Overview

The Lebanese American University enjoys a long and rich tradition of innovative professional training. Its B.A. in Performing Arts renders a service for Lebanon and the region with the unique mix of acting, dance and music. The program simultaneously provides students with an overall understanding of and appreciation for the performing arts, and a more focused knowledge and expertise in one area.

The B.A. in Performing Arts reflects LAU’s commitment to “academic excellence, student centeredness, civic engagement, the advancement of scholarship, the education of the whole person, and the formation of leaders in a diverse world”. The B.A. builds upon the Department of Communication Arts’ history in graduating performers in the areas of acting, dance, and music. The program draws on

• a rich blend of theoretical and hands-on courses which involve extensive use of technology,
• a dedicated, community-engaged and well-published faculty, and
• state-of-the-art facilities and software.

Mission

The mission of the B.A in Performing Arts is to equip, through a liberal arts education, students with extensive cultural, artistic, and technical proficiency and versatility to successfully pursue higher learning and a profession in a challenging world. Students will discover and develop their skills through an intense, integrated performing arts and academic program that enhances creative and critical inquiry. The program enables students to be life-long learners, innovative artists, and creative and critical thinkers. Students receive a holistic approach to learning that emphasizes artistic excellence, interdisciplinary learning, socially engaged performance, and a spirit of collaboration.

Program Objectives

The B.A. in Performing Arts strives to

• demonstrate conceptual knowledge appropriate to pursue graduate education,
• cultivate in students an artistic sense along with creative and basic performing arts skills needed to enter careers in the field, and
• develop in students the creative process of the ever changing contemporary arts landscape.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the B.A. in Performing Arts, students will be able to

• demonstrate the ability to research, create and produce performances for the stage,
• exhibit aesthetic awareness related to performing arts production,
• demonstrate the ability to work on productions in different media and technologies individually and as part of a creative team,
• develop critical thinking competencies in relation to the performing arts and express it in writing,
• demonstrate familiarity with key concepts and historical contexts related to the performing arts field,
• apply technology in creative and communicative ways.

Curriculum

For the B.A. in Performing Arts, a student must complete a minimum of 93 credits as per the following:

• Departmental Core Courses (31 cr)
• Departmental Professional Electives (10 cr)
• Departmental Liberal Arts Electives (15 cr)
• Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Courses (34 cr)
• Free Electives (3 cr)

Departmental Core Courses (31 cr)

• PFA210 Fundamentals of Music (3 cr)
• PFA214 Arabic Music Appreciation (3 cr)
• PFA221 Body in Performance (3 cr)
• PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr)
• PFA241 Introduction to Acting (3 cr)
• PFA242 Introduction to Art of Theater (3 cr)
• PFA244 Stage Production and Design (3 cr)
• PFA342 Play Production I (3 cr)
• PFA498 Internship (1 cr)
• PFA499 Performing Arts Workshop (Capstone Project) (3 cr)
• JSC312 Media and Society (3 cr)

Departmental Professional Electives (10 cr)

Music

• PFA311 Ear Training, Sight Singing and Music Theory (3 cr)
• PFA312 Introduction to Middle Eastern Music Composition (3 cr)
• PFA313 Introduction to Western Music Composition (3 cr)
• PFA315 Music/Vocal Ensemble Western Music (3 cr)
• PFA316 Music/Vocal Ensemble Middle Eastern Music (3 cr)
• PFA317 Recording and Sound Reinforcement Techniques (3 cr)
• PFA318 Writing Music for Visual Media (3 cr)
• PFA418 Music Workshop (1 cr)

Dance

• PFA238 Drama Workshop (1 cr)
• PFA321 Dance Improvisation (3 cr)
• PFA421 Dance Composition (3 cr)
• PFA428 World Dance Workshop (3 cr)

Theater

• PFA238 Drama Workshop (1 cr)
• PFA247 Theater in Performance (3 cr)
• PFA343 Advanced Acting (3 cr)
• PFA347 Principles of Creative Dramatics (3 cr)
• PFA442 Play Production II (3 cr)
• TVF222 Introduction to Audio Visual Media (3 cr)

Departmental Liberal Arts Electives (15 cr)

• PFA211 Survey of Western Music (3 cr)
• PFA212 Survey of Middle Eastern Music (3 cr)
• PFA249 Theater in Lebanon and the Arab World (3 cr)
• PFA252 Lebanese Musical Theater and Song (3 cr)
• PFA314 World Music History (3 cr)
• PFA322 Dance History and Criticism (3 cr)
• PFA487 Seminar in Performing Arts (3 cr)
• PFA488 Topics in Performing Arts (3 cr)

Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Courses (34 cr)

Free Electives (3 cr)