces students to the kinds of questions that economic sociologists ask, the types of evidence they use, and the range of answers they generate. Students do not need a background in economics or sociology for this course. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 285 - Asian American Community and Identity Cross-Listed as AMST 285
This course introduces the basic issues and problems that shape the Asian American experience. The main learning objectives are: to identify and dismantle stereotypes about Asian Americans; to create a common vocabulary for describing the Asian American experience; to explore the historical and sociological foundations of Asian American community and identity; and to cultivate an appreciation of various theoretical approaches to race and ethnicity. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 290 - Islam and the West
How can we best understand the complexities of the present U.S. “War on Terrorism”? Should it be understood as a clash between two different cultural systems, one modern and democratic and the other feudal and fanatic? Or, is the violence systemic, taking a variety of forms in different parts of the globe? What role does power and inequality on a global scale have to do with it? These and many other questions will be dealt with in this course. We will trace the conflict historically to assess moments of violence and tensions and other periods of calm and symbioses. Finally, we will analyze how modernity transformed the relationship between Islam and the West, Jew and Arab, male and female, and nation/race and identity. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 294 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 301 - Language and Alienation
We are living in the midst of an “irony epidemic,” where two of the most frequently used expressions in current American English are “like” and “whatever.” Both of these are literally advertisements that words are not the real thing (at best, they are “like” it), and that they don’t matter (since “whatever” you say is equally a matter of indifference). This course takes as its point of departure the sarcasm and irony in spoken American English, and proceeds to an investigation of how the peculiar message of sarcasm (“I don’t mean this”) is conveyed in other languages, and in the media. Not surprisingly, the study of cheap talk connects intimately with aspects of pop culture. More surprising, however, is the idea that the cheapness of talk is not only a currently recognized property of our language, but that it might serve to define the very essence of human language in general and offer insights into the origins and nature of our ability to speak at all. Two years in every three. Prerequisite(s): one course in Linguistics. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 310 - Law and Society
Law is omnipresent in contemporary social life. How should we understand this development and its consequences? How does law operate to the advantage or disadvantage of various members of society? Can law be the source of significant social change? This course examines the development of a formal, legal system and the ways in which such a system connects to other parts of society. We begin by focusing on individual experiences and understandings of law and what these tell us about how law fits into the larger social order. We then evaluate explanations about the connections between social and legal development. We also consider how the “law in action” operates by examining empirical studies of legal institutions and the limits and potential of law as a source for social change. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 320 - Images of Asians and Asian Americans
The class studies the representations of Asian and Asian Americans in the U.S. The course concentrates on both classic and more contemporary feature films and written works. We will examine issues of ethnicity and national identity within larger political, economic and historical contexts. Issues of racism, gender, and interracial dynamics as social constructs will be explored. Readings, discussions and screenings emphasize the creation of new images, the representation of new groups, and the perpetuation of stereotypes as they relate to larger, international events. Alternate years. Prerequisite(s): An introductory Sociology course, or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
Curricular Change: Course approved for deletion effective spring 2013 (10/1/2012)
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SOCI 335 - Family Bonds
This class focuses on the relationship between families and larger social institutions, including governments, economic institutions, and labor markets. This course also explores how various societal forces shape relationships within contemporary American families, as well as considering other historical forms and understandings of the family. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 370 - Political Sociology
What is the nature of power within society and how does it relate to the development of nation-states? This course explores the development and operation of nation-states, examining how civil society and state practices relate to each another. We examine how the system of nation-states came into existence and what contemporary developments mean for the future of nation-states. We consider the nature and consequences of both citizenship and nationalism, trying to understand how these relations between individuals and states have developed. We also examine contemporary developments that might change citizenship, such as how we should understand national citizenship given the development of international human rights. Alternate years.
(4 Credits)
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SOCI 394 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 480 - Senior Seminar
This senior seminar serves as the capstone experience for sociology majors. This class provides students with an opportunity to develop a synthetic understanding of their sociology course work and to conduct prospective research that may culminate in honors projects. Every year. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 494 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 611 - Independent Project
Students may explore sociological topics not covered in regular course offerings or pursue more advanced study of topics represented in the department curriculum through an independent project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (1 Credits)
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SOCI 612 - Independent Project
Students may explore sociological topics not covered in regular course offerings or pursue more advanced study of topics represented in the department curriculum through an independent project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (2 Credits)
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SOCI 613 - Independent Project
Students may explore sociological topics not covered in regular course offerings or pursue more advanced study of topics represented in the department curriculum through an independent project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (3 Credits)
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SOCI 614 - Independent Project
Students may explore sociological topics not covered in regular course offerings or pursue more advanced study of topics represented in the department curriculum through an independent project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 621 - Internship
Internships allow students to participate in an off-campus learning experience. Students may engage in internships in a variety of settings that match their academic goals, including nonprofit organizations, government, and business. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (1 Credits)
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SOCI 622 - Internship
Internships allow students to participate in an off-campus learning experience. Students may engage in internships in a variety of settings that match their academic goals, including nonprofit organizations, government, and business. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (2 Credits)
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SOCI 623 - Internship
Internships allow students to participate in an off-campus learning experience. Students may engage in internships in a variety of settings that match their academic goals, including nonprofit organizations, government, and business. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (3 Credits)
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SOCI 624 - Internship
Internships allow students to participate in an off-campus learning experience. Students may engage in internships in a variety of settings that match their academic goals, including nonprofit organizations, government, and business. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 631 - Preceptorship
Preceptors may assist faculty members organize and teach courses with an emphasis on leading discussion groups, preparing study sessions, and individual tutoring. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (1 Credits)
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SOCI 632 - Preceptorship
Preceptors may assist faculty members organize and teach courses with an emphasis on leading discussion groups, preparing study sessions, and individual tutoring. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (2 Credits)
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SOCI 633 - Preceptorship
Preceptors may assist faculty members organize and teach courses with an emphasis on leading discussion groups, preparing study sessions, and individual tutoring. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (3 Credits)
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SOCI 634 - Preceptorship
Preceptors may assist faculty members organize and teach courses with an emphasis on leading discussion groups, preparing study sessions, and individual tutoring. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. (4 Credits)
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SOCI 641 - Honors Independent
The honors independent study is an option reserved for students participating in the honors program. Students may receive this course credit for pursuing research devoted to their honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (1 Credits)
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SOCI 642 - Honors Independent
The honors independent study is an option reserved for students participating in the honors program. Students may receive this course credit for pursuing research devoted to their honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (2 Credits)
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SOCI 643 - Honors Independent
The honors independent study is an option reserved for students participating in the honors program. Students may receive this course credit for pursuing research devoted to their honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (3 Credits)
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SOCI 644 - Honors Independent
The honors independent study is an option reserved for students participating in the honors program. Students may receive this course credit for pursuing research devoted to their honors project. Every semester. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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Theater and Dance |
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THDA 05 - Dance Practicum in Production
(1 Credits)
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THDA 06 - Dance Practicum in Performance
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 07 - Dance Practica in Choreography
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 11 - Yoga/Body Awareness
(1 Credits)
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THDA 15 - Practicum in Acting I
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 16 - Theatre Practicum I in Scenery/Lighting/Costuming Construction
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 17 - Theatre Practicum I in Production Running Crew
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 21 - African Dance
The African Dance class covers the traditional dance and music forms from several countries on the African continent. This physically rigorous class is accompanied by a drummer. Students learn about the origins of the dance forms and create in-class projects. Attendance at a concert off-campus is required. (1 Credits)
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THDA 25 - Dance Practicum in Performance
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 26 - Dance Practicum-Costume/Sound/Light
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 28 - Dance Practicum: Production Asstistant
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 31 - Dance Improvisation
Find expression and embodiment through the practice of movement improvisation. Open to all levels of ability. Come with a desire to move, an open mind and a willingness to explore in a non-competitive environment. We will learn to fall, roll and work with gravity in relationship to ourselves and others. The class will introduce you to contact improvisation, the “art-sport” developed by Steve Paxton in 1972. Relieve stress and balance your mind and body through physical awareness. (1 Credits)
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THDA 41 - Modern Dance I
This beginning level course is an exploration of the theory, technique, terminology and history of modern dance as a performing art. Participation in a modern dance technique class gives you a unique experience in learning. Through the process of attaining strength, flexibility and coordination, as well as an awareness of space, time and energy, you will be working within your whole self. The mind to body connection can send the spirit soaring while heightening our sensitivity to the senses. Full breathing will support the body systems, and total concentration will allow for a deep immersion into the process of learning to dance (1 Credits)
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THDA 42 - Modern Dance II
This beginning/advanced-beginning level course deepens further into the theory, technique, terminology and history of modern dance as introduced in Modern Dance I. (1 Credits)
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THDA 43 - Modern Dance III
In Modern III we continue to build upon our skills as efficient and expressive dancers through active alignment, coordination, musicality, spatial awareness and nuanced moving. We will also gently tap into historical styles of modern dance via brief readings, sampled viewings and explorations of the distinctive movement characteristics through choreographed patterns. We’ll touch upon the following artists: Isadora Duncan, Donald McKayle and Martha Graham. (1 Credits)
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THDA 45 - Modern Dance IV
In Modern IV is our most advanced modern dance class. We continue to build upon our technical skills, and deepen into our theoretical and historical knowledge of modern dance. (1 Credits)
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THDA 51 - Ballet I
This course is the study of the basics of classical ballet. Students learn correct alignment principles, ballet movement vocabulary, musicality, sense of line, and spatial awareness. They explore how movement and physics principles apply to weight, momentum, suspension and release. Attendance at concert off-campus is required, followed by a written or creative response. (1 Credits)
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THDA 52 - Ballet II
In this course students continue to build upon and integrate the technique and principles introduced in Ballet I. Attendance at a concert off-campus is required, followed by a written or creative response.
(1 Credits)
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THDA 70 - Dance Practicum Sr Project
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Practicum deleted effective Spring 2013, per Nov 2012 EPAG
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THDA 75 - Practicum II Acting
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: new title SP13: Practicum in Performance
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THDA 76 - Theatre Practicum II in Scenery/Lighting/Costuming Construction
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: New title SP13: Practicum in Scenery/Lighting/Costume Construction
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THDA 77 - Theatre Practicum II in Production Running Crew
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: New title SP13: Practicum in Production Running Crew
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THDA 78 - Theater Practicum II in Advanced Production Techniques
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: New title SP13: Practicum in Advanced Production Techniques
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THDA 79 - Practicum in Choreography
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: New course effective Spring 2013 (per EPAG Oct 2012)
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THDA 80 - Theater Practicum Senior Project
(1 Credits)
Curricular Change: Course approved for deletion effective Fall 2013 (per 11/6/12 EPAG)
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THDA 90 - Practicum in Forensics
(1 Credits)
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THDA 105 - Theater and Performance in the Twin Cities
The goal of this course is to introduce first-year students to live performance in the exciting arts scene of the Twin Cities. Students in this class learn approaches to studying theatre and performance events and texts, and begin to practice the vocabularies of scholarship in the field of theatre and performance studies. We attend performances at accomplished professional theatres, and at Macalester College. In this process of studied spectatorship, students learn how to critically attend, discuss, and write about theatre and performance events, learning the vocabularies of the field. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)
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THDA 110 - Introduction to Theatre Studies
This course is an initiation for the drama student to learn about the worlds of theatre and performance: an initiation that focuses on the critical tools necessary to begin exploring and identifying practices of thinking, reading, and researching the theater, performance, and the worlds that the critical arts address. The project is to carefully consider the questions: What is theatre? How does it work? Where has it been located? What are the claims of its genres? What might theatre accomplish? The course interrogates the aesthetic and cultural operations of theatre and the dramatic arts in order to identify vocabularies for interpreting the EVENT of the theatre. At its core, the course addresses the question: what does it require to read and interpret the arts of the theatre, theatrical contexts, and its performances? Using scripts, recorded events, criticism, and theory, the course addresses the rich relationship between the HISTORY and the THEORY of theatre and performance practices. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)
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THDA 115 - Cultures of Dance
This course will introduce you to dance in various ways: through performance attendance, video viewing, class discussions, readings, guests and studio movement participation. From a global view point we will look at dance as culturally coded embodied knowledge, investigating forms, styles, and contexts. We will examine the function of dance in the lives of individuals and societies through various cultural lenses including feminist, Africanist and ethnological perspectives. This investigation of dance theory and practice will include a weekly movement lab. No previous experience necessary. Every fall. (4 Credits)
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THDA 120 - Acting Theory and Performance I
An introduction to the fundamental techniques of realistic acting. Through improvisation, physical and vocal exercises, text and character analysis, and scene studies, the student is introduced to the process of acting preparation and performance. Limited to 16 students. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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THDA 121 - Beginning Dance Composition
The creative art of choreography is the transformation of felt and learned experiences into externalized forms. The process of organizing movement and evaluating the choices made within that organization is the development of the craft of choreography or composition. The elements of space, time and energy are studied in depth. Each student is actively involved in the creative process as choreographer and viewer. Either this course or THDA 341 is required for a dance minor. Every spring. (4 Credits)
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THDA 125 - Technical Theater
A demonstration of the importance of scenographic technology in the production of theater. This course investigates the basic theories of how a design is executed, involving all aspects of theater technology: staging methods, materials, construction, and drafting. In addition to the lectures, the class will have a studio/drafting lab once a week, plus outside class laboratory crew experience. Every fall. (4 Credits)
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THDA 145 - Make-Up Design and Application
This course teaches students the theory and practice of make-up design and application, through a combination of lecture, discussion, demonstration and intense application. Students independently complete an extensive research portfolio called a “make-up morgue” while learning the principles of make-up design and application in weekly classroom laboratory format. $45 materials fee required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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THDA 194 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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THDA 210 - Community-Based Theaters
In almost every town in the world, in a rich tradition spanning millennia, communities make theatrical representations of themselves: their heroes, their unsung neighbors, their struggles, their aspirations. Community-based theater is made by, for and about communities, and the varieties, strategies, controversies and triumphs of this form are the content of this course. In the United States, which is the geographical focus of this course, community-based theater has emerged from rural and urban communities, communities of color, communities of coalitions united toward a cause - we will learn from historical and scholarly accounts, and from participants- accounts, about many of these efforts. We also will explore the Twin Cities- own deep history of community-based theater-making, and participate in at least one major community project during the semester. Offered every other spring semester. (4 Credits)
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THDA 215 - Reading the Dancing Body: Topics in Dance History
Dance is an art of the body in time, space, and culture. It is a language that reflects individual, economic, social, and religious forces. This class will “read” the gender, race, and politics of the dancing body within African-American and Euro-American dance traditions from the 19th century to the early 21st century. The focus will be on theatrical dance forms in the United States including ballet, modern, and musical theater dance. Social dance will also be looked at as a predecessor to some of these genres. We will read, write, discuss, dance, view videos, and attend performances. (4 Credits)
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THDA 220 - Voice and Speech
An introduction to the fundamentals of correct and successful playing of the vocal instrument of the individual human body. Using techniques of Lessac, Linklater, and Rodenburg, students learn all the elements of elocution: communication awareness and confidence; breath support; healthy voice production and projection; posture and poise; articulation; Standard American English pronunciation; plus vocal expressiveness. Essential for all theatre and performing arts majors, including singers, and extremely useful for anyone choosing a career such as law, teaching, politics, leadership, etc., which demands speaking to groups and public presentations. Students learn to craft their own process of vocal support practice through a continuous self analysis, journaling of classroom exercises, explorations and performance. This is a dynamic, physical, highly experiential, practical, and performance-based, lab course. Every spring. (4 Credits)
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THDA 230 - Physical Approaches
This laboratory course offers intensive training in making theatre from action. Based on the teaching of Jacques Lecoq and his school of physical theatre training in Paris, work will focus on the observation, re-creation and transposition of daily life to create a theatre that is at once playful, emotional and creative. Course work will include an examination of the natural world and all its movements, our relationship with space and time, the neutral and larval masks and object manipulation. We will use improvisation, games and exercises to develop physical and creative skills with which to create original work; training includes basic acrobatics, balancing and juggling. Applied analyses of professional productions are required, as are written analyses of course work and individual progress. The goal of the course is to encourage curiosity and exploration to engage the student as creator, designer and performer. Enrollment limited to 12 students. Alternate years. Prerequisite(s): or other performance training strongly encouraged. (4 Credits)
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THDA 235 - Fundamentals of Scene Design
Study of the concepts, principles, and techniques of scene design in the modern theater. The emphasis is on developing an understanding of what a design concept involves and how to put ideas into colors, spaces, and forms. Much of the class lectures concern how to handle theater space and how other designers and periods in history have solved these problems. The lectures and exercises analyze the diverse materials available to the designer and the skills involved in mastering them. Prerequisite(s): THDA 125 or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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THDA 240 - Brain to Bone: Aliveness, from Rehearsal through Performance
The performance experience, for both actor and spectator, is a collaboration in “aliveness:” switched-on cognition, participatory embodiment systems (muscles, nerves, organs, etc.), moment-to-moment discovery. This course will establish effective, body-based practices for character exploration, for curious and serious students of performance. Students will learn how to apply accurate and experiential knowledge of their own body - from brain to bone, ligament to heart - to the building of character: using playwrights’ language as cues for physical responses; finding and sustaining characters’ voices and physicalities; analyzing and inhabiting characters’ whole system(s), physical, emotional, social. The work of the class will involve anatomy study and research, exercises and explorations, original application of work to character, and ultimately monologue and original solo performance work. The class will be highly physical, and meet six hours per week. Preference will be given to students who have taken a Theatre acting course, though well-described curiosity and commitment will be considered favorably. Every fall. Prerequisite(s): sophomore standing and permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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THDA 242 - Playwrighting and Textual Analysis Cross-Listed as
This practice-oriented course teaches the basic techniques of playwrighting. All its components, i.e. play analysis (both literature and performance), scene writing exercises, group discussion, and individual advisement, lead to the writing of each student’s own play. (4 Credits)
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THDA 250 - Experiential Anatomy and the Mind Body Connection
Through reading, writing, research, hands-on exercises, and structured movement activities, this course will explore the body-s design and function, focusing on the skeletal, muscle, nervous, and respiratory systems. We will use yoga postures (asanas) and breath control (pranayama) as tools to cultivate direct knowledge of anatomy and alignment. This course is designed to integrate scientific models of anatomy and one-s lived experience of body and movement. We will investigate the relationship between body and mind, beginning with the question of how the body and mind are defined and understood. Along with recent scholarly research, we will use mindfulness meditation (calm, precise attention) as a means to study thought, feeling, sensation, perception, and consciousness and how they interrelate. Every spring. (4 Credits)
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THDA 251 - Theater Projects
Theater Projects bring together scholarship and performance to create a unique learning experience. A theater project is based on subject matter suggested by the script chosen for production (i.e., an investigation of a particular historical period and its performance style, an examination of an important issue raised by the text, a deconstruction or recontextualization of a given script to reveal its contemporary relevance, etc.) or is the basis for the development of an original theater piece. Students are involved in both research and rehearsals. An important aspect of the course will be an evaluation of the subject matter gained through the subjective and objective methods of investigation involved in the project. In addition, students are expected to sign up for a one-credit practicum. (4 Credits)
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THDA 255 - Lighting Design
This course is an introduction to basic lighting design and the history of lighting. While emphasis is on theater, it also teaches the lighting design of film, television, dance, opera, and environmental settings. This course is primarily an approach to lighting design, but the student will be expected to have a basic grasp of lighting hardware as well. The first aim of the course is to make the student more aware of color and light around him/her every day. Demonstrations are an integral part of the lectures. Materials fee of $20 required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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THDA 260 - Performance Studies Praxis: Avant Garde and the Social
In this introductory course we examine the key issues and methods of Avant-garde performance, performance art, and Performance Studies. Focusing on a poetics of “revolution,” we study the theory and practices of aesthetic inquiry within and beyond the conventions of cosmopolitan modernisms. Students of performance studies examine the trajectory of body and performance art from early 20th century Avant-garde practices through the contemporary period in which performance has become a vehicle to explore identities of gender, sexuality, race and issues of power. The representational critiques of literary, sonic, somatic, visual, and theatre arts guide our study. Offered yearly. (4 Credits)
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THDA 262 - Performing Feminisms Cross-Listed as
This course seeks to define and examine Feminist Theater by exploring the critical techniques, political positions, issues, explorations, and theater practices of the many feminisms. The class studies not only the written word (in plays and criticism) but also the variety of production styles, methods, and practitioners that have been labeled Feminist. Alternate years. Prerequisite(s): sophomore standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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THDA 263 - African American Theater
This course is an overview of the development of theater by and about Black Americans. It examines the historical, social, political, and cultural context of African-American Theater. After investigating the roots of African-American Theater in African culture, performance modes, and social values, it focuses on a study of plays written by Black Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Alternate years. Prerequisite(s): sophomore standing or permission of instructor (4 Credits)
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THDA 264 - Asian Theaters: Tradition, Continuity and Change Cross-Listed as ASIA 264
This course offers an introduction to negotiations between art and the state in Latin American theatre and film texts and performances that expressly illuminate cultural and political movements in the Americas during the 20th century. We study the ways in which theatre and film address and express crisis of social conflict. Drawing on post-colonial and liberation theories of culture, art, and the state, we construct an intellectual history of socially motivated Latin American performances. (4 Credits)
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THDA 265 - The Oral History Project
This seminar trains students in the methods and theories of Oral History which have become so important for contemporary artists engaging with “real” subjects and social locations. Of particular concern for the course are questions about what it means to work between orality, work in the field, and the documentations of writing. Secondary, primary, and other sources are all used for this research project, in which students learn to evaluate their deployments of sources, as they contribute to critical reflections on their own critically creative working processes. Throughout the semester, students examine theories and methods of oral history, orality, performance, and writing - at the same time that they develop research for their own ‘oral history’ projects in Theatre and Performance research. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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THDA 266 - Performance/Documents/Rights Cross-Listed as INTL 266
This course examines experimental techniques in contemporary performing arts and media that theorize the history, politic, and everyday practice of human rights. Locating the avant-garde as a site for critical interdisciplinary work in performance and rights, we study the prevalence of contemporary uses of “the archive,” which works between database and narrative in order to think the interlinking challenges of memory, narrative, and documentation. We engage works in Theatre Studies, Performance Studies, Dance Studies, Critical Theory, Legal Studies, Media and Documentary Studies, Visual Art, as well as plays, multimedia performance texts, literatures, film, and events. Sources include artistic projects from Latin America, Algeria, Morocco, France, Germany, South Africa, Hungary, former-Czechoslovakia, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, England, and the US. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)
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THDA 268 - Rights and Resistance: Theatre and Film in Latin America Cross-Listed as
his course offers an introduction to negotiations between art and the state in Latin American theatre and film texts and performances that expressly illuminate cultural and political movements in the Americas during the 20th century. We study the ways in which theatre and film address and express crisis of social conflict. Drawing on post-colonial and liberation theories of culture, art, and the state, we construct an intellectual history of socially motivated Latin American performances. (4 Credits)
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Macalester