VAPA 1020 - Ethnography of Performing Arts

3 Credits (Minimum) 3 Credits (Maximum)

Ethnography of Performing Arts is the cross-cultural study of different expressive, artistic and cultural processes and practices (music, dance, theatre, film, ceremony, ritual, and visual art, etc.) in a variety of global settings. What is ethnography? How do people engage with performance in diverse ways? How might we create meaning for individuals or collectives through research? In this course, students learn to describe, compare, and write about performance and cultural practices. Students will use ethnography and participant-observation as methodologies for these cultural inquiries. In doing so, students will understand how performances create and shape social life, while also contesting them.