LATS 230(F) Approaching Performance Studies (Same as Theatre 230 and Women and Gender Studies 231)*
Theatre, music, dance, performance art, community activism, public gatherings, sports, eating, and rituals all fall under the rubric of "performance." Performance studies is an interdisciplinary field that explores these types of live, embodied activities as cultural acts and as theoretical paradigms. This course is an introduction to performance studies and to its theoretical bases in anthropology, dramatic theory, poststructuralism, psychoanalytic theory, folklore, cultural studies, philosophy, feminist theory, and queer theory. We will devote particular attention to performances that reflect the complexity and diversity of race and ethnicity in the United States. In addition to reading and discussing theory, we will study local live and recorded performances. This course combines theory and practice in order to understand performance as a critical space. On the practical level, students are expected to attend three workshops with Professor Omar Sangare to experiment with their body, voice, and the stage. These workshops will provide the foundation for students' final performance. This course also serves as the introduction course for the Performance Studies Program.
Format: discussion. Requirements: several short writing assignments, attendance at live performances and workshops, final essay and final performance.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 10). Preference to Latina/o Studies concentrators, and to Art and Theatre majors. Not open to first year students.
Hour: JOTTAR