Sample Diversification: Arts (DA) Initial Application and Syllabus

As most of the required questions in the Initial Application are straightforward and easy to respond to (e.g., pro forma questions about course alpha, number, title, etc.), the Diversification Board has chosen to provide a sample response to the last question: "Which Diversification hallmarks does your course fulfill, and how does this course fulfill those hallmarks in your selected Diversification category/categories?"

As noted in the Diversification Board Proposal Guide, one should take care to explain, by way of a short narrative, how the course meets those hallmarks through the Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). A mere list of CLOs is insufficient to satisfy this requirement. In your response to this final question of the application, please be aware that you do NOT need to prove how two-thirds of the required class meetings fulfill the hallmarks of the Diversification designation being sought. Instead, use the syllabus to establish the two-thirds requirement.

The below response was supplied in the Initial Application for a Diversification: Arts (DA) Designation for Theatre 230: Storytelling and Solo Performance. Take particular note of the way the applicant explains which hallmarks of the DA designation the Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) fulfill and how the CLOs fulfill them. The attached syllabus at the bottom of this page establishes how two-thirds of the required class meetings demonstrate the hallmarks of the DA designation.

Please remember that responses should be entered into the online Initial Application form.

Sample Response

Which Diversification hallmarks does your course fulfill, and how does this course fulfill those hallmarks in your selected Diversification category/categories?

DA.1 is met through discussion of the unique performative skills needed to successfully produce and perform as a solo artist/actor on stage. THEA 230 would introduce students to an entirely different subset of theatrical performance and dramatic creation. The skills acquired in THEA 230 would allow a student to be better prepared to find employment in Oahu’s theatrical community. Students will also be introduced to skills that they could use in presentations, speechmaking, or other oral communication related fields/opportunities. Students will also learn skills related to adapting/creating a theatrical work for a solo performer on stage, along with performance skills related to the genre.

DA.2 is met through the practical application of knowledge and skills gained using the resources mention above. THEA 230 will introduce students to storytelling and solo performance, and train students in the application of storytelling and solo performance on stage, in the community, and in the workplace. THEA 230 will explore (in part) how theatre can be incorporated into other non-traditional performance spaces, and how theatre and storytelling relates to other fields. THEA 230 also prepares students for roles in the professional theatre field here in Hawaii.

DA.3 is met by students using theatre techniques to make storytelling a performative art. Through lectures, seminars, reading and analysis, films, writing and performance workshops, as well as viewing and analyzing professional storytellers and solo performers on island, students will integrate their new-found knowledge and observations by writing and performing their own stories on stage (both fictional and non-fictional). Workshops will also include the (basic) study of theatre games, acting, directing, design, and playwriting. The course will conclude with solo performances for the community.

The CLOs for THEA 230 and which Hallmark(s) it meets are as follows:

1. Formulate different dramatic ideas that are appropriate for the stage. = DA.1

2. Research and present ideas for solo plays and stories. = DA.3

3. Appraise their own work and the work of others. = DA.2

4. Explore the various skills necessary for – and unique to – solo performance and storytelling. = DA.1

5. Deliver two fully rendered performances using appropriate verbal/nonverbal communication and aesthetic principals appropriate to a theatrical piece. = DA.2, DA.3

6. Explore the correlation(s) between storytelling and solo performance with the skills necessary for an effective public presentation in a separate field. = DA.2

Sample Syllabus

Attached below is the accompanying syllabus for Theatre 230. Please note that a syllabus does NOT require a daily course calendar updated for the semester of application, though it may. Rather, a syllabus that includes a list of topics and/or issues covered over the sixteen weeks of instruction may be submitted instead. However, the syllabus provided must be updated for current course alpha, number, and catalog description; credit hours; and Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). If you are uncertain about any of these required elements, please consult the course information archived in the Kuali Student Curriculum Management system.