Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - CA 324 D100

Approaches to Composition (3)

Class Number: 6255

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Tue, Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

  • Prerequisites:

    CA 124, 228W, and 285.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Focused on learning different movement based compositional methods used to make new work. Students will apply new compositional ideas, expanding and setting material in space and working with different approaches of music, light and sound. Students will work with peers from production and design and other areas to create specific projects. Quantitative.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Description:

This class explores ways to generate material for the making of dances.  Through guided assignment, improvisation and movement studies, we will explore elements of composition and focus on interdisciplinary techniques in performance drawing on a range of methods and tools.  Through an exploration and manipulation of movement structures, we will expand personal vocabularies and impulses into a more distinctive practice for each student. 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

 Goals:

  • To build a toolbox for a dance making practice that can be adapted to a range of projects, research and collaboration.
  • To further develop approaches to feedback and reception of feedback in a studio setting. Sharpening our senses to our work and building a vocabulary to talk about what we experience.
  • To acquire a better sense of our individual interests, habits, challenges, ways of working and goals within our dance practice.

Grading

  • Participation 30%
  • Assignments 30%
  • Written Assignments 20%
  • Journal 10%
  • Profile 10%

NOTES:

Participation:                  

The energy, attitude, working process, investment in class both physical and mental and contributions to class discussions are the most important areas of your evaluation.  This class is a physical process as well as an intellectual one.  However, time spent developing material in this class needs to be predominantly a physical one -time spent sitting, imagining, and planning should be done outside the classroom structure.

Assignments:                   

Movement studies will be assigned daily.  Larger projects will be assigned with an indicated due date.  Be prepared to show your work daily.  You are required to keep all material you are working on at performance level during the semester.  You will be required to keep up on the reading assignments and be prepared to discuss the text, your assignments and your classmates work in class.

Written Assignments:                

Some of the exercises in class will require you to write compositional strategies for your process and you will have short writings to complete from the text.  These assignments are to be handed in at designated dates throughout the semester. 

Work Journal:

You are required to keep a journal for this class.  You should use this as a tool for each project and keep regular written reactions and evaluations of the reading and assignments.  The journal will be collected periodically.  

Profile

The profile will be material you will develop for an online artist site.  This material will include an artist statement, resume and some documentation of recent projects.  This assignment is a personal profile meant to be an ongoing process you can continue to build on beyond the course.

Materials

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.