An overview of ritual, social, and classical dance traditions practiced around the world, this course will survey the spiritual, cultural, political, and social forces that shape and are shaped by these dance forms and the people who practice them. Students will read about, discuss, write and reflect on, and watch videos of major dance forms from Indigenous North America, West and East Africa, the Caribbean, South and Central Asia, Polynesia/Oceania, the Middle East and North Africa, and Central and South America.