Department of
Theater, Film, and Media Studies

Requirements for the Theater Studies Major

In addition to satisfying the general college requirements, students majoring in theater studies must complete 48 credit hours of course work in the TFMS department with a grade of C- or above. Following is a list of required and elective courses that satisfy the theater studies major. Courses are four credit hours, unless otherwise noted; those courses marked with an asterisk should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. (For more information about the theater studies curriculum and about course offerings in TFMS, visit the College Catalog.)

1. Required courses:
*TFMS 170: Stagecraft
*TFMS 171: Elements of Design
*TFMS 200: Theater in History
*TFMS 220: Introduction to Film and Media Studies or TFMS 221: Film and Media Production Modes
*TFMS 230: Acting I
*TFMS 250: Movement I
TFMS 300: Modern Theater
TFMS 371: Production Lab (one credit hour): Majors must complete a minimum of four credit hours

2. One course chosen from:
TFMS 251: Introduction to Traditional African Dance
TFMS 255: Modern Dance I
TFMS 258: Dance in History
TFMS 260: Topics in Dance/Movement
TFMS 350: Movement II
TFMS 355: Modern Dance II
TFMS 360: Dance Improvisation and Composition
TFMS 460: Advanced Topics in Dance/Movement

3. One course chosen from:
TFMS 310: Shakespeare
TFMS 315: Japanese Film
TFMS 325: Documentary Practices
TFMS 326: World Cinema
TFMS 420: Mediated Bodies: Gender, Race, and Class on Stage and Screen
Any topics or experimental course numbered 300 or higher and cross-listed in TFMS

4. One course chosen from:
TFMS 340: Directing for the Stage
TFMS 374: Lighting Design
TFMS 375: Costume Design for Stage and Screen
TFMS 376: Scenic Design for Stage and Screen

5. Senior Experience: This requirement may be satisfied in one of two ways:

a) Four additional credit hours of course work taken from the 400-level course offerings in theater, film, and media studies, including any approved topics or experimental courses cross-listed in TFMS; or
b) *TFMS 493/494: St. Mary's Project: With the approval of the department chair, this requirement may be satisfied by completing eight credit hours of the St. Mary's Project in any discipline or cross-disciplinary minor.

6. Theater productions: Satisfactory work on at least three major theater productions in a position of responsibility to be arranged with the technical director.

7. Participation on run crew: Students are required to participate on at least one run crew in order to satisfy the requirements for the theater studies major. Students may elect to satisfy this requirement as part of the shop hours of TFMS 170 or 171, as Production Lab (TFMS 371), or as Practicum (TFMS 290/490).

8. TFMS 371: Production Lab (Required Majors Shop Hours):

All declared theater studies majors must complete four credit hours of Production Lab. Each credit is equivalent to 30 hours, to be distributed in the following areas: a) Scenery & Paint; b) Costumes and Wardrobe; c) Production Assistance (crew, lights, props, etc.); d) Student's Choice. The technical director and resident designer will assign students to an area each semester. Students will be graded for their work. Students must participate fully in all main stage light hang and focus sessions each semester before credit will be awarded.

9. *TFMS 493/494: St. Mary's Project (SMP):

A St. Mary's Project (SMP) in theater studies is a two-semester, eight-credit independent, original course of study in theater arts. The project may be scholarly (e.g. a written thesis or research paper) or artistic (e.g. directing, acting, design, dance performance or choreography, playwriting, film/video making) in nature, but all projects must address reciprocity between theory and praxis and should encompass an appropriate range of liberal arts disciplines. Projects must receive the prior approval of a faculty member in TFMS. All projects will lead to some form of public presentation. Students undertaking an SMP in theater studies must submit a formal proposal that will fulfill the College and department guidelines for an SMP to their mentor no later than the eighth week of the semester preceding the academic year during which the work will begin. In other words, this deadline will occur during your junior year.

Please take special note: SMP proposals in directing for the main stage. For those proposing an SMP in directing for the main stage, final proposals are due for circulation to the entire department faculty on the first day of the first week of classes of the spring semester preceding the academic year during which the work will begin. Additionally, a student proposing an SMP in directing for the main stage must have secured a faculty mentor during the fall semester preceding submission of the final proposal. In other words, these deadlines will occur during your junior year.

See guidelines and application procedures for proposing a St. Mary's Project in TFMS.

See recommended framework for completing the requirements of the theater studies major in TFMS.

[continue through handbook]