BA in Performance Studies in Evanston United States | Northwestern University

The Department of Performance Studies investigates performance in all its manifestations, broadening and enriching the comprehension of performance as fundamental to human existence. Performance studies majors examine performance both as a subject of academic inquiry—something to be recorded and examined—and as a research methodology—something to be lived and performed. Whether adapting and producing texts, investigating rituals and celebrations, or analyzing everyday performances, students immerse themselves in this dynamic and evolving discipline.

The department offers specialized courses that examine literature through solo performances, collaborative adaptations of poetry, prose, and nonfiction texts, cross-cultural performances, cultural studies with performance ethnography, performance theory and analysis, and performance art. Beyond academic settings, extracurricular performance activities allow students to refine their craft and share it with broader audiences.