DNCE 111
DANCE APPRECIATION

1. Catalog Entry
   

DNCE 111. Dance Appreciation
Three credit hours (3).

Three hours lecture


Promotes understanding and appreciation of dance and its various roles in societies of past and present.This course has been approved for General Education credit in the Fine Arts Areas of the curriculum.

2. Detailed Description of Content of Course

• Introduction: meaning(s) and purpose(s) of dance
• Brief history of dance, to include the relationship of dance to other art forms
• Study of the differing aesthetic and technical philosophies of selected choreographers, dancers, directors, companies, and countries
• Discussion of what to look for in various types of dance performances
• Attendance at dance performances in the vicinity of Radford
• Viewing of selected tapes and films which present dance in concert form
• Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Course material presented thorough lectures; class and group discussions; written and oral reports by students; illustrative videos, films, and slides; guest speakers; student logs to record observations as well as speculations about dance; and other appropriate devices.

4. Goals and Objectives of the Course

This course is the mission of the university's general education program, to develop a habit of mind conducive to a lifetime of learning, in the following ways:

1. Goals for the course - At the conclusion of the course students will:

·Understand the many functions of dance in human society, both now and in the past. ·Appreciate dance as an art form through analysis of form and content of particular works.
·Be able to place various dance activities in a historical context.

2. Broad General Education Goals - Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

· Think critically and creatively about the nature of dance, its relation to the other arts, and its relation to other ways of looking at humankind.
· Use resources to find information to understand subject matter.
· Work in a community of learners in order to solve problems and acquire knowledge.

Goals for Area 2 (Fine Arts) - Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

· View particular dance works and talk about them as the direct expression of emotion and intellectual content of individuals and as representations of their time period and cultural milieu.
· Understand the many functions of dance in human society, now and in the past, and in Western and non-Western cultures.
· Appreciate dance as an art form through analysis of form and content of particular works.
· Place various dance activities in a historical context.
· Recognize dance styles characteristic of individuals, of groups or artistic movements, or historical periods, of ethnic groups.
· Compare and contrast, analyze, and evaluate styles, structure, and content of particular dance works and of periods and peoples.

5. Assessment Measures

Means of evaluating students' comprehension of course material and their fulfillment of General Education goals may include objective exams, essay exams, papers, oral reports, informal writing, creative projects, class discussion, and class attendance. Exams, papers, and oral reports are designed to reflect students' grasp of ideas and relationships among elements covered in the course while informal writing, creative projects and class discussion encourage students to develop a personal understanding of dance as an art form, of its relationship to the other arts, and of its value as a human activity. This course is taught by several individuals, and so the exact assessment tools, how they are used, and the weight given to each of them may vary.

6. Other Course Information

Individual instructors may emphasize one aspect of this course over another depending upon his or her own background and particular interests. Ways of presenting specific details are as rich and diverse as the subject matter itself. Note also that the detailed description of course content does not necessarily prescribe this chronological order of topics.

7. Approval and Subsequent Reviews

Date Action Reviewed by
10-1-91 Revision Margaret T. Devaney, Chair
3-24-98 Review Margaret T. Devaney, Chair
3-29-99 Syllabus revised to New General Education Margaret T. Devaney, Chair