Allegheny College: Communication Arts and Theatre Catalogue

Professors Keeley, Bailey, Branch, Cosdon, Crozier, LaPointe, Silva, Sinha Roy, Watkins, Coyle

The Communication Arts and Theatre department is dedicated to the creative and critical study of human communication, with special emphasis on drama, rhetoric, and mass media. The curriculum offers opportunities for the performance, practice, in-depth study, and analysis of texts and techniques in each of these spheres. Students engage in speech, writing, media studies, visual production, dramatic arts, and criticism, with the objective of becoming competent and engaged artists/scholars in their fields. The department's liberal arts emphasis encourages students to develop habits of engaged citizenship, thoughtful professionalism, and a meaningful private life.

The Major

Majors are required to have a GPA of at least 2.0 in departmental courses at graduation. All Communication Arts courses taken at Allegheny on a letter grade basis are included in the calculation with the exception of repeated courses for which only the most recent grade counts. Declared majors must take departmental courses on a letter grade basis with an emphasis in one of the two areas listed below. All departmental courses are four semester credits, except 500, 590 (2-4 credits) and 601 (1 credit). A maximum of eight transfer credits may be counted toward the major. Please note: No more than 64 semester credit hours from any one department may be counted toward graduation. Additional credits may be earned in the major department, but they will not count among the 131 required for graduation. The two areas of emphasis are:

Communication Major: (minimum 45 credits)
Introductory (take either 120 or 135 plus 145):
120 - Media and Society
135 - Modes of Film and Video Production
145 - Rhetoric as a Liberal Art
Mid-Level (take either 220 or 240 plus one additional course from this category):
FSCOM201 - Sophomore Seminar
220 - Media Criticism
240 - Rhetorical Criticism
255 - Topics in Rhetoric
260 - Topics in Media
265 - Topics in Production
275 - Topics in Communication
Performance (take one of the following):
150 - Acting
170 - Oral Interpretation
235 - Communicating in Public
290 - Visual Production I: Television Production
300 - Visual Production II: Electronic Field Production
360 - Rhetoric and Civic Engagement
Advanced (take two of the following):
365 - Media and Cultural Theory
370 - Rhetorical Theory
375 - Documentary Tradition
385 - Studies in Public Discourse
435 - Advanced Topics in Rhetoric
440 - Visual Production III: Advanced Production
450 - Media and Identity
460 - Advanced Topics in Communication and Diversity
Junior Seminar
581 - Communication Junior Seminar
Comprehensive Seminar
601 - Comprehensive Seminar
Senior Project
602 - Communication Senior Project
Electives
8 semester hours of electives (can include theatre courses).

Theatre Major: (minimum 41 credits)
Introductory (take both of the following):
130 - Introduction to Theatre
225 - Text and Performance
Performance (take one of the following):
150 - Acting I: Fundamentals
170 - Oral Interpretation
Production
180 - Introduction to Theatre Production
History (take both of the following):
315 - Theatre History I: Classical Ages of the Theatre
325 - Theatre History II: The Revolutionary Stage
Junior Seminar
582 - Theatre Junior Seminar
Comprehensive Seminar
601 - Comprehensive Seminar
Senior Project
603 - Theatre Senior Project
Electives
8-16 semester hours of electives

The Minor

A minor in Communication Arts consists of six graded courses in the department in one of the two departmental focus areas (see below). Students are encouraged to consult with department faculty to arrange a minor program that reflects their interests in Communication Arts/Theatre. An approved 2-4 credit internship (CA 500) may count as an elective. The department chair must approve exceptions to the minors listed below. A maximum of eight transfer credits may be counted toward the minor.

Communication Minor:
Students are required to take one introductory course plus a minimum of one course from each of the three subcategories. Out of the total requirement of six courses, at least two must be at the 200-level and at least two must be at the 300 or 400-level.

Introductory (take one of the following):
120 - Media and Society
135 - Modes of Film and Video Production
145 - Rhetoric as a Liberal Art
Criticism (take one of the following):
220 - Media Criticism
225 - Text and Performance
240 - Rhetorical Criticism
385 - Studies in Public Discourse
460 - Advanced Topics in Communication and Diversity
Theory (take one of the following):
260 - Topics in Media
365 - Media and Cultural Theory
370 - Rhetorical Theory
375 - Documentary Tradition
435 - Advanced Topics in Rhetoric
450 - Media and Identity
Praxis (take one of the following):
150 - Acting I: Fundamentals
170 - Oral Interpretation
235 - Communicating in Public
265 - Topics in Production
275 - Topics in Communication
290 - Visual Production I: Television Production
300 - Visual Production II: Electronic Field Production
360 - Rhetoric and Civic Engagement
440 - Visual Production III: Advanced Production
Electives
8 semester hours of electives (may include FS201 and CA 500)

Introductory (take both of the following):
130 - Introduction to Theatre
225 - Text and Performance
Performance/Production (take one of the following):
150 - Acting I: Fundamentals
180 - Introduction to Theatre Production
200 - Fundamental of Play Direction
Advanced (take one of the following):
230 - Production Design I
270 - Acting II: Voice and Movement
315 - Theatre History I: Classical Ages of the Theatre
325 - Theatre History II: The Revolutionary Stage
425 - Advanced Play Direction
430 - Advanced Topics in Theatre
History (take one of the following - not already chosen from the above):
315 - Theatre History I: Classical Ages of the Theatre
325 - Theatre History II: The Revolutionary Stage
Junior Seminar
582 - Junior Seminar in Theatre

Students should consult with department faculty to discuss career options and internship opportunities. Majors and minors in Communication Arts are expected to participate in student activities such as the ACTV television station, WARC-FM radio, the Playshop Theatre, Student Experimental Theatre, Orchesis dance troupe, The Campus newspaper, and the Allegheny Literary Journal/Allegheny Review publications.

Internships sponsored by the Communication Arts department require the joint approval of a faculty liaison person and the host agency.

An introduction to the history, theory, and criticism of mass media and their roles in society. Students explore histories of specific media such as newspapers, film, radio, television, and the internet and examine social issues related to contemporary media.

The study of theatre as an interpretative discipline. A lecture and discussion course concerned with artistic problem solving in the production of live theatre and the influences of aesthetic theory, dramatic criticism, and the work of collaborative artists on the theatre as a cultural institution. Viewing of live theatre and group projects required.

An introduction of the critical study of the modes of film and video production. Students study the distinctive formal elements of each mode as well as the historical, cultural, and economic context of production and reception. Some modes explored include classical Hollywood narrative, experimental, non-fiction, and new media.

An introductory survey of the history and theory of rhetoric as an art central to civic life. Students investigate language as symbolic action and its power to influence others, enable inquiry, shape identity, form community, and promote collective interests. Readings are drawn from ancient and contemporary sources. Writing and speaking assignments cultivate habits of critical analysis and civic engagement.

Exercises in the actor’s basic skills, including scene analysis, sensory work, and improvisation as applied to realistic drama. Classroom performance of memorized scenes is required. May not be taken Credit/No Credit.

Development of the voice as a communication tool through the study of projection, articulation, and expression of mood and character. Analysis of written material for oral presentation. Classroom performance before an audience is required.

A lecture and laboratory course dealing with the problems of physical setting as an integral part of theatre communication. Standard production theory and practice in scenery, lighting and sound.

Literary analysis of the play from the director’s point of view. A lecture and laboratory course dealing with the problems of translation from script to stage in terms of composition, picturization, movement, pantomime, rhythm and tempo. Emphasis on the realistic proscenium theatre. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 150 or permission of instructor.

A writing intensive exploration of the practices and methods of media criticism and close textual analysis. Students read and write essays surveying a variety of perspectives and approaches to the criticism of media. Assignments encourage students to carefully examine the texts and contexts of contemporary media, paying close attention to the aesthetic, generic, and cultural features of specific media artifacts.

An introduction to dramatic and theatrical analysis. In this course, models of critical theories (historical, textual, political) will be used to further the student’s understanding of dramatic literature across several periods. Emphasis will be on written analysis, discussion, and dramaturgical research. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 130 or permission of instructor.

An exploration of the communicative role design plays within the performing arts. Students learn basic design building blocks and communication theory as they apply to theatre and design. Emphasis is placed on developing the student’s ability to communicate visual ideas coordinated within a performance framework.

A practical introduction to the skills and theory of public presentation. Students perform a number of formal speeches and engage with theoretical readings on the nature of rhetorical context, audience, persuasion, and publics. This course fosters a commitment to civic engagement by introducing and exploring questions of social processes of change.

A writing-intensive introduction to textual criticism grounded in rhetoric. Students study theories of rhetorical analysis and learn to write critical essays that assess the efficacy of rhetorical artifacts (speeches, essays, images, public spaces) in relation to community problems.

An investigation of performance, ritual, ceremony, oratory, or narrative film from a rhetorical perspective. Students exercise skills in observation and analysis, oriented toward one or more of the key relationships of symbolic action: presentation and representation, self and other, individual and community, rhetor and audience, necessity and expedience, theory and practice.

Exploration of a specific topic in media theory, history, or criticism. Topics may include gender, sexuality & media, interpreting popular culture, the cultural history of the situation comedy, national and international virtual identities, and broadcast history.

An exploration of a specific topic in film and video production. Topics may include historical, cultural, social, political, and theoretical approaches to creative communication practices. Students apply the lens of each topic to the practice of production.

A concentration on the physical nature of the actor’s work. Primary emphasis will be on vocal production for the stage and a variety of approaches to stage movement. Classroom performance of memorized scenes is required. May not be taken Credit/No Credit. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 150.

An interdisciplinary exploration of the creative processes of communication. Possible topics include mysteries of communication, ethnography, intercultural communication, tragicomic communication, and communication ethics.

The study of aesthetic concepts and production techniques involved in small studio video production. Students produce programs which demonstrate an understanding of the various production elements and how they can be combined for effective communication.

Through the use of portable video equipment and editing facilities, the student explores the processes by which realities are constructed by the electronic media. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 290.

Close study of several major periods in Western theatre history, commencing with the origins of drama and concluding with the closing of the English playhouses in 1642. The course focuses on individuals, events, and dramatic forms that have contributed to the development of the theatre as a complex institution. In a larger sense, lectures and class discussions examine how these developments are shaped by the political, social, and intellectual forces of their time. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 130 or permission of instructor.

A survey of significant, revolutionary periods in the development of Western theatre through the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The craft, theory, technique, and dramaturgy of major movements including French neoclassicism, the English Restoration, romanticism, melodrama, and realism form the basis of study. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 130 or permission of instructor.

A lecture and studio course designed to provide the student with a beginning portfolio of work and a functional knowledge of advanced design theory. Emphasis is placed on the student’s ability to communicate through drafting, sketches and representational models. Prerequisites: Communication Arts 180 and 230, or permission of the instructor.

An inquiry into the nature and role of rhetoric in a civil society. Democracy is based on an engaged citizenry, actively advocating their positions and constructing reasoned, persuasive arguments. Students will explore theories of civic engagement and engage in various practices of public advocacy in order to better understand the importance of rhetoric to democratic society in contemporary America.

A thorough immersion in the theories of media and cultural studies. Students engage both classical and contemporary theories of media and cultural meaning making. Readings are advanced and challenging, exposing students to sophisticated primary and secondary sources and encouraging them to develop more informed, complicated, and critical relationships to contemporary media and culture. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 120.

An advanced study of ancient and contemporary theories of rhetoric, with emphasis on interpreting primary sources. Students investigate the interrelationship of rhetoric, poetic, ethics, and politics, considering the impact of symbolic action on knowledge, truth, power, beauty, and judgment. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 145.

An exploration of the development and impact of the documentary genre in film and television. Students are exposed to films that probe a social, economic, or political issue. The written analysis and discussion of the films screened emphasizes process, style, and historical perspective. Students produce their own documentary in video as their major project for the course.

Continued study of an actor’s skills, including style in period or non-realistic plays. Acting for the camera may also be covered. Classroom performance of memorized scenes required. May not be taken Credit/No Credit. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 150.

An exploration of the significant public discourse of a particular speaker, group, movement, or chosen period in American history. Our focus is on analyzing the rhetorical force, historical context, and argumentative strategies of public discourse (such as speeches, essays, letters, etc.) in order to better understand how such texts contribute to social and political change. The particular topic varies by instructor.

A lecture and laboratory course dealing with the auditory, visual, and kinetic analysis of the script. Theories of perception and communication are also dealt with. Emphasis on the problems of directing in the non-realism, non-proscenium theatre. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 200.

Advanced level examination of developments in theatre performance. Topics may include: performance studies, nineteenth-century American theatre, musical theatre, community-based theatre, Asian theatre. Offered every other year. Prerequisite: Communication Arts 130 and 225.

An advanced examination of particular issues or concepts in rhetorical theory. Topics may include: visual rhetorics, the public sphere, identity politics, rhetoric of science, rhetoric and corporeality, or material rhetoric. Prerequisite: Communication Arts course at the 300-level, or permission of the instructor.

An intensive production class which explores visual and aural elements, which contribute to the art of narrative cinema. Early films, fictional and non-fictional, are used to study the origins of modern cinema. Each student makes short projects exploring filmic principles chosen from those presented in class. As a group, students produce a lengthier project and then arrange and promote a public screening. Students create a coherent visual style, understand the logistics of production, and gain an overview of the marketplace. Prerequisites: Communication Arts 290 and 300. Offered every other year.

Advanced reading in theories of media and identity. Students explore the ways in which media texts, industries, and practices work to both construct and challenge our notions of identity. Readings may focus on issues of nationalism, globalism, race, class, gender, sexuality, ritual, or other elements of media identities. Prerequisite: Communication Arts course at the 300-level, or permission of the instructor.

An advanced exploration of contemporary controversies within communication and cultural studies. Topics may include: multiculturalism, post/anti-colonialism, globalization, queer theory, gender studies or identity politics. The course centers on the questioning of representation and received understandings of key concepts such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality and religious difference within the discipline of communication. Prerequisite: Communication Arts course at the 300-level, or permission of the instructor.

Credit: Two or four semester hours. Internships sponsored by the Communications Arts department require the joint approval of a faculty liaison person and the host agency. Information on internship positions is also available from ACCEL.
Internships with Public and Commercial Television/Radio Stations
Liaison: Professor Keeley
Students may choose to work in one or more of the following areas of public and commercial television: production; publicity and public relations; fund raising and development in public television accounting and business management; continuity writing; and broadcast writing. Past interns have worked with WQLN, Erie; WSEE-TV, Erie; WJET-TV, Erie; WICU-TV, Erie; KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh; WPXI, Pittsburgh; WQED, Pittsburgh; WEWS, Cleveland; and NBC headquarters, New York.
Internship in Graphic Arts, Public Relations, and Advertising
Liaison: Professor Keeley
The internship is designed as a practicum in the areas of graphic arts, preparation of audio-visual materials, copy writing, photography, promotion planning, radio commercial preparation, and educational program production. Interns follow a general orientation program, which will involve contact with commercial and service organization clients. The culminating point of the internship experience will be a client-oriented project for which the intern is the primary researcher and producer.
Internship in Cable Television System
Liaison: Professor Keeley
A practicum in the areas of cable television program production, management, community relations, and special problems in the cable system operation, subject to the approval of the host agency.
Internship in Arts Administration
Liaison: Professor Crozier
The intern works in the administration of a professional arts organization in one or more of the following areas: fund raising and development; promotion, publicity, and public relations; touring and booking; financial administration; house management; rehearsal management; community relations and education outreach programs. Past interns have been with the Pittsburgh Alloy Dance Theatre; the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival; Meadville Council on the Arts; The Pittsburgh Foundation; and the Trumbull (Ohio) Council on the Arts.
Internship in Theatre Arts
Liaison: Professor Crozier
The student may choose to work in a theatre organization in one or more of these areas: acting; scene, sound, lighting design; house management; box office and publicity; costume design and management; stage management; financial administration; rehearsal and production responsibilities; properties; and scenery, sound, lighting, and costume construction.

Available to qualified students seeking to do advanced work outside the scope of scheduled course offerings. A project proposal must be submitted and approved in the semester prior to the semester in which the student registers for the course. Credit: Two or four semester hours.

Preparation for the Senior Comprehensive Project.
Students study communication research methods, conducting exploratory research, developing focused topics, and addressing issues of composition (writing, speaking, video production, editing) and revision. Much of the work for the seminar is conducted independently or in small groups; the culminating assignment is a Comprehensive Project proposal. Credit: one semester hour. Offered credit/no credit only. Must be taken by all majors spring semester of the junior year. (Special arrangements made for students studying off-campus that semester.)

Visual Culture
An introduction to speaking and writing in the disciplines of Communication Arts and Theatre. Emphasis is placed on visual culture, particularly mass-mediated images from movies, TV shows, advertisements, magazines, and the web. We also consider the visual aspects of live performances in social protests and everyday life. Students are encouraged to explore the political consequences of visual practices with an eye towards how visual culture influences collective actions and shapes collective identities. This course may count towards the major or minor in Communication Arts and Theatre.