Institution Submitting Proposal:
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY
School:
School of the Arts
Department or Area in Which Program
Will Be Located:
Dance
Program Title:
BS Dance
Recommended Classification of Instructional
Programs (CIP) Code:
50.0399 (old); 50.0301 (new)
Proposed Beginning Date:
Fall, 2011
Institutional Signatures:
_____________________________________________
Matthew S. Holland, University President
Utah Valley University
______________________________________________
Ian Wilson
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
_______________________________________________
Patrick Jones
Dean
_______________________________________________
Nichole Ortega
Department Chair
Date: 09/22/2010
Section I: Request
The Utah Valley University Department of Dance requests a name change for the Bachelor of Science
Movement Studies degree Ballroom dance emphasis degree to a Bachelor of Science in Dance
Ballroom Dance emphasis. The focus of the degree and instructional activities will not change. This action
was approved by the UVU Board of Trustees on September 9, 2010.
Section II: Need
By way of background, the Movement Studies degree was initially designed so that there could be several
emphases—for example Somatic Practices or Dance Therapy-- in addition to the original Ballroom Dance
emphasis. The BS Movement Studies – Ballroom Dance emphasis was seen to approach the study of
dance from a popular culture perspective within an academic context. The Dance department has
reexamined this structure and has determined the Ballroom Dance degree is more appropriately a Dance
degree.
The name change is justified because the BS Movement Studies –Ballroom Dance emphasis degree is
essentially not a Movement Studies degree in the traditional sense. In dance, the area of Movement
Studies is associated with Dance Sciences, including areas of study in anatomy and kinesiology, dance
therapy, as well as with Somatic practices such as Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff
Fundamentals.
Currently, there are only three movement studies courses in the above referenced degree: (1) Danc 265R
Fundamentals of Movement – 2 credits, (2) Danc 2670 Introduction to Laban Studies- 2 credits, and (3)
Danc 3680 Dance Kinesiology – 3 credits. Originally, Danc 365R Advanced Fundamentals of Movement
was part of the discipline core requirements, but was changed to an elective in the 2008 curriculum cycle.
This reduced the number of credits of movement studies courses to seven out of 120 total credits. The
department has determined this degree is more appropriately a Dance degree than a Movement Studies
degree.
Nationally, there are relatively few bachelor degree programs in Ballroom Dance and those that do exist are
Dance degrees. It is important that our degrees be consistent with national practice.
Finally, changing the name to BS in Dance with a Ballroom emphasis will be clearer and potentially draw
more students to the program.
In the future, a Movement Studies emphasis could potentially be added as an emphasis to the BS Dance
degree if student demand suggests the wisdom of doing so.
Section III: Institutional Impact
Enrollments may go up with the proposed name change, however; the increase will probably be
insignificant. The recognition from the Dancing With the Starts competition will likely draw many students
to the program and it will be good to have an aptly named degree as we move into the future of Ballroom
dance as an academic discipline within the Department of Dance.
The proposed change will not affect existing administrative structures.
Section IV: Finances
There are no anticipated costs or savings connected with this change.