DTSA

DOCTORAL THEATRE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

Student Guide

Fifth Edition, 2009-10

How to use this Student Guide

Welcome to the Fifth Edition of the Doctoral Theatre Students Association Student Guide—the guide to student life in the Theatre Program here at CUNY. We are continuing with its original format: a dictionary-like arrangement (the ABC’s of academe). For best results, this book should be used in conjunction with:

• Theatre Department Doctoral Student Handbook

(hard copies available at the Theatre Department Office, online versions at the Theatre Department website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/theatre/overview/handbook.html, and at the DTSA website: http://opencuny.org/bdaussa/resources/student-handbook/).

• CUNY Student Handbook

(hard copies also available in the Theatre Office, available online at http://www.gc.cuny.edu/current_students/handbook/)

• Graduate Center Bulletin (available in the Office of Admissions, 7th floor, and online at http://www.gc.cuny.edu/current_students/bulletin/index.htm).

This Student Guide is intended as a step-by-step, student-view guide to things that may or may not be covered in those publications. When there is no need to elaborate or provide witty commentary, we will simply refer you to the appropriate document. I would like to thank the mavericks who created the First, Second, Third and Fourth Editions, and those who contributed to this revision.

**Please note that this Student Guide is intended as an informal guide and does not constitute official policy; please consult the Department Handbook and the Graduate Center Student Handbook for accurate policy**

Contributors:

First Edition: Phil Alexander, Ed Dee, Andrew Erdman, Patrick Hennedy, Denise Hurd, Erin Hurley, Beth Ouradnik, Nadine Pederson, Jay Plum, Beth Schachter, Jim Wilson

Second Edition: Joshua Abrams, Hillary Arlen, Barry Boehm, Edmund Lingan, Lars Myers, Kurt Taroff

Third Edition: Elisa Legon, Stephen Huff, Naomi Stubbs

Fourth Edition: Donny Levit

Fifth Edition: Boris Daussà-Pastor, Hillary Miller

Advising System

Every incoming student to the program is assigned an advisor/mentor (you will be notified by letter). The Executive Officer makes this selection and uses her/his discretion as to which faculty will be best suited to initially serve which student. Initially, the Executive Officer (Jean Graham-Jones) and Central Appointees (Marvin Carlson, Daniel Gerould, Judy Milhous, David Savran, Jean Graham-Jones) serve as advisors. However, any graduate faculty member may serve as your advisor/mentor. The goals of the advising/mentoring system are to ensure that every graduate student has a faculty member to:

1) advise them on course-selection,

2) be familiar with the student’s scholarly interests and pursuits and help them meet their goals,

3) help the student plan her/his course of study during the coursework period (and beyond),

4) mentor the student in the ways of the academic theatre world, i.e., publishing, conferences, events, must-read books, must-see shows, etc.

This advising/mentoring system will be what you make of it, so be sure to ask.

Should you wish to change advisor/mentor, simply consult with your current advisor/mentor and the faculty member you wish to have as your advisor/mentor in order to see if they think that the switch is appropriate. Then inform the Program Assistant (Lynette Gibson) that you want to make this change. Switching is not something that should worry you—it’s not a political liability. During your first few years at the graduate level, you may find your interests shifting from where they were when you entered the program. As your ideas about a thesis start to materialize, you may find it in your interest to change your advisor/mentor to the faculty member that you would like to have as your thesis chair. You may also find that one particular professor is more familiar with your work than any other faculty member and/or you may have established a good rapport with them. Different professors have different methods of working and it is important that the personality and/or modus operandi of your mentor be suitable to yours.

From your first semester in the program, you should meet, chat with, and take courses with as many of the faculty members (central appointments and those at the constituent colleges) as you can so that you can get a better idea of who you could work most productively with. If you hit it off with your initially appointed advisor/mentor—great. If not, changing your advisor/mentor was built into the system to enable students to make their own choices about advising in order to get the best match.

Certificate Programs

Students with a yen for interdisciplinary study (and that would be most of us in Theatre) have an excellent opportunity to hone their scholarship in other areas (as well as make themselves more marketable): the Graduate Center Certificate Programs. There are six of these, which quite literally grant certificates to the participant upon conferment of the Ph.D.: American Studies, Film Studies, Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, Medieval Studies, Renaissance Studies, and Women’s Studies. They each have their own requirements—usually one must take a few courses in the discipline (N.B. These courses are in addition to your 60 credits for the Theatre Ph.D., and are listed under “Certificate Programs” at the back of each semester’s course schedule), and may write their dissertation on a subject within the discipline.

At present, the requirements for each certificate program are:

American Studies

“Introduction to American Studies: Histories and Methods,” “Themes in American Culture,” “American Culture: Major Periods,” and one course approved by the program for American Studies credit. You must also pass an exam in the field (which may take the form of a presentation) and complete a dissertation in the field. Contact: Professor Martin Burke, Acting Coordinator (2008-2009), Telephone: 1-212-817-8001

Film Studies

“Aesthetics of the Film,” “Seminar in Film Theory,” part I or II of “History of Cinema,” and two more electives in film in any department. Contact: Professor Paula Massood, Acting Coordinator, Telephone: 1-212-817-8361, or Mary A. Frisque, Assistant Program Officer (212) 817-8124.

Interactive Technology and Pedagogy

Two three-credit core courses, a three-credit independent study, and attend a minimum of three no-credit skills workshops. Contact: Associate Provost Stephen Brier, Coordinator, or Ms. Rosa Rivera, APO, Telephone 1-212-817-7290.

Medieval Studies

At least one interdisciplinary medieval studies seminar, two medieval studies courses outside your own discipline, and a course in resources and methods of medieval research. Contact Professor Anne Stone, Acting Coordinator, Telephone: 1-212-817-8761.

Renaissance Studies

Two core courses (“Introduction to Renaissance Studies” and “Research Techniques in Renaissance Studies”), two elective courses outside the home discipline (may include special topics courses in the Certificate Program), and reading proficiency in Latin. Your dissertation should also be in a related field. Contact Professor Clare Carroll, Coordinator, Telephone: 1-212-817-8586

Women’s Studies

Two prerequisites courses (“Major Feminist Texts” and “Contemporary Feminist Thought”), two required courses (“The Proseminar: Multicultural/Transnational Feminisms” and “The Workshop in Women’s Studies: Methods and Guided Research”), and a minimum of two electives. Contact: Professor Anne Humpherys, Coordinator, Telephone: 1-212-817-8895.

Computers, Printing, and Internet Access

When coming to the Graduate Center, you are given an e-mail account. This will be your first initial followed by your last name at gc.cuny.edu – Jane Smith would be JSmith@gc.cuny.edu. Your login will be first initial followed by last name (e.g. JSmith), and your initial password will be set as your initials and then birthdate (YYYY/MM/DD), so if Jane Smith was born December 31st, 1999, her password would be JS19991231). You should reset this as soon as you log in the first time.

There are three computers in the Department’s Green Room that are open for everyone’s access, and one in the Green Room Annex. Additionally, computers for student use are available in the library. An assortment of programming languages and statistical, graphical, word-processing, and specialty software applications are provided. Also available are laser printers, file format translation, image scanning, and optical character recognition facilities. Adaptive technology for students with disabilities is available and includes screen-access software and such peripheral devices as reading machines, a computer-linked closed-circuit TV, and a Braille printer. (Questions regarding access to these resources for students with disabilities should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.)

At the Information Resources Office on the concourse level (in the basement of the library) you can get help with your computer problems and copies of the on-line handouts. They can also be reached on extension 7300 and have a web site at http://web.gc.cuny.edu/informationresources/ Here you can find information about Citrix (which allows students to access databases and personal files from home computers) and training courses they are offering (most are free of charge).

The library homepage has links to the CUNY+ catalogue (for all of the CUNY colleges), Interlibrary loans (to order books from outside the CUNY system), EReserves, and databases. The computers on the ground floor allow access to certain databases and the CUNY+ catalogue.

The Consortium

The CUNY Graduate School is part of the interuniversity doctoral consortium which includes: Columbia University (including Teachers College), Fordham University, New School University, New York University, Princeton University, Rutgers–New Brunswick (State University of New Jersey), and Stony Brook (State University of New York). Pursuing coursework at these other universities is an easy way to expand your educational horizons. During your first year, you may take courses at other CUNY colleges, but not consortium colleges – that must wait until your second year.

While registering for a consortium course is not difficult, it does take some effort. You need to do most of the legwork to find a list of courses being offered. The theatre department generally gets the NYU Performance Studies course schedule, but other than that, you will generally need to do some searching on your own. If our department doesn’t post the upcoming courses from the other schools, you may have to call or visit the department in question. You can also use the websites of the universities concerned to find course lists for upcoming semesters.

Once you’ve made your selection, contact the professor for permission to register for the course. Some seminars have limited enrollment and/or require you to interview with the instructor, so the sooner you contact the relevant professor at the host institution, the better. Once the professor agrees, the footwork begins. Individual institutions vary their requirements, so check with the institution, but generally speaking, the process should be a little like this:

· Acquire the Permit Out form from either the Office of the Registrar (Room 7201) or Lynette

· Your academic advisor must sign the form.

· Bring the completed form to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (Room 7301). If the form is approved by the Vice President you will be given an Inter-University Cross Registration Form.

· Follow the instructions on the Inter-University Cross Registration Form and submit the completed form to the Office of the Registrar.

· Once the completed Inter-University Cross Registration Form is submitted your registration will be finalized by the Office of the Registrar.

On your return trip to the “host dean’s” office, you can ask for an application for a temporary (one semester) ID. Although not necessary, this is worth it for several reasons. Most universities will have security guards posted in most buildings, and although you can usually get through without a problem, possessing an ID recognized by the university eliminates potential problems. More significantly, an ID should give you access to the library, which may have reserve materials for your class, and allow you to check out books from a larger collection than we have at the Grad Center.

Remember that other schools’ credits are accepted here at their full value. Most Performance Studies courses at NYU are 4 credits, while most courses here are 3 credits (in other words, three courses at NYU are usually the credit equivalent of four CUNY courses). One of the wonderful benefits of this option is that you will have the opportunity to make some connections with outside faculty members and students, and to widen your breadth of possible research and dissertation subjects.

Core Curriculum

The Program in Theatre has established a core-curriculum in an effort to orientate incoming students to both the Program itself and the field of Theatre Studies that they are entering; to set out some basic terms, issues, resources, and methods which will aid the students throughout their graduate and professional careers, and to help build a sense of community and structure among the students and core faculty. The core-courses are required for incoming students. It is sometimes possible to be waived out of them if you already have a Masters Degree in Theatre from elsewhere. To have these requirements waived, you must 1) discuss your goals and background with your advisor, and 2) clear the decision with the Executive Officer. However, even students with a Masters Degree often take the core-courses to refresh their knowledge of theatre history, for example, to habituate themselves to a new program, or to see how other people use and teach the material.

There are currently four required core-courses: “Theatre Research and Bibliography,” “Contextual and Intertextual Studies in Drama,” “History of Theatrical Theory,” and “Advanced Theatre Research: Methodology and Current Debates.” Each of these courses is one-semester long (3 credits). While each of these courses will “cover” specific data about theatre history, theory, or structure, the focus of the courses will be on methodology, pedagogy, critical thinking and analysis, issues in these disciplines, and the like rather than on coverage and memorization of discrete facts and data. They will require students to be analytical in their work: in how they think, write, and read about theatre history, theory, and structure. “Theatre Research and Bibliography,” “Contextual and Intertextual Studies in Drama,” and “History of Theatrical Theory” must be taken in the first year of study, and the “Advanced Theatre Research: Methodology and Current Debates” should be taken after the first exam.

The central concerns of the first three core courses will be reflected on the First Exam [see First Exam entry]. They will not, however, spoon-feed students the “answers” to First Exam questions. They will prepare students to think analytically and creatively about approaches to and uses of acquired knowledge about theatre in a way that integrates examples from history, theory, and structure.

Dissertation Tips

The Dissertation is a long and often daunting process, and there is no one method of completing a dissertation. Students have various methods of conquering this final step in the career of a doctoral student: some prefer to work alone, others need the support of being in a group. This section tries to offer some tips in every step of the process, from formulating an idea to the defense.

Formulating an idea is something that you should be thinking about from the moment you enter the program. This doesn’t mean that you have to have a specific idea of what it is you will write your thesis on, it just means that you should see your coursework as building up to your dissertation. You should definitely let yourself explore areas that you feel may interest you—many an idea comes from a chance experience, such as an inspiring course. The main point is that you don’t want to find yourself completely without a topic after you take the second exam. It’s better to finish the program sooner rather than later.

As you continue your coursework, you should be thinking more about how the courses you are taking will lend themselves to your thesis. Obviously, there are courses that operate as preparation for the First and Second Exams, but the Second Exam itself, through the selection of periods, should serve to further your dissertation. The papers that you write for courses are potentially the starting points for your dissertation and can potentially be developed into chapters of your thesis, via presenting papers at conferences and publishing articles.

Always sound ideas off to your advisor/mentor as they come to you. This brings those vague ideas out of the recesses of your imagination into the realm of the everyday, where they can take shape. Your advisor/mentor will give you valuable feedback and make suggestions that will allow you to develop these ideas, or make you realize that you really don’t want to follow through with one particular idea but another one altogether.

If you pass your Second Exam (congratulations!) and find that you really don’t know what to write on, then it’s time to have a serious chat with your advisor. There have been many ideas offered to students in need—this is not looked down upon. Consider your advisor your muse. But then don’t delay in putting this proffered idea together.

Going solo works best for some. One successful thesis defender offered the advice of writing at least a page a day. It may not be the best page, but it is something rather than nothing. Upon completion of coursework, where there is a set routine of where to be at a certain time, the nebulousness of an open schedule can turn into a morass of lost time. Time management is also a key factor in making the experience less painful. Set aside times for different tasks, including one for writing.

For others, a group provides an element of support that allows them to get better results. In his book How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation (available in Mina Rees Library), David Sternberg compares writing a dissertation to long-distance running in terms of effort, stamina, and loneliness. While there’s nothing that can be done about the internal dimension of energy and discipline, a dissertation group can help alleviate the loneliness. The purpose of a dissertation group is to help its members complete their dissertations in the shortest time possible.

Doctoral Students Council

The Doctoral Students Council (DSC) exists to provide for the possible needs of the student body, to be a mediating group between the students and the administration, and generally to represent the students’ concerns. Each program in the Graduate Center elects at least one representative to the DSC, depending on number of enrolled students in the program. The Theatre Program generally has one representative. This year, the Theatre Department’s representative is Eero Laine (el@nym.hush.com). The DSC supports various student organizations (such as the Black Student Alliance and QUNY), provides funding for cultural affairs, provides departmental allocation of funds (this goes to the DTSA), and fosters a sense of community by hosting school-wide forums and parties. This last point is important, as there is often little opportunity to meet people outside of the department. The DSC also provides funds for conference registration and travel costs, research-related travel, and dissertation-related material expenses (such as copies). The DSC offices are located in The Robert E. Gilleece Student Center on the 5th Floor, where there are sofas, worktables, a microwave, and meeting spaces for chartered organizations. For a more detailed description of the DSC, look in The Graduate Center Student Handbook or check out their web site (www.cunydsc.org).

Doctoral Theatre Students Association (DTSA)

The Doctoral Theatre Students Association (DTSA) is comprised of all the students enrolled in the Ph.D. Program in Theatre at the Graduate Center. Its function and role in the department varies upon the immediate interests and concerns of its members. Each year the DTSA elects eight officers to run the organization: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President (in charge of the Booth Award), Secretary, Treasurer, Admissions Officer, Curriculum Officer, and Tea Coordinator. Two other student representatives are also part of the DTSA board: the DSC Departmental representative (elected also once a year), and the Graduate Council (GC) student representative (serving for two years, elected every other year). The President and First Vice President of DTSA, in addition to their other responsibilities, represent students on the Executive Committee [see section on Executive Committee]. Other students are elected to serve as student representatives for the Admissions and Curriculum Committees. There are many DTSA activities that students can become involved with throughout the academic year.

In the past, its major activity was sponsoring the Edwin Booth Award, an honor bestowed each year to an individual or organization who has made a substantial contribution to American theatre and performance via their activities in New York. (Recent honorees include Karen Finley, Mabou Mines, HERE Art Center, Paula Vogel, Tony Kushner, and Richard Foreman). The DTSA sponsors a departmental newsletter, The Greenroom, which provides information on student activities and provides an open forum for editorial commentary. Other activities include professionalization activities, which are topical chats (complimented by tea and cookies) designed to help students with certain aspects of the program (such as exams), prepare students for the world at large (such as maintaining a CV, publishing, interviewing), and general informational subjects (such as current productions, conference reports, travel reports).

You can find the updated DTSA activities and information on its website (still a work-in-progress!): http://opencuny.org/dtsa

Employment

It is a sad fact of life that students are always poor. Finding work to complement your study schedule can be tricky; some aim for regular hours admin work, while other look for freelance work, others still try to keep their work related to their study (ideal but harder to manage). Here are some suggestions of ways to get work within the GC:

1. Adjunct Positions are available in the CUNY system on a haphazard basis. Send your CV to the chair of relevant departments so that they can keep you on file should a position arise. If you need help writing a résumé or advice on how to look for jobs, contact Prof. Jim Wilson (jwilson@lagcc.cuny.edu), Placement Officer of the Ph.D. Theatre Program. He is a remarkably helpful. Also, let the Executive Officer here know you are looking. Occasionally, if a program needs someone, they’ll let the program know and the Executive Officer will notify students. Many of these positions are already held by CUNY Graduates, so they become available as people graduate, in a sense passing them off to the next generation. It is worth speaking to fellow students further up in the program as they often are able to recommend someone to their department to take their position when they leave. If you teach three or more credits within the CUNY system you are also eligible to apply for a tuition fellowship – see Lynette for more information on this.

2. Work Study: The amount of work hours is determined by financial aid, but the actual duties are determined by the Executive Officer. Jobs are within the department, working at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center or working as Research Assistant to one of the professors. Jobs within the Graduate Center are supposedly available only by work study assignment. However, odd jobs will pop up occasionally and will be posted electronically by the Executive Officer, who generally receives the message first.

International Students should always contact the Office of International Students before accepting any kind of employment (please, read section on International Students).

Enhanced Chancellor Fellowship (ECF)

The Theatre Department can currently offer six Enhanced Chancellor Fellowships per year to incoming students. An Enhanced Chancellor’s Fellowship is a five-year recruitment fellowship. You must maintain satisfactory progress to remain eligible and you must be registered for full-time doctoral study each semester of your award. It provides guaranteed funding of $18,000 in each of the first five years of the recipients study at the Graduate Center. The fellowship provides a tuition award for five years. ECFs who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are New York State residents receive an in-state tuition award for five years. ECFs who are international students receive an out-of-state tuition award for five years that covers the cost of nine credits per semester. ECFs who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but are not New York State residents during the first year of study will receive an out-of-state tuition award for Year One that covers the cost of nine credits per semester. In Years Two through Five, they receive an in-state tuition award. At Level III, only the base tuition charge is covered. Any additional courses taken for credit are at the student’s expense. It is important to note that the ECF requires service in all five years, including Year One. You will receive a letter (generally in late Spring semester), with the detailed description of your award for the following year. Remember that in order to get paid you will have to sign the letter accepting the fellowship award every year!

The $18,000 is paid as follows: In Year One the ECF will receive the $18,000 from two sources: a research assistantship in the form of a Graduate Assistant B (GAB) appointment which will be paid on a bi-weekly basis over twelve months (September through the following August) plus a small stipend which will be paid once a semester by the Office of Financial Aid. The GAB appointment will require the ECF to work 7.5 hours a week during each semester for a total of 225 hour for the academic year.  In Years Two, Three, and Four, the ECF will receive a Graduate Teaching Fellowship (GTF) to teach at one of the CUNY undergraduate colleges.  The Graduate Teaching Fellowship is a Graduate Assistant C (GAC) appointment. In addition to the GTF/GAC salary which is paid on a bi-weekly basis over twelve months, the ECF will receive a small Financial Aid stipend each semester, as necessary, to bring the total annual funding up to $18,000. GTFs/GACs are required to teach a total of 180 contact hours during the academic year which is met either by teaching two 3-credit courses each semester or by three 4-credit courses—two courses being taught in the Fall semester and only one course in the Spring.  In Year Five, the ECF will receive a non-teaching fellowship in the form of a Graduate Assistant A (GAA) appointment, also paid over twelve months. The current base salary for this GAA non-teaching appointment is $20,195. This assignment will require the ECF to work fifteen hours a week over the course of each semester for a total of 450 hours during the academic year.

Please note that the GAB, GTF/GAC, and GAA appointments carry eligibility for the NYSHIP health insurance plan for CUNY doctoral students. ECFs will be given information regarding the NYSHIP enrollment process when they are processed to the Graduate Center payroll for the GAB appointment in Year One. The current cost to the student for the NYSHIP health insurance coverage for individual coverage is $5.74 bi-weekly.

Questions about the ECF awards may be directed to Ms. Anne Ellis in the Office of the Provost at 212-817-7200 or to provost@gc.cuny.edu.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is the governing body of the Ph.D. Program in Theatre. Since CUNY is a union school, the Executive Officer does not have the same power or leeway to govern as most department chairs. Instead, all actions must pass through the Executive Committee, which is composed of the Executive Officer, the Deputy Executive Officer, and seven members of the Graduate Faculty. Generally, all members of the core faculty serve on the Executive Committee. Two students (the President and First Vice President of the DTSA) sit on the Committee as student representatives—able to voice concerns directly but unable to vote. An open meeting with the Executive Committee is held at the end of each semester, allowing all students to ask questions and voice concerns.

First Exam

Students take the First Exam after 30 and before 45 credits of coursework. The First Exam is offered in late January and late August.  This allows students to take advantage of the summer months or the winter break to more intensively prepare for the First Exam and be able to actually think about and engage in their classes during the semester. However, coursework itself should be a study tool to taking the exam. The core courses [see section on Core Curriculum] are designed to provide students with a general knowledge of the field that can then be utilized in taking the exam. The exam is prepared and evaluated by an Exam Committee, which generally consists of three Central Appointees.

The purpose of the First Exam is to ensure that the student has a general knowledge of theatre history (not a comprehensive catalog of everything that ever was, but a general knowledge of plays, playwrights, theorists, performers, etc.) and that they also have the ability to utilize that knowledge beyond a simple recitation of facts. You should be able to compare and contrast various trends in differing time periods and geographical areas by using specific examples to clarify your point, and the First Exam is designed to do just that. The First exam consists of three general questions, dealing with issues of theory, structure, and general history that ask you to explore examples from three different time periods and/or geographical areas. Because you have just spent the last several months stuffing your brain with information, there is a temptation is to gush it all out. Don’t. The point is not to write as much as you know about everything, but to pick a few examples and explain them thoroughly. You may want to think about this while you are studying for the exam: it is better to thoroughly know one play by a particular author than to be able to list every play that they ever wrote. The First Exam does not require the inclusion of scholarship (that’s the Second Exam), but focuses on your knowledge of primary sources.

While it is essential to get your facts right (don’t say that Henrik Ibsen was a 17th Century Russian theorist), it is equally important to answer the question in a concise and coherent manner. Read the questions carefully and pick examples that will offer you the best scope of contrast (i.e. there is more difference between Euripides and Sam Shepard than Schiller and Goethe). When formulating your answer, make sure that you are making a case for your answer. Defend what you are saying as if you were writing a paper. Don’t just make statements—support them. Shape your answer so that there is an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

You have four hours to answer three questions. Pace yourself. When it comes to structuring your answers, this is very important. Leave yourself enough time for each question and enough time to review all three questions. Mistakes are often made in the mad dash to finish and reviewing gives you the chance to catch them. In preparing for the First Exam, know that there is a folder with past exams, including questions and passing answers, in the office. Ask the Program Assistant for access to this folder. Look over the questions and the answers to get a feel for the exam.

Finally, DON’T PANIC. You will survive the first exam. Prepare thoroughly, ask questions of your advisor, attend teas on taking the first exam, talk to veterans of the exam, and form a study group if you work better with others. Students are allowed to sit for the exam twice, so if you fail it the first time around, you will have a second chance. However, this blurb is written in the effort to eliminate the need to take the exam twice. When students pass the exam and have attained 45 credits, the Program Assistant automatically moves them up to Level II (i.e., cheaper tuition, higher karma, sense of relief).

You can access samples of the First Exam or Second Exam through the Department’s eReserve folders on the library website.

Food

There are many options to choose from in the Mid-town area. Unfortunately, a lot of them are bad and over-priced. Walking down Fifth Avenue, you immediately come to a set of good old standards such as Wendy’s, McDonalds, and Taco Bell. The most prolific type of food establishment in the area is the deli, selling sandwiches, salad-bar items, and other prepared food items by the pound. However, these are by no means the delis of yore with delicious bagels and fresh chicken liver—you’ve got to go downtown for that (i.e. Katz’s or Second Ave. Deli). The local delis are not exactly a bargain and some of the buffet-type items may be on the dangerous side due to improper storage. The Graduate Center is right next to Little Korea (32^nd Street) and there are plenty of options to choose from on that front. If you want a complete list of restaurants in New York, buy a Zagats guide or use their web site (www.zagats.com). Another useful resource is menupages.com. At the Graduate Center, there is a Cafeteria on the 8th floor, serving food until 3pm, and the 365 café on the first floor, for sandwiches, pastries, and coffee, open usually until 7pm.

Health Services and Health Insurance

If you’re feeling a little sick, don’t think it’s a big deal, and don’t have that thing called insurance, there’s a free clinic—The Wellness Center—on the 6th floor (room 6422, telephone number 212-817-7020). We have a newly appointed Nurse Practitioner, Adraenne Bowe, who takes appointments Mondays to Fridays and is able to provide basic medical services such as routine checkups, various medical diagnostic tests, and very low-cost prescriptions for very basic drugs (such as certain antibiotics and painkillers). They can also recommend and refer outside doctors if necessary. The University also provides short-term psychological counseling and can refer you to long term, inexpensive counseling. If you’re feeling like you need some help, call Psychological Services at 212-817-7510 for in-house therapy or information on where to go in the city. They also run a very useful series of workshops—you will receive details by e-mail.

There are plans for CUNY students who also work at CUNY (as adjuncts, fellows, or assistants) to be granted access to very cheap insurance. Obviously, these plans have some limitations but they are worth checking. At the beginning of your first semester you will likely receive information on health insurance in case you are eligible. Health insurance has been an important battle at the GC for the last two years at the DSC. Ask your DSC Representative, Eero Laine (el@nym.hush.com), or the DTSA President, Boris Daussà-Pastor (boris@lacalba.com), they will probably be pretty well informed of the situation.

If you are not eligible for the existing plans or would like to get an alternative/more comprehensive health insurance health insurance, the Director of Student Activities publishes a brochure describing various health plans that will happily divest you of your hard-earned cash. This brochure can be found in the Office of Student Affairs and Student Services, the Robert E. Gilleece Student Center, and the Wellness Center. The brochure gives the details of coverage which, of course, vary. One thing they all have in common: they do not cover pre-existing conditions. Keep checking in with Dr. Charlotte Frick (817-7400), Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Student Activities. She can recommend private insurance companies who will cover you (at a much higher cost, of course). NYU provides a very low-cost dental service through its student program (if you don’t mind being worked on by dental students in a less than convivial atmosphere).

Finally, there are numerous inexpensive and even free clinics throughout the greater New York area. The Wellness Center usually has a list of those clinics, either displayed on a bulletin board or readily available to take home.

Incomplete Grades

The Party line on taking an incomplete is “Don’t do it.” An incomplete is a hassle and it causes dark cloud to follow you around until the time that you finally complete it. However, there are times when there is no other choice. “Life” can intervene at a time when you have multiple seminar papers due and very little time left in the semester to write them. Of course, the best way to avoid last minute disaster is to plan on starting your papers as early as possible. Don’t wait until you have sat through most of the semester before deciding you are ready to start writing papers. However, the end-of-the-semester-crunch does get the best of many of us, and there may be unforeseen circumstances that necessitate taking on an incomplete.

One key to avoiding an incomplete is to talk to your seminar professor about the status of your paper before you decide to take an incomplete. Give them what you have and they will let you know whether to hand the paper in or take an incomplete. Although some professors are very strict about deadlines, you will find that they are more willing to extend the deadline for you rather than force you to take an incomplete. In this case you may find that you have some time after the official class deadline to turn in your work and still receive a grade for that semester. However, if you just can’t hack it and even with an extension you decide to take an incomplete, continue to communicate with your seminar professor. If there is no way you can get the paper done in time to get a grade, you will have to let your professor know that you need to take an incomplete until you are able to catch up.

Once you have an incomplete (your grade for the class will appear as INC on your transcript), you have two more semesters to get your act together. You can then turn the paper in to your professor and coordinate with the Program Assistant (Lynette Gibson) to make sure the grade gets changed. Although all is not lost after two semesters have passed, you make your life much more difficult if you don’t complete your work by then. After the two semesters, you then start the process of requesting extensions. You have to get the approval for an extension in writing from your old seminar professor, submit it to the department for approval from the Executive Officer, and then make sure it gets passed on to the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Unfortunately, extensions are not infinite and there will come a time when that well will run dry. At this point, if you still have not turned in that paper, your incomplete becomes “permanent” (the INC on your transcript turns into an INP). Permanent does not really mean permanent, however, because you can still make an appeal to have the grade changed if you finally fulfill the course requirements and all the powers-that-be are on your side (this is where good communication with professors is crucial).

Multiple incompletes are also a problem because they affect what the administration calls your “satisfactory progress.” If you rack up more than two incomplete grades at a time, the Registrar notifies the department and then sends a letter to you. If you want to avoid problems with being denied continued registration and/or financial aid, you must write a letter to the department explaining your situation and how you plan to take care of it.

Independent Study

As you may have noticed, the Theatre Program only offers five to six courses each semester, along with a few courses in film. This seems to leave the students with limited options. Or so you might think… If you are a truly creative person (and you must be, because you are in the CUNY Theatre Program), you will not wait around for a course listing to appear on the schedule and sign up like sheep for something you may or may not care about. In addition to courses in other departments, other CUNY colleges, and within the consortium (see above), you may also wish to consider the Independent Study (3 credits), and/or the Externship in Theatre (3 or 6 credits).

Both of these options must be arranged in conjunction with a faculty member and can consist of various and sundry things. Most Independent Studies fall under two categories: research projects and tutorials. If you have a very specific idea for a research project that you would like to pursue but feel that it is far too large to complete under the auspices of a regular seminar paper, an independent study is for you. Seek out the faculty member most likely to be interested in your research, and throw yourself on their mercy. They’ll probably say yes. The two of you are responsible for setting the parameters of the study (paper length, reading list, frequency of meetings, etc.). This is a GREAT way to explore a possible dissertation topic. The other typical type of Independent Study is the tutorial. If you would like a course in, say, 16th Century French Theatre History, and gosh darnit there isn’t one offered this semester, you should seek out a likely professor and submit a draft of a syllabus (which you will create yourself). Then the two of you can haggle over said schedule of readings, consider a paper topic, and set fixed times to meet (usually for about an hour and a half every two weeks). You can also do it as a small group if you can convince your fellow students that they really want to read the same books that you do.

The Externship is a sort of professional option. If you have an artistic project with a scholarly basis to it (say, a dramaturgy job at a New York theatre), you can arrange with a professor to evaluate your work (in the form of a diary or a final paper) and hence get credit. This is a fabulous idea, which very few students take advantage of. So get out there and BE CREATIVE. Remember: you are responsible for your own education. Make the most of it.

International Students

The Office of International Students provides advice and assistance to students from outside the United States, particularly with regard to immigration issues relating to
F-1 student status and J-1 Exchange Visitor student category. Each semester, the office conducts an orientation session for international students. You can contact Mr. Doug Ewing (DEwing@gc.cuny.edu), the Director of the Office of International Students. If you are an international student you should visit their Office upon arrival to the United States (7^th Floor, Room 7200) and read carefully all the information posted in their website: http://www.gc.cuny.edu/admin_offices/inter_students.htm

There are some other aspects that are particularly important for International students:

Change of Address

USCIS requires that you report any change of address to the Office of International Students at The Graduate Center within ten days of moving.  This office is then required to update your SEVIS Record with your new address.  You must report this address to this office to have your SEVIS Record properly updated.  Reporting only to the GC Registrar Office does not meet this requirement.

Employment

International students must consult the Office of International Students before accepting employment of any kind. International Students on an F-1 student status or J-1 Exchange Visitor student category have important limitations regarding employment, and in many cases must receive authorization prior to accepting any sort of employment.

Full-Time Registration

Students are required to maintain full-time registration throughout the semester.  This includes not dropping or withdrawing from any course during the semester that brings your total registered hours below the full-time requirement (7 credits or equivalent combinations that include Weighted Instructional Units or WIU).

International Travel

International Students need to keep their travel documents updated for international travel and are urged to familiarize themselves with the regulations and procedures that apply to their specific immigration status. Students should keep copies of all documents relating to their immigration status and bring their passport, I-94, and current Form I-20 or DS-2019 whenever contacting this office. Remember you have to report to the Office of International Students every time you travel internationally.

Program Extension

Review your Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 or Form DS-2019) to check its expiration date.  If you will not graduate by that date, you must extend your immigration status by applying to this office at least one month before the expiration.

Language Requirements

There are several ways in which to fulfill the language requirements (i.e. reading knowledge in two “appropriate” languages) during your stay. The first requirement must be completed before or during the semester in which you reach 45 credits. The second must be done (as in “passed”) before you even attempt your Second Exam.

As for the language you choose: most languages are acceptable, but it’s a good idea to let the Program Assistant know if you’re using something exotic so they have plenty of time to track down someone to administer the exam. At this time, American Sign Language is not acceptable for this requirement.

As for the exam itself, it involves a “successful” translation of two passages of about 200 words each, dealing with theatre studies, selected by the faculty. You have two hours and may bring a dictionary—make sure it’s a good one. You may also be allowed to use online dictionaries. Ask the Executive Officer Jean Graham-Jones on the last policies of the Theatre Department regarding online dictionaries. At the beginning of the semester, the date of the exam will be posted on the DTSA website (on the DTSA Calendar) and emailed to the DTSA list. You simply email the Program Assistant that you want to take the exam and let her know which language you will be translating. Be sure to confirm you want to take the exam before the due date. Alternatives to this road most taken include:

· submitting a satisfactory translation of previously untranslated material selected by a faculty member and accompanied by an honor statement. You have one semester and may use a dictionary. This can only be used for one of the requirements. Choose carefully.

· passing an intermediate (read 2nd year) college level language course with a grade of A.

· certification in a foreign language from an M.A. program.

· The CUNY GC Language Reading Program

· a non-native English speaker who completed high school or the equivalent in a school in which the language of instruction was not English will be considered to have fulfilled the language requirement for one of the two required languages.

For only $275 ($500 if you’re not enrolled in a CUNY program), you too can learn to read a foreign language. French, German, and Latin are offered Spring, Summer, and Fall; Spanish in the Spring and Summer; and Italian and Ancient Greek in Summer. Please refer to the CUNY Graduate Center’s Language Reading Program website for course and registration information: check http://web.gc.cuny.edu/lrp/ or call (212) 817-2081.

Summer courses last six weeks and meet three times a week for two hours, forty minutes. Others last twelve weeks and meet two times a week for two hours, and are generally scheduled during the evening hours. The courses concentrate on translation skills. Be prepared to spend time on the homework (especially during those summer courses!). An exam is given to help you assess your progress. This exam can count as your departmental exam only if you notify the department and ask them to supply the passages to the Language Reading Program; a faculty member from the program will then grade your exam in place of your teacher in the class. You must plan for this two months before the previous semester ends.

In addition, there are Intensive Reading Programs offered in Latin and Greek by the Latin/Greek Institute. These programs are much more intense than the above-mentioned courses, but are designed to cover the learning of two to three semesters of traditional language courses in just ten weeks. Many assume no previous knowledge of the language. Be warned though, these courses are not for the faint-hearted and demand a full time commitment over the summer months! For both of these language course options, speak to other students who have already completed these courses to get a better idea about what they are like and see if they are right for you. Fees vary from $1,360-$2,040 for in-state tuition, depending on which course you take. You can check their website at http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Classics/lgi.htm

Professional Organizations & Conferences

There are many advantages to joining a professional organization and attending conferences early in your graduate career. Attending conferences gets you out into the world-at-large of academia and allows you to experience current scholarship in a conversational atmosphere. Conferences are excellent opportunities to meet people and to network with professors and other graduate students who share similar interests. To attend conferences, one must become a member of the professional organization sponsoring the conference. Although it does cost some money to join, membership in an academic society often includes free journal subscriptions, newsletters, and announcements of new books and upcoming conferences.

One of the major organizations in our field is the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). ATHE is comprised of several focus groups: Theatre History, Theory and Criticism, Performance Studies, Acting, Directing, Theatre and Religion, and many more. Panel and paper proposals are solicited in the fall for the national conference in August. Several of the focus groups sponsor graduate or debut panels whose deadlines are usually later. This is a large organization with a diverse membership of scholars, administrators, and practitioners. The conference is also large, with four days of programming. Membership in ATHE also includes free subscriptions to ATHE News, Theatre Journal, and Theatre Topics. Information on membership is available on their website (www.athe.org). The current student rate for yearly membership is $65. The website also has information on the organization as well as upcoming conference information.

The American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is another major professional organization in theatre. Smaller than ATHE and composed of scholars rather than the mix of ATHE, its members tend to be more interested in historical studies and have historically been conservative in their methodologies. However, recent years have seen a change in atmosphere with considerable emphasis on decidedly non-stodgy scholarship. Many of the influential, top scholars are members of ASTR. Because the conference is smaller, it can be a little easier to manage than ATHE. The ASTR conference solicits papers in the spring for its conference in November. ASTR annually sponsors a fellowship program to help meet travel costs for graduate students who have never been to an ASTR conference. The current student rate for yearly membership is $35. ASTR also publishes a newsletter and its major journal is Theatre Survey. Check out the ASTR web site (www.astr.org) for information on the organization as well as upcoming conference information.

Decidedly more funky and multidisciplinary than ATHE and ASTR is Performance Studies International (PSi). PSi is a newer organization (founded in 1997) devoted to promoting communication and exchange among scholars and practitioners working in the field of performance. Many more practitioners belong to this organization than either ATHE or ASTR and there is an emphasis on the currently developing field of live art. While there is no particular journal provided with membership, students are entitled to a reduced rate at conferences, access to an electronic bulletin board, a calendar of significant performances, workshops, conferences, and other events, a discussion list and electronic forum, and a biannual newsletter. PSi membership is maintained through registration to one of their conferences and is valid for one year. Conferences are held in the United States and internationally. In holding to their commitment to live art, there is a much larger performance element to the conference. PSi is still trying to figure out ways to run the conferences and is much more experimental in its approach to format and methodology. This can be both exciting and frustrating. For more information on PSi, check out their web site (www.psi-web.org).

There are many regional theatre conferences and organizations, such as Mid-American Theatre Conference (MATC, www.wiu.edu/matc) and the Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC, www.setc.org). Depending on your interests, you might want to join other organizations like the Modern Language Association, Popular Culture Association, or the Renaissance Society of America. Although not specifically theatre-oriented, these organizations welcome interdisciplinary work.

The program encourages students to attend conferences and join organizations and the DTSA devotes its energies in helping students prepare for conferences by offering topical teas and holding practice readings. There are a lot of CUNY Theatre students going to these conferences, so you won’t be out there alone.

Theatre Program Structure

Welcome to the CUNY Graduate Center, a truly unique place for higher education. As you probably know, the Graduate Center was designed to house the doctoral programs of the City University system (along with a few terminal MA programs).

The Theatre Program has four Central Appointees: Marvin Carlson, Daniel Gerould, Judy Milhous, and David Savran. This means that we have these fine faculty members with us all the time. Professor Jean Graham-Jones is also a Central Appointee, but she has what is known as a Joint Appointment with Hunter College and the Graduate Center. However, due to her responsibilities as Executive Officer of the Graduate Center Theatre PhD program, she is currently teaching only at the Graduate Center. General Graduate Faculty consists of professors from the Senior CUNY Colleges—Baruch, Brooklyn, City, Hunter, John Jay, Lehman, Queens, Staten Island, and York. These professors come to the Graduate Center on a more or less rotating basis to expose us to their wide ranges of expertise. Although they may not be at the Graduate Center as often as the Central Appointees and the Joint Appointees, they are equally available in terms of mentoring and thesis advising.

The Central Appointees will teach the Core Courses unless they are on leave or on sabbatical, in which case the Joint Appointees or the general Graduate faculty will take over their duties for the course. At least one Central Appointee is required to be on your Second Exam/Dissertation Committee (though that person does not need to be the Chair).

Any other questions about anything can be answered by the “Ph.D. Program in Theatre Handbook,” our Executive Officer Jean Graham-Jones, or our truly amazing Program Assistant Lynette Gibson.

Research Tips

The first thing you should know is that there is a publication called Theatre Research Resources in New York City, compiled by Marvin Carlson and published by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center. There is a recently revised edition that you should add to your private library, and you will receive a copy of this during one of your required courses.

You will quickly discover that the Mina Rees Library is limited (a nice way to say it). However, through CLICS you can have any book at a CUNY library delivered to you at Mina Rees. You will find that the theatre collections at Brooklyn College and Hunter College have most things that you need (as well as all of the theatre periodicals you could wish for). You may want to take advantage of the inter-library loan system if the book or material is not available within the CUNY system. All these possibilities are clearly explained in the Library website (http://library.gc.cuny.edu/). Ask the circulation desk or the reference librarian on duty if you have questions.

Besides the CUNY libraries, you will be using the New York Public Library a great deal—perhaps both the 42nd Street Research Library as well as the Performing Arts Library at the Lincoln Center on 66^th Street. Don’t forget about the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the Public Library on 5th Avenue at 40th Street. They have a vast collection of plays just ready and waiting to be read, as well as a number of videotaped productions. There are also videotape archives at the Performing Arts Library; call well in advance to make an appointment.

Second Exam

The second exam is taken after completion of all coursework (60 credits) and must be taken within two semesters after the course work is completed. For a complete explanation of the exam, see the Student Handbook. As with the first exam, the second exam is offered in August and January, and the written exam happens about two weeks before the oral exam component. Students select three areas, (one historical, one theoretical, and one historical or theoretical) and construct reading lists within these fields. Past examples include Law and Theatre in eighteenth-century London, Puppetry, Theatre in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, Popular American Theatre, Masculinity in the Middle Ages, Opera, and Asian Theatre. This may seem like extra work, but if it fits into your future thesis project, it’s simply doing the work that you’d be doing later anyway. The selection process is very important and should be done in consultation with your advisor, and when submitting your proposal to take the second exam, you must have approval from your advisor.

Three important things to keep in mind when choosing your areas are; making sure you have had coursework in these areas (you don’t want to tackle something without any exposure to it), making sure that these areas are something you are going to continue with; and trying to integrate the areas with your thesis (this focuses your efforts towards the step after the exam and allows you to further utilize the time spent studying).

You are responsible for primary and secondary materials for the second exam. Not only is it essential that you know what the important elements are of any given area, but what pertinent scholarship has been done in those areas. Most of all—know the works of the central appointments! Even if your areas may not overlap with the specialization of the faculty, you should definitely know who has written what in the program.

Every year the DTSA holds workshops and rap-sessions on how to prepare for the second exam, what to expect, and how to survive. This provides continual assurance that it can be done and helps to give you tips on how to approach the exam. Check the DTSA Calendar for the schedule of these sessions.

Theatre Tickets

Being on a theatre program, it is normally safe to assume that you want to go and see a good number of productions in New York. Yet this can be an expensive hobby. There are ways of getting cheaper tickets as a student, and here are just some:

· Check websites for student discounts: www.theatremania.com and www.ticketcentral.com are two such sites that list all shows with discount tickets available (theatre mania offers discounts of various amounts for Broadway, Of-Broadway, and Off-off-Broadway shows, while Ticket Central offers $15 tickets for various shows).

· Always ask if there are student tickets to a particular show. When you book online, sometimes there is an option to select “student ticket”

· When you are booking through a centralized service you often end up paying full price plus a handling/booking fee. Try contacting the box office directly.

· Student rush tickets are offered at many theatres as a way of selling the remaining tickets for any given show. They must be bought in person at the box office on the day of the performance (often 1-2 hours before it starts), and you can typically get 2 tickets per ID. Classical Theatre of Harlem, and BAM offer rush tickets as do many others, so check with the theatre concerned. You should be aware that some rush tickets are limited to students under 25 years of age. A list of Broadway shows with rush tickets and standing room only tickets can be found at www.talkinbroadway.com

· DTSA theatre outings – once or twice a year, a group outing to a particular show is organized. Typically these are well attended by theatre students and so we are able to secure a group discount as a result. Details will be sent out by e-mail and a sign up sheet will be posted in the Green Room.

There are a few ways of seeing shows for free including:

· Review writing: you write a review for a paper, magazine, or website and in return get free tickets to the show and something to add to your resume.

· Ushering: In return for a few hours of your time, you can see a show. This applies to most Off- and Off-off Broadway shows

· Check your e-mail: occasionally we get e-mails sent to the DTSA list about free tickets available for new productions.

Also note that you can buy discounted cinema tickets through the DSC for the cinema on 42^nd Street.

Travel Grants and Other Funding

Cohn-Lortel International Theatre-going Award

In 1990, this Program established an award of up to $1000 to allow a student to attend theatre in an international theatre center for a week or so during the January intersession. To apply you should submit to the Executive Officer a statement outlining what city you would like to visit and why (only non-English speaking countries). Preference will be given to students who have had less opportunity for international travel, who have studied or are studying the language necessary for their proposed destination, and who show some familiarity, in their application, with the specific theatrical fare available in their proposed destination. The deadline is typically 1 December.

Research & Conference Grants

Each year (July 1 to June 31), we students can beg for money to cover (or at least contribute to) the cost of going to a conference (at which you are presenting), doing research outside of New York (for instance, at the Folger Shakespeare Library or the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.), or collecting materials for one’s dissertation. There are two separate awards which should be applied for on the same form.

The Sue Rosenberg Zalk Student Travel and Research Fund is available to all matriculated students. In any given academic year, you are able to claim up to $300. Details of how to apply are below.

The Cohn/Lortel/Roberts Travel Grant is the award distributed by the Theatre Program itself and will contribute up to $400 for domestic travel, and $600 for international per academic year.

To Apply: During your trip, copiously collect receipts for everything (registration fees, travel, accommodation, meals, etc); upon your return, ask Lynette for the appropriate form. Fill it in and return it to Lynette with a photocopy of the conference program where your name and paper are listed, and all original receipts (attached with a paper clip – NOT stapled, glued, or taped). Once the form has been sent to the relevant persons, you should receive a check within a few weeks.

Graduate Research Grants Program

Students in good standing in their 2^nd to 7^th years of study are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $1,500 for the purposes of research. Funds may be used for travel, publications costs, accommodation, and registration fees (for example) but not for computers, food, and/or entertainment. Full details will be sent to the DTSA list during Fall semester. Also check: http://www.gc.cuny.edu/about_gc/365_fifth/2005_october/doc_grant.htm

Awards for level III students

In addition to the awards listed above, there are two further awards designed to assist level III students. The American Theatre Research Fund was created to support dissertation research in American theatre history and/or criticism, while the Roberts Dissertation Award does not have a subject requirement, aiming to simply aid in the completion of a dissertation.

DTSA Board 2009-10

(revised August 2009)

DTSA Board 2009-10

President Boris Daussà-Pastor

boris@lacalba.com

First Vice-President Joe Heissan

JHeissan@gc.cuny.edu

Second Vice-President Frank Episale

frankepi@gmail.com

Secretary Wei-ming Liu

schaubohne@gmail.com

Treasurer Lisa Reinke

LReinke@gc.cuny.edu

Professional Development Committee Rep Julia Goldstein

goldstein.julia@gmail.com

Admission Committee Representative Hillary Miller

hmiller1@gc.cuny.edu

Curriculum Committee Representative Christopher Silsby

dtsa.silsby@gmail.com

DSC Program Representative Eero Laine

epl@nym.hush.com

GC Program Representative Debra Hilborn

dhilborn@gc.cuny.edu