Dance as a meaning-making expressive form. Develop the tools necessary for looking at dance, analyzing it, writing about it, and understanding its place in larger social, cultural, political structures. We will look at a variety of U.S. American dance genres, understanding them through their historical and cultural contexts, to explore how issues of race, gender, sexuality and class affect the practice and the reception of different dance forms, and how dance might help shape representations of these identities. Ethnic groups that the course studies include African, Asian, and European Americans, indigenous peoples of the U.S., and Chicanos/Latinos. Accessible to students with no dance experience. Not a studio-based class.

This course fulfills the University American Cultures requirement, a breadth requirement that ensures that all UC Berkeley students are introduced to the diverse cultures of the United States through a comparative framework. In this course, we view diversity through the cultural practice of dance. We explore dance as a meaning-making expressive form that helps us to understand formations of race, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, and class. We will look at a variety of US American dance genres, understanding them through their historical and cultural contexts to explore how issues of identity affect the practice and the reception of different dance forms, and, in turn, how dance might help shape representations of these identities. Ethnic groups we will cover include African Americans, indigenous peoples of the United States, Asian Americans, and Latinx people. This course is designed to be accessible to students with no prior experience in dance. This is not a studio-based dance class.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills