What You’ll Study in the Bachelor’s Degree in Literature-Theatre
Literature-theatre is a major for students who think of drama as the union of complementary disciplines and should appeal to the student interested in playwriting, dramaturgy, and performance, or in literary criticism with an emphasis on dramatic literature. You’ll take courses in the literature and theatre departments and demonstrate proficiency in a non-English language. For your senior thesis, you’ll undertake a research-centered project or a project that integrates research with production.
Roadmap to the BA in Literature-Theatre at Reed
As a literature-theatre major, you’ll complete coursework in both departments while also demonstrating proficiency in a non-English language. On the literature side of your studies, you’ll develop a powerful capacity to analyze texts. On the theatre side, you’ll read, study, and make plays and performance. In the second semester of your junior year, you’ll be examined by both departments to determine whether you’ll be admitted to senior standing, at which point you’ll embark on a senior thesis project.
Year One
Set the Foundation
Begin your journey with introductory courses in literature and theatre, which set the stage for deeper exploration. The major will require you to take courses in both dramatic and nondramatic literature, so keep this in mind as you map out your time at Reed. Within theatre, required courses include stagecraft and theatrical design.
Join your fellow first-year students in Reed’s signature Humanities 110 course. This yearlong class is your first taste of Reed’s ethos of overlapping academic boundaries. Study human history, religion, art, and culture and how it all weaves together and impacts the present.
Year Two
Deepen Your Studies
Continue your coursework in literature and theatre, building relationships with faculty in each department. You can also take part in events hosted by the departments, including the English department’s Visiting Writers Series and the theatre department’s stage productions.
Consider applying for grants or other funding, which can support research, scholarship, writing, workshop, or internship opportunities. The David Adler Theatre Fund, for instance, supports summer projects, while Eddings Opportunity Grants support scholarly or creative work in English.
Year Three
Demonstrate Your Interdisciplinary Readiness
In the second semester of your junior year, you’ll be examined by both the literature and theatre departments, which will determine whether you’ll be admitted to senior standing. Know that if you plan to propose a production component to your senior thesis research, you’re required to undertake a major production assignment during your junior year, which should be planned in consultation with theatre faculty.
Year Four
Present and Defend Your Senior Thesis
For your senior thesis, you may undertake a research-centered thesis project or a project that integrates research with production. Students have undertaken production projects in playwriting, directing, acting, design, and dramaturgy. You’ll have a primary advisor in one field and a secondary advisor in the other. This thesis is the culmination of your time at Reed and will allow you to showcase your skills and knowledge in complementary disciplines.
Why Pursue Literature-Theatre at Reed College?
Study Drama as the Union of Complementary Disciplines
As a literature-theatre major, you’ll develop skills and knowledge in complementary disciplines, which will serve your interests in playwriting, dramaturgy, performance, or criticism of dramatic literature.
Integrate Research with Production
Literature-theatre majors can pursue senior thesis projects that integrate research with production, such as in playwriting, directing, acting, design, or dramaturgy. Such an approach allows you to blend theory and scholarship with hands-on work.
