Goucher College 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalogue

Nov 21, 2024

Goucher College 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalogue

Dance Major

The Dance Department’s principal objectives are to guide each student toward developing their personal artistic and/or career goals while challenging their own biases. Students are asked to view human movement in relation to the ever-changing world. Our curriculum helps students gain a better understanding of the inherent value of dance as a means of communication and artistic expression. By integrating the intellectual and the physical, students develop lifetime skills for inquiry, creativity, and critical thinking, and our graduates are skilled in oral, written, and non-verbal communication. As a department we are dedicated to the study and understanding of diversity and globalization. Intentionally shifting the paradigm of dance education, pedagogy, and dance-making to a more inclusive model, our curriculum placing equal emphasis on ballet, modern dance, and West African dance techniques to provide diverse movement and cultural perspectives.

Departmental Honors

Majors in Dance are encouraged to strive for honors in the major upon graduation. Program honors will be awarded to students who exhibit mastery of the subject in both course work and additional academic endeavors.

Requirements for honors in dance:

A minimum grade point average of 3.7 in 300 and 400 level courses in the major. All courses specifically required for the major must be taken for a grade. No more than two approved courses away from Goucher will be counted in the average.
Some evidence of maturity and creativity in dance, such as outstanding work on a senior thesis, independent work, paper or final examination in a 300 or 400 level course.
Approval of the dance program.

Academic Requirements

Students majoring in dance must receive a C- or better in every course taken toward the completion of the major.

Technique Placement and Promotion

All new students are placed in technique levels in each genre through required placement classes during fall orientation of their first year. Appropriate technical skills for each level must be achieved before a student may progress to the next level. Registered students are assessed and promoted in class every semester. No placement is required to register for DAN 115, DAN 133, DAN 121 or DAN 146.

All dance majors must complete 48-50 credits of dance coursework (including studio practice) that includes a core course of study and self-selected technical and theoretical electives.

REQUIRED THEORETICAL CORE COURSES

All dance majors are required to complete the following:

DAN 135 - Dance Seminar (2 Cr.)
DAN 260 - Composition and Improvisation (4 Cr.)
DAN 351 - Dancing in the Past and Present: Romanticism and Beyond (4 Cr.) or DAN 318 - Reimagine Heritage in USA Concert Dance (4 Cr.)
DAN 389 - Labanotation (4 Cr.)
DAN 409 - The Politics of Performance (4 Cr.)
DAN 497 - Senior Capstone (4 Cr.)
Additional Core Requirements:

Student Production Requirement: All dance majors must participate as backstage crew for 1 Goucher dance or theatre production prior to graduation. Crew sign up and assignments are made each semester by the production director. It is suggested you complete this requirement by the end of your junior year.

Study Abroad or Internship in Dance: All dance majors are required to complete either a dance program approved study abroad experience or an internship in dance to complete the degree. If a student chooses to fulfill their study abroad requirement with a non-dance focused offering, then they need to complete a dance internship.

REQUIRED TECHNICAL CORE COURSES

All dance majors are expected to include dance technique classes in their schedules each semester. Technique courses may be repeated for credit up to three times.

Students must explore all 3 genres (Ballet, Modern, and West African Dance) by the end of their sophomore year by completing a minimum of 1 course in each genre for credit. Upperclassmen have the ability to maintain this breadth of study or specialize in chosen genre(s) based on interest. All students must complete a minimum of 9 courses or 18 credits in their four years and reach the proficiencies stated below.

Required Technique Proficiency - All dance majors are required to achieve the following technical proficiencies for credit (C- or better) for graduation:

400-level in at least one genre
300-level or higher in a second genre
200-level or higher in a third genre

BALLET

DAN 121 - Ballet Technique I

DAN 221 - Ballet Technique II

DAN 320 - Ballet Technique III

DAN 421 - Ballet Technique IV

MODERN

DAN 115 - Modern Technique I

DAN 215 - Modern Technique II

DAN 316 - Modern Technique III

DAN 415 - Modern Technique IV

WEST AFRICAN

DAN 133 - West African Dance Technique I (2 Cr.)

DAN 233 - West African Dance Technique II (2 Cr.)

DAN 333 - West African Dance Technique III (2 Cr.)

DAN 433 - West African Dance Technique IV (2 Cr.)

REQUIRED THEORETICAL AND TECHNICAL ELECTIVES

In addition to the above core requirements, students must select 6-8 credits from the theoretical studies electives and 2 credits from the technical studies electives to complete their course of study.

THEORETICAL STUDIES ELECTIVES

Students must complete a minimum of two courses. One MUST be a 4-credit course.

TECHNICAL STUDIES ELECTIVES

Students must complete a minimum of two courses:

RELATED AREAS OF STUDY

Students may also pursue any of the following related areas of study.

Biological Science Major with Track of Study in Dance Science: See Academic Catalogue under Biological Sciences Major for details. This track of study focuses on knowledge and technique in the field of dance science. Study of the sciences is combined with technical and theoretical dance training to provide a basis for understanding problems in dance performance, nutrition, and care and prevention of injuries. With additional course work, this track of study provides preparation for graduate studies in physical therapy, sports medicine, dance medicine, and related fields. In addition to fulfilling all requirements for a major in the biological sciences, requirements for the track of study in dance science are:

DAN 215 or DAN 221 or DAN 233
DAN 260
DAN 263
PHY 115
An internship or research in dance science for at least 2 credits of BIO 290 or DAN 490 .

Concentration in Arts Management

Arts management is a rapidly expanding profession in performance and institutional arts organizations, including museums and galleries; in community or regional centers for the arts; and in government, corporate, and foundation agencies that are concerned with the development of the arts. Students who pursue a concentration in arts management major or minor in one of the arts and supplement that with courses in arts management and business management. The courses in the major and minor provide a solid foundation in an art form and the additional concentration courses enhance knowledge appropriate to the student’s interest in arts management. All courses in arts management may also be taken independently of the concentration.

The Concentration is open to students majoring or minoring in the arts: those students housed in the Center for Writing, Arts and Media, as well as Visual and Material Cultures students who are housed in the Center for Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Visit Arts Management Concentration for requirements.

Dance Education Teacher Certification:

Students pursuing certification to teach dance must complete the dance major, DAN 484 and DAN 484L . In addition, see Secondary Education Certification, Grades 7-12 for specifics regarding secondary education courses. Be aware that a ninth semester student teaching in the school system may be required at the undergraduate level, or students may engage in the 4+1 Accelerated Degree option available through the Graduate Programs in Education.

STUDENTS MAY DOUBLE MAJOR OR SELECT TO PURSUE A SPECIFIC COURSE OF STUDY, LISTED BELOW, IN PREPARATION FOR SUCCESSFUL ENTRY TO GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS FOR IDENTIFIED CAREERS IN DANCE:

Dance/Movement Therapy

To practice movement/dance therapy one must obtain a masters degree. At the undergraduate level, students may major in dance and gain knowledge in the content areas of psychological theory, human development, multicultural perspectives, group process, behavioural research, psychopathology, psychodiagnosis and assessment skills. This program of study is designed to fully prepare a student to enter a masters program in dance therapy and require the following psychology courses: PSY 105 (intro and lab), PSY 244 (developmental), PSY 219 (diversity), PSY 230 (social), PSY 302 or PSY 305 (methods), and PSY 238 (abnormal).

Preparation for physical therapy programs or dance science graduate programs

Students can major in dance and take additional courses in the sciences that are designed to give students a fundamental knowledge in the content of biology and chemistry. The following courses have been identified as requirements for successful application to physical therapy programs: BIO 112 (4), BIO 111 (4), BIO 210 (4), BIO 360 (4), BIO 261 (4), CHE 111 (4), CHE 151 (4), MA 268 , PSY 105 and PHY 115 or PHY 125 . Students opting to pursue entry to a dance science graduate program will major in dance and select appropriate courses in the sciences for specific graduate programs as requirements for each program vary considerably.

Repeatable Courses

The following courses are repeatable up to eight credits:

DAN 395 - Special Topics in Dance (4 Cr.)

The following courses are repeatable up to three times:

DAN 100 - Pilates Method of Body Conditioning Mat (1 Cr.)

DAN 102 - Pilates Method of Body Conditioning I: Apparatus (1 Cr.)

DAN 105 - Male Technique (1 Cr.)

DAN 115 - Modern Technique (2 Cr.)

DAN 121 - Ballet Technique (2 Cr.)

DAN 133 - West African Dance Technique I (2 Cr.)

DAN 146 - Goucher African Dance and Music Ensemble (1 Cr.)

DAN 201 - Intermediate Pointe (1 Cr.)

DAN 202 - Pilates Method of Body Conditioning II: Apparatus (1 Cr.)

DAN 203 - Dance Repertory (1 Cr.)

DAN 204 - Parnering (1 Cr.)

DAN 215 - Modern Technique II (2 Cr.)

DAN 221 - Ballet Technique II (2 Cr.)

DAN 233 - West African Dance Technique II (2 Cr.)

DAN 290 - Internship in Dance (0-4 Cr.)

DAN 295 - Goucher Repertory Dance Ensemble (1 Cr.)

DAN 302 - Advanced Pointe and Variations (1 Cr.)

DAN 316 - Modern Technique III (2 Cr.)

DAN 320 - Ballet Technique III (2 Cr.)

DAN 333 - West African Dance Technique III (2 Cr.)

DAN 415 - Modern Technique IV (2 Cr.)

DAN 421 - Ballet Technique IV (2 Cr.)

DAN 433 - West African Dance Technique IV (2 Cr.)