Performative Arts: A Course Curriculum

McCaw County State University is pleased to announce its newest four-year degree program for students interested in managing and succeeding in the current social climate, the BA Degree in Performative Arts. The degree program eschews new norms in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, choosing instead to give leaders of tomorrow the tools they’ll need to identify, bolster, and justify systems and practices which support the status quo while navigating in the “Woke Workplace.”

PERF151 Emotional Labor: Controlling the Means of Production Students will learn to appreciate and validate emotional labor, creating a culture where grievance can be acknowledged in a way which is both acceptable and condescending. Students will discuss when to nod, and when to “listen,” roleplaying concern and interest with the aggrieved. Special attention will be paid to furrowing the brow, quiet small gasps of “insight,’ and the elusive “single tear.” Students will learn how to set up “Empathetic Venmo Accounts” to “support” and “compensate” the emotional labor of others, and display these proudly on social media.

PERF170 Pushing back: Creating your own drama. Students will learn how to place their own grievances ahead of the grievances of others. Special attention will be paid to denying and accusing, and guiding students in inserting themselves into the narratives of the struggles of others. Learning outcomes will include vindicating personal histories of shame, and turning victims into oppressors. Fieldtrips to Confederate war memorials are planned (comfortable clothing is advised).

PERF175 Performative Activism: Woke Me Up Before You Go-Go This high energy class will kick you into gear with group activities, ice-breakers, call-and-response games, and long bathetic Kumbaya moments which will keep everyone too tearful or angry to notice any intent. Group projects will allow students to work together while harboring their own agendas, gaining tools and insights for creating convincing shows of unity while still being able to return home to their Pottery Barn Teen dorms.

PERF160 Social Media: Selfies…or Self-Empowerment? Have you ever stopped in the middle of an uprising and wondered: “Is this a better story on Insta, or do I just want to do a Facebook Live broadcast?” If so, then this course is for you. Students will meet in small groups to discuss:

What’s a suitable smile when standing in front of a detention camp?
Is it ever acceptable to wear Fred Perry to a BLM march?
When is hair gel appropriate?

And the first rule of meta/gonzo journalism: Why take yourself out of the story when you can become the story?

PERF199 Capstone Project: Performative Art Students will achieve active learning goals and apply skills to create an independent piece of Performative Art. Performative Artists will design, produce, and present an original piece, celebrating and empowering the diverse struggles of impacted peoples, and celebrating their own insertion in those triumphs. Past student generated projects have included:

“Validation: It’s not just for parking anymore”
“Your Story, My Story…but really My Story”
“The Help”

Internships are also available.

McCaw County State University is humbled and eager to stand hand in hand with the young people who are transforming our country. We just want to make sure we can still hang on until our pensions kick in. So join us in this exciting new vision for making ourselves relevant, and we promise, we won’t challenge you so much that you have to worry about your life choices.

The McCaw County State University four-year degree BA in Performative Arts: Changeless Ideals for an Ever-changing World.