PERF - Performance Studies (PERF)

PERF 101 Introduction to Performance Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of topics in the interdisciplinary field of performance studies, including forms of performance, performance in everyday life and performance in global and intercultural contexts; in-class performance exercises and discussions; major writing component.

PERF 156 Dress in World Cultures

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Relationship of dress to humans as biological, aesthetic and social beings; dress as cultural performance.

PERF 223 Aesthetics of Activism

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The use of performance in activist contexts to achieve social and political change; examination of activism, including struggles for social justice, economic equality and civil rights, as performance; examination of the arts, including performance, theatre, music, dress and design, as tools for activism.

PERF 284 Performance Studies Internship

Credits 0 to 4. 0 to 4 Lecture Hours. Supervised experience program conducted in the area of the student’s interest in performance studies. May be taken three times for credit. Prerequisite: PERF 101.

PERF 285 Directed Studies

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Directed Studies in specific problems in identified areas of performance studies. May be taken for credit up to 3 hours. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor and department head; PERF majors and minors only.

PERF 289 Special Topics in...

Credits 3. 3 Other Hours. Selected topics in performance studies. May be taken for credit seven times. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

PERF 291 Research

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in performance studies. May be taken two times for credit. Prerequisites: Freshman or sophomore classification and approval of instructor.

PERF 292 Cooperative Education in Performance Studies

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Educational work assignment by a student in the field of his or her career interest and course of study; supervision of the student by the cooperating employer and the instructor; technical report on a related subject area approved by the instructor. May be taken two times for credit. Prerequisite: PERF 101.

PERF 301 Performance in World Cultures

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Application of the tools of performance studies to explore the enactment of the arts in world cultures and the ways the people of every society express themselves in performance; examination of different genres of performance through music, theatre, verbal art and dress. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor; PERF-301 also taught at Galveston campus.

PERF 303 Creating Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Live and mediated performance; techniques and skills for performance; practical experience; discussion and critical analysis of performance; strategies for devising performance. Prerequisites: Major or minor in PERF; junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 308 Performing Arts Administration

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Planning and managing artistic events and performances; basic concepts of management theories, creating budgets, production management, and grant applications; attendance of departmental events required. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

PERF 310 History of Performance in the Ancient World

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Historical approach to performance in the ancient world; primary and secondary evidence for performance practice; application of historical methods in the study of performance. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification, or approval of instructor.

PERF 311 History of Performance in the Common Era

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Historical approach to performance practices and texts in the Common Era to 1800; transmission of performance styles, techniques and genres across cultures; applications of historical methods in the study of performance. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 312 History of Performance Modern Era

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Development of performance practices and texts in the 19th-21st centuries; performance styles, techniques and genres in and across cultures; application of historical methods in the study of performance. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 320 Research Methods in Performance and Visual Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Study and practice of research methods used in performance and visual studies; discussion of practical, ethical, and epistemological aspects of research. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 321 Collaborative Design Process

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. 1 Lab Hour. Principles and practical application of techniques for designing theatre, music and other types of live performance; practical aspects of designing and producing live performances: plays, music events, devised performances, performance art; topics include lighting, sets and space, clothing and costume design, sound; may include specialized techniques such as masks, props, makeup. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification, major or minor in PERF, or approval of instructor.

PERF 322 Collaborative Performing

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. 1 Lab Hour. Acting, movement, music and directing techniques for plays and other types of performances focusing on collaboration among all participants; principles of realistic and non-realistic acting, including non-Western styles of performance, music and physical movement and principles of stage direction. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification, major or minor in PERF, or approval of instructor.

PERF 325 Dance in World Cultures

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of international relationships between dance, culture, identity, gender, youth and politics; relationships between dancing, gender and politics in specific cultures and in globalization; variety of dance practices around the globe. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 326 Dance and Identity in the United States

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Analysis of dance events as complex sites for social action; examines dances performed by diverse groups of people; considers such issues as identity, community, diversity, gender and representation in the United States. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 328 Japanese Traditional Performing Arts

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Study of various genres of Japanese performing arts from the 7th century to the present; understanding the genres in their historical and cultural contexts and recognizing shared aesthetic values. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 330 Public Scholarship in Performance and Visual Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of the mediums and means through which scholars of the performing and visual arts engage diverse audiences; exploration of the ethics of public scholarship; survey of contemporary and historical presentational methods including performance, exhibition, installation, data visualization, criticism, and more. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PERF 320; junior or senior classification.

PERF 333 Movement in Performance Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Embodied practices in performance studies; examination of the role movement plays in aesthetics, communication, religion, society, individual experience and politics; investigation of varied movement practices.

PERF 338 Performing Communities

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Consideration of socio-cultural, aesthetic and ethical issues in arts-based community engagement; development of a community-based performance project. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 343 Role-Playing as Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Performance-based course; exploration of real-world applications and ethics of role-playing situations and scenarios. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 399/FILM 399 Star Studies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of stardom as a cultural, economic, creative, and performative force; may focus on national or global star industries; topics include examination of film, theater, television, sports, or social media stardom depending on the term. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in FILM 251/ENGL 251 or FILM 299. Cross Listing: FILM 399/PERF 399.

PERF 407 Performing Literature

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Analysis and performance of poetry, prose and drama; emphasis on translating analytical decisions into performance; solo performance, readers theatre, chamber theatre, and technology in/as performance. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 430 Performance and Visual Studies Studio

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Discussion and application of best practices and strategies for research project design and execution; design and development of a research project; advanced topics within Performance and Visual Studies. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PERF 320 and PERF 330; junior or senior classification.

PERF 446 Design as Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Design as performance using research methods and the production of new work; disciplines of design, performance, installation and performance as research. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification.

PERF 450 Seminar in 20th-21st Century Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Social, political and aesthetic issues and problems in 20th-21st century performance idioms; study of genres, styles, artistic movements; may include performance. May be taken two times for credit when content varies. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 451 Seminar in Historical Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Historical contexts for performance genres, styles or movements prior to the 20th century; texts, performance practices and contexts of performance genres, styles or movements prior to the 20th century; emphasis on historical methods; production participation may be required. May be taken two times for credit if content differs. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 452 Seminar in Global Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Intersection of cultures in performances; representations and expressions of culture; focus on culture as the ground for performance; may culminate in a performance. May be taken two times for credit if content differs. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 453 Seminar in Performance Ethnography

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theories and methods of ethnographic research; ethnographic research in the study of performance; ethnography of performance; ethnographic field work may be required. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 454 Seminar Performing the City

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Vernacular and aesthetic performance traditions in a city or cities; politics, culture, economics and geography of city or cities; may include a faculty-led field trip. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 455 Seminar in Gender, Sexuality, and Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Performance of gender and sexuality; emphasis on feminist theory and queer theory, their intersection with performance studies and applications to performance practice; in-depth examination of works by artists who are women, queer, and-or gender non-conforming. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 456 Seminar in Identity, Intersectionality, and Performance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Performance as site for expressing and constructing intersectional social identities; race, ethnicity, gender, class and other identities in performance; social identities in the performance of everyday life; countering oppression using performance. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of the Instructor.

PERF 457 Seminar in Performance and Technology

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. The intersection of performance and technology. The use of technology in artistic practice; the impact of technology on live performance; performance studies approaches to the study of science and technology. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 460 Seminar in Performance Theory

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. . In-depth examination of one or more contemporary theories of performance. Emphasis on problems, research, and innovations relevant to performing and analyzing performance. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification, or approval of instructor.

PERF 461 Seminar in Folklore

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Expressive forms in vernacular culture; folklore genres and traditions of expression; local and regional customs; material culture and narrative; processes of meaning-making; aesthetics in vernacular performance. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.

PERF 481 Capstone Seminar: Performance as Research

Credits 3. 1 Lecture Hour. 5 Lab Hours. Capstone senior project on an individually-chosen research topic, presentation of a performance or interdisciplinary project; major writing and oral communication components. Prerequisites: Performance studies major; completion of all performance studies coursework or taken concurrently with this course; approval of instructor, advisor and department head.

PERF 483 Performance Practicum

Credits 1 to 3. 1 to 3 Other Hours. Faculty-supervised performance experience in a public setting as part of a department production or an approved external production. May be taken four times for credit. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification and approval of instructor.

PERF 484 Performance Studies Internship

Credits 0 to 4. 0 to 4 Other Hours. Supervised experience program conducted in the area of the student’s interest in performance studies. May be taken three times for credit. Prerequisites: PERF 101; junior or senior classification.

PERF 485 Directed Studies

PERF 489 Special Topics in...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. 0 to 4 Lab Hours. Selected topics in performance studies. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

PERF 491 Research

Credits 0 to 3. 0 to 3 Other Hours. Research conducted under the direction of faculty member in performance studies. May be taken two times for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification and approval of instructor.