Introduction to Performance Studies

5 units · Graduate courses (200-299)

Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Foundational survey of performance studies, following its emergence from anthropology, sociology, theater studies, cultural studies, and critical theory. Introduction to significant developments that have contributed to the formation of performance studies—from questions of fieldwork, embodiment, liveness, and ritual to the politics of race, gender, sexuality, and globality. Readings draw from works foundational to the field and recent interventions that expand the field’s interdisciplinary scope. Students develop fluency in major debates in the field and reflect upon how they can cultivate their research projects to contribute to the field’s future directions. May be repeated once for credit. Letter grading.