Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts

Overview

The B.A. in Performing Arts 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 program 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. It 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 Educational Objectives

The B.A. in Performing Arts strives to:

demonstrate conceptual knowledge appropriate to pursuing 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.

Student 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 92 credits, distributed as follows:

Departmental Core Courses (31 credits)
Departmental Professional Electives (12 credits)
Departmental General Electives (12 credits)
Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Courses (30 credits)
Free Electives (7 credits)

Departmental Core Courses (31 credits)

JSC312 Media & Society (3 cr.)
PFA210 Western Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PFA214 Oriental Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PFA221 Body in Performance (3 cr.)
PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
PFA241 Introduction to Acting (3 cr.)
PFA242 Art of Theater (3 cr.)
PFA310 Theater in Performance (3 cr.)¹
PFA342 Principles of Performing Arts Productions (3 cr.)
PFA498 Internship (1 cr.)
PFA499 Capstone Project (3 cr.)

¹ or PFA315 Music Ensemble or PFA316 Dance Repertory Performance

Departmental Professional Electives (12 credits)

PFA244 Stage Production & Design (3 cr.)
PFA310 Theater in Performance (3 cr.)
PFA311 Ear Training, Sight Singing & Music Theory (3 cr.)
PFA313 Introduction to Music Composition (3 cr.)
PFA315 Music/Vocal Ensemble (3 cr.)
PFA316 Dance Repertory Performance (3 cr.)
PFA317 Recording & Sound Reinforcement Techniques (3 cr.)
PFA318 Writing Music for Visual Media (3 cr.)
PFA321 Dance Improvisation (3 cr.)
PFA338 Performing Arts Workshop (3 cr.)
PFA343 Advanced Acting (3 cr.)
PFA418 Performing Arts Productions (3 cr.)
PFA421 Dance Composition (3 cr.)
PFA442 Play Production (3 cr.)
PFA445 Performing Arts Teaching Methods (3 cr.)

Departmental General Electives (12 credits)

COM213 Public Relations (3 cr.)
COM301 Human Communication Theory (3 cr.)
COM312 Media and Gender (3 cr.)
COM313 Nonverbal Communication (3 cr.)
JSC224 Social Media (3 cr.)
JSC451 Research Methods (3 cr.)
JSC480 Global Media Literacy (3 cr.)
JSC481 Global Change, Cooperation, and News (3 cr.)
PFA249 Theater in Lebanon & the Arab World (3 cr.)
PFA252 Lebanese Musical Theater (3 cr.)
PFA314 World Music History (3 cr.)
PFA322 Dance History & Criticism (3 cr.)
PFA488 Topics in Performing Arts (3 cr.)
TVF221 Art of Film (3 cr.)

Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Courses (30 credits)

Courses in the major cannot be counted towards the 24 LAC elective credits.

Free Electives (7 credits)

Study Plan

Important: English Level

The below 3-year study plans are based on the English level at which the student started: ENG009, ENG101, or ENG102. Please choose the right study plan according to your English level.

Students starting in Byblos

Students who start in Byblos may complete the first year in Byblos. For the second and third years, they need to transfer to the Beirut camps and complete their program there. Or they can split their courses between Beirut (T-TH) and Byblos (MWF). The department will try its best to schedule all required second/third year courses in Beirut on Tuesday-Thursday to limit the number of visits Byblos students need to make.

Students starting as of Fall 2018

Students who started their study as of Fall 2018 follow LAS Curriculum A. As such, the following courses no longer count toward LAS: ETH201, HLT201, PED elective. Instead of these courses, students who start as of Fall 2018 get an extra free elective. This is marked in the study plan in the last semester: LAS (or Free Elective if you started in Fall 2018).

For Students Starting at ENG009 Remedial English

Year One

Fall (13 credits)

ENG009 Remedial English (0 cr.)
PFA210 Western Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PFA241 Introduction to Acting (3 cr.)
PFA221 Theories of Body in Performance (3 cr.)
LAS (ARA) Course (3 cr.)
CSC201 Computer Applications (1 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

PFA242 Art of Theater¹ (3 cr.)
PFA214 Oriental Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
ENG101 Academic English I (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course² (1 cr.)

Summer (6 credits)

ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (16 credits)

PFA342 Principles of Performing Arts Production (3 cr.)
JSC312 Media & Society (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)
LAS Course² (1 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

PFA310 Theater in Performance (3 cr.) OR PFA315 Music/Vocal Ensemble (3 cr.) OR PFA316 Dance Repertory Performance (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)
LAS Course² (1 cr.)

Summer (1 credit)

PFA98 Internship (1 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (15 credits)

PFA499 Capstone (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

For Students Starting at ENG101 Academic English I/ ENG102 Academic English II

Year One

Fall (16 credits)

PFA210 Western Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PFA241 Introduction to Acting (3 cr.)
PFA221 Theories of Body in Performance (3 cr.)
ENG101 Academic English I (3 cr.) [for students starting at ENG101]/ ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.) [for students starting at ENG102]
LAS (ARA) Course (3 cr.)
CSC201 Computer Applications (1 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

PFA242 Art of Theater¹ (3 cr.)
PFA214 Oriental Music Appreciation (3 cr.)
PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
ENG102 Academic English II (3 cr.) [for students starting at ENG101]/ ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.) [for students starting at ENG102]
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course² (1 cr.)

Summer (3 credits)

ENG202 Advanced Academic English⁴ (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (16 credits)

PFA342 Principles of Performing Arts Production (3 cr.)
JSC312 Media & Society (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)
LAS Course² (1 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

PFA310 Theater in Performance (3 cr.) OR PFA315 Music/Vocal Ensemble (3 cr.) OR PFA316 Dance Repertory Performance (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course² (1 cr.)

Summer (1 credit)

PFA498 Internship (1 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

PFA Departmental Professional Elective (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

Spring (15 credits)

PFA499 Capstone (3 cr.)
PFA Departmental Liberal Art Elective (3 cr.)
Free Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Course (3 cr.)

¹With prerequisite override/ Students can take this course in fall and substitute it for a LAS course in Spring. Students should consult their advisor on this matter first.

² Students who started as of Fall 2018 get a free elective instead of these 3 credits, as PED elective, HLT 201 and ETH 201 are no longer required for them.

³ Or the student can take this course in spring and substitute it for a LAS course in Fall. Students should consult their advisor on this matter first.

⁴Students who start at ENG101 may take ENG202 in the following Fall with a heavier course load (18 credits) if they do not wish to take summer courses. Those who start at ENG102 do not need to take any course in summer of year one.