Do you believe in the power of the arts and artists to make the world a better place? American University’s Department of Performing Arts (DPA) has developed a new undergraduate certificate in Social Action, Justice, and the Performing Arts, designed for students interested in how the performing arts can create a more equitable world. This is one of the first certificate programs in the United States addressing social action and the performing arts.

The program is open to all undergraduates across AU who are interested in how the performing arts can enact social change and contribute in meaningful ways to the public good. 

This interdisciplinary certificate includes courses in women’s studies, disability studies, race, diversity, and global studies, while its core courses are focused on the performing arts. 

This intensive curriculum prepares students for engagement in areas where the performing arts can make a difference in the lives of others and influence meaningful societal change. The certificate will give students the knowledge, skills, and artistry to serve as catalysts for revolutionary societal change.

We spoke with Nancy Jo Snider, Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and Applied Music Director, about the certificate opportunity.

Why did the DPA develop this certificate, and why is it so important?

We developed this certificate because we believe that the arts have the unique ability to create a better future. This selection of courses puts issues around social action and justice into focus, preparing our students to achieve the change we need for a better society.  

Why is it important to have conversations around social justice in the performing arts? What are the unique challenges that this field faces in terms of social justice?

The arts have the unique ability to inspire change when nothing else can, operating through emotions, feelings, and by opening the mind. If you’re a performing artist, you need to be informed about the world and the needs of different communities with the singular goal of inclusion rather than discrimination. Celebrating diversity and identity differences will further what our arts disciplines can achieve. It is important to have these conversations and to educate ourselves.

What will students come away with after completing the certificate?

The certificate will help equip students to become leaders in inclusivity and to make good and just decisions in their careers and artistic practices. They will develop awareness through the lens of the performing arts, as well as a greater sensitivity and awareness in society and across their other areas of interest.  

What if a student isn’t a performing arts major, but is interested in social action and justice?

This certificate, while focused on action through the performing arts, is open to all. The arts connect with many different areas of study, and students in any major can individually shape their interests by leveraging different courses across the university. Our selection of course topics is ever-expanding.  

What do you want students most to know about the certificate?

We have an opportunity to make meaningful change, and students are the most important part of this. This certificate is open to all, and I hope that we have significant representation across the many diverse areas of study that make up our university.  

Please reach out to certificate coordinator Nancy Snider for more information.