Drama Major

Program Requirements

  • Total units required: 36 (12 courses)

Required Courses

Theater Arts (TA) Requirements (Five Courses)

  • Three required courses:
Drama 212EIntroduction to Theater Production3
Drama 2401Fundamentals of Acting *3
or FYP 215 First-Year Seminar: The Theatre as a Living Art
or Drama 119
& 1192		 Ampersand: Shakespeare's Globe: All the World's a Stage
and Ampersand: Shakespeare's Globe: All the World's a Stage II
Drama 343Fundamentals of Directing3
*

The Drama major requires one course in introductory acting. As noted here, there are three ways to satisfy this acting requirement. If the Globe Ampersand option is selected, note that, due to the Ampersand curriculum, a student must complete both 119 and 1192 (the full year) in order to satisfy the Drama major introductory acting requirement. However, Globe Ampersand 119 and 1192 will each add 3 credit units, for a total of 6 Humanities credit units, to a student's overall Washington University credit tally.

  • One introductory design course chosen from the following list:
Drama 3081Costume Rendering and Design3
Drama 310Stage Lighting3
Drama 311MScenic Design3
  • One additional upper-level (300 level or above) elective in TA

Theater and Performance Studies (TPS) Requirements (Five Courses)

  • Three courses from the Historical Practice collection:
Drama 3012Theater Space in Historical Practice3
Drama 3013Politics and Performance in Historical Practice3
Drama 3014Body Language: Acting, Rhetorical Gesture, and Dance in Historical Perspective3
Drama 3015Social Identity and Dramatic Character in Historical Practice3
Drama 3016Blood and Magic: Special Effects in Historical Practice3
  • A 300-level or above elective in a TPS-related course that examines racial and/or ethnic communities whose contributions have been historically underrepresented in the study of drama
  • A 300-level or above elective in a TPS-related course

Two Additional Courses

  • One upper-level (300-level or above) course in either TA or TPS
  • Every Drama major will complete a 3-credit capstone during their senior year. The capstone requirement may be met by completing one of the following options:
    • A one-semester, 3-credit senior project (Drama 493) based in the Performing Arts Department
    • A two-semester, 6-credit senior honors thesis project (Drama 499) based in the Performing Arts Department, with the goal of receiving Latin honors upon graduation
    • An additional 400-level course taught by a TPS faculty member in the Performing Arts Department, culminating in a 15-page critical research paper (which may not be part of the general requirements for the course) with an accompanying public oral presentation. The intention to use this course to fulfill the capstone requirement will be made prior to the first day of class in consultation with the instructor. There is no special capstone course number; students should simply register for the 400-level course and notify their advisor that this course is the capstone designate.
    • An additional 400-level course in TA (design, directing, acting, playwriting, dramaturgy) that culminates in a significant artistic project and a critical response. The intention to use this course to fulfill the capstone requirement will be made prior to the first day of class in consultation with the instructor. There is no special capstone course number; students should simply register for the 400-level course and notify their advisor that this course is the capstone designate.
    • A lead performance role* or a lead design position (Drama 4990 Independent Work, Drama 4991 Acting, or Drama 4993 Technical Theater) in a Performing Arts Department faculty- or guest-directed production during the senior year with a critical post-production response. The project will be evaluated and graded by the director along with, if applicable, the supervising faculty designer. In the case of a guest director, a designated Performing Arts Department faculty evaluator will serve as the instructor of record.
      *

      Eligible roles identified prior to auditions.

Additional Information

  • Students must earn a grade of C- or better in all required and elective drama courses in order for them to apply toward major requirements.
  • A maximum of 3 credits earned outside of Arts & Sciences at Washington University (e.g., through transfer credit or study abroad) may be applied to the drama major, with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Drama.
 
 

Visit the Performing Arts page
for additional information about this program.

Contact Info

Phone:314-935-5858
Email:pad@wustl.edu
Website:http://pad.wustl.edu