Courses
Courses offered through the Department of Art
ARTS1001 – Commons iSeminar – Topics vary. General Elective credit only. [1] (No AXLE Credit)
ARTS1099 – Maymester Contemporary Art Blitz – Intensive review of contemporary art through excursions to museums, galleries, and artists’ studios. Insights from curators, dealers, and films. Cities vary each year. May be repeated for credit more than once if there is no duplication in topic. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1101 – Introduction to Studio Art – Intensive review of contemporary art through excursions to museums, galleries, and artists’ studios. Insights from curators, dealers, and films. Cities vary each year. May be repeated for credit more than once if there is no duplication in topic. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1102 – Drawing and Composition I – Introduction to drawing: visual problems related to observation, idea formation, composition, media, and various forms of expression. Figure and landscape may be included. [3] (HCA) (CORE A, B)
ARTS1103 – Drawing From Life – Methods used to depict the form and structure of naturalistic subjects, including the human figure. Gesture, sighting & measuring, contour drawing, and value. Metaphorical and narrative use of life forms and the human figure in art. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1104 – Intro to Lens-Based Art – Traditional and non-traditional uses of lens-based processes in art and science. Photography, cinematography, macro-vision, micro-vision, visualizing dreams, underwater photography, mapping, and augmented reality. Exploration of photographic representation, time, memory, archives, agency of images. Political and historical contexts. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1105 – Drawing Out of Bounds – Composition, connection, and experimentation outside the classroom. Best practices for creating mobile studios for observational examination. History of art-making in “plein air.” Nontraditional strategies for exhibiting artwork. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1111 – First-Year Writing Seminar – Independent learning and inquiry in an environment in which students can express knowledge and defend opinions through intensive class discussion, oral presentations, and written expression. May be repeated for credit once if there is no duplication of topic, but students may earn only up to 3 credits in any 1111 course per semester of enrollment. [3; maximum of 6 credits total for all semesters of 1111] (AXLE credit category varies by section)
ARTS1200 – Photography I: The Analog Moment – Aesthetics and techniques of the black-and-white medium. Image taking, making, and production of meaning. Camera use, film exposure, image quality, and darkroom practices. Basic history of photography and grounding the ways of seeing. The eye as a viewfinder. [3] (HCA) (CORE A, C)
ARTS1201 – Elusive Image: Between Analog and Digital Photography – Hybrid analog to digital class. Essential photography skills from camera obscura, analog and digital SLR, to portable device. Basic darkroom and digital workflow printing skills. Photographic obsolescence in the digital era and archeology of media. Historical and contemporary photography practices which define the condition of the medium. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1202 – Photography in Digital Culture – Digital photography in today’s media landscape. Ubiquitous proliferation of images in public sphere. From image taking to active consuming of images. Digital software. Portfolio and photographic essay building. History of digital media, sequencing, editing, digital output, and social media platforms. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1300 – Painting – Technical and conceptual aspects of painting. Individual instruction based on ability and experience. Prerequisite: 1101 or 1102. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1400 – Ceramics – Introduction to ceramic design and preparation of clay objects. Hand-building, wheel-throwing, ceramic sculpture, surface enrichment, glazing, and kiln-firing. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1401 – Sculptural Ceramics – Hand-building techniques in clay, such as pinch, coil, and slab. Abstract and figurative vessels and forms. Formal, conceptual, and aesthetic aspects of production. Creativity and problem-solving. Glazing and use of electric kilns. Offered on a graded basis only. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1500 – Sculpture – Changing concepts, materials, and processes in sculpture. Individual instruction based on ability and experience. [3] (HCA) (CORE A)
ARTS1501 – Assemblage – Additive processes in sculpture. Problems involving found objects, kinetic/time-based ideas, and site-specific installations. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1502 – Installation Art – Historical survey from 1900 to present; studio practice; formal and conceptual issues. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1503 – Text and Image – Intersection of art and writing. History, theory, and practice. Zines, posters, photography, new media, and artists’ books. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1504 – Artists’ Books – Seminar with studio. History of the artist’s book in 20th century artistic movements. The book as an artifact of material culture. Production of experimental book forms including sculptural and time-based. Current uses of the book form as metaphor in contemporary art: Anselm Kiefer, Ann Hamilton, Kiki Smith, William Kentridge, Sophe Calle, Dieter Rot. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1505 – Graphic Design – Introductory project-based course applying design principles, and visual translation: [3] (HCA)
ARTS1506 – Mixed Media and Textiles – 2D and 3D work from unconventional and found materials. Materials as expressive tools for creative problem solving. Serves as repeat credit for students who earned credit for ARTS 3891 section 01 offered Fall 2023 or Fall 2022. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1600 – Printmaking:Etching and Relief – Introduction to printmaking. Focus on relief printing and etching on copper. Traditional and experimental approaches. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1601 – Printmaking: Screen and Lithography – Introduction to printmaking media, focus on screen printing and lithography. Traditional and experimental approaches. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1700 – Video Art – Video as an art form. Group and individual productions. Viewing and discussion. Project analysis and critique. Relationship to such traditional media as photography and film. [3] (HCA) (CORE A, C)
ARTS1701 – Performance Art – History, theory, and practice of performance. Vocal studies and conceptual music, personal narrative, performance as a response to the cult-of-celebrity, body art, and performance with new technologies. Collaborative and solo performance projects. [3] (HCA) (CORE A)
ARTS1702 – Portable Media I – Creative potential of inexpensive, portable digital media devices. Establishment of a rapid rhythm of practice and experimentation to build an inventory of ideas, methods, and techniques. Historic and contemporary developments in narrative and non-narrative digital video production. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1704 – Digital Animation I – Animation with computers. Traditional and experimental animations; interactive web-based projects. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1800 – Sources of Contemporary Art – Contemporary studio art practice, issues, and theories. Visual and conceptual influences on living artists; idea formation. Students must participate in artist-in-residence projects. [3] (HCA)
ARTS1900 – Socially Engaged Art Practice – History, theory, and practice of making socially engaged art. Combined seminar and studio. Pressing issues engaging local communities. Collaborative and individual projects. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2100 – Drawing and Composition II – Prerequisite: 1102. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2101 – Life Drawing I – Methods used to depict form and structures of the human figure. Gesture, sighting and measuring, contour drawing, and value. Planar and anatomical analysis. Metaphorical and narrative use of the human figure in art. Prerequisite: 1102. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2102 – Drawing: Color Media I – Drawing on paper with wet and dry color media. Traditional and experimental approaches. Prerequisite: 1102. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2103 – Experimental Drawing – Non-traditional approaches to drawing materials and methods. Drawings as installations, animations, and murals. Prerequisite: 1102. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2104 – Drawing from Life II – Methods used to depict form and structure of naturalistic subjects, including the human figure. Gesture, sighting and measuring, contour drawing, and value. Metaphorical and narrative use of life forms and the human figure in art. Prerequisite: 1103. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2200 – Photography Workshop: Research and Form – Interdisciplinary photography research. Development of image context and research methods. Community engagement. Collaborative project development and presentation. Lighting and tableaux photography. Activist, performative, and sculptural form of photography. Medium and large format. Photographic book. Special emphasis on diversity, inclusivity and perspectives. Prerequisite: 1200, 1201,1202, or 1101. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2201 – Photography III: Image and Memory in Archive and Context – Public and personal photographic and cinematic archives. Translation of archival objects and their material properties into exhibition objects through class discussions and site explorations. Creative writing and community engagement component. Prerequisite: 1200, 1201,1202, or 1101. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2202 – Lives of Images: Narratives and Representation – Expanded photographic field. Image in its multiple forms and across platforms, from everyday life and personal to public. Analog to digital translation. New documentary and fictional narratives. Ways of seeing through the lens of gender, race, and class. Creative writing component. Image tableaux and lighting workshops. Prerequisite: 1101, 1200, 1201, or 1202. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2300 – Painting II – Prerequisite: 1300. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2400 – Ceramics II – Development of ceramic design, both traditional and contemporary, functional and sculptural. Projects develop technical and aesthetic goals. Instruction includes demonstrations, slide presentations, field trips, guest artists, reports. Demonstrations include advanced throwing, complex constructions, glaze development with applications, and kiln-firing. Prerequisite: 1400. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2401 – Concept and Clay: Composite Forms – Technical ability in handling clay and conceptual and interpretive elements in functional and/or sculptural forms. Individual solutions in form and surface. Prerequisite: 1400 or 1401. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2500 – Sculpture II – Prerequisite: 1500, 1501, or 1502. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2502 – Advanced Installation Art – Techniques, processes, and placement. Conceptual and historical practices. Prerequisite: 1502. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2505 – Graphic Design II – Intermediate information design principles and visual translation. Hierarchy, typographic formalism, and narrative design. Project-based. Prerequisite: 1505. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2600 – Printmaking II – Advanced study in traditional and experimental printmaking processes. Prerequisite: 1600 or 1601. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2700 – Video Art II – Viewing, discussion, analysis and critiques. Relationship to photography, film, and performance. Group and individual productions. Prerequisite: 1700. [3] (HCA) (CORE A, C)
ARTS2701 – Performance Art II – History, theory, and practice. Vocal studies, conceptual music, personal narrative, performance as a response to the cult-of-celebrity, body art and performance with new technologies. Collaborative and individual performance projects. Prerequisite: 1701. [3] (HCA)
ARTS2702 – Portable Media II – Advanced exploration in use of portable digital media devices. Variety of methods for conceptualizing and making projects; enhanced art making skills. Prerequisite: 1700, 1701, or 1702. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3100 – Drawing and Composition III – Prerequisite: 1102 and 2100. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3101 – Life Drawing II – Prerequisite: 2101. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3102 – Drawing: Color Media II – Prerequisite: 2102. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3300 – Painting III – Prerequisite: 2300. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3333 – Engine for Art, Democracy, and Justice – Visual representation and multiple arts forms as focus for developing new knowledge and new practices in a forum for diverse approaches and inclusive discussion of experiments in cultural interconnections, historical entanglements, and the consequences of geographies, histories, and politics. Historical legacies and progress toward more just and democratic futures. Critical analysis and experiential projects. Expansion of the so-called South, its relations and interdependence with other geographies. Models of innovative Art practices. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3600 – Printmaking III – Advanced study in traditional and experimental printmaking processes. Prerequisite: 2600. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3851 – Independent Research – Supervised work beyond regular offerings in the curriculum. Students may only register with consent of instructor involved and with written approval of the director of undergraduate studies. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits if there is no duplication in topic, but students may earn only up to 3 credits per semester of enrollment. [1-3; maximum of 6 credits total for all semesters of ARTS 3851] (No AXLE credit)
ARTS3891 – Selected Topics – May be repeated for a total of 9 credits if there is no duplication in topic. Students may enroll in more than one section of this course per semester. [3; maximum of 9 credits total for all semesters of ARTS 3891] (HCA)
ARTS3970 – Directed Study: Senior Show and Contemporary Practices – Theoretical and practical concerns including professional practices for artists. Students visit exhibitions and discuss contemporary art with directed readings and lectures, participate in critiques, and exhibit their work. Seniors with a concentration in art only. [3] (HCA)
ARTS3971 – Independent Research: Senior Show – Research conducted under faculty supervision specifically in preparation for the Senior Show. Open only to senior majors in their final term. [3] (No AXLE credit)
ARTS4998 – Senior Honors Research – Research conducted in consultation with a faculty member in Art. Offered on a graded basis only. Open only to honors majors. [3] (No AXLE credit)
ARTS4999 – Senior Honors Thesis – Research conducted in consultation with a faculty member in Art. Offered on a graded basis only. Open only to senior honors majors. [3] (No AXLE credit)