USC
University of Southern California
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Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts Studies is an interdisciplinary degree offered jointly by the School of Theatre, the School of Architecture, the School of Cinematic Arts, the Roski School of Fine Arts, the Thornton School of Music, and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Candidates for the degree must complete the university general education requirements in addition to the courses in the major. Students in this major complete a core of required courses that provides them with a broad understanding of the various disciplines. The work in the major is completed by choosing courses from a wide array of course offerings from all the participating schools. A total of 128 units is required for completion of the degree.

General Education Requirements

The university’s general education program provides a coherent, integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated person. This program requires six courses in different categories, plus writing, foreign language and diversity requirements, which together comprise the USC Core. See here and here for more information.

REQUIRED CORE COURSES (SURVEY OF THE ARTS)UNITS
AHIS 120Foundations of Western Art4
ARCH 304xIntensive Survey: Prehistory to the Present 4
CTCS 393History of the American Film, 1946-19754
FA 150Visual Culture and Literacy I4
MUHL 315xMusic and Culture4
THTR 125Text Studies for Production4
THTR 380Historical Approaches to Dance4
Total:28

CASE STUDIES IN THE ARTS:
12 units of upper division course work from the following:
Architecture:
ARCH 312Urban Form and Architecture in Italy 2
ARCH 314History of Architecture: Contemporary Issues3
ARCH 416Architecture and Urbanism in France2
ARCH 432People, Places and Culture: Architecture of the Public Realm4
ARCH 434City Cine: Visuality, Media and Urban Experience3
ARCH 440Literature and the Urban Experience 4
ARCH 444Great Houses of Los Angeles 4
ARCH 454Contemporary Asian Architecture 4

Cinematic Arts:
CTAN 451History of Animation2
CTCS 392History of the American Film, 1925-19504
CTCS 394History of the American Film, 1977-present4
CTCS 406History of American Television 4
CTCS 407African-American Cinema4
CTCS 409Censorship in Cinema4
CTCS 411Film, Television, and Cultural Studies4
CTCS 412Gender, Sexuality, and Media4
CTCS 414Chicana/o Cinema4
ENGL 471Literary Genres and Film4
PHIL 446Aesthetics and the Film4

Fine Arts:
AHIS 319Mesoamerican Art and Culture4
AHIS 321Greek Art and Archaeology4
AHIS 322Roman Art and Archaeology4
AHIS 330Medieval Art4
AHIS 343Renaissance Art4
AHIS 364Myths, Arts, Realities: Visual Culture in California 1849 to the Present4
AHIS 368Modern Art I: 1700-18504
AHIS 369Modern Art II: 1851-19404
AHIS 370Modern Art III: 1940 to the Present4
AHIS 373History of Photography4
AHIS 384Early Chinese Art4
AHIS 385Later Chinese Art4
FA 330Ideas in Intermedia4
FA 350Art Theory and Criticism4
PAS 371Art in the Public Realm: Contemporary Issues4
PAS 400Contemporary Public Art4
PAS 400New Models of Art in City-Space4
The title and description for this course will change in fall 2011.

See revised version

Music:
MUHL 331Music History III3
MUHL 332Studies in Musical Culture3
MUHL 476Music Criticism2
MUJZ 419The Jazz Experience: Myths and Culture4
MUSC 400The Broadway Musical: Reflection of American Diversity, Issues, and Experiences4
MUSC 420Hip-Hop Music and Culture4
MUSC 444American Roots Music: History and Culture4
MUSC 460Film Music: History and Function from 1930 to the Present4
MUSC 465Music, Television and American Culture4

Theatre:
COLT 354Revolutions in Theater4
THTR 301Greek and Roman Theatre4
THTR 302Shakespeare in His World4
THTR 303The Performing Arts4
THTR 313Comedy of Manners4
THTR 314Advanced Topics in Modern Drama4
THTR 393Cultural Identities in Performance4
THTR 476African-American Theatre4
THTR 481From the Border to Broadway 4

Other Courses:
COLT 381Psychoanalysis and the Arts4
PHIL 445Philosophy of the Arts4

Overseas Study Opportunities:
FREN 432French Theatre (Paris Semester)4
SPAN 464Introduction to Contemporary Spanish Theatre (Madrid Center)4