Spring 2026 Course Search

Ghostly Body- The Art of Absence — DAN2349.01

Instructor: Mina Nishimura
Days & Time: WE 2:10pm-4:00pm
Credits: 2

This course requires no previous dance experience, and is open to anyone who is interested in the art of absence or art that deals with the presence of things we cannot see — the invisibles, empty space and silence – found across different art forms and practices.

French Comedy — FRE4811.01

Instructor: Stephen Shapiro
Days & Time: MO 3:40pm-5:30pm & WE 4:10pm-6:00pm
Credits: 4

This course will examine the comic in French theatre, literature, politics, and film in order to answer a deceptively simple question: What makes us laugh? In theoretical readings we will consider whether laughter is a universal, cross-cultural function. Additionally, we will look at special, sub-genres of the comic, such as satire and parody, in order to question the relationship between comic genres and the real world. Does comedy seek to change the world or does it merely want to point to its foibles? Is it a progressive or conservative mode?

Language, Culture, and Society — LIN2112.01

Instructor: Alexia Fawcett
Days & Time: WE 2:10pm-4:00pm
Credits: 2

This course examines the complex relationship between language, culture, and society through an interdisciplinary lens, incorporating perspectives from linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis. Students will explore how linguistic practices both reflect and shape identities, power dynamics, cultural norms, and worldviews as we cover topics such as linguistic relativity, regional variation, racialization, politeness, and markers of gender and class.

Intro to Scene Painting — DRA2168.01

Instructor: Seancolin Hankins
Days & Time: FR 2:10pm-5:50pm
Credits: 2

This class will introduce students to the fundamentals of scenic art, including terminology, and commonly used tools and techniques. Students will learn to create processes that will guide them from a rendering or scenic finish to a completed project. Skills we will develop include color mixing, surface preparation for soft goods and hard scenery, translating small renderings to fully realized pieces, analyzing and reproducing organic textures and architectural details.

Later is Too Late: Dance Design & Production — DAN2425.01

Instructor: Davison Scandrett
Days & Time: WE 2:10pm-4:00pm
Credits: 2

Borrowed from the subtitle of Lois Ellfeldt & Edwin Carne's seminal 1971 Dance Production Handbook, "Later is Too Late" became a mantra for the course instructor after finding a well-worn copy of the paperback in his roadbox for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.  In this course we will examine the specific technical challenges and design opportunities presented in the production of dance performance, including the role that planning and management can play in overcoming the structural inequities and lack of resources endemic to the form.  Through readings,

Onstage Games: Danger and Revelation — DRA4371.01

Instructor: Abe Koogler
Days & Time: FR 2:10pm-5:50pm
Credits: 4

Three-Card Monte. Blind Man's Bluff. Poker. Charades. Chicken. What do onstage games reveal about our characters? Are onstage games always dangerous? How can the play itself become a game played with the audience?