Envisioning dance as a humanity: An analysis of undergraduate courses focused on dance as a cultural and aesthetic phenomenon for the liberal arts college student

To illuminate the status of dance as a humanity within general education at liberal arts colleges, 33 courses identified at selected institutions in which the subject of dance was approached as a cultural and aesthetic phenomenon were analyzed and considered in relation to historical and contemporary goals for dance in higher education. Questionnaires were used to gather information about individual courses, institutional contexts, and the viewpoints of those who taught the courses about the content and processes they emphasized in the context of their teaching. The data were considered in relation to a review of the literature that traced (a) the historical development of dance in higher education, (b) contemporary issues regarding dance in liberal arts education, and (c) issues surrounding the nature and purpose of the humanities in higher education.;The relationship of the findings of this study to the shifting agenda for the humanities in higher education discussed in contemporary literature suggested multiple ways in which envisioning dance as a humanity might influence the shape of curricular offerings in dance within liberal arts education. The analysis of the results of this study revealed approaches that recalled the purposes of education in the humanities as traditionally defined, such as art (dance) appreciation and art (dance) history, as well as significant emphasis on the interdisciplinary aspects and multicultural nature of dance, and the value of different ways of knowing--three themes linked to a new formulation of the humanities.;While courses that focused on dance as a humanity appeared to be neither pervasive nor consistent in their manifestations at Liberal Arts I colleges, most of the courses considered in this study emphasized personal engagement with dance as a doer and as a viewer along with the development of skills relevant to the apprehension of and articulation about dance. The relationship of the visions of dance educators to the overriding goals of education emerged as a critical factor in the development of curricular offerings in dance, both historically and in contemporary contexts.