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Course Syllabus

ART 1100 Visual Culture

  • Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
  • Department: Visual Art
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 2; Lecture: 2; Lab: 0
  • Semesters Offered: Fall
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2025
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2029
  • End Semester: Fall 2030
  • Optimum Class Size: 50
  • Maximum Class Size: 75

Course Description

This course is an introduction to culture, theory, and practice associated with visual art. It will include visual arts orientation, readings, critical discussion, and research related to visual culture and meaning. Required of art majors. (Formerly Art Majors Orientation)

Justification

The objective of this course is to give incoming freshman art majors a foundational understanding of contemporary visual culture. The world of visual art is vast, complex and ever changing. It is essential that students develop an understanding of visual culture, theories, and practices early in their education. In addition, students must understand how visual culture is informed by and grows out of a larger cultural context. This course is designed to provide incoming majors with the necessary information required to succeed as an art student and eventually as an active, contributor to the global visual dialog. This course is offered in a similar format at other institutions in the USHE system, and is a foundation course as part of the AFA track.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. CREATIVE PROCESS: Demonstrate the application of the creative process
  2. CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES: Students will be exposed to a variety of contemporary visual theories.
  3. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Students will be able to articulate how approaches to art have fluctuated throughout history and what influences, both historical and contemporary, are driving visual culture.
  4. CRITICAL ANALYSES: Students will be able to demonstrate critical analyses of works of art.

Course Content

This course will include discussion and lecture, assigned readings, independent research, writing assignments, and collaborative activities as they apply to the following: Visual Arts Orientation: Education path, career options, exhibition opportunities, studio practice, program requirements and expectations: Visual Culture and Meaning: Aesthetics, process, influence, context, symbolism, creativity, critical thinking, audience, intention, media, formalism and concept