The Senior Comprehensive in Theater

I. WHY COMPS?

The Occidental College Bulletin states that the "two central and related objectives" of the Senior Comprehensive are: "To provide an opportunity for senior students to synthesize the essential concepts, content, and methods of their academic field, and during the course of their review, to establish central relationships among the materials covered in separate courses," and "to provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their competence in their field by applying their knowledge to central relational problems, questions, or topics."

II. THE BASICS OF THEATER COMPS:

Our department accomplishes these objectives by having each senior:

1. Propose a creative or research project.
2. Submit a prospectus of research and/or preparation. A version of the prospectus is due before the project is executed.
3. Discuss the prospectus and progress on the project with the faculty mentor and second reader before the project is executed.
4. Execute the project.
5. Revise and resubmit prospectus, including a reflective component on the project.

You are encouraged to enroll in THEA490, Senior Seminar in the semester you carry out your senior project. You are not required to do so. The four units for this course may count toward your major. The entire Theater faculty evaluates the comps and assigns the grade, Pass, Pass with Distinction or Fail. (See section IV).

III. THE DETAILS

A. PROPOSAL
DUE in KECK 202 (DATE TBD FOR SPRING 2007.)

Select a project and write a one to two page proposal in which you indicate the nature of your project (see Section VI), the feasibility of the project, (including scheduling and locations), and a suggestion of what your prospectus will comprise. Be sure to include the nature of the two required THEA121 or 122 labs you have completed (clearly identify which production and duty for each.)

So that each faculty member and the department files will have a copy of your proposal, YOU MUST HAND IN EIGHT COPIES.

The faculty will review all proposals and notify you whether your proposal has been accepted or rejected. When developing your proposal, please keep in mind any prerequisites or backups required for comps in specific fields. (See section VIII)

B. THE MENTOR:

Once the proposal is approved, you will be assigned a mentor from among the faculty. Your mentor is available to answer questions about the process, read drafts and help you generate ideas. You will also be assigned a second reader (from appropriate faculty members) who will read successive drafts and will participate in the discussion of your prospectus. However, it is your responsibility to make sure the process is begun and completed in a timely and professional manner. You are responsible for determining your project’s timeline AT YOUR FIRST MEETING with your mentor (at this first meeting you and your mentor will agree on a due date for your prospectus); you are responsible for making conference appointments with your mentor at each step along the way.

C. PROSPECTUS

DUE BEFORE THE EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT

Develop and write a prospectus. It might include:

1) A description of your project. This should explain what you expect to accomplish by your project.

2) A description of your method. How will you go about accomplishing your project? What research and/or creative techniques have you employed/ will you employ?

3) The research you have completed thus far and an analysis, where appropriate, of the elements of the project, such as: themes, imagery, text, style, historical context, treatments, rough drafts, sketches, photographs, or storyboards.

4) A statement anticipating problems, both practical and interpretive. What problems have you encountered thus far? What do you anticipate encountering before the completion of the project? How have you dealt with those difficulties and how do you anticipate dealing with future challenges?

5) The nature of the prospectus varies with each project, as does the length. For example, the prospectus for the playwright largely consists of the first draft (the project is the revised and completed play) while that of a designer contains many of the elements listed under 3 (see above). You and your mentor will have already determined the specifics of your prospectus, both for its initial and final version.

6) The prospectus should be double-spaced and contain relevant footnotes, bibliography and supporting materials. Your mentor may accept electronic submission of work in progress.

At your first meeting, you and your mentor will establish the due date for your prospectus. Depending on the nature of your project, this due date can vary from as much as seven weeks to as little as two weeks before the completion/execution of your project. How complete your prospectus needs to be at the initial due date is also negotiated with your mentor. Whenever possible, the paper should be in near-finished form, but some scheduling of projects may necessitate an incomplete draft.

IT IS REQUIRED THAT YOU SUBMIT A PROSPECTUS - at least in a preliminary version - PRIOR TO THE EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT. Both your mentor and your second reader need copies. (TURN IN TWO COPIES)

D. DISCUSSION OF PROSPECTUS: In most cases, this discussion should take place PRIOR TO THE EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT. Answer questions posed by the both your mentor and your second reader about your prospectus and your progress to date on the project. It is necessary to receive faculty approval before you continue work on your project. STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHEDULING A DISCUSSION DATE TO OCCUR WITHIN A WEEK OF SUBMITTING THE PROSPECTUS AND TO OCCUR PRIOR TO THE EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT.

E. CREATIVE OR RESEARCH PROJECT: Execute and present the proposed and approved project.

F. REVISED AND COMPLETED PROSPECTUS: After completing the project, you will revise and resubmit your prospectus. This final version should reflect the feedback you received from mentor and second reader during discussions, comments from other faculty, and your own evaluation and reflection on the project. You must turn in EIGHT COPIES of your finished prospectus.

IV. METHOD OF EVALUATION: The College Bulletin stipulates the procedures for evaluating the comps. In place of a letter grade for evaluating comprehensive examinations, a three-category system is used: Pass with Distinction, Pass, and Fail.

V. CHECK LIST OF COMPS

VI. FACULTY ASSISTANCE: You will be working with your mentor at all times, but all of us are pleased to act as consultants during all phases of your project.

VII. EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS

VIII. FINAL DETAILS

A. There will be a student meeting at the beginning of each term for those seniors undertaking their comps proposals that term. If you are enrolled in THEA490, regular meetings will be established.

B. Senior comps grades will be given only at the end of each term. (Unless you have not passed your comps, in which case you will be notified immediately).

C. Please keep in mind that some comps projects have prerequisites. For instance, if you do directing comps, you must have completed the directing class by the end of your junior year. The same applies to playwriting and the playwriting class. Please check with your advisor if you are uncertain if you meet the prerequisites. Also check the comps info page for links.

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