Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 University Catalog 
    
2018-2019 University Catalog [Archived Catalogue]

BFA in Dance


Donna Faye Burchfield, Director
dburchfield@uarts.edu
215.717.6580

School of Dance Office
Terra Building 3rd Floor \ 215.717.6110 \ School of Dance Website

C O N T E N T S

Description

The School of Dance’s major course of study takes the depth and rigor of a discipline-based dance conservatory while engaging students in open discussions within their own practice, valuing their voices as capable of developing new and critical perspectives in dance. These strategies give way to student driven pathways and expand the ways students can access and think about the practices and techniques of making and performing dance.  It is divided into two parts: Foundation Series (freshman and sophomore years) and Portfolio & Research Series (junior and senior).

Program Objectives

The faculty of the School of Dance have developed five essential learning goals that help to shape the school’s curriculum and the young dance artist and professional.

  • Mutuality:  Students will activate relationships in dance on personal, collective, regional and global levels.
  • Relationality:  Students will engage with the world through multiple lenses of collaboration, exchange and difference.
  • Expressivity:  Students will develop tools and ideas of expression to speak, write, and dance about/with/of/alongside.
  • Sustainability:  Students will be immersed in anatomically sound technical training that consistently weaves and references both historical and emerging techniques, forms and styles through informed somatic practices.
  • Resourcefulness:  Students will develop and sharpen skills of reciprocity, relationship and network building through consistent contact with professional artists in the expanded field both within their communities and in the world.

These learning goals are mapped across courses in six different categories: 1) Studio Practice, 2) Body Pathways, 3) Thinking, Making, Doing, 4) History, Theory and Criticism, 5) Capstone Experiences (Sophomore and Senior Projects), and  6) PODS (Performance Pedagogies of Dance).

Academic Plan

Academic plans provide a semester by semester suggested course sequence. Plans can be customized through discussions with academic advisors.

Program Requirements (120 credits)

Critical Studies (33 credits)


First Year Writing (6 credits)


Students will complete a writing placement exam to determine their composition sequence. Students who do not complete the exam may be placed based on standardized tests scores (if available) or high school GPA. Some students may be required to complete additional developmental coursework.

Students will complete one of the following sequences:

Developmental


ESL


Critical Approaches to the Arts and Culture (9 credits)


  • Select 3 courses from subject CRIT

Scientific Inquiry Foundation Track (3 credits)


  • Select 1 course from subject SIFT

Critical Studies Electives (15 credits)


  • Select courses from subjects:
    • AHST (Art History), HIST (History)
    • FRCH (French), ITAL (Italian), LITT (Literature)
    • PHIL (Philosophy), RELI (Religion)
    • MATH (Math), SCIE (Science)
    • ANTH (Anthropology), PHIL (Philosophy), PSYC (Psychology), SOCI (Sociology)
    • STCU (Cultural Studies), STDA (Dance Studies), STGS (Gender & Sexuality Studies),
      STMU (Music Studies), STPF (Performance Studies)   
  • Select courses from  : Art History or Critical Studies Elective.

Electives (9 credits)


  • Complete 9 credits of free electives. This requirement is satisfied by any undergraduate course that isn’t required by the program.