Faculty Syllabus

DANC 1305 is a survey of dances from different cultures, their histories, and their influences on contemporary dance and society. Cultural origins, significance, motivations and techniques will be explored experientially.

Course/Section Specifics:

• "World Dance" fulfills the Language, Philosophy and Culture credit/course requirement for general education in each associate degree plan; this course follows the traditional transfer requirement for ACC's general education courses in each associate degree plan.

• There are no prerequisites for all sections of “World Dance.”

• Previous dance experience and/or training is not required to enroll in “World Dance.”

• There are no tests, quizzes, or major group projects in this section of “World Dance”; There will be a required online “Reflection Oral Assessment” (with the option for an online meeting instead) in order to pass/exit the class.

• This section of "World Dance'' features minimal movement assignments in the online lab portion. Students will have options to explore, experience, and/or present movement on your own time and in your own space. 

• This section is an Asynchronous Online course presented on ACC's LMS, Blackboard Ultra. There are no scheduled (in-person or online) class days in this section of “World Dance." All assignments will be submitted via Blackboard Ultra. Required viewing of pre-recorded video lectures via provided YouTube links will be available to students through Blackboard Ultra; lecture viewing checks will be implemented for certain assignments with varying points deducted for not including keywords/phrases mentioned in these video lectures. 

Credit Hours: 3

This is a 8-week course (August 24 - October 18), so students should expect to commit at least 6 hours/week of asynchronous online work.

Course Level Expectations: Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 

• Evaluate and discuss the influence of culture on dance movements. 
•  Recognize and appreciate cultural diversity through the aesthetics of movement.
•  Compare and contrast musical accompaniment to cultural dances. 
•  Discuss the history and cultural relevance of world dance forms. 
•  Apply cross-cultural analysis to the study of dance.

General Ed Objectives: Students completing this Language, Philosophy, and Culture core curriculum course will meet the following objectives: 

• Communication Skills: Develop, interpret, and express ideas and information through written, oral, and visual communication that is adapted to purpose, structure, audience, and medium. 
• Critical Thinking Skills: Gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information for the purposes of innovation, inquiry, and creative thinking.
• Personal Responsibility: Identify and apply ethical principles and practices to decision-making by connecting choices, actions and consequences             
• Social Responsibility: Analyze differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.
• Teamwork: Consider different points of view to work collaboratively and effectively in pursuit of a shared purpose or goal.

• Consistent participation in active online discussions & quick, professional email communication with instructor (class & individual responsibility) 

• Completion & comprehension of all reading, listening, & viewing sources (individual responsibility)

• Completion of assignments with online submission on Blackboard following the rubrics/guidelines provided (individual responsibility)

This course requires that students complete the following via Blackboard: 

1. Module Chat Responses: [class discussions, throughout-the-semester assignment; 10 total with text and required a/v submissions]

2. Reflections Oral Assessment: [individual cumulative assignment; 1 total with Part A, B, and C; online (a/v recording with option to meet) to be scheduled in advance]

A complete Syllabus with further instruction and grading will be posted on the course Blackboard site; once the semester starts, do not rely on the info on this page.

Module 1: “Dancing Power & Perseverance” [Pick 2]

• Indigenous America: Ghost Dance (textbook)

• Mexico: Ballet Folklórico de Guerrero (sources & movement lab)

• America: Street Dance (sources)

Module 2: “Dancing Rituals & Honor” [Pick 2]

• India: Bharatanatyam (textbook & movement lab)

• Hawai’i: Hula (textbook)

• Africa: Dogon Dama (textbook)

• Bulgaria: Kukeri (sources)

Module 3: “Dancing Passions & Drama” [Pick 2]

• Argentina: Tango (textbook)

• Japan: Kabuki (textbook)

• Spain: Flamenco/Sevillanas (textbook & movement lab)

• France: Ballet de cour / early Classical Ballet (sources)

Module 4: “Dancing Joy & Celebration” [Pick 2]

• Korea: Korean Folk Dances & K-Pop (sources & movement lab)

• Philippines: Tinikling (sources & movement lab)

• Ukraine: Hopak (sources)

• Ireland: Céilí (sources)

Module 5: “Dancing Research & Reflections” [Research weeks & “Reflection Oral Assessment”]

A complete Syllabus with further instruction and grading will be posted on the course Blackboard site; once the semester starts, do not rely on the info on this page.

The course text is "World Dance Cultures: From Ritual to Spectacle" by Patricia Leigh Beaman. This book is available in the ACC Bookstore as both a physical copy and an eBook. Sources from outside of the textbook will include articles, excerpts, and chapters, which will be provided within each module on Blackboard. A curated selection of dance films and videos will also be provided within each module on Blackboard. Students will be expected to access links to YouTube, Vimeo, and other public sources. Students are responsible for having engaged with all materials and completing all assignments using these materials.

There are currently two editions of this text; both editions can be used for Spring 2026. 

• Beaman, P. L. (2018). World dance cultures: from ritual to spectacle. Routledge. ISBN 10: 1138907731

• Beaman, P. L. (2024). World dance cultures: from ritual to spectacle (2nd ed). Routledge. ISBN 10: 1000956113

via Publisher's page

via ACC Bookstore, Textbook & eBook Rental/Sales

via ACC Library Services, Textbook Reserves

via BetterWorldBooks, Used & eBook Sales

via AbeBooks, New & Used Book Sales

via Alibris, New, Used, & eBook Sales

Austin Community College values academic integrity in the educational process. Acts of academic dishonesty/misconduct undermine the learning process, present a disadvantage to students who earn credit honestly, and subvert the academic mission of the institution. The potential consequences of fraudulent credentials raise additional concerns for individuals and communities beyond campus who rely on institutions of higher learning to certify students' academic achievements and expect to benefit from the claimed knowledge and skills of their graduates. -ACC's Academic Integrity Process

ACC Generative AI Policy - Dance Department

• Introduction: In this course, the use of generative AI (GAI) technologies is strictly prohibited to preserve academic integrity and ensure the development of student competencies. Using generative AI tools to substantially complete any assignment is not permitted. Using instructive generative AI to assist, edit, review, etc. any written assignments of a disabled student is on a case-by-case basis and under SAS guidelines.

• Rationale: The prohibition is in place to encourage original thought and to maintain equity in educational opportunities and assessments. In this section of "World Dance," the student's personal perspectives, opinions, and insights are explored and centered in all assignments. The entire process (brainstorming, drafting, creation, editing, submission, etc.) of all assignments must not rely on GAI. Assignments must reflect personal elements through the student's unique use of subjective writing in an active voice. Personal insight and reflection must be clearly provided as proof of the individual student’s progress including (but not limited to) class content/assignments interlaced throughout assignments, unless the assignment states otherwise.

• Definition of GAI: Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can generate text, images, or other content based on minimal input. This includes chatbots, image generation tools, and code assistants that require some form of text or visual input in order to generate an output. Alongside generative AI are instructive GAI systems and programs. Systems and applications for both these types of AI usage include Claude, Grammarly, Quillbot, Scribe, Packback, ChatGPT, Canva AI, Microsoft WORD Editor, etc. Some of these programs have less obvious GAI elements that may rely on automated tools that correct and rearrange all human-written sentences, thus removing the need for students to think critically, individually review and edit their own spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. alongside the traditional proofreading markers and suggestions. Further, these tools tend to edit and suggest text generations that are primarily objective and in passive voice, effectively eliminating the personal out of the content that a student is attempting to edit/proofread. However, these tools can also serve as examples of instructive AI that support student learning. This is where faculty discretion and SAS guidelines will come into play. GAI in the academic world is an ever-changing field with complexity for all involved.

Usage Permissions - Prohibited with SAS Exceptions: Students are not allowed to use GAI for completing assignments, projects, tests, or any form of assessment in this course. Exceptions are only allowed as outlined below

• Exceptions: Exceptions to this policy will only be in regards to instructive AI programs and tools that are made under specific circumstances, typically where technology is used to accommodate learning differences. This exception must be clearly communicated by the student at the start of the semester. Instructor approval for usage of programs that provide even the slightest GAI elements in any manner include (but are not limited) to auto sentence rewriter plugins such as paid subscriptions of Grammarly or Claude, visual submission to text outputs such as Image Describer, auto citation generators such as Scribbr, etc. These programs and support tools will only be considered approved on a case-by-case basis and under formal guidance through ACC's Student Accessibility Services; some cases may require specific GAI service support accommodations noted on forms.

• Penalties: Misuse of GAI, including a failure to provide GAI use through SAS accommodations at the start of the semester, will be considered a breach of academic integrity. Consequences include a failing grade for the assignment, required office hours meeting to amend the GAI claim, reporting to ACC’s Academic Affairs, and further disciplinary action to include suspension and tuition consequences. 

• Faculty Note: We, as faculty and staff at ACC, are in the active space of learning about these ever-changing GAI programs and tools. We acknowledge that mistakes can–and will–be made in regards to assignments under suspicion and/or flagged for GAI usage. I personally do not check assignments through the current batch of available online AI detectors; false-positives are common in the world of detectors and human-error will always be a part of the grading process. It also does not escape me that students who engage with GAI systems and tools are most likely doing so for a number of reasons beyond our knowledge, some even without fully being aware that they are using GAI that’s banned in this ACC class (and many others). Please consider the academic integrity side of this conversation as we aim to consider you--the students'--side of usage. It is always better to form an open, honest line of communication between one another from the start. This is an ongoing conversation that touches every field and discipline. The dance world is doing constant work with new technologies and innovations, even exploring performance usages of AI for dance creatives and audiences alike. However, the majority of dance practitioners and professionals remain firm in the belief of true critical thinking, human creativity and capabilities, and authentic connections without AI. 

  For more perspectives and resources on the matter, see:

• ACC's TLED GUIDE TO GENERATIVE AI
• NYU's Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)
• TXST's Library Guide to Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• "Artificial Intelligence and Education: A Reading List" (2023) by Anna Mills 
• "How are Dance Artists Using AI—and What Could the Technology Mean for the Industry?" (2023) by Lauren Wingenroth

... be sure to log into the course Blackboard site for updates that will appear closer to the start of the semester: https://acconline.austincc.edu.

All content on this page is prepared prior to the beginning of the semester. Course schedule and content may be changed during the semester to accommodate the needs of this particular class. A complete Syllabus will be posted on the course Blackboard site; once the semester starts, do not rely on the info on this page.