| Location | Email Address | Program Website |
|---|---|---|
| Centre for Film & Theatre (CFT) 324, 85 91亚色 Boulevard | gradthea@yorku.ca | yorku.ca/gradstudies/tdps/ |
The MA/PhD Program in Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies at 91亚色 emphasizes our collective interest in theatre, dance, performance, and cultural politics. Internationally renowned faculty offer advanced seminars and mentor student research in one of the English-speaking world鈥檚 most active cities for theatre, dance, and the performing arts.
The Graduate Program in Theatre, Dance, & Performance Studies offers MA and PhD degrees.
All degrees are offered either full time or part-time.
Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission, applicants must hold an honours degree or its equivalent in Theatre (BA or BFA), Dance (BA or BFA), or a related field in English, Humanities, or Social Sciences, with a minimum B+ average. This average is consistent with a 7.0 and above on a 9.0 grading scale and 3.30 and above on a 4.0 grading scale. In exceptional circumstances, applicants with substantial professional experience may be admitted to the program without an honours degree.
Applicants are expected to submit:
- Statement of Interest (2-3 pages) outlining your background in theatre, dance, and/or performance studies; your reasons for wanting to pursue an advanced degree; and how you intend to fulfill the degree requirements. For PhD students, please include a description of your proposed dissertation project, identifying the faculty who might supervise you.
- Curriculum Vitae outlining your work experience, performance experience, academic background, publications, awards, etc.
- Writing sample of 1,500-2,000 words (for MA applicants) and 2,500-3,000 words (for PhD applicants). Acceptable formats include an academic essay, thesis chapter, conference paper, or other piece of academic writing. In addition to the writing sample, applicants may opt to submit research in another format, including, but not limited, to: a video presentation of no more than 5 minutes in length; a brief excerpt from a script or creative writing project (no more than 10 pages); a design portfolio; other multimodal research materials.
- Two letters of reference.
Candidates for the PhD must have an MA in a Humanities- or Social Sciences-related subject and a B+ average or higher.
Degree Requirements
MA
Normally completed in three terms, the Master of Arts in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies can be completed by coursework, by major research paper, or by thesis, as follows.
Courses
Students must successfully complete 24 credits in coursework, as follows:
- a research methodology course of at least three credits from a list of possible options provided by the program (these change each year)
- a minimum of two courses (six credits) from the Graduate Program in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies;
- GS/THST 5051 Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Professional Placement (3.0 Credits)
- GS/THST 5052 3.0 Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Graduate Colloquium (3.0 Credits); and
- remaining coursework chosen from graduate-level Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies courses, or approved graduate-level cognate courses.
Courses
Students must successfully complete 18 credits in coursework, as follows:
- a research methodology course of at least three credits from a list of possible options provided by the program (these change each year);
- a minimum of two courses (six credits), one of which must be a Canadian course with 鈥渢heatre,鈥 "performance" and/or "dance" in its title and the other of which must be a Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies course that aligns with program鈥檚 fields; and,
- nine credits chosen from graduate-level Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies courses or approved graduate-level cognate courses.
Colloquium
Students are required to attend a bi-weekly non-credit colloquium during the first two terms of study. At the colloquium, research approaches are discussed, guest speakers from across the program and the university are brought in, and in-process presentations of each graduate student鈥檚 research work is shared. Students are evaluated on a pass/fail basis.
Professional Placement
Students are required to set up a working professional placement of at least 75 hours as part of Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies 5051 3.0. This course is designed to give graduate students applied, professionally-oriented work experience in a field related to one of the program鈥檚 fields of specialization and/or the student鈥檚 research areas (e.g., production dramaturgy, choreography, assistant directing, education and outreach, publicity and marketing, producing). The assignment is supervised by a member of the graduate theatre studies faculty (often the Graduate Program Director) in association with an on-site supervisor/mentor. The arrangement for a placement is normally initiated by the student, who first presents a written outline of the placement proposal to the Graduate Program Director for approval.
After approval is obtained the student should contact the institution to set up their schedule. The exact nature of the assignment is worked out and agreed upon by the team of student, faculty advisor and on-site supervisor. The course grade (pass/fail) is determined by the faculty supervisor in consultation with the on-site supervisor. The average number of working hours for a three credit placement is 75-90 hours and there is normally no remuneration involved.
a) Major Research Paper
Students must undertake research under the direction of a Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies graduate program faculty member (normally in place by the end of the first term of study) on an approved topic and write a major research paper of approximately 40-50 pages. The paper is graded on a pass/fail basis by the faculty member directing the research and by a second reader.
b) Research-Creation Major Research Paper
Students must undertake research under the direction of a Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies graduate program faculty member (normally in place by the end of the first term of study) on an approved topic. This research will culminate in a research-creation work in which a key component is the creation of a critically-informed performance work. This work could include: a public or recorded performance (theatre, performance art, installation, etc.); the development of a significant piece of performance-based writing, design, or composition; a public or recorded demonstration of a performance-based method.
A research-creation major research paper must include: a significant performance work, plus a 25-page paper that explores the clearly
defined set of critical, conceptual, and/or theoretical concerns that are at the centre of the research-creation project. The paper and research creation project are graded on a pass/fail basis by the faculty member directing the research and by a second reader.
Courses
Students must successfully complete 12 credits in coursework, as follows:
- a research methodology course of at least three credits from a list of possible options provided by the program (these change each year)
- a minimum of one course (three credits) from the Graduate Program in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies;
- GS/THST 5051 3.0: Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Placement;
- GS/THST 5052 3.0 Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies Graduate Colloquium
Thesis and Oral Examination
Students must undertake research under the direction of a Theatre & Performance Studies faculty member (normally in place by the end of the first term of study) and supervisory committee (normally in place no later than the second term of study) on an approved topic and write a thesis of approximately 100 pages. The thesis must embody the results of original research must be successfully defended at an oral examination.
The MRP/Thesis can take a variety of forms, including monograph, manuscript-based, complex digital, or multimodal, in line with Faculty of Graduate Studies' regulations.
The MA program can be completed on a fulltime basis. Entry is in the fall term.
The expected degree completion time for full-time master鈥檚 students is 3 terms; part-time students are expected to complete within 6
terms. For those students who complete degree requirements earlier than 3 terms, they must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of 3 terms of full-time study. All requirements for a master鈥檚 degree must be fulfilled within 12 terms (4 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time master鈥檚 student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies鈥 registration policies.
PhD
Normally completed in a maximum of five years, the PhD in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies requires completion of the following:
Students must successfully complete 18 credits in coursework, normally within the first two years (six terms) of study, as follows:
- a research methodology course of at least three credits from a list of possible options provided by the program (these change each year);
- a minimum of two courses (six credits) from the Graduate Program in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies;
- GS/PANF 7500 Advanced Research Doctoral Colloquium (3.0 Credits); and
- remaining coursework chosen from graduate-level Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies courses, or approved graduate-level cognate courses.
PhD students entering the program who have not had extensive professional work in theatre and/or a related area may be required to set up a working professional placement of at least 75 hours (students are evaluated on a case-by-case basis upon entering the program). GS/THST 5051 Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies Professional Placement is designed to give graduate students applied, professionally-oriented work experience in a field related to one of the program鈥檚 fields of specialization and/or the student鈥檚 research areas (e.g., production dramaturgy, choreography, assistant directing, education and outreach, publicity and marketing, producing). The assignment is supervised by a member of the graduate theatre studies faculty (often the Graduate Program Director) in association with an on-site supervisor/mentor. The arrangement for a placement is normally initiated by the student who first presents a written outline of the placement proposal to the Graduate Program Director for approval. After approval is obtained the student should contact the institution to set up their schedule. The exact nature of the assignment is worked out and agreed upon by the team of student, faculty advisor and on-site supervisor. The course grade (pass/fail) is determined by the faculty supervisor in consultation with the on-site supervisor. The average number of working hours for a three credit placement is 75-90 hours and there is normally no remuneration involved.
Taken in the Summer term of the second year of graduate study, this examination is intended to ensure students鈥 familiarity with and ability to identify core ideas in the texts and identify key debates in the fields of theatre, dance & performance studies. It also aims to test knowledge of a student鈥檚 chosen research and teaching areas to verify sufficient grounding in scholarship relevant to a student鈥檚 area of research, particularly the dissertation topic.
The examination consists of three sections, each based on a list of thirty texts for a total of ninety. List One, the 鈥淭heatre, Dance & Performance Studies Field List,鈥 is a set list of texts (dramatic and performance theory; theatre, dance and performance history and historiography, dramatic literature, performance texts, etc.) designed to assess the candidate鈥檚 overall command of several key theories, controversies, and debates in the field with the goal of equipping students to teach in theatre and performance programs. The second list, the 鈥淒issertation Research Area 鈥 General List,鈥 reflects the broader area in theatre, dance & performance studies in which the dissertation is situated (e.g., Canadian theatre, performance theory, actor training methods, somatics, performance art, critical dance studies and pedagogy, postcolonial theatre, physical and devised theatre). Each text speaks to the relationship between the student鈥檚 specialized interest and the broad field of theatre and performance studies. The student chooses the 30 texts on this list in consultation with the comprehensive examination committee. The final list, the 鈥淒issertation Research area 鈥 Specific List,鈥 is specifically related to the dissertation and may be outside of theatre, dance & performance studies (e.g., site-specific performance, feminist and queer theory, critical race theory, cultural geography, arts and cultural policy, autobiographical theory, popular culture studies). The texts on this list directly inform the dissertation. The list of materials is chosen by students in consultation with the supervisory committee and submitted to the Graduate Program Director for approval.
The comprehensive examination is comprised of a take-home examination, normally taken during the summer term of the second year of doctoral study. Students have two weeks to write three 12-15 page responses to three essay questions. Questions are developed with input from students, who propose three possible questions for each list, for a total of nine questions. The questions are a starting point for the examination committee, who revise and adapt them in consultation with students. At the time of the examination the committee chooses one question per list for the examination; students learn which questions have been chosen at the start of the examination.
Upon successful completion of the written examination, the student is asked to meet for an oral examination approximately one week after the results have been transmitted. The committee meets with the student for approximately 90 minutes, during which students are expected to answer follow-up questions arising from the written examination as well as other questions the committee deems appropriate.
No more than three months after the successful completion of the comprehensive examination, students are required to submit a dissertation proposal, following the program鈥檚 dissertation proposal guidelines to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Proposal guidelines are outlined in detail on the program website and in the program handbook. The dissertation proposal is developed under the direction of the supervisor and supervisory committee. In order to ensure timely submission of the proposal, students should plan to submit a draft to their supervisor and supervisory committee no later than six weeks after the comprehensive examination.
The dissertation must embody the results of original research with significant value for the study of theatre and performance and must be successfully defended at an oral examination, normally by the end of year 5 (term 15).
If the dissertation topic requires work in another language as deemed by the supervisory and supervisory committee, students must demonstrate reading proficiency in that language by the end of year three (term 9).
The dissertation can take a variety of forms, including monograph, manuscript- based, complex digital, or multimodal, in line with Faculty of Graduate Studies' regulations.
The PhD program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis. Entry is fall term.
The PhD in Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies is normally completed in a maximum of five years. Doctor of Philosophy students must register and pay fees for a minimum of the equivalent of six terms of full-time registration. All requirements for a doctoral degree must be fulfilled within 18 terms (6 years) of registration as a full-time or part-time doctoral student in accordance with Faculty of Graduate Studies鈥 registration policies.