[SML] Aggregate hours for majors?

[Steven Mclean]

At the liberal arts institution at which I teach, total credit hours
for a major are strictly limited by the college.  Even the requirement
of 1 practicum credit per semester wound eliminate critical
course-work.  Also, since students often don't declare majors until
the end of the first year and often not until second or even beginning
of third-year, it would be impractical to require many.

This is one of the reason that students get short 10-hour practical
experiences (in scheduled 2-hour increments) as requirement for
several of the introductory-level courses (actually, tech
production--aka "stagecraft"has a 30-hour requirement).  The
department limits "stacking" by having a 30-hour maximum per semester,
allowing students to douple-dip, only if they would otherwise have to
schedule over 30 hours.  This doesn't often happen, except in a
semester when they take Tech. Prod. AND another of the introductory
classes.

Students ARE required to take 2 practicums in their 4 years for a
major.  In the tech theatre area, these are attached to student
"leadership" assignments such as Lighting, Set, Costume, Hair &
Makeup, Props, Video or Sound design, Technical Dirction AND some
Assistant  assignments when assisting a faculty member.  Students ALSO
can earn practicum credit for major roles, Dramaturgy, Stage Managing
(not ASM) AND Assistant Directing. All practicums require scheduled
meetings throughout the semester and have a writing component.  Most
also require a lobby display and a KCACTF-style presentation and
screening for participation in KCACTF and/or the college's end-of-year
undergraduate research symposium.

We ALSO have a large number of WorkStudy students:  14 in the scene
shop, 5 in wardrobe, 5 in lighting.  We also have Undergraduate
Assistants (super-workstudy positions) who provide leadership in
various areas: Scene Shop, Wardrobe, Lighting, Sound, Stage
Management, Box Office, Publicity.

Another source of training/labor is also through our department's
participation scholarship.  between 30 and 70 percent of the students
involved in the department are on participation scholarship.  This is
real money attached to their participation in ALL department
productions.  In practice, this involves being cast, having a
leadership assignment, or being on run crew for each of the 4 annual
productions.  It also involves 1 seven-hour company work call AND a
couple of box office hours per production.  Incidentally, it also
requires attendance in a couple of  craft related (auditioning and
portfolio) workshops each year.THTR majors and minors (even those not
on scholarship) have similar requirements.

Sorry for the length.

Hope it was at least informative.

On Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 1:40 PM, Blackfaer via Stagecraft
<stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> Also I second (or seventh, whatever) the idea for practicum courses spread throughout four years. ...

-- 
Steven J McLean
steve.mclean at simpson.edu
designandtechtheatre.wordpress.com