WGST 231
Approaching Performance Studies Fall 2009
Division II
Cross-listed THEA 230 / WGST 231 / LATS 230
This is not the current course catalog

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.