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Permanent Courses
Course information found here includes all permanent offerings and is updated regularly whenever Academic Senate approves changes. For historical information, see the Course Catalogs. For actual course availability in any given term, use Course Search in the Portal.
This studio course introduces the fundamentals of three-dimensional design. It stresses line, plane, and volume and the ways these elements occupy and activate space. Additionally, principles that transform viewers’ interpretations and realize artistic intent are addressed through the use of unifiers, modifiers, symbols, metaphors, and embellishments. This course combines studio projects, class discussions, readings, and slide lectures with group critiques. Art appreciation is also a component of this course. (2A) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: first-year standing or declared Studio Art or Art History major or minor. Course fee is $50.00.
This studio course introduces the basic concepts, techniques, and processes of design and drawing. Pencil, ink, collage, charcoal, and other media are used to foster a comprehensive understanding of the descriptive, formal, and expressive possibilities of drawing and design. Group and individual critiques. (2A) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: first-year standing or declared studio art or art history major or minor, or consent of instructor. Course fee is $150.00.
This studio course introduces the basic techniques, processes, and creative possibilities of digital photography. Students will learn the expressive potential of light, composition, contrast, focus, and perspective. We will examine both the historical and aesthetic issues associated with the practice. Includes studio projects, lectures, assigned readings, class discussions, field trips, and individual and group critiques. (2A) Offered each semester. Prerequisite: continuous access to a digital camera with exposure controls and 5 megapixels. Course fee is $150.00.
This course is designed to investigate the basic techniques, concepts, and practices of digital imaging, as well as to support students’ conceptual development. The application of photographic and graphic-related software, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Creative Suite, are introduced in this course. It is also intended to strengthen critical and research skills through students’ artistic productions. The course includes readings, class discussions, writing, slide presentations, individual projects, and group and individual critiques. (2A). Course fee is $100.00
This course focuses on observational drawing, particularly of the human figure. Working from live models, a diverse range of drawing processes and media are utilized in the development of a figurative vocabulary. Slides, critiques, and discussions center on figurative themes in art. (2A) Offered occasionally. Course fee is $150.00.
A studio course covering the techniques and concepts of media not included in the regular offerings of the art department, such as collage, installation, and performance art. (2A) Topics course. Offered occasionally. Course fee is $100.00.
This topics course leads students through exploratory performance and installation projects. Students who identify with any creative practice (such as vocalists, instrumentalists, sound artists, poets, visual artists, multimedia artists, choreographers, programmers, etc.) share a collaborative environment in which they perform installations and pieces created together. The course may include weekly readings on devised performance, community development, and collaboration and/or work through structured exercises andimprovisations to develop a group-specific creative language. The course culminates in a final public presentation of the collaborative creative work. All media styles and levels of experience are welcome. Students may repeat this course up to a total of 2 units of credit. (2A) (Also listed as Media Studies 276 and Performing and Applied Arts 276.)
A studio course that introduces the techniques, history, and concepts of intaglio printing (or etching) as a visual medium of expression. Emphasis is on idea development and visual representation of specific concepts. This course challenges students conceptually, theoretically, and technically through provocative readings, slide talks, class discussions, and individual projects. Instruction includes all aspects of the print studio, health concerns, editioning, and care and presentation of prints. (2A) Prerequisite: any 100-level studio art course. Course fee is $75.00.
This course serves as an introduction to the techniques, history, and concepts of screen printing (aka serigraphy) as a visual medium of expression. Class time is devoted to demonstrations of processes, lectures, discussions, critiques, and studio time with instructor feedback. Students learn safety and maintenance procedures of the printmaking studio. Course emphasis is on developing a body of work through critiques and discussions of screen printing in a contemporary art context. Prerequisite: any 100-level studio art course.
This course serves as an introduction to the techniques, history, and concepts of relief printmaking as a visual medium of expression. Class time is devoted to demonstrations of processes, lectures, discussions, critiques, and studio time with instructor feedback. Students learn safety and maintenance procedures of the printmaking studio. Course emphasis is on developing a body of work through critiques and discussions of relief printmaking in a contemporary art context. Prerequisite: any 100-level studio art course.
This course is an introduction and interrogation of the painting process. We investigate the ways in which a visual language is constructed and the importance of theory, philosophy, and practice. Students are introduced to the relationship between the intuitive and cognitive creative process. (2A) Prerequisite: any 100-level studio art course. Course fee is $150.00.
This studio course emphasizes development of the student’s own artistic voice through the creation of three-dimensional objects. Projects are structured to inspire conceptual development. Students learn to understand and situate their work within the context of contemporary art and theory while also learning about diverse materials and processes including mold-making, woodworking, and metalworking. Emphasis is on safe, efficient, and productive studio practices and tool usage in a working sculpture shop. Includes readings, slide talks, class discussions, writings, and critiques. (2A) Normally offered each fall. Prerequisite: any 100-level studio art course. Course fee is $100.00.
The emphasis of this course is placed squarely upon investigating a variety of drawing approaches, attitudes, processes, and materials. Students are challenged to create a visual vocabulary that explores the expressive, descriptive qualities of line, value, space, and media. We interrogate notions of drawing by confronting idea development, conceptual ways of knowing, and the development of skills and techniques. This is not an independent study course, thus the interaction found in presentations, demonstrations, lectures, and critiques addressing issues of content and structure is vital. (2A) Prerequisite: any 100-level studio art course. Course fee is $75.00.
A studio course covering techniques and concepts of media not included in the regular offerings of the art department. Course may include demonstrations, slide lectures, readings, critiques, and independent research. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Prerequisite: one 100-level studio art course. Course fee is $100.00.
This course places an emphasis on the synergy between individual and group exploration in the student’s media of choice. We identify and investigate the creation of individual expression and the cognitive structure of a visual vocabulary. The course asks students to challenge their perceptions and definitions of art in context of the contemporary art world. This is not an independent study course, thus the verbal and visual dialogue between students and professor is essential. Prerequisite: Art 205. Course fee is $100.00.
This studio course builds on conceptual, theoretical, and technical principles covered in Art 210. Students have greater latitude to explore their own concepts and media in individually directed projects through additional projects and exercises and through discussion and written work. This course also includes demonstrations of processes and individual research. Offered each year. Prerequisite: Art 210. Course fee is $100.00.
This course examines the visual relationship of content, aesthetics, and design for effective two-dimensional advertising and introduces students to the fundamentals and cultural ramifications of graphic design. Students use various programs in the art department computer laboratory as tools in assigned projects; they also research and study the historical/creative process of advertising. Course includes field trips to galleries, graphic design companies, and product manufacturers. (2A) Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: Art 115. Course fee is $100.00.
A studio course covering the advanced techniques and concepts of media not included in the regular offerings of the art department. Course may include demonstrations, slide lectures, readings, critiques, and independent research. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: at least 1 200-level studio art course.
A course concerned with theoretical and practical issues related to the senior art exhibition, including installation practices and publicity. The course also covers career issues such as artist résumés, graduate school portfolio applications, and copyright law. A portion of the course addresses recent developments in art through guest lectures, discussions, and field trips. (CP) Offered each fall. Prerequisite: Studio Art major and senior standing. Course fee is $25.00.
A course concerned with theoretical and practical issues related to the senior art exhibition, including installation practices and publicity. The course also covers career issues such as artist résumés, graduate school portfolio applications, and copyright law. A portion of the course addresses recent developments in art through guest lectures, discussions, and field trips. (CP) Offered each spring. Prerequisite: Studio Art major and senior standing. Course fee is $25.00.
Individual work outside the scope of the regular course offerings of the art department. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Work with faculty in classroom instruction. Graded credit/no credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
This course examines the arts of China from the Neolithic period through the 20th century. Different media are studied in the context of concurrent literature, politics, philosophies, and religions, as well as in the context of China’s engagement with cultures beyond its borders. Broader topics include the artist’s place in society, intellectual theories of the arts, and questions of patronage. No previous exposure to Chinese art or culture is required. (5T)
This course provides an introduction to the primary methods and approaches in the study of images and objects. While individual topics will vary depending on the instructor, all classes will teach the skills of visual analysis and object-oriented research, and cultivate in students an understanding of the importance of objects’ historical and social contexts, both in the period of their production and across history. Intended to introduce students to the breadth of art history and prepare them for upper-level coursework in this and related fields, the class considers a variety of media, including (but not limited to) painting, sculpture, architecture and urban planning, film and photography, and design. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. (5T)
An introduction to the art and architecture of ancient Greece, Etruria, and Rome, from the Early Bronze Age through the Imperial period. Special emphasis is given to classical Athens, the Hellenistic world, and Rome of the late Republic and early Empire. Taught in English. (3B) (Also listed as Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies 205.) Offered occasionally. Prerequisite: one course in either Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, art history, or archaeology, or consent of instructor.
This course offers an introduction to developments in 20th- and 21st-century art. Within a loose chronological organization, broader themes are emphasized and social and historical contexts are considered. Slide lectures and discussion are enriched with readings in critical and cultural theory and field trips to area art museums. (5T) Offered each year. Prerequisite: at least sophomore standing or consent of instructor.
Selected topics of focused interest or special importance in the history of art. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Offered each year. Prerequisite: one unit of 100-level art history or consent of instructor.
Individual work outside the scope of the regular course offerings of the art department. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Graded credit/no credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.