Performing Arts

The first and only undergraduate program of its kind in the nation, the Performing Arts and Social Justice (PASJ) Major trains young artists to create an humane and just society through their craft. Our mission is deeply aligned with the core values of Jesuit education; we see performance as a powerful tool for promoting positive change.

The Performing Arts Department offers the Performing Arts and Social Justice (PASJ) major. This 48-unit course of study has emphasis concentrations in Theater, Dance, and Music. Our department also offers 20-unit minors in Theater, Dance, and Music, and performance opportunities are open to all USF students regardless of previous experience with performing.

Every semester, more than 900 students participate in the Performing Arts Department's classes, productions, concerts, and events. Our department offerings seek to expose the USF community to different styles and artistic approaches, celebrate diversity, creatively reflect on important issues of our times, and become inspired to find the artist-activist in themselves.

At whatever level or course of study, performing arts students at USF:

• Gain a historical foundation of the Performing Arts from the classics to contemporary practices within a context of cultural diversity.
• Develop technical and conceptual skills related to the practice of their craft (Dance, Music, Theater).
• Acquire and use practical skills for community-based artistic work, and learn how this form of artistic engagement contributes to a more inclusive and just society.