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The Curriculum
Studio course work takes place on three levels: Foundations (Art 120 through 124), Intermediate (Art 225 through 228), and Advanced (Art 330 through 433). On all three levels, the student is asked to develop his ability to give his ideas and emotions visual form. This progress is realized through improving his technical control of particular media and understanding more clearly the ideas or emotions that are being communicated visually. On all three levels, the art student studies the work of other artists, both past and present, in order to improve his understanding of theoretical and technical possibilities and to widen the range of options for treating particular themes.

The purposes of art history courses are to develop a greater understanding of human creativity as manifested in the visual imagery of all societies across time. The student develops analytical, research, writing, and verbal skills as well as a descriptive vocabulary as he investigates the artistic achievements of diverse societies, historical periods and styles, and critical theories and methodologies. Art history courses support the studio by offering the student a wide range of creative solutions to the various technical and intellectual problems that are presented in the studio. Studio courses, in turn, support the work in art history by providing the student with the opportunity to experience the creative process first hand and to become personally aware of the potential and the limitations of artmaking.

Goals of the Department
By the end of the senior year, the student majoring in art has pursued those discoveries, made first in the foundations and intermediate-level courses that seem most important to him. He has discovered for himself what it is to work in a disciplined way as an artist and/or art historian. He has realized that artmaking or art historical study is an individual process, which usually involves testing new areas of thought, methods, and/or materials. He has developed a critical engagement with the past, especially with historical questions and experiments, and he has begun to evaluate the present. Benefiting from discourse with colleagues and faculty, the student has also begun to set his own problems and his own path for finding possible solutions to them. He also has accepted responsibility for evaluating these solutions. He is expected to have sufficient control of his chosen field and to be sufficiently able to arrive at insights that can be expressed through it, so that he can produce work worthy to be included in a capstone course taken by all senior majors. (For studio students this would be an exhibition of their work and for art history students this would be a semester-long research project.) In the case of the best student, this experience is also able to challenge all of us to think and see differently.

Students will have the choice within the art major of focusing in either Studio or Art History. Both “tracks” require students to select from a group of entry-level courses, taking a minimum of four, creating a common early experience for all art majors. In addition, all majors will take a course in Modern Art History and a half course in Theory and Criticism. The two tracks have specific requirements above these common courses that build a focused experience for either the art history student or the studio art student. Although the two tracks move students in different directions, art majors (from either track) continue to share additional experiences through the exhibition program, shared field trips, and a small “tight” department. The written comprehensive is structured to allow the student a choice of questions that best test their “track” within the major.

Requirements for a MAJOR: Studio Track

Foundation Level Courses:
Take two courses (120 and one course from 121 or 123).
120. 2-D Art Foundation (Old Number ART 10), one course credit.
121. 3-D Art Foundation (Old Number ART 11), one course credit.
123. Ceramics (Old Number ART 13), one course credit.

Intermediate Level Courses:
Take both courses.
227. Sculpture (Old Number ART 17), one course credit.
228. Painting (Old Number ART 18), one course credit.

Advanced Level Courses:
Take one course credit.
330. Advanced Studio (Old Number ART 20), one-half or one course credit, fall semester.
331. Advanced Studio (Old Number ART 21), one-half or one course credit, spring semester.

Senior Studio:
Take one course credit.
432. Senior Studio (Old Number ART 22), one-half or one course credit, fall semester.
433. Senior Studio (Old Number ART 23), one-half or one course credit, spring semester.

In addition, a student taking a studio track must take 2.5 Art History courses including:
209. Modern Art (Old Number ART 07, 08), one course credit.
311. Art Theory and Criticism, one-half course credit.

The additional one course to be selected from:
101. History of Western Art-Foundation (Old Number ART 06H), one course credit.
103. Greek Art and Archaeology [Same as CLA 103] (Old Number ART 03), one course credit.
104. Roman Art and Archaeology [Same as CLA 104] (Old Number ART 04), one course credit.
105. The Spirit Visualized: Ritual Objects and Native American Cultures (Old Number ART 06D), one course credit.
106. Medieval Art (New Course), one course credit.
107. Renaissance and Baroque (Old Number ART 06B), one course credit.
108. Neoclassical, Romanticism, and Realism 1750-1863 (Old Number ART 06N), one course credit.
210. Special Topics in Art History, one course credit.
312. Post Modern Art and Culture, one-half course credit.

Recommended courses:
Philosophy 220. Aesthetics (Old Number PHI 08), one course credit.

Students considering graduate school in art should meet early and often with departmental faculty to discuss future goals and course selection. Students anticipating graduate school should plan on taking an 11 course major including Art 120, 121, and 122.

Requirements for a MAJOR: Art History Track
Seven courses from Art History offerings as follows:

Take three courses from the following:
One course must be taken in Classical or Non-Western Art History (ART 103,104,105).
101. History of Western Art-Foundations (Old Number ART 06H), one course credit.
103. Greek Art and Archaeology [Same as CLA 103] (Old Number ART 03), one course credit.
104. Roman Art and Archaeology [Same as CLA 104] (Old Number ART 04), one course credit.
105. The Spirit Visualized: Ritual Objects and Native American Cultures (Old Number ART 06D), one course credit.
106. Medieval Art, one course credit.
107. Renaissance and Baroque (Old Number ART 06B), one course credit.
108. Neoclassical through Realism (Old Number ART 06N), one course credit.

Take three course credits (all):
209. Modern Art (Old Number ART 07, 08), one course credit.
210. Special Topics in Art History (Old Number ART 06A, B, etc), one course credit.
311. Art Theory and Criticism, one-half course credit.
312. Post Modern Art and Culture, one-half course credit.

Take one course credit:
434. Senior Project in Art History, one-half or one course credit, fall semester.
435. Senior Project in Art History, one-half or one course credit, spring semester.

In addition students will select two courses from the following list of studio courses.
120. 2-D Art Foundation (Old Number ART 10), one course credit.
121. 3-D Art Foundation (Old Number ART 11), one course credit.
122. Life Drawing (Old Number ART 12, 16), one half course credit.
123. Ceramics (Old Number ART 13), one course credit.
124. Photography (old Number ART 14), one course credit.

Recommended courses:
Philosophy 220. Aesthetics (Old Number PHI 08), one course credit.
Two years or the equivalency in a foreign language.

All students considering the art history track of the art major are required to meet with their advisor, in order to construct a program that is a logical extension of the student's interests. With a wide selection of possible allied courses (History, Classics, Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Language) it is important that students take advantage of building a broader cultural context for their major. Students considering graduate school in art history should meet with departmental faculty to discuss future goals and course selection. Students anticipating graduate school should plan on taking an 11 course major and should also consider taking more than the recommended two years of foreign language. Minoring in a foreign language is an excellent preparation.

Requirements for an ART MINOR:
An Art Minor will consist of one 3-D course, one 2-D course, one Art History Course, and two additional Art Department courses.