ABSTRACT
As Oral Interpretation broadened into Performance Studies, some introductory performance classes abandoned teaching performance of literature for more contemporary theory and practice. However, the shape of the course at Louisiana State University has held firm for decades. This essay theorizes the pedagogy of the "Introduction to Performing Literature" course at Louisiana State University. It provides a historical overview of the scholarship that shaped the philosophy of the course, describes the assignments in the current course (taking into consideration how those assignments accommodate innovations or trends in performance studies), and argues that the enduring shape of the course places it in relationship to the other communication areas represented in the department, emphasizes the communication thread in performance studies, and develops students to be better citizens by encouraging nuanced, empathetic, and critical performances of a broad array of literary texts.
