Acting

Major Requirements for Students Pursuing Latin Honors

Common Honors Courses in Major

ENGL 3007H - Honors Shakespeare

Required Thesis Course

HCol 3101H or HCol 3102H

Capstone Considerations
  • Theatre Arts BA students writing an Honors thesis augment the capstone through an independent research project (performance, handbook/guide, script – meaningfully representing their research). Students must keep documents of their process throughout the semester (bibliographies, weblogs, videologs, etc.)
  • Acting BFA students: Free-play project, mentor-rich process.
Thesis Requirements

Honors seniors must submit a 10-15 page thesis in addition to their capstone performances and/or play scripts. The thesis is more formal and less creative for both Theatre Arts BA and Acting BFA students. The thesis should be the equivalent of 80 hours of work. The student is expected to meet with their faculty thesis advisor at least 4 times across the year (more if needed).

Summa Requirements for Written Theses

  • Minimum length is 40 pages (double-spaced), half of which is devoted to presentation of original, primary research.
  • Summa Grade Rubric: 25% literature review, 50 % primary research, 25% concluding analysis linking primary research to literature review, in order to explain how your thesis contributes to advancing the field literature.

Summa Requirements for Performed Theses

  • Written component remains the same for artistic projects for cum laude and magna cum laude
  • Performance rehearsals must include 2 work-in-progress showings for thesis mentors to give feedback that can be incorporated into the final show.
  • Summa Grade Rubric: 25% Written summative analysis (10-15 pages), 25% Work-in-progress showings, 50% Final performance
Plan C Thesis Options

Honors students in Theatre Arts and Acting pursue a number of different options to fulfill the thesis requirement. Some write a traditional thesis paper (of between 25 and 40 pages, based on original research). Others elect to pursue an artistic project, producing a play, writing a script, taking on a significant stage-management assignment, etc. In the Acting BFA program, many students extend their Freeplay project to the level of an Honors Experience. If the thesis is an artistic project, it should also have a substantial component of written documentation (see below) that is presented in a polished form, using appropriate citation.

The student should submit:

  1. Documentation of the outcome (ex. a script, designs etc.) or process (ex. field journal, interviews etc.), as relevant to the specific project.
  2. A summative analysis of about 10 – 15 (efficient) pages. This analysis should explain how the project fulfilled the honors thesis requirements, by answering the following questions:
    1. What was the intent of the project? What question did it seek to answer?
    2. How and why is that question of interest to others in our field? What is its broader significance?
    3. How have other artists or scholars answered that question, or a similar one? (i.e. the student should demonstrate a knowledge of existing ideas, approaches, interpretations, or methods)
    4. How did the student go about answering that question (i.e. explanation of their methods)?
    5. And what was their answer? (i.e. outcome of the project)
    6. How did this project contribute to the current state of knowledge/practice in our field?
  3. It should also include a bibliography and abstract (the format is stipulated on the UHP website – the student should be responsible for this, and it will be vetted prior to final submission by the student's Honors Advisor)

Honors Faculty Representative Info

Faculty Rep
Sonali Pahwa
Office
580 Rarig
Campus Phone
(612) 301-3917
Email
pahwa007@umn.edu