Program Overview

Ph.D. in Performance Studies

The Ph.D. in Performance Studies is a rigorous program that requires students to complete a series of courses and develop a dissertation proposal. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the field of Performance Studies and to prepare them for careers in academia and beyond.

Required Courses

Ph.D. students are required to complete three courses (8 points), with the remainder of their required points to be taken in PS elective graduate seminars or, in select instances, outside the department (with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and their advisor). The required courses are:

• Methods in Performance Studies (PERF-GT 2616)
• Advanced Readings in Performance Studies (PERF-GT 2201)
• Dissertation Proposal Workshop (PERF-GT 2301)

Course Descriptions

Methods in Performance Studies (PERF-GT 2616)

This course considers the respective research goals of students and explores various methods for pursuing them. Given the disciplinary promiscuity of performance studies, the course is largely geared toward workshopping students' individual projects, while tracking some of the bigger conversations on "method" taking place, and considering some of the more widely-used research methods. The course is offered in alternate years with Advanced Readings.

Advanced Readings in Performance Studies (PERF-GT 2201)

This course works toward a collective conversation about some of the most influential theoretical and analytic texts in the field of Performance Studies. Students consider relevant disciplinary research paradigms (movement analysis, ethnomusicology, theater history, orature studies, and art history among others) and their use in PS scholarship. Through close readings of exemplary works in the field, students consider the theoretical, ethical, and practical challenges presented by different objects of analysis. The course includes practical skills related to archival research, ethnography (including participant observation and interviewing), documentation and analysis of live performance, and the analysis of documents of various kinds, including visual material.

Dissertation Proposal Workshop (PERF-GT 2301)

This course is for Ph.D. students who have passed their Area Examinations the preceding semester. The course operates as a workshop in which students draft their dissertation proposals in preparation for Dissertation Colloquia at the end of that semester, during which their dissertation committees will evaluate their proposals and determine whether or not to advance the student to ABD status.

Program Requirements

Ph.D. students must complete the required courses and develop a dissertation proposal. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the field of Performance Studies and to prepare them for careers in academia and beyond.