COURSE PROPOSAL

Course Name: Ballet II 
Course Prefix: DANC
Course Number: 2470
             Submitted by (Name & E-Mail):  Amanda Sowerby, asowerby@weber.edu

Current Date:  1/27/2012
College: Arts & Humanities
Department:   Performing Arts                              
From Term: Fall  2012 

Substantive

change 

Current Course Subject DANC
Current Course Number 2470

DANC *2470. Ballet II (1) Technique course designed to increase skill in classical ballet. May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credit hours. Prerequisite: DANC 1100 (2 credit hours minimum), or DANC 2470 (1 credit hour mini- mum), or by audition.

New/Revised Course Information:

Subject:  DANC            

Course Number: 2470

 Check all that apply:
    This is for courses already approved for gen ed.
    Use a different form for proposing a new gen ed designation.
DV  CA  HU  LS  PS  SS 
EN  AI  QL  TA  TB  TC  TD  TE

Course Title: Ballet II

Abbreviated Course Title:

Course Type:  LAB

Credit Hours:  1.5  or if variable hours:   

Contact Hours: Lecture   Lab 4.5   Other

Repeat Information:  Limit 4   Max Hrs 6 

Grading Mode:  standard

This course is/will be: a required course in a major program
a required course in a minor program
a required course in a 1- or 2- year program
elective

Prerequisites/Co-requisites:

Prerequisite: DANC 1100 (3 credit hours minimum), or DANC 2470 (1.5 credit hour minimum), or by audition.

Course description (exactly as it will appear in the catalog, including prerequisites):

DANC *2470. Ballet II (1.5)
Technique course designed to increase skill in classical ballet. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisite: DANC 1100 (2 credit hours minimum), or DANC 2470 (1.5 credit hour mini- mum), or by audition.

Justification for the new course or for changes to an existing course. (Note: Justification should emphasize academic rationale for the change or new course. This is particularly important for courses requesting upper-division status.)

This change is long overdue and reflects an update in keeping with the Curriculum Policy and Procedures Manual.
All technique classes are currently listed worth one credit hour; however, our 2000 and 3000 level Ballet technique classes meet for 50% longer. Specifically, Ballet II and Ballet III (DANC 2470 & 3470) meet 4.5 hours per week and have requirements of written concert critiques. In contrast, Ballet I (DANC 1470) meets three hours per week. Raising this course to 1.5 credit hours will be more equitable and will reflect the extra Friday of technique class. Friday classes are reserved for special topics and allow faculty to supplement dance majors’ education with emerging trends in the field.

UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM COMMITTEE POLICY AND PROCEDURES MANUAL
SECTION 5 - CREDIT HOURS/SUBSTANTIVE COURSE PROPOSALS
Revised: 6-9-10
CREDIT HOURS - The unit by which an institution may measure its course work. The number of credit hours assigned to a course is usually defined by the number of hours per week in class and the number of weeks in the session. One credit hour is usually assigned to a class that meets fifty minutes a week over a full semester; in laboratory, fieldwork, drawing, music, practical arts, physical education, or similar type of instruction, one credit hour is assigned for a session that meets two or three hours a week during a full semester.
CREDIT RATIOS - Academic credit is a measure of the total time commitment required of a typical student in a particular course of study. Total time consists of three components: (1) time spent in class; (2) time spent in laboratory, studio, fieldwork, or other scheduled activity; (3) time devoted for reading, studying, problem solving, writing, or preparation. One full-semester credit hour is assigned in the following ratio of component hours per week devoted to the course of study: (1) lecture courses – one contact hour for each credit hour, (two hours of outside work implied); (2) laboratory or studio course – at least two contact hours for each credit hour, (one hour of outside preparation implied); (3) independent study – at least three hours of work per week for each credit hour.



Please note: there will not be an attachment of old AND new syllabus as course will not change. The increase in credit hour is changing to reflect the rigor the course already possesses.

INFORMATION PAGE
for substantive proposals only

1. Did this course receive unanimous approval within the Department?

true

If not, what are the major concerns raised by the opponents?

2. If this is a new course proposal, could you achieve the desired results by revising an existing course within your department or by requiring an existing course in another department?

N/A

3. How will the proposed course differ from similar offerings by other departments? Comment on any subject overlap between this course and topics generally taught by other departments, even if no similar courses are currently offered by the other departments. Explain any effects that this proposal will have on program requirements or enrollments in other department. Please forward letters (email communication is sufficient) from all departments that you have identified above stating their support or opposition to the proposed course.

N/A

4. Is this course required for certification/accreditation of a program?

no

If so, a statement to that effect should appear in the justification and supporting documents should accompany this form.

5. For course proposals, e-mail a syllabus to Faculty Senate which should be sufficiently detailed that the committees can determine that the course is at the appropriate level and matches the description. There should be an indication of the amount and type of outside activity required in the course (projects, research papers, homework, etc.).

Dance 2470: Ballet II
Weber State University Department of Performing Arts
Spring 2012
1.5 credit hours
T/Th/F 10:30-12:00 BC 38
Instructor: Elizabeth Stich
Email: estich18@hotmail.com

 

Course Description:

This course addresses the technical challenges of ballet while encouraging students to explore the artistic aspects of the art form.  Through the traditional class sequence, students become more familiar with ballet terms and technique.  The class progresses through barre and center combinations, which emphasize the development of coordination, musicality, flexibility, strength and control.

 Objectives:

·    Work towards improving ballet technique.

·    Become comfortable with ballet terminology and meanings.

·    Gain strength, stamina, control, and coordination of the body.

·    Further one’s expression and artistry through movement.

·    Gain a deeper understanding of the body and how each part relates to the whole.

 

Learning Outcomes:

The following areas are assessed through in-class performance, peer feedback, written mid-term and end-of-semester showings.

1.    Have a kinesiological understanding of the body with an ability to identify, analyze and resolve specific physical problems such as muscular imbalances and individual differences.

2.   Gain proficiency in the principles of dance technique.

3.   Have an historical context in dance including its relationship to society, culture and history.

 

Attendance:

·         You are allowed four absences (excused or unexcused), after which your grade will be lowered by 1/3 of a letter grade for each additional absence (for example an A becomes an A-, etc.).

·         Three late arrivals or early departures will equal one absence. Students who arrive 10 minutes after class has begun should sit out and watch. You are responsible for telling the instructor after class to change attendance from absent to tardy.

·         You may make-up one absence by attending a ballet concert of your choice and writing a 2 page, 12- point font, double-spaced analysis of the concert focusing on the dance concepts we have covered in class.  Staple your ticket stub to the paper for credit.

·         You are allowed one observation day per semester without penalty.  When injured or ill, but not contagious, you may observe and take notes to hand in at the end of the class period and still be counted present.  It is the student’s responsibility to let the instructor know prior to the beginning of class if you are going to observe.  It is extremely disrespectful to lay on the floor, text, or sleep while observing class.  I will factor such behaviors into your participation grade.

·         Serious illnesses and injuries will be handled on an individual basis. In such cases, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor in order to make appropriate arrangements.

 Attire:

Students must wear ballet shoes, classical dance clothing including leotard and tights/leggings (men may wear shorts or sweat pants), and refrain from wearing excessive baggy layers of warm-up clothing as it obscures the lines of the body.  Please secure hair away from the face in a bun or ponytail and remove any excessive jewelry. 

Course Requirements:

Participation (70% of grade)

You are expected to actively engage with the material each class and contribute to a positive learning environment for yourself and the class community.  Students are expected to exhibit a professional working attitude in their daily practices.  Such a mature attitude includes a willingness to learn new things, an appetite for self-investigation, and assimilation of feedback.  Students at this level should not only apply direct instructor feedback, but also should challenge themselves and give self-corrections.  Behaviors such as talking during class, sitting down between exercises, failing to apply corrections given to the class, or not being in proper dance attire will negatively affect your participation grade.  You should arrive to class each morning with enough time to prepare yourself physically and mentally to begin promptly at 10:30 am (this includes being dressed with hair secured back and shoes on).

 Written Mid-Term (10% of grade) Due: February 16

Students will write a 2 page, 12- point font, double-spaced paper addressing personal challenges and progress in ballet technique this semester.  Be as specific as possible in discussing aspects of ballet technique that you are working on improving and how you are addressing these issues both inside and outside of technique class.  Please use correct ballet terminology and spelling (refer to Gail Grant Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet for help). 

Concert Attendance (10% of grade)

You are required to attend the Orchesis Dance Concert, April 5-7 at 7:30 PM in the Browning Center's Allred Theater.  Please turn in required concert critique along with ticket stub for credit.

 

Final End-of-Semester Showings (10% of grade)

In lieu of a final exam you are required to participate in the Dance Area technique class showing on Friday, April 13 at 4:30 in BC 38.  Please clear your schedule and make arrangements to be present. 

The final has two components: 1) Observing all the classes performing, and 2) Performing in the Ballet II/III presentation. Both are required for this class. It is as educational to see the range of dance styles, approaches to showings and levels of your peers, as it is to share what you learned. 

 

Evaluation:

When evaluating a student I ask these questions:

 

ACADEMIC HONESTY: As specified in PPM 6-22 IV D, cheating and plagiarism violate the Student Code. Plagiarism is "the unacknowledged (uncited) use of any other person’s or group’s ideas or work." Students found guilty of cheating or plagiarism are subject to failure of a specific assignment, or, in more serious cases, failure of the entire course.

CORE BELIEFS According to PPM 6-22 IV, students are to “determine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with a student's core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs."

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION: PPM 3-34 notes: "When students seek accommodation in a regularly scheduled course, they have the responsibility to make such requests at the Center for Students with Disabilities before the beginning of the quarter [semester] in which the accommodation is being requested. When a student fails to make such arrangements, interim accommodations can be made by the instructor, pending the determination of the request for a permanent accommodation."

EMERGENCY CLOSURE: If for any reason the university is forced to close for an extended period of time, we will conduct our class as a hybrid, meaning we will complete core components online using our course website, Weber email, and possibly Blackboard.

USE OF ELECTRONICS IN CLASS: Please turn your phone to silent during the class hour.