Our courses are single, multi, and interdisciplinary. You’ll draw, paint, and sculpt. Design projects for real-world collaborators. Devise new ways to connect creativity and your major discipline.
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Artistic Exploration: 6 to 12 credits
Introduces students to analytical tools to critically observe the visual world. By studying arts media, artists and designers, creative and technical processes, principles of design, as well as major works of art, students will express their own ideas about the visual experience in written and visual form.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Exploration of fundamental principles of drawing. Develop skills in representational drawing, perspective, and composition. Develop creative and modern drawing techniques using a wide range of subject matter. Presentations and discussions illustrate classic principles. Course encourages development of individual expression.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Summer
Introduction to art and design. Explores design principles and creative problem solving using multiple materials. Students also examine design's ability to shape and interpret information. Hands-on studio work, lectures, and discussions. Emphasizes creativity, inventiveness, and experimentation.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Fall
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Senior
Observational and imaginative drawing including the human figure and abstraction techniques. Contemporary drawing systems, concepts, and processes. Emphasis is on proportion, structural framework, visual measurement, movement, and relationships. Students work in a variety of drawing media.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 1100 or ART 1110 or ART 2130 or ART 2160 or ART 2190 or ART 2195 or ART 3130 or ART 3180 or ART 3190 or ART 4450
Focused on making works of art "on location" - in forests, community centers, museums, theatres, and as special projects in unique spaces. Students explore different materials, and ask open-ended ideas about how art is made and what it can be.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-3)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, Summer, in even years
Introduces hand building ceramic techniques, including coil, slab, pinch and wheel throwing. The goal is to allow students to be individually creative through experimenting with the possibilities in three-dimensional form. Historical, contemporary, functional and sculpture processes will be explored.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Students will learn the fundamental techniques of using a pottery wheel, as a tool, to shape clay into utilitarian and sculptural forms. Historical and contemporary practices will support each individuals' creative abilities.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
A foundation course in fiber art techniques, concepts, history, and theories. Conceptual development will be emphasized as students learn to use contemporary fiber techniques in their studio arts practice. Media covered includes sewing and embroidery, dyeing, felting, knitting and crocheting, printing, and soft sculpture.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
Immersive field trips to nature spaces and gardents provide opportunities for basic photography and sun printed Cyanotypes. Make natural ink from flora gathered from wild sources. Work with foundational principles of art and design while developing your artistic sensibility.
- Credits: 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Fall
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Junior, Senior
An open-ended survey of the history of art and arts practices. Class puts traditional/well-known movements (Greek architecture, the Renaissance) in context with global cultural works, and examines both traditional and contemporary arts.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
Large-scale drawing and painting for theatre, opera, museums, and special projects, such as community murals. Emphasis is on matching a designer's vision or "scaling up" a designer's rendering to very large scale. Includes a community/professional painting project.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-3)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in even years
Experiential arts learning. Students attend local/regional gallery exhibits, museums, design festivals, music events, and performances on campus and off; participating in and reflecting on cultural life. Art, music, theatre, and arts engagement. Includes events, discussions, and creative projects.
- Credits: 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
Artistic Depth: 6 to 12 credits
Concentrated instruction on realistic drawing is combined with methods for abstraction and seeing the world anew. Experiment with perceptual skills that inspire 'flow' and drawing with ease. Use a variety of media to make drawings only you can imagine.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in even years
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 1100 or ART 1110 or ART 2100 or ART 2195 or ART 3180 or ART 4450 or ART 2310 or ART 2160
Addresses ceramic theory, history, and science, and aims to develop the content and quality of students' work in clay. Students will learn new ways of creating forms through use of the wheel, molds, and study of clay and glaze technologies.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 1110 or ART 2140 or ART 2145 or ART 2160 or ART 2190 or ART 2195 or ART 3190 or ART 3410 or ART 3420
Use water-based paints to explore colors' expressive potential. Develop your personal color palette. Study color theory. Consider the visual and metaphorical power of color. Analyze colors in cultural contexts. Prior drawing experience highly recommended.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 1100 or ART 1110 or ART 2100 or ART 2130 or ART 2190 or ART 2195 or ART 2350 or ART 3130 or ART 3190
Explore "nature spaces" and the "unbuilt world" through art using materials including cell phone photography and matter you find outdoors to create installations. Hikes provide inspiration and practice with creative fundamentals. Cultivate "flow" attentiveness, and learn visual analysis.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Fall
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore
Introduction to contemporary sculpture using a range of materials and practices: wood, fiber, paper, found objects. Emphasizes sculptures' ability for storytelling and student's personal creative language. Class is in Rozsa student gallery; includes student exhibit at end of semester.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in even years
Introduction to traditional ways of making sculpture around the world. Students develop studio skills while studying creative traditions from varied cultures. Hands-on studio work, lectures, discussions. Class takes place in Rozsa gallery; includes student exhibit at end of semester.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 1100 or ART 1110 or ART 2110 or ART 2130 or ART 2140 or ART 2145 or ART 2190 or ART 2195 or ART 2350 or ART 3130 or ART 3190
Examines important themes, processes, and issues in art, including local and global traditions. Spans a variety of creative practices. Creative projects, lectures, readings, and discussions. May be repeated if topic differs.
- Credits: variable to 6.0; Repeatable to a Max of 9
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: Permission of instructor required
Advanced study of ideas, themes, and processes in studio art for students with significant arts background. Studio work, discussions, special projects. May be repeated if topic differs.
- Credits: variable to 6.0; Repeatable to a Max of 12
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: Permission of instructor required
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 2190 or ART 2130 or ART 2100 or ART 3140 or ART 3410 or ART 3420 or ART 3180 or ART 2130 or ART 2195 or ART 3190 or ART 3130
A U.S.-based travel course focused on experiential arts learning. Students study theatre, arts, music, design, architecture, and arts engagement, considering local, regional, and national contexts. Experiences include gallery exhibits, museums, design festivals, live performances; participating in and reflecting on cultural life.
- Credits: variable to 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 9
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
An International travel course focused on experiential arts learning. Students study theatre, art, music, design, architecture, and arts engagement, considering local traditions and international context. Experiences include gallery exhibits, museums, design festivals, live performances; participating in and reflecting on cultural life.
- Credits: variable to 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 9
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
Upper-level sculpture course focused on student's personal arts language and an open-ended idea of what "sculpture" can be. Class takes place in the Rozsa student gallery, and includes exhibit at end of semester.
- Credits: 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: Permission of instructor required
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 3140 or ART 3410 or ART 3420
Students build on skills from prior hand-building, throwing, and ceramic sculpture coursework, developing greater technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities. Class also studies historic and contemporary ceramics, art criticism, and student's personal creative language.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
- Restrictions: Permission of instructor required; May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 2140 or ART 2145 or ART 2190 or ART 3140 or ART 3410 or ART 3420 or ART 3190
Explores contemporary and traditional drawing and painting practices. Develops students' own arts language. Experiments with varied materials. Prepare to unlock your creativity and expand your definitions of "drawing" and "painting". Course emphases change each semester.
- Credits: 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-4)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in odd years
- Restrictions: Permission of instructor required; May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore
- Pre-Requisite(s): (ART 1100 or ART 2100 or ART 2130 or ART 2195 or ART 2350 or ART 3130) or ART 3180 or ART 1110 or ART 2160
A special-project course. Students work as a studio/research assistant to art faculty on professional projects, such as gallery, field work, studio, or public art.
- Credits: variable to 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
- Restrictions: Permission of instructor required; May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
- Pre-Requisite(s): ART 2100 or ART 3140 or ART 3180 or ART 3410 or ART 3420 or ART 2130 or ART 3130 or ART 2195
Optional Exploration: 0 to 3 credits
Explore the chemistry behind color and art materials. Topics include light and color perception, historical pigments, synthetic colorants, paint composition, and art conservation. Investigate how chemistry shapes both the creation and preservation of paintings, with cultural and historical perspectives.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
This course allows student having combined classroom training and at least 50 hours of field experience with cross-cultural and community partners to reflect on connections and puzzles between personal experience and scholarly writing on social change, culture, and social problems.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-3)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore
Introduction to the study of global Hispanic, Francophone, and Germanic cultures as expressed in film, literature, and language. Emphasis on cultural awareness and understanding of cultural differences. Taught in English.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall
Focuses on critical engagement with cinematic form and its relationship to cultural, historical, and/or theoretical contexts.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-3)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Summer
Explores the history, aesthetic, theory, and practice of digital imaging. Students learn to find, make, and analyze images.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-2)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring
Basic principles, practices and implications of digital media communication and production. Provides foundation in tools, techniques and processes through hands-on production, readings, discussion and analysis of contemporary issues related to digital media.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: On Demand
A computer-intensive introduction to the principles for creating clear, effective graphic communication. Students critique the work of other designers in terms of the work's audience and intended effect, and they construct and critique their own design projects as well.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
This course focuses on mainstream and/or independent films in their historical and sociocultural contexts from selected regions such as Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
- Credits: 3.0; Repeatable to a Max of 6
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, in odd years, Spring, in odd years
- Pre-Requisite(s): UN 1015
Focus on film style and genre with an emphasis on study of directors, movements, and aesthetics and their technological, theoretical, and socio-cultural contexts. Includes small lab projects.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-2-3)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
- Pre-Requisite(s): UN 1015
Explores media histories of visuality and their contemporary significance. Covers media technologies and their development, use, and decay in art, photography, popular culture, and politics.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in odd years
- Pre-Requisite(s): UN 1015
Principles of metal casting, including melting practice, casting design, mold design, heat transfer and solidification, fluid flow and gating design. Introduction to computer simulation techniques for mold filling, solidification, and development of residual stress. Structure-property relations in cast metals. Recycling and environmental issues of the cast metals industry.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-2)
- Semesters Offered: Fall
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
- Pre-Requisite(s): MY 2100 or MSE 2100 or BE 2800
Examines historical relationships between skill, tool use, embodied knowledge, and the design process in America from the colonial era to today. Includes production techniques, distribution systems, technological changes, industrialization, post-war globalization, and current craft and design.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, in even years
Survey of North American architecture from prehistoric times to the present. Focuses on principal architectural styles, building types, and construction technologies. Also examines ideas about architecture to understand the American past.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
- Semesters Offered: Spring
A focus on the design, research, production, and management of stage properties including: script, analysis, period and style, appropriateness, set dressing. Development and utilization of effective tools, materials, and techniques for structure, details, and finishing.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in odd years
- Pre-Requisite(s): FA 1701 or THEA 1110(C)
Research and exploration of the theatrical techniques used to create costume crafts and personal props. Practical projects will challenge students to develop skills in areas such as millinery, leatherwork, painting and dyeing, fabric manipulation, mask making and jewelry, as well as the safe use of materials.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, in even years
Building on basic sewing skills and costume technology, students will explore fabrics and more advanced construction techniques: patterning methods such as flat patterning, draping, gridding, pattern alterations for fit and using slopers, construction of historical costumes such as corsets.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in even years
- Pre-Requisite(s): THEA 2130
Fundamentals of designing lighting for theatre, architecture and entertainment through various explorations and projects. Focus on professional design development and presentation techniques; theatrical drafting conventions, light sketches, plots. Also, designer/director relationships, script analysis, research, design concepts/history.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, in odd years
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
- Pre-Requisite(s): THEA 1120 and UN 1015
Fundamentals of designing costumes through various explorations and projects. Focus on professional design development and presentation techniques: costume renderings, patterning, color/fabric analysis. Also script/character analyses, research, design concepts.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Fall, in odd years
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
An introduction to scenic design for theatre and collaborative design in entertainment. This project-based class develops technical and conceptual skills: collaborative relationships, design development, story boards, rendering paint elevations, model making, hand drafting.
- Credits: 3.0
- Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
- Semesters Offered: Spring, in even years
- Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
- Pre-Requisite(s): THEA 1110