california state university, long beach...emphasis on intercultural knowledge (i.e. human...
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Department of Dance
Dance 442: Dance and Social Identity in the United States
Standard Course Outline
I. General Information
a. Course Number: Dance 442
b. Title: Dance and Social Identity in the United States
c. Units: 3
d. Prerequisites: Completion of GE Foundation requirements. Students must have
scored 11 or higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or completed the
necessary portfolio course that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive
Capstone.
e. Responsible Faculty: Dr. Colleen Dunagan (other dance faculty as needed)
f. SCO Prepared by: Colleen Dunagan and Andrew Vaca
g. Date Prepared: 10/15/12
II. Catalogue Description
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Foundation requirements. Students must have scored 11 or
higher on the GWAR Placement Examination or completed the necessary portfolio course
that is a prerequisite for a GWAR Writing Intensive Capstone.
Development of dance in the American context with an emphasis on its socio-cultural
influences and concert forms.
In order to use Dance 442 to fulfill the Writing Intensive Capstone requirement students must
earn a C or better in this course.
Letter grade only (A-F). (2 hours lecture, 2 hours studio)
III. Curriculum Justification:
Dance 442 is an upper-division writing intensive course in dance history for the major. The
course will be taught as a Writing Intensive, Integrated Learning Capstone course meeting
curricular requirements for the GE category of History (D.2) and the Arts (C.1) through an
emphasis on Intercultural Knowledge (i.e. Human Diversity). The course will focus on skill
building through Integrative Learning and the following Essential GE student learning
outcomes: Written Communication, Intercultural Knowledge (Human Diversity), Critical
Thinking and Creativity, Inquiry, and Discovery.
While many dance majors have encountered elements of dance history in previous dance
courses or at the community college level, they have rarely been introduced to ways of
looking at dance history that ground discussions of dance in more than a chronological
accounting of choreographers, dance works, dates, and places. There is a decided need to
provide students with deeper insight into dance’s role and place within America culture.
This course engages students in an investigation of how the traditions of Western concert and
social dances intersect with socio-cultural, economic, ethnic, and political issues of identity
within the U.S. context. In doing so, the course examines dance in relation to region,
religion, gender, sexuality, immigration, nationalism, slavery, and colonialism. Through the
lens of dance, the course covers historical shifts from the 1800s to the early 2000s with
attention to non-Western and/or non-European influences.
The course emphasizes the inherent interdisciplinarity of dance studies as a field by
introducing students to primary (dances and dance practices) and secondary (theory, history,
criticism) texts and by looking at dance through the methodological lenses of social and
cultural theories arising out of various disciplinary approaches. The instructor will introduce
theoretical approaches from two or more of the following: literary studies, cultural studies
and Marxism, philosophy/critical theory, American studies, gender and sexuality studies, and
critical race studies. Entrance into these varied approaches will be achieved through the
course texts and discussion of the strategies employed by the authors in their analysis of
dance.
The course looks at the American concert dance canon (ballet and modern) in relation to
dvelopments in ballroom and jazz dance to illustrate how ethnic diversity has informed the
development of each genre. The course will focus on how markers of social identity such as
class, gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity have shaped and continue to shape dance in
America, and will demonstrate the important influences and contributions of ethnic
minorities in the field by looking closely at the contributions of African-Americans and at
least one other ethnic minority group from the following: Native Americans, Chicano/Latino
American, Pacific Islanders, Asian Americans, and/or Middle Eastern Americans. By
directing attention to two or more ethnic minority groups, the course will highlight the
development of new dance genres within America and how their contributions have
influenced the incorporation and shaping of the European-derived genre of ballet within the
United States. In addition, the course is designed to facilitate written communication and
integrative learning by placing the humanities-based theoretical perspective of dance studies
into dialogue with the artistic-based tools of dance composition, requiring students to move
ideas across the borders of these two areas and to demonstrate these skills through both
writing and choreography.
Capstone – Integrative Learning
Goal: 1) To integrate the learning of disciplinary knowledge with essential general education
skills that students need to succeed in college, life, and work. 2) To utilize the LEAP
framework to bring interconnectivity to the entire university experience, providing students
with an understanding of how general education supports learning within the major. 3) To
promote synthesis and advanced accomplishments across generalized and specialized studies.
4) To promote the essential GE skills of Written Communication, Critical Thinking, Human
Diversity, and Creativity, Inquiry, and Discovery.
Developed By: Students will synthesize disciplinary approaches drawn primarily from the
humanities (such as ethnography, literary studies, cultural studies, Marxism,
philosophy/critical theory, American studies, postcolonial theory, gender and sexuality
studies, and critical race studies) with methodologies found within the creative practice of
dance. They will apply critical thinking to reading and analyzing texts, watching and
analyzing visual examples, and synthesizing their own ideas with the ideas of others in a final
analytical paper. Students will further integrate their learning from the humanities and the
arts by applying ideas regarding the nature and construct of social identities in U.S. society to
the practice of choreography by creating a small group dance.
Capstone – Writing Intensive
Goal: 1) To provide students with a writing intensive experience that provides them with the
opportunity to write at least 5,000 words over the course of the semester, to approach writing
as a process through drafting and revising, and to receive feedback from both the instructor
and their peers as part of the writing process. 2) To have the writing portion of the course
culminate in a final paper of substantial length in a form appropriate to the subject matter and
methodology of dance studies. 3) To insure that at least two-thirds of the students’ grade is
derived from writing assignments. 4) To provide students with instruction and practice in the
following: expression and synthesis of their own and others’ ideas; to demonstrate
comprehension of texts by composing accurate summaries and reasonable responses and
analyses, and to evaluate and incorporate source materials as appropriate to a given task.
Developed By: Students will complete written reading responses and small group and class
discussions of readings, instruction in drafting, revising, providing and incorporating peer
feedback, analysis and summary of sources, the creation of an annotated bibliography, and
the completion of a final analytical paper that incorporates research and requires students to
synthesize their own and their sources’ ideas. Course assignments will receive timely
feedback from the instructor on an ongoing basis throughout the course in order to facilitate
the continual development of writing skills.
Intercultural Competence and Knowledge (Human Diversity)
Goal: 1) To foster an understanding of human diversity in the United States of America. 2)
To examine the influence of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and religion on dance
and American society. 3) To engage in comparisons of the role of African Americans and at
least one other significant minority culture within the U.S., including Native Americans,
Chicano/Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and/or Middle Eastern
Americans, on dance practices within U.S. culture.
Developed By: Students will apply critical reading, writing, and thinking skills to the study of
social identity and dance within the U.S. context. They will engage with the texts and visual
examples in an exploration of how the texts and dances interrogate social categories such as
race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, and class. Students will be asked to consider how
markers of identity circulate and to compare the ways these markers are embodied and/or
activated within and across different ethnic groups.
IV. Measurable Student Learning Outcomes, Evaluation Instruments, and
Instructional Strategies for Skill Development
The following content-based, skill-based, and essential GE skills student learning outcomes
will appear on all course syllabi:
1. Analyze and interpret the diversity of American dance practices by integrating
knowledge and methodologies from multiple disciplines, including relevant cultural
and historical knowledge of the specific ethnic groups.
2. Analyze dance practices in terms of structure and content and interpret how these
elements intersect with the construction and maintenance of social identity in regards
to race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, and sexuality.
3. Demonstrate the ability to communicate in clear prose analyses of dance practices
studied, conduct research and incorporate sources into analysis, and use appropriate
citation systems.
4. Demonstrate the ability to apply concepts and knowledge of dance history to the
practice of concert dance composition.
Student Performance Benchmarks, Evaluation Instruments, and Instructional
Strategies for Skill Development for each outcome include the following:
1. Analyze and interpret the diversity of American dance practices by integrating
knowledge and methodologies from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including
relevant cultural and historical knowledge of the specific ethnic groups. (Critical
Thinking, Interdisciplinary Learning)
a. Measurable Benchmark: Students will explain issues, identify evidence,
articulate a perspective/thesis, and accurately apply theoretical models and
methodological approaches of two or more disciplines in their discussion of
ethnicity and dance.
b. Evaluation Instruments: In-class discussions of texts and visual examples of
dances, written and choreographic reading responses, and summaries and
syntheses of visual examples, textual materials, and lectures.
c. Strategies for Skill Development: The instructor will provide readings and
lectures on appropriate disciplinary methods and theories to be used in the
analysis of global dance practices; will model ways of critical thinking that
employ these methods and theories; will model ways of integrating concepts
from dance studies with choreographic tools, will assign a final project that
asks them to create a choreographic work, and will assign a final paper that
includes a research component that draws from two or more disciplines.
2. Analyze dance practices in terms of structure and content and interpret how these
elements intersect with the construction and maintenance of social identity in regards
to race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, and sexuality. (Intercutural Knowledge,
Critical Thinking, and Creativity and Discovery)
a. Measurable Benchmark: Students will practice empathy and non/verbal
communication as they develop knowledge of cultural frameworks; they will
synthesize information and demonstrate innovative thinking through
identifying and assessing choreographic structures and movement
vocabularies employed in varied dance practices in relation to social identity.
b. Evaluation Instruments: In-class discussions, reading responses, and a final
paper that requires students to synthesize visual examples and
knowledge/theories gained from readings in an analysis of social identity
within American dance practice(s) and a final choreographic project that asks
them to create a dance that addresses, comments on, critiques, and/or
incorporates elements of social identity.
c. Strategies for Skill Development: The instructor will provide readings and
lectures on methods of dance analysis and tools for assessing the relationship
between dance forms and social identity within the American context. The
instructor will model critical thinking and ways of applying interdisciplinary
thinking to dance practices. The instructor will assign research assignments
and small group reading responses, discussions, and choreographic projects to
facilitate development of analysis and synthesis skills.
3. Demonstrate to the ability to communicate in clear prose analyses of dance practices
studied, conduct research and incorporate sources into analysis, and use appropriate
citation systems. (Written Communication, Critical Thinking)
a. Measurable Benchmark: Students will demonstrate the ability to write in clear
prose and employ the conventions of standard written English, and the
appropriate rhetorical strategies and compositional form to support a
comparative analysis; to locate relevant information in both scholarly and
popular print and digital sources using the University library and other online
databases; to explain issues, offer evidence in support of a thesis, and to
appropriately cite sources and construct a bibliography.
b. Evaluation Instruments: Written reading responses, summaries and analyses
of readings, small process-focused research process that requires use of the
library and/or internet, drafting and incorporating peer and instructor
commentary on a final paper, and a final paper and bibliography that requires
students to gather, organize, and synthesize information from course readings,
lectures/discussion, visual examples, and their own research, as well as to cite
sources.
c. Strategies for Skill Development: The instructor will provide discussion and
lectures on tools and strategies for research using the library and internet,
appropriate forms of incorporating and citing sources, tools for analyzing and
writing about visual examples, and strategies for reading and responding to
textual sources. The instructor will provide feedback on early drafts of
writing, facilitate peer review workshops, and provide grading rubrics for
written assignments.
4. Demonstrate the ability to apply concepts and knowledge of dance history to the
practice of concert dance composition. (Creativity and Discovery)
a. Measurable Benchmarks: Students will demonstrate the ability to make
connections between dance history and composition and to understand and
apply/transfer concepts and theories from readings to choreography and
movement by taking risks, problem solving, synthesis, and innovative
thinking.
b. Evaluation Instruments: Choreographic reading responses completed
throughout the semester and a final group choreography created in response to
a prompt that asks them to synthesize ideas from class, integrate them with
theories of dance composition, and create a small group choreography based
on social identity in America.
c. Strategies for Skill Development: The instructor will provide lecture and
discussion on the role and nature of social identity in concert dance and
strategies for translating theoretical concepts from readings and lived social
identities into dance composition. The instructor will provide feedback on
choreographic reading responses and facilitate peer discussion reading
response choreographic studies.
V. Outline of Subject Matter:
This is a broad outline of topics to be covered. Subject matter and sequence of topics may
vary by instructor. At this time, no consensus exists regarding dance practices and cultural
influences to be discussed, or the required course texts; however, the current instructors (2)
for the course would probably construct an outline much like the one shown here, though
specific content discussed might vary.
Week One
1/22 Introduction: Review syllabus, course assignments, and textbooks
Online Quiz: Read through the syllabus and complete the quiz posted in Beachboard
In-Class: Identity as Artist and Individual
Online Survey: Complete the writing survey available via the link in Beachboard
1/24 Reading: A Manual for Writers Chapter 3 and Chapters 15-17
Online: Review Powerpoint - “Creating a bibliography”
Assignment: Group reading response: Assembling your Reader (Groups of 5 or 6)
Assignment: Individual reading response: Creating a Course Bibliography (Due 2/5)
Week Two
1/29 Reading: “Academic Integrity” – Blum (Beachboard); “The Shadow Scholar” –
Dante (Beachboard); “Uncreative Writing” – Goldsmith (Beachboard)
In-class: Plagiarism Reading Response: What writing practices and issues do the
authors raise and how do their arguments relate to your experiences as a
student?
1/31 Reading: “The Copyright Implications of Beyoncé’s” – Yeoh and “Coda” – Kraut
“Introduction” Choreographic Copyright – Kraut (recommended)
Discussion: Summarizing an argument (paraphrasing); Beyoncé (U.S.) vs. de
Keersmaeker (EU)
In-class: Copyright Reading Response: 1st Draft Paper I: Argument Summary
and Analysis
Assignment: 2nd Draft Paper I - Chapter Summary and Analysis (Due 2/7)
Week Three
2/5 Reading: People Have Never Stopped Dancing - Part I, Chapter 2 – Shea Murphy
and “Indigenous Dances on Stage” – Farnell
Discussion: Dance and Authenticity: Delsarte and indigenous forms in the U.S.
In-class: Choreographic study
2/7 Reading: “Manifestos” – Foulkes and “White Womanhood” - Kraut
Discussion: Early modern dance practitioners, Gender, and the appropriation of
Eastern culture
Week Four
2/12 Reading: Manual for Writers Chapters 9-11
Discussion: Continuation of “Manifestos” and “White Womanhood”
Revising papers/editing writing and Paper I feedback on writing with in-
class revision practice
Assignment: Final draft Paper I - Chapter Summary and Analysis (Due 2/14)
2/14 Reading: “Pioneer Women” – Foulkes
Discussion: Humphrey, Graham, Modernism – Defining Modern Dance
In-class: Choreographic study
Week Five
2/19 Reading: “The Black Body as Object” – Kraut
Discussion: Slavery, Copyright, Minstrelsy and the Influence of West African Cultures
Assignment: 1st Draft Paper II: Applying concepts (Due 2/28)
2/21 Reading: A Manual for Writers Chapters 2, 4, 6-7 and 25 and “Martha Graham’s
American Document” – Costonis
Assignment: Reading Response – Working with Sources
Week Six
2/26 Reading: “Stealing Steps” – Kraut
Discussion: Tap, Early Jazz, and the Blending of Europeanist and Africanist Aesthetics
Review Uncreative Choreography Practice I assignment
2/28 Assignment: Group Uncreative Choreography Practice I (graded response assignment)
& reflection. Each group will need access to Beachboard/Internet to
complete the assignment
Week Seven
3/5 Reading: “Men Must Dance” - Foulkes
Discussion: Shawn, Weidman, Horton, Nijinsky, and DV8 – Sexuality, Gender, and
the Appropriation of Indigenous Cultures and the East
Feedback on 1st Draft Paper II - Applying concepts
Assignment: Final Draft Paper II – Applying Concepts (Due 3/21)
3/7 Reading: “Primitive Moderns” and “Coda” – Foulkes
Discussion: African Americans in Modern Dance (1920-1960) – Winfield, Guy,
Dunham, Dafora, Primus, and Ailey – Post-Colonial Connections to West
African and the Caribbean
In-class: Choreographic study
Week Eight
3/12 Reading: “High-Brow meets Low-Down” – Kraut and “Dancing America” –
Foulkes
Discussion: Broadway, Ballet, Modern, Cultural Appropriation, Nationalism, and
Copyright
3/14 Reading: “Death/Life of the Choreographer” – Kraut
Discussion: Balanchine, Graham, Cultural appropriation and Copyright
Week Nine
3/19 Reading: “From Bharata Natyam to Bop” - Hill
Discussion: Cultural Appropriation, Gender, and the Development of Concert Jazz
3/21 Reading: “Dance in War” - Foulkes
Discussion: Dance, Politics, Nationalism, Gender, and Merce Cunningham
Spring Break: MARCH 26 – April 1 – NO CLASSES
Week Ten
4/2 Reading: “Originality in Postmodern Appropriation Art” – Van Camp and “Bodies
of History” – Houston and Tobey
Discussion: Postmodernism, Dance, and the Judson Church Choreographers
Assignment: 1st Draft Paper III - Appropriation & Identity (Due 4/16)
4/4 Reading: “Staging the Ethnographic of Dance History” – Hardt and “Repeatability,
Reconstruction, and Beyond” – Franko
Discussion: Issues of Multiculturalism, Restaging, and Appropriation: the place of
dance in culture
Week Eleven
4/9 Reading: “Mark Morris’s” Dido and Aeneas” – Duerden & Rowell
Discussion: Postmodernism, Interdisciplinarity, and Identity in Contemporary Dance
4/11 Reading: “Shen Wei Dance Arts” – Gerdes
Discussion: Interculturalism (Chinese-American), Interdisciplinarity, and
Contemporary Dance
Workshop: Paper III – Appropriation & Identity
Week Twelve
4/16 Reading: “Organizing Dance” – Foulkes and “Hasidic Drag” – Rossen
Discussion: Dance, Labor Politics, Jewish Culture, and German Influences
In-class: Choreographic study
4/18 Discussion: Feedback on 1st Draft of Paper III – Appropriation & Identity
Writing composition – thesis, paragraphing, and structure
Assignment: 2nd Draft Paper III – Appropriation & Identity (Due 4/30)
Week Thirteen
4/23 Peer Review: Paper III – Appropriation & Identity
Discussion: Uncreative Choreography
In-class: Uncreative Choreography – Parody, Plagiarism & Allusion
4/25 Preparation for Final Exam – Putting theory in action: Choreographing History
Discussion: Uncreative Choreography
Assignment: Forming groups for Final Project (Uncreative Choreography and
Choreographic Appropriations paper) - 1st draft in class.
Week Fourteen
4/30 In-class: Work time on Uncreative Choreographies and Choreographic
Appropriations paper
Assignment: 2nd Draft of Choreographic Appropriations paper (Due 5/7)
5/2 In-class: Peer Review Session and group work time
Discussion: Feedback on 2nd Draft of Paper III – Appropriation & Identity
Assignment: 3rd Draft Paper III – Appropriation & Identity (Due 5/9)
Week Fifteen
5/7 In-class: Uncreative Choreographies – work time and discussion
Discussion: Final exam day
5/9 Discussion: Feedback on 2nd draft of Choreographic Appropriations paper
Discussion: Editing and final revisions – grammar, syntax, and structure
In-class: Uncreative Choreographies – work time and discussion
Assignment: Final Draft Choreographic Appropriations paper (Due 5/18)
Final Draft Paper III – Appropriation and Identity (Due 5/18)
Finals Week
FINAL EXAM - 8:00 to 10:00 AM on Friday, May 18, 2018 - meet in studio to perform
choreography.
DUE: Performance of Uncreative Choreography
DUE: Final Draft of Paper III – Appropriation & Identity (hard copy &
Beachboard)
DUE: Final draft of Choreographic Appropriations paper (hard copy &
Beachboard)
VI. Methods of Instruction:
Student-driven discussions in combination with instructor lectures and screenings of visual
materials will form the foundation of instruction for the course. Instructor lectures will
provide historical background and facilitate the understanding of discipline specific
methodologies and theoretical perspectives. Small group activities will be used to facilitate
skill development in reading across disciplines, mastery of concepts/theories, and movement
analysis. Reading responses will be completed both individually and in small groups and
will consist of a mixture of short written assignments, designed to facilitate mastery reading
comprehension skills and use of sources, and small choreographic prompts, designed to
facilitate mastery of concepts and integrative learning. These responses will be completed
both within and outside of class. A significant portion of class time will be devoted to
instruction in research and writing skills (reading, incorporating sources, drafting, and
revising).
VII. Extent and Nature of Technology Use:
Specific uses of technology will vary by instructor but may include the use of Beachboard
(Desire2Learn), library databases, the Internet, audiovisual materials (dance practices and
possibly film), and digital presentations. Students will be expected to engage with
Beachboard, the library database, the Internet, and possibly other forms of technology, such
as digital presentations audio/interviews, blogs, online publications, and/or video.
VIII. Information on Textbooks/Readings:
The textbooks selected will vary year to year depending on the instructor and the global
dance practices he/she decides to focus on in the course in a given semester. The following
are examples of appropriate texts:
Foulkes, Julia L. Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to
Alvin Ailey. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
Kraut, Anthea. Choreographing Copyright: Race, Gender, and Intellectual Property Rights in
American Dance. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th ed.
Revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Additional Readings: posted in Beachboard and collected by students as part of a class
assignment
IX. Instructional Policies Requirements:
Instructors may specify their own policies with regard to plagiarism, withdrawal, absences,
etc., as long as the policies are consistent with the University policies published in the
CSULB Catalog. It is expected that every course will follow University policies on
Attendance (PS 01-01), Course Syllabi (PS 04-05), Final Course Grades, Grading
Procedures, and Final Assessments (PS 05-07), and Withdrawals (PS 02-02 rev).
All sections of the course will have a syllabus that includes the information required by the
syllabus policy adopted by the Academic Senate. Instructors will include information on
how students may make up work for excused absences. When class participation is a
required part of the course, syllabi will include information on how participation is assessed.
When improvement in oral communication is an objective of the course, syllabi will include
a rubric for how oral communication is to be evaluated.
X. Distance Learning/ Hybrid Courses:
This course is not being designated as a distance learning and/or hybrid course at this time.
XI. Bibliography: This list is by no means exhaustive, rather it is a sampling of
resources.
Banes, Sally. Dancing Women: Female Bodies on Stage. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Benston, Kimberly. Performing Blackness: Enactments of African American Modernism.
New York: Routledge, 2000.
Bhabha, Homi. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1994.
Brown, Charlotte. Babylon Girls: black women performers and the shaping of the modern.
Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2008.
Chasteen, John Charles. National Rhythms, African Roots: The Deep History of Latin
American Popular Dance. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2004.
Desmond, Jane, ed. Dancing Desires: Choreographing Sexuality on and off the Stage.
Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001.
Dils, Ann and Ann Cooper Albright, eds. Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance
History Reader. Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan University Press, 2001.
Fisher, Jennifer and Anthony Shay, eds. When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities
Across Borders. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Gottschild, Brenda Dixon. Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance: Dance
and other Contexts. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers, 1996, 1998.
Heth, Charlotte, ed. Native American Dance: ceremonies and social traditions. Washington,
D.C.: National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution with
Starwood Press, 1992.
Hutchinson, Sydney. From Quebradita to Duranguense: Dance in Mexican American Youth
Culture. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2007.
Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. New York: Grove Press, 1952.
Fisher, Jennifer and Anthony Shay, eds. When Men Dance: Choreographing Masculinities
Across Borders. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Kant, Marion, ed. Cambridge Companion to Ballet. New York: Cambridge University Press,
2007.
Malnig, Julie, ed. Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance
Reader. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2009.
Morris, Gay. A Game for Dancers: performing modernism in the postwar years, 1945-1960.
Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan University Press, 2006.
Murphy, Jacqueline Shea. The People Have Never Stopped Dancing: Native American
Modern Dance Histories. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2007.
Needham, Maureen, ed. I See America Dancing: selected readings 1685-2000. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, 2002.
Ovalle, Priscilla Pena. Dance and the Hollywood Latina: Race, Sex, and Stardom.
Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011.
Shay, Anthony. Dancing Across Borders: the American Fascination with Exotic Dance
Forms. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2008.
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. Nationalism and the Imagination. New York: Seagull Books,
2010.
Tucker, Linda G. Lockstep and Dance: images of black men in popular culture. Jackson:
University of Mississippi, 2007.
Wagner, Ann Louise. Adversaries of Dance: From Puritans to the Present. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, 1997.
Texts/Resources to Augment Writing Intensive Component of Course
California State University Long Beach: Composition at the Beach.
<http://compositionatthebeah.com/>
Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 7th
edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.
White, Edward M. Assigning, Responding, and Evaluating: A Writing Teacher’s Guide. 4th
edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: the Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical
Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Publishers, 1996.
XII. Student-level Assessment:
The exact set of course assignments will vary depending on the instructor. University policy
requires that no single evaluation of student achievement may count for more than one-third
of final grade. Appropriate assignments and percentages may include the following:
Grading:
1. Reading Responses (choreographic and written) 10%
2. Applying Concepts Paper w/revisions (6-8 pages) 20%
3. Article(s) Summary & Analysis (2-3 pages) 10%
4. Choreography and Identity Paper w/revisions (6-8 pages) 20%
5. Choreographic Appropriations paper w/revisions (4-6 pages) 20%
6. “Uncreative” Choreography and Prospectus (3 pages) 20%
XIII. Course-level Assessment Plan:
Assessment work for this GE course will be conducted throughout the (usually five-year)
cycle prior to its recertification due date. The Department of Dance has chosen the Single-
course Track option for recertification (see S.A.G.E. Track Selection Form, attached).
The Essential GE Skills to be assessed for this course:
• Written Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Intercultural Competence and Knowledge (Human Diversity)
• Creativity, Inquiry, and Discovery
Student Performance Benchmarks
• Written Communication and Critical Thinking: Students will demonstrate the ability to
write in clear prose and employ the conventions of standard written English, and the
appropriate rhetorical strategies and compositional form to support a comparative
analysis; to locate relevant information in both scholarly and popular print and digital
sources using the University library and other online databases; to explain issues, offer
evidence in support of a thesis, and to appropriately cite sources and construct a
bibliography. (Assessments #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5)
• Intercultural Competence and Knowledge (Human Diversity), Critical Thinking, and
Creativity and Discovery: Students will practice empathy and non/verbal communication
as they develop knowledge of cultural frameworks; they will synthesize information and
demonstrate innovative thinking through identifying and assessing choreographic
structures and movement vocabularies employed in varied dance practices in relation to
social identity. (Assessments #1, #2, #4, and #5)
• Critical Thinking: Students will explain issues, identify evidence, articulate a
perspective/thesis, and accurately apply theoretical models and methodological
approaches of two or more disciplines in their discussion of ethnicity and dance.
(Assessments # 2 and #4)
• Creativity, Inquiry, and Discovery: Students will demonstrate the ability to make
connections between dance history and composition and to understand and apply/transfer
concepts and theories from readings to choreography and movement by taking risks,
problem solving, synthesis, and innovative thinking. (Assessments #1 and #6)
Student performance of these benchmarks will be assessed through a random gathering of
student work in specific course assignments. The Department of Dance will create and
utilize rubrics to be developed in conjunction with GEGC rubrics to appropriately assess the
learning of the Essential GE Skills, in relation to the instructor’s specific assignments for
skill development in these areas.
XIV. Consistency of SCO Standards Across Sections:
This course is not currently offered as a multi-section course. If the Department were to
offer multiple sections, consistency would be monitored through the Department Curriculum
Committee and the course coordinator will review the SCO and offer advice and/or materials
to each faculty member new to teaching the course. All future syllabi will conform to the
SCO. The course coordinator may offer or require regular review of instructors’ course
materials as well as anonymous samples of student work.
XV. Additional Resources for Development of Syllabus:
All syllabi will conform to University policy on required content for syllabi and will conform
to the SCO.