Dance and Movement Studies Guidelines
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The Dance and Movement Studies Department at 91制片厂 cultivates a vibrant intellectual environment where students are actively engaged and faculty members are committed to outstanding teaching, scholarly achievement, and service. This document outlines the department’s criteria for tenure and promotion, ensuring a transparent evaluation process. By establishing clear standards and expectations, we seek to support the professional growth of the Dance and Movement Studies faculty and uphold the high standards of academic excellence that define 91制片厂.
The faculty believes that scholarship and continued creative work in the field of dance and/or movement studies is crucial for maintaining a dynamic and stimulating academic community. Even those whose teaching is entirely in the classroom may find that their scholarly work also takes them in directions related to dance performance and choreography rather than (or in addition to) writing about dance and movement. Thus, scholarship in dance may take a wide variety of forms such as giving academic presentations, presenting original dance work, and participating in performances.
Teaching
Effective teaching is the most important of the criteria for tenure and promotion. All faculty in the department, including non-tenurable faculty, must demonstrate the ability to communicate course content effectively and to challenge students intellectually and artistically. This includes:
- Providing students with the technical skills of dance practice across a range of dance genres, as well as theoretical and cultural understanding of these genres. Evidence for this can be found in the personal statement, syllabi and other course materials, peer observation of classes and departmental Dance Concerts, student course evaluations, and student letters solicited by the Dean of Faculty.
- Incorporating the current state of knowledge and best practices in the field of dance and movement studies in courses or dance productions. Evidence for this can be found through the personal statement, syllabi and other course materials, and peer observation of classes and departmental Dance Concerts.
- Demonstrating continuous growth in course design and pedagogical approaches. Evidence for this can be found through the personal statement, syllabi and other course materials, peer observation of classes, student course evaluations, and student letters solicited by the Dean of Faculty.
- Responding constructively and reflectively to feedback from student course evaluations, class visitations by colleagues, annual reviews by the Department chair, or feedback from the Dean and the Committee on Appointments. Evidence for this can be found through the personal statement, peer observations of classes, student course evaluations, and student letters solicited by the Dean of Faculty. It is understood that student feedback can include biases.
- Using inclusive pedagogical practices in their teaching. Teaching practices should address the needs of students from disparate levels of dance training, backgrounds in dance and movement, or physical ability. Teaching about or programming diverse content/repertoire with regard to gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality, class, etc. is also integral to the study of dance and movement. Evidence for this can be found through the personal statement, syllabi, peer observation of classes, student course evaluations, and student letters solicited by the Dean of Faculty.
- Providing reasonable assistance to students outside of class. Evidence for this can be found through the personal statement, syllabi, student course evaluations, and student letters solicited by the Dean of Faculty.
Expectations for Reappointment:
The candidate should demonstrate their ability to communicate course content effectively; to challenge students intellectually; and to incorporate the current state of knowledge, disciplinary or interdisciplinary practice, and pedagogy in courses or dance productions. The candidate is expected to demonstrate continuous growth in course design and pedagogical practices and to respond constructively and reflectively to feedback from student course evaluations, class visitations by colleagues, and annual reviews by the Department chair.
Expectations for Tenure:
The candidate should demonstrate their ability to communicate course content effectively; to challenge students intellectually; and to incorporate the current state of knowledge, disciplinary or interdisciplinary practice, and pedagogy in courses or dance productions. The candidate is expected to demonstrate continued growth in course design and pedagogical practices. The candidate should continue to respond constructively and reflectively to feedback from student course evaluations, class visitations by colleagues, and annual reviews by the Department chair. Further, the candidate should have addressed any concerns about their teaching raised previously, while demonstrating excellence in teaching and an upward trajectory of their effectiveness in the classroom.
Expectations for Promotion:
The candidate should continue to demonstrate their ability to communicate course content effectively; to challenge students intellectually; and to incorporate the current state of knowledge, disciplinary or interdisciplinary practice, and pedagogy in courses or dance productions. They should continue to respond constructively and reflectively to feedback from student course evaluations, class visitations by colleagues, and annual reviews by the department chair. They should demonstrate their excellence in teaching, continued growth in course design and pedagogical practices, perhaps through revision of current courses or development of new courses.
Scholarship
The College expects its faculty to be productive scholars and creative artists of high quality, and it acknowledges the benefits of research and scholarship in teaching. Original research and its equivalent expression in the performing and creative arts are the principal forms of scholarship to be considered in reappointment, tenure, and promotion decisions.
For faculty who are performers/choreographers, rehearsals for dance concerts with student performers are considered as teaching, while choreography and professional performance are regarded as scholarship. Further, some faculty do scholarship in multiple areas. Thus, there are many ways in which effective scholarship can be demonstrated in dance and movement studies. These include combinations of the following:
- Group A: Original Research, Creative Work, and Public Performances
- Group B: Other Forms of Scholarly and Creative Work
Significant scholarly and/or creative activity in Category A is required for tenure; activity only in Category B will not be considered sufficient. Group A activity can be either in scholarship, performance, or both, depending on the nature of the candidate’s work. The lists within each category are not exclusive, and are not ranked in order of importance.
Group A: Original Research, Creative Work, and Public Performances
- Juried public performances
- Juried presentation of original choreography off campus (including at conferences)
- Original choreography presented on campus
- Choreography/performances in virtual spaces, such as websites and XR environments
- Articles in peer-reviewed journals (as author, co-author, or editor)
- Scholarly books and monographs (peer-reviewed)
- Book chapters (peer-reviewed)
- Articles or entries in major reference works (peer-reviewed)
- Articles, essays, books, compositions, or other creative or performance projects in progress (peer-reviewed)
- Juried conference presentations
Group B – Other Forms of Scholarly and Creative Work
- Teaching masterclasses or workshops
- Book review publications
- Invited talks/lectures
- Grants
- Artist residencies
- Peer review or outside evaluation or review of refereed publications or performances
- Peer review or outside evaluation of unrefereed publications, performances, or work in progress
- Peer review or outside evaluation of completed creative work and work in progress
- Participating in public speaking, outreach efforts, and educational initiatives related to the discipline
- Professional development in areas of scholarly or creative research
Expectations for Reappointment:
The voting members of the department shall review the candidate’s plans for scholarship as part of the annual review process. If necessary, the chair, in consultation with the voting members, will advise the candidate about ways to revise the scholarship plan. The candidate’s plan should provide a clear trajectory toward meeting the scholarship expectations for tenure listed below.
Expectations for Tenure:
The candidate’s plan must include completed work from Group A; while items from Group B can support the scholarship portfolio, they are not sufficient for tenure. We do not specify a number of items from Group A; rather, the professional significance of the item will determine its value for consideration for tenure. In the case of performers/ choreographers, some performances must take place off campus and be peer reviewed or refereed.
The voting members of the department shall review the candidate’s plans for scholarship as part of the annual review process. If necessary, the chair, in consultation with the voting members, will advise the candidate about ways to revise the scholarship plan.
Expectations for Promotion:
In evaluating a candidate for promotion to Professor, the department places great weight on scholarship in addition to continued excellence in teaching. In order to earn the department’s endorsement for promotion to Professor, the candidate must demonstrate that they have moved well beyond the body of work submitted during the tenure review, with significant additional work from Group A.
Should the candidate have questions regarding their scholarly plans, they should consult with the department chair, and their plans should be discussed in their annual reports.
Expectations for Non-Tenurable Faculty:
There is no expectation for scholarship for non-tenurable faculty.
Service
The College expects its faculty to contribute to service at the following levels: Department service, College service, and service to the profession. Examples of each category of service are listed below:
Department Service
- Leading and organizing department dance concert auditions
- Producing dance concerts on campus
- Planning and organizing departmental events such as guest artist residencies, lectures, or workshops
- Developing or revising curricula for the Dance and Movement Studies Department
- Academic advising
- Advising student research, senior projects, or other creative projects
- Visits with prospective students
- Reviewing arts supplement videos of college applications
- Serving on search committees
- Maintaining department website and social media accounts
- Mentoring students through their own artistic and scholarly research endeavors (advising senior thesis projects and other creative work on campus, mentoring students as they present their artistic and scholarly research at conferences and other events)
- Facilitating opportunities for students to perform, choreograph, or participate in off-campus dance and movement events to advance their professional development. This includes providing students with opportunities to perform or showcase their choreography, or facilitating their attendance at dance and movement workshops.
- Organizing campus-wide events such as masterclasses open to all students/the public.
- Supporting or advising student organizations
College Service
- Minor Committees (meet on average once a month or have a temporary charge)
- Major Committees (Academic Council, Committee on Appointments, Committee on Academic Planning)
- Serving as Department Chair or Associate Chair
Service to the Profession
- Leadership positions in professional organizations
- Serving on the board or committees of a national organization
- Organizing or chairing academic conferences, symposia, or workshops
- External evaluations of reappointment, tenure, and promotion files, or of other dance departments
- Curating performances, conferences, and symposia
- Evaluating conference submissions
- Participation in scholarly working groups
- Adjudication of performances, festivals, and/or competitions
Expectations for Reappointment:
The tenured members of the department shall advise the candidate about their service. The primary service prior to reappointment is at the department level.
Expectations for Tenure:
The candidate shall consult with the department chair regarding their service. Following reappointment and prior to tenure, the candidate should engage in some college-wide service in addition to department service.
Expectations for Promotion:
The candidate standing for promotion should have significant college-wide and department service, including serving on college-wide committees, and may also have significant service to the profession. However, no amount of service will qualify the candidate for promotion in the absence of a strong record of teaching and scholarship.
Expectations for Non-Tenurable Faculty:
There is no expectation for service for non-tenurable faculty.
Appendix I
Peer Review Procedures
Peer review of teaching will include:
- A pre-observation conversation in which subjects such as session goals, course goals, pedagogical approaches, and assignments are discussed
- Review of available course materials to contextualize the session
- A classroom observation of a single class session
- A post-observation meeting
- Written documentation of the review that addresses the pre-observation conversation and post-observation meeting; review of course materials, such as syllabi, handouts, videos, and reading assignments; observations about various aspects of the class session, such as content, clarity, and organization; student engagement; teacher-student interactions; and attention to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. This written review will be shared with the person reviewed within two weeks of the observation.
Peer Review Process:
The department chair (or designated senior faculty member) will make peer review assignments at the beginning of each semester. The reviewer will take responsibility for scheduling these on mutually convenient dates. The department chair (or designated senior faculty member) will ensure that the review occurs by the end of the semester. Faculty in their first semester of teaching will be reviewed for formative purposes only; no written documentation of the first semester review will be generated.
Frequency of observation:
- Assistant Professors will be observed 1-2 times per semester.
- Associate Professors will be observed once a year.
- Non-tenurable faculty will be observed once per year.
- There is no requirement that Professors be observed, though they may be if requested by the faculty member or department chair.
- All voting members will have firsthand knowledge of teaching through the peer review process above before voting on reappointment, tenure, or promotion.
- The department will reference the written documentation of review (classroom observations, course materials, etc.) in reappointment, tenure, and promotion letters.
Approved by COA 2/18/25
