Undergraduate courses

The objectives of this course are to familiarize the student with some traditional/authentic dances of West Africa. The dances are mostly from the traditions of Guinea, Senegal, Mali and The Gambia. Other countries of the African Diaspora will investigate to provide context and deeper understanding. be visited in terms of embodied practices as well as choreographic and compositional elements in ensemble dance creations. 

As this is a movement-based class, students are required to wear non-restrictive or athletic style clothing allowing full freedom of movement to classes. Indoor, closed toe shoes with good grip are also required for the course.

This course will introduce writers at any levels to the essentials of writing for the stage, screen or radio. Students will explore character, dramatic action, dialogue and structure. Students will support each other from initial idea to finding the structure that best suits their chosen form. 

A multimedia survey course exploring the genre of popular music known as Progressive Rock. The course will include an examination of Progressive Rock’s early history from its psychedelic beginnings, through its heyday in the 1970s, and its legacy in the 1980s and beyond. Discussions will center on a survey of some of Progressive Rock’s most well-known icons and will include detailed analyses and indepth discussions of their works. All lectures will be presented online in video format.

The performance of contemporary popular choral music.

Exploration of techniques specific to theatre and production for youths. Students will be given the opportunity to coordinate with a new children’s festival at Arts Commons in the spring.

A multimedia survey course exploring the music of Led Zeppelin, including an examination of the band’s history from their pre-Zeppelin beginnings through their rise to superstardom. Discussions will center on an album-by-album survey of the band’s music and will include detailed analyses of significant works.

 A historical survey of the Blues.  The course will explorations of the origins of Blues music and its relation to both its lyric content and its cultural context.  Students will gain a basic understanding of the musical elements that are part of Blues conventions. The course will introduce students to the major creator/performers, past and present, and will introduce students to the influence that the Blues has had on other forms of popular music.  

Detailed ethno-musicological examination of non-Western traditions. This course is designed to investigate the music of several of the world’s cultures. Students will develop an understanding of musical structure, style, the differing cultures’ aesthetic viewpoints, and the music's function and context within those diverse societies. Students will encounter new musical expressions as well as the corresponding world-views and philosophies that accompany them.

This course is designed to investigate the popular music of several of the world’s cultures. Students will develop an understanding of musical style, the differing cultures’ aesthetic viewpoints, and the music's function and context within those diverse societies. Students will also engage in the critical examination of the music industry in various countries, as well as the socio-political context of popular music in those societies. 

Detailed ethno-musicological examination of non-Western traditions. This course is designed to investigate the music of several of the world’s cultures. Students will develop an understanding of musical structure, style, the differing cultures’ aesthetic viewpoints, and the music's function and context within those diverse societies. Students will encounter new musical expressions as well as the corresponding world-views and philosophies that accompany them.

This course is designed to investigate the popular music of several of the world’s cultures. Students will develop an understanding of musical style, the differing cultures’ aesthetic viewpoints, and the music's function and context within those diverse societies. Students will also engage in the critical examination of the music industry in various countries, as well as the socio-political context of popular music in those societies.

Intermediate study of the techniques of street dance forms i.e. Hip Hop

This course is an expedition through the imaginative worlds and landscapes through practice of clown and mask. Designed to lead participants on a journey into their creative potential, this course will focus on accessing impulse, cultivating play, and failing with pleasure. Learn strategies for escorting ideas out of the ether and into the realm of the actual. Voyage into a space of deep listening to self and others. An exploration into the possibilities of physical comedy.

This Advanced Topics seminar will focus on playwriting by women from the 1990s to the present, identifying key concerns and theatrical/dramaturgical strategies that distinguish their work, as well as critical perspectives that illuminate their plays.

The examination of select problems in scenic design

The examination of select problems in lighting design

The objectives of this course are to familiarize the student with some traditional/authentic dances of Africa. 

This course will focus on tragedy, looking at plays from across historical periods as well as contemporary replays of earlier works. Readings will include plays as well as critical and theoretical readings. Combining lectures, class discussion, student research presentations, and video screenings, the course will familiarize students with key works of classical, modern, and contemporary tragedy while fostering critical thinking, research, and oral and written communication skills.

Formal study of the technologies of Drama and Artificial Intelligence. Students work with AI in a game-jam model to create projects following the principles of Drama and Performance. A rapid iteration process integrates professional practices from studio-based arts and creative technologies.  

The emergence of modernism in theatre, drama, and performance both reflected and contributed to the transformation of gender roles and the emergence of modern sexual identities in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This “advanced topics” seminar will investigate the intersection of gender, sexuality, modernism, and performance.

Detailed ethno-musicological examination of non-Western traditions. This course is designed to investigate the music of several of the world’s cultures. Students will develop an understanding of musical structure, style, the differing cultures’ aesthetic viewpoints, and the music's function and context within those diverse societies. Students will encounter new musical expressions as well as the corresponding world-views and philosophies that accompany them.

Detailed ethno-musicological examination of non-Western traditions. This course is designed to investigate the drumming traditions of several of the world’s cultures. Students will develop an understanding of musical structure, style, the differing cultures’ aesthetic viewpoints, and the music's function and context within those diverse societies. By playing various rhythms students will develop drumming skills and will become familiar with the rhythms and techniques of selected drumming traditions including African, Arabic, Brazilian, Cuban, Indian, Japanese and Middle Eastern traditions.

This course will investigate the vast repertoire of chamber music created by Canadian composers, the large number of ensembles committed to performing chamber music, and the institutions and presenting organizations that support this musical activity.  The major focus will be on the creation and performance of contemporary music, with a secondary focus upon the historical roots of this musical genre.