Performance Studies

Undergraduate Major and Minor

The B.A. in Performance Studies builds on a rigorous, writing-intensive, interdisciplinary core curriculum that trains students to understand how embodied actions create social meanings. 

Designed to be flexible, the BA allows students to double major (including in programs at CAS), and/or study abroad. 

Lower and upper division electives allow students to deepen their engagement with specific genres or subject matter, and the final capstone project gives them the opportunity to undertake an extended, original research project under the supervision of faculty. 

PERFORMANCE STUDIES B.A. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The Bachelors of Performance Studies consists of 128 points of coursework. Please see a detailed breakdown of degree requirements below. Students must earn a course grade of "C" or better in departmental courses (or approved substitutions) in order to receive credit toward the major.

Major (Program start Spring 2024 or prior)

40 points

  • Core Curriculum (16 points)
    • Introduction to Performance Studies (PERF-UT 101)
    • Performance Theory (PERF-UT 102)
    • Performance of the City (PERF-UT 103)
    • Performance and Politics (PERF-UT 104)
  •  Electives (20 points) - choose 5 of the following courses
    • Performance Composition (PERF-UT 201)
    • Performative Writing Workshop (PERF-UT 204)
    • Performance Histories (PERF-UT 205)
    • The Performance of Everyday Life (PERF-UT 206)
    • Queer Performance (PERF-UT 302)
    • Theories of Movement (PERF-UT 303)
    • Performance and Technology (PERF-UT 304)
    • Topics in Performance Studies (PERF-UT 305)
    • Critical Approaches to Race and Ethnicity in Performance (PERF-UT 306)
    • Performance Studies Supervised Internship Course (1- 4 points) (PERF-UT 307)
  • Capstone Project (PERF-UT 401, 4 points)
    • Students in this course will build on a research paper/project that they originated in another PS course, with the goal of extending, refining, and further developing it in order to synthesize what they have learned, as well as further hone their research, analysis, and writing skills.

MAJOR (Program Start Fall 2024 or later)

  • Core Curriculum (20 points)
    • Introduction to Performance Studies (PERF-UT 101)
    • Performance Theory (PERF-UT 102)
    • Performance of the City (PERF-UT 103)
    • Performance and Politics (PERF-UT 104)
    • Performance Composition (PERF-UT 201)
  •  Electives (16 points) - choose 4 of the following courses
    • Performative Writing Workshop (PERF-UT 204)
    • Performance Histories (PERF-UT 205)
    • The Performance of Everyday Life (PERF-UT 206)
    • Queer Performance (PERF-UT 302)
    • Theories of Movement (PERF-UT 303)
    • Performance and Technology (PERF-UT 304)
    • Topics in Performance Studies (PERF-UT 305)
    • Critical Approaches to Race and Ethnicity in Performance (PERF-UT 306)
    • Performance Studies Supervised Internship Course (1- 4 points) (PERF-UT 307)
  • Capstone Project (PERF-UT 401, 4 points)
    • Students in this course will build on a research paper/project that they originated in another PS course, with the goal of extending, refining, and further developing it in order to synthesize what they have learned, as well as further hone their research, analysis, and writing skills.

General Education

44 points

View the CAS Core Requirements page for full details.
 
  • Language/Literature - 8 points
    • Writing the Essay: Art and the World (EXPO-UA 5, 4 points)
    • Writing the Essay: The World Through Art (ASPP-UT 2, 4 points)
  • Foreign Language - 8 points or confirmed intermediate-level proficiency
  • Foundations of Contemporary Culture - 16 points
    • Texts and Ideas (CORE-UA 400, 4 points)
    • Cultures and Contexts (CORE-UA 500, 4 points)
    • Expressive Cultures (CORE-UA 700, 4 points)
    • Societies and Social Sciences (varies, 4 points)
  • Foundations of Scientific Inquiry - 12 points
    • Quantitative Reasoning (CORE-UA 100, 4 points)
    • Physical Science (CORE-UA 200, 4 points)
    • Life Science (CORE-UA 300, 4 points)

 

Related field Minor or Second Major

Minimum of 16 points, var.

Students majoring in Performance Studies must also minor in a second area of specialization – a “Related Field” minor – that would expand their interdisciplinary knowledge base from which to consider performance as a situated, context-specific practice. The minor could be in the humanities, social sciences, languages, or other arts (subject to policies governing minors in those respective departments).

Electives

28 points, var.

Total combined with minor/second major = 44 units

Performance Studies Student

Performance Studies Student

NON-MAJORS WHO WOULD LIKE TO MINOR IN PERFORMANCE STUDIES

Any students interested in pursuing the Performance Studies minor should reach out to Tisch Special Programs at tisch.minors@nyu.edu or 212-998-1500.

"The first tenet is to use performance as an organizing idea for thinking about almost anything."

—Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, University Professor Emerita

Performance Studies Students in the Classroom

Performance Studies Students in the Classroom