Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
School of Film, Dance and Theatre
Dance Honors Program
The School of Film, Dance and Theatre Dance Honors Program offers in-depth educational experiences for majors pursing a bachelor’s degree in Dance or Dance education as well minors in Dance. Once accepted into the Barrett Honors College, students should make an appointment to consult with a Faculty Honors Advisor in Dance to become more familiar with the various opportunities available in the Dance Honors Program. Honors Dance students enrich their academic study by completing a specific number of required honors credits, which may be fulfilled through Honors Enrichment Contracts. Additionally, all students must produce a Thesis/Creative Project to complete Barrett Honors College graduation requirements.
Students who are not Dance majors or minors also are encouraged to propose Honors Enrichment Contracts for Dance courses. If there is interest in producing a Thesis/Creative Project with a dance focus it is important to have taken previous Honors Enrichment Contracts in Dance including at least one upper division course.
Honors Enrichment Contracts – Students taking Honors Enrichment Contract courses engage in challenging and innovative assignments for honors credits. This option provides greater creativity in terms of learning and teaching and is a way to individualize the curriculum to meet the student’s interest. It also provides an opportunity for faculty and students to have more intellectually rigorous discussions outside the classroom, usually for a minimum of eight hours per semester. Honors Enrichment Contracts are only available for courses taught by full-time, regular Dance faculty. It is encouraged that students discuss the honors option with their respective professor by the end of the first week of classes. Applications for these contracts must be submitted by the semester deadline as determined by the Barrett Honors College. For more information access: https://barretthonors.asu.edu/academics/honors-courses-and-contracts.
Thesis/Creative Project – The thesis/creative project is a required two-semester, two course experience. Barrett Honors students must complete must complete the thesis preparation requirement met through an in-person or online thesis workshop prior to beginning this sequence. For more details see: https://barretthonors.asu.edu/academics/thesis-and-creative-project/getting-started
All Dance Honors students take DCE492 - Honors Directed Study to prepare a prospectus and DCE493 - Honors Thesis to realize the project. This critical investigation represents the culmination of work developed during undergraduate study and usually involves making dance in a context specific venue. By spring of the junior year, students choose a faculty mentor who will guide project. In conjunction with this director, each student prepares a written prospectus, which details the student’s creative intent and methodology. An additional written requirement is the final document that examines theoretical frames informing the work’s development as well as a thorough analysis of the experience. Students choose a project mentor who serves as a guide throughout the process. For more information about Barrett Honors requirements, access: https://barretthonors.asu.edu/academics/thesis-and-creative-project.
An additional opportunity for students desiring to include an artist, scholar, and/or educator as a special reader for the honors thesis outside of ASU is the Barrett Honors External Examiner Program. This highly competitive program requires submission of an application at least one month prior to the semester in which the student produces their final project. Information about this program is available at:
https://barretthonors.asu.edu/academics/thesis-and-creative-project/funding.
How to Register for DCE492 and DCE493:
Students must obtain override permission from the Faculty Honors Advisor in Dance during normal enrollment periods to register for thesis/creative project credits. This email communication also should be copied to the student's thesis director with a brief explanation of the project’s focus. Once approved, the Faculty Honors Advisor in Dance will notify the School of Film, Dance and Theatre administrative office to facilitate registration.