Drama Studies | Academic Requirements | Production Options
The Junior Seminar and Senior Project | Courses | Faculty

The Drama Studies B.A. Program:
The Junior Seminar and Senior Project

Students normally take the junior seminar (DRA 3890) in the spring of their junior year, during which they develop and submit their senior project proposal for approval. The senior project (DRA 4990) is normally completed during the fall and spring of the senior year (4 credits per semester, 8 credits total), and may take the form of:

1. an academic essay (theory, theatre history, dramatic literature, or performance studies); or
2. playwriting and performance composition (including solo performance); or
3. directing

Specific elective courses are prerequisites (or strongly recommended) for each of these types of senior projects, as listed below. Students should consult closely with their faculty advisor to ensure that these courses have been completed by the end of the junior year.

In most cases, students must receive formal approval of their senior project proposal by the end of the junior seminar. Acceptance of proposals is not automatic—it is dependent on adequate student preparation and fulfillment of required courses, as well as faculty availability and expertise. Students may be asked to submit an alternate proposal or take additional courses before proceeding. The number of students pursuing a particular type of senior project may be limited, subject to approval by the drama studies faculty.

Advanced students who plan to explore the intersections of two or more areas in their senior project (e.g., solo performance as a performance studies project) should consult with their faculty advisor well in advance to shape an acceptable course of study and senior project.

The following elective courses are prerequisites for (or strongly recommended prior to) the senior project. In most cases, courses taken to fulfill the upper-level electives requirement for the major also fulfill these senior project prerequisites.

For playwriting:

Prerequisites:

1. DRA 3590/Playwriting I (4 credits)
2. One course in dramatic literature (4 credits)

Recommended:

1. DRA 3591/Playwriting II (4 credits)

For solo performance:

Prerequisites:

1. DRA 3510/Performing the Self in Society (4 credits)
2. One course in dramatic literature (4 credits)

Recommended:

1. At least one additional course, chosen from the following (3–4 credits):
   
   • TAC 1055/Fundamentals of Acting (3 credits)
   • DRA 2870/Performance of Dramatic Literature (4 credits)
   • DRA 3710/Performance Ethnography (4 credits)
   • DRA 3725/Adapting Literature for Performance (4 credits)
   • DRA 3760/Poetry in Performance (4 credits)

For directing:

Prerequisites:

1. DRA 3200/Practicum in Directing/Studies in Directing (4 credits)
2. Two of the following (5–8 credits total):
   
   • TAC 1055/Fundamentals of Acting (3 credits)
     
   • DRA 2000/Acting the Classics (4 credits)
     
   • DRA 2550/Stage Management (3 credits)
     
   • SOA 2760/Movement for Actors (2 credits)
     
   • DRA 2870/Performance of Dramatic Literature (4 credits)
     
   • DRA 2895/Production Practicum (4 credits)
     
   • TAC 3070/Acting Scene Study (3 credits)
     
   • Or other technical, production, or design courses or off-campus internships, approved in advance by the drama studies faculty

Recommended:

1. Internship or assistant director experience with acting productions in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film (junior or senior year)

For theory, theatre history, dramatic literature, or performance studies:

Prerequisites:

1. One course in non-Western performance forms (4 credits)
2. Two courses in theory, theatre history, or dramatic literature (8 credits). Students who are planning a senior project in performance studies should consult with their faculty advisor about additional course options.

Updated June 27, 2008