Theatre Minor

Program of Study

The Minor in Theatre provides a brief yet comprehensive introduction to the study and practice of theatre. Through an approach that combines theoretical and studio courses, students receive a broad orientation to multiple aspects of theatre. Acting, theatre history, design, production, and theatrical literature courses offer a diverse range of experiences and encourage various modes of learning. Students gain exposure to theatre as it has emerged in multiple cultural and historical contexts and develop a broad understanding of the meaning of theatre in society. The minor stresses the importance of theatre as a social art and emphasizes its transformative historical role in society.

The minor complements the student’s major field of study by serving the following objectives:

to introduce the student to other personal and world views that may resonate or diverge radically from the student’s experience;
to lead the student to appreciate the relationship between the written and spoken word, the text and its performance;
to help the student understand how aesthetic issues and cultural productions affect everyday life;
to foster the student’s personal development by providing opportunities for performance, aesthetic expression, and critical reflection through individual and ensemble work;
to sharpen the student’s critical eye as a consumer of cultural productions and performances, including those of television and film;
to engage the student’s imaginative and critical faculties in new and challenging ways, thereby enriching the student’s overall academic experience.

Above all, the Minor in Theatre is geared toward understanding and creating meaningful communication between theatre and its public, in order to carry forward the best traditions of theater as an art of personal and social enrichment.

Requirements for a Minor in Theatre

Courses used to satisfy requirements of the minor may also be used to fulfill General Education requirements. Students may apply up to nine (9) units of transfer credit toward the minor. Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in each course for the minor. At least twelve (12) units of coursework submitted for the minor must be completed at CSUSM. Visual and Performing Arts majors and Music majors may pursue this minor if their VPA option is different from Theatre Arts and nine (9) units are mutually exclusive, i.e., not double-counted for the major and minor.