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Theatre for Social Change (BA)
The Theatre for Social Change (TFSC) major at Aquinas College is one of only a handful nationwide. This hybrid major is comprised of coursework from Theatre, Sociology, and Community Leadership. The Bachelor’s degree in TFSC is rooted in theory (Augusto Boal, Keith Johnstone), history and studio practice of performance alongside hours of hands-on service learning with community partners, the study of non-profit leadership skills including grant writing and intercultural communication, and the devising of an original capstone project. Students apply their aesthetic and storytelling talents to current social justice issues, declaring the truth of problems and exploring new approaches towards solutions--in real life situations, not just in the classroom. Students will be prepared for a myriad of real world opportunities in performance, or to pursue further study in tangent fields such as clinical therapy, public administration, social work, education or performance studies.
This major is particularly suited to AQ’s mission and strengths as an institution. It directly involves two of AQ’s foundational charisms--service and community. Students will be heavily engaged through service learning by researching and then connecting with local community groups--ethnic, service, institutional, civic, social work, etc--identifying stories or challenges from within that community and then devising work for that audience or a general audience based on their first-hand primary research.
Major Requirements: Fourty-five (45) semester hours
Required courses:
- TE140 Improvisation (3) AP
- TE141 Acting 1 (3) AP
- TE242 Script Analysis (3)
- TE220 Contemporary World Theatre (3) AT, GP
- TE/EH352 Script Writing (3) AP
- TE361/2 Theatre History I or II (3) AT
- TE320 Theatre For Social Change (3) AT
- CL100 Introduction to Community Leadership (3)
- SY260 Social Problems (3)
- CL300 Fund Development and Grant Writing (3)
- CN301 Intercultural Communication* (3)
- CL396 Practicum in Community Leadership** (4)
- CL/TE400 CL/Theatre Capstone Seminar (Applied Theatre Project) (4) SC
- Three (3) semester hours of electives from below courses:
- CL/SY209 Sustainable Cities and Environmental Justice (3)
- SY213 Race and Ethnicity (3) GP
- SY302 Community Sociology (3)
- TE241 Acting 2 (3)
- TE244 Directing I (3)
- TE384 Children’s Theatre (3) AP
- TY255 Catholic Social Teaching (3)
*--prerequisite is CN101, should be taken early on to fulfill GE requirement.
**--TFSC students will be in consultation with Theatre Program Director during the On-site Practicum semester to guide the preparation for the Capstone Devised or Scripted Project.