Department Website
Program Description
The program in dramatic literature offers students the opportunity to specialize in the critical, theoretical, literary, and historical aspects of theatre studies. In addition to courses offered each semester by the program’s core faculty in the Department of English, students take classes on theatre, drama, and performance in departments and schools throughout NYU, including practice- based courses. Students engage with works and traditions of drama and theatre dating from ancient times to the present, and take advantage of New York’s incomparably rich theatre landscape. An honors program is available for qualified students
Honors Program
The requirements for graduating with honors in the major in dramatic literature consist of:
- A 3.65 GPA, both overall and in the major.
- Completion of the two core courses DRLIT-UA 110 History of Drama & Theatre I, DRLIT-UA 111 Hist of Drama & Theatre II by the time of application to the honors program.
- Enrollment for two consecutive terms in DRLIT-UA 925 Senior Honors Thesis and completion of a thesis (on a topic of the student’s choice) under the direction of a faculty member.
- Concurrently with DRLIT-UA 925 Senior Honors Thesis: enrollment for two consecutive terms in DRLIT-UA 926 Senior Honors Colloquium.
December graduates begin the concurrent DRLIT-UA 925 Senior Honors Thesis and DRLIT-UA 926 Senior Honors Colloquium sequences in the spring term and complete them in the fall; May graduates begin the sequences in the fall and complete them in the spring. Applications and deadlines are available on the program’s undergraduate website and at the program offices.
Dramatic literature majors pursuing this honors track may also satisfy the Honors Colloquium requirement by taking, with permission from the director of dramatic literature and the instructor, the Honors Seminar in the undergraduate Department of Drama at Tisch School of the Arts.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
This major requires a minimum of ten 4-credit courses (40 credits) as outlined below.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 4 |
| EXPOS-UA 1 | Writing as Inquiry | 4 |
| 1 | 16 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| DRLIT-UA 110 | History of Drama & Theatre I | 4 |
| DRLIT-UA 111 | Hist of Drama & Theatre II | 4 |
| 4 |
| 2 | 28 |
| 40 |
| Total Credits | 128 |
Note: Majors and minors must register under the DRLIT-UA number for any cross-listed courses. Fulfillment of the College's expository writing requirement is a prerequisite to all dramatic literature courses.
General Information and Advisement
Students should consult the program's undergraduate website during pre-registration each term for a list of courses that satisfy the requirements outlined above and for more detailed descriptions of the particular courses offered in a given term. The director is available throughout the term, as well as during registration periods, to discuss students' educational and professional goals in general and the dramatic literature program in particular.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:
- An understanding of intersecting histories of global dramatic, theatrical, and performance forms from antiquity to the present.
- A critical awareness of the methodologies of reading, watching, analysis, and interpretation that have defined theatre and performance studies.
- An awareness and understanding of drama, theatre, and performance’s fundamental interdependence with other media, cultural forms, and disciplines.
- The ability to research and write about complex social and cultural topics with evidence-based rigor and argumentation for both academic and general audiences.
Policies
Program Policies
Policies Applying to the Major and Minor
Courses used to satisfy requirements for either the major or minor in dramatic literature, theatre history, and cinema may not be used to satisfy the requirements for any other major or minor. Independent study courses and internships do not count toward the minimum requirements for the major or minor. Transfer students must complete at least half of the required courses for the major and minor programs at the College. Please note that C is the lowest grade that may be counted toward the major or minor. Two-credit courses are not counted toward the major.
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.