The body remains an important site in which social power relations and artistic politics are enacted. Thereby, it plays a crucial role in the production, transformation, and critique of art.

With an emphasis on acknowledging the multiplicity of the body and embodiment within performance studies, this course begins by asking, "What is a Body?" and proceeds with reflections on human bodies and their situated cultures as a basis for performance study.

Through an examination of why the body is essential to social interaction and life, it enhances understanding of the social significance of the body. We will analyse and study important body theories. In this course, students are asked to review and relate these discourses critically to their creative performances.

Students in this course will examine the body from an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural perspective in order to gain a deeper understanding of human bodies within their cultural contexts. Moreover, the course examines how the body is represented as a media, particularly racial, gendered, and sexualized practices that are relevant to the performance of acting and how it is perceived. Using body theories, the course will look closely at cases from various traditions and their performing arts.