Performance Studies Major

Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.

Major Requirements (13 units)

All courses for SoC majors, minors, fields of concentration and distribution requirements must be completed with a grade of C- or higher and may not be taken P/N.

SoC Courses (1 unit)

2 0.5-unit seminars:

Course Title
CMN 101-0SoC First Year Seminar: Interdisciplinary Topics in Communication Arts & Sciences
CMN 398-0School of Communication Senior Seminar

Introductory Courses (2 units)

Choose 2:

Course Title
PERF_ST 101-0Modes of Performance
PERF_ST 200-0Introduction to Performance Studies
PERF_ST 203-0Performance Culture and Communication

Advanced Courses (2 units)

A minimum of 2 other 200-level courses in the department, chosen from:

Course Title
PERF_ST 210-1Performance of Poetry
PERF_ST 210-2Performance of Narrative Fiction
PERF_ST 220-0Sound Cultures
PERF_ST 230-0Food and Performance
PERF_ST 250-0Topics in Performance Studies

Production Courses (0 units)

Course Title
PERF_ST 119-0Production Laboratory (1 quarter)
or
One performance studies course with a studio lab component (minimum 20 lab hours per term). Consult with your academic advisor for lab component options.

Additional Courses (8 units)1

Course Title
1 course chosen from the following to fulfill the departmental diversity requirement:
Black Music Studies
Art and Performance in Asian America
Transnational Flows of Performance
Sonic Practices of the Middle East and North Africa
Performance and Race
Performance in Latin America
Contemporary Middle Eastern Performance
Black Performance
Yoga: Practice, History, and Politics
Feminist Performance
Performing Masculinities
Queer and Trans of Color Critique
Latino/a Performance
5 additional 300- or 400-level courses in the department 2
2 additional performance-focused courses from any department in the School of Communication
1

No more than 2 units of PERF_ST 399-0 Independent Study and 1 unit of PERF_ST 331-0 Field Study/Internship in Performance Studies may apply toward this requirement

2

No more than 1 unit of either PERF_ST 399-0 Independent Study or PERF_ST 331-0 Field Study/Internship in Performance Studies may apply toward this 5-course requirement

Additional Requirements (29 units)

Distribution Requirements (18 units)

18 courses outside the school, including 2 from science, mathematics, and technology; 3 from individual and social behavior; and 3 from humanities and fine arts. In addition, 6 courses must be at the 200 level or above.  

Electives (11 units)

Electives in communication and other areas to complete a minimum of 42 units of credit.

Honors in Performance Studies

Performance Studies majors may apply to participate in the Departmental Honors Program in their junior year. The Honors Program is intended to provide highly qualified students an opportunity to complete a substantial research investigation into a creative and/or academic project; to introduce students to graduate-level, faculty-mentored research; and to provide formal honorary recognition to students who have excelled in course work and independent research activity. More information is available on the department Honors & Prizes page.