Undergraduate certificate Visual Arts

VIS 202 Drawing I (also

ARC 202

VIS 203 Painting I (also

ARC 327

VIS 204 Painting I (also

ARC 328

VIS 210 Introduction to Set and Costume Design (See THR 213)

VIS 211 Analog Photography Fall LA An introduction to the processes of photography through a series of problems directed toward the handling of light-sensitive material, camera, and printing. Weekly laboratory sessions will explore the critical issues of the medium in relation to both student work and the work of guest photographers. One three-hour class and two hours of independent laboratory. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. D. Oliver

VIS 212 Analog Photography Spring LA An introduction to the processes of photography through a series of problems directed toward the handling of light-sensitive material, camera, and printing. Weekly laboratory sessions will explore the critical issues of the medium in relation to both student work and the work of guest photographers. One three-hour class and three hours of independent laboratory. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. D. Oliver, D. Lawson

VIS 213 Digital Photography Fall/Spring LA An advanced seminar and lab that explores the aesthetic and theoretical implications of digital technology in relation to photography. The emphasis is on making the photographic print in the digital work space. Class will consist of both independent and collaborative projects. One two-hour class, one three-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: 211 or 212, or instructor's permission. M. Abeles, D. Lawson

VIS 214 Graphic Design (also

ARC 214

VIS 215 Graphic Design: Typography (also

CWR 215

VIS 216 Graphic Design: Visual Form Fall LA This course introduces students to techniques for decoding and creating graphic messages in a variety of media, and delves into issues related to visual literacy through the hands-on making and analysis of graphic form. Graphic design relies on mastering the subtle manipulation of abstract shapes and developing sensitivity to the relationships between them. Students are exposed to graphics from the late 19th-century to the present in slide lectures. Studio assignments and group critique will foster an individual ability to realize sophisticated forms and motivate these towards carrying specific meanings. D. Reinfurt

VIS 217 Graphic Design: Circulation Fall LA The practice of graphic design relies on the existence of networks for distributing multiple copies of identical things. Students in this course will consider the ways in which a graphic design object's characteristics are affected by its ability to be copied and shared, and by the environment in which it is intended to circulate. Through hands-on design projects, readings, and discussions, students will delve into different material forms of distribution - the public newspaper, the community newsletter, the course packet, the PDF - and investigate the particular attributes of each. D. Reinfurt

VIS 219 Art for Everyone Fall/Spring LA This studio class will address the increasing social pressure on art to become more widely distributed, immediately accessible, and democratically produced. For the past fifty years, expanding definitions of what art might be fueled by a greater emphasis on active audience participation have encouraged an atmosphere in which anyone can claim to be an artist. Through studio work in a wide range of graphic and digital media, supported by readings and discussions, this class will take a hands-on approach to the question of whether art by everyone for everyone constitutes a dreamed-of utopia, a universal banality, or a cultural nightmare. F. Backström

VIS 220 Digital Animation Fall LA This studio production class will engage in a variety of timed-based collage, composition, visualization, and storytelling techniques. Enrolled students will be taught the fundamental techniques of 2D animation production, acquire a working knowledge of digital animation software, utilize the basic technologies of audiovisual recording, editing, and composition, and explore the connective space between sound, image, and motion possible in animated film. In-class critiques, workshops, screenings, and discussions will relate student work to the history and practice of animation and to other media, art, and design forms. Staff

VIS 221 Sculpture I Fall LA A studio introduction to sculpture, particularly the study of form, space, and the influence of a wide variety of materials and processes on the visual properties of sculpture. Students will develop an understanding of contemporary sculpture and a basic technical facility in a variety of materials and processes. Two studio classes, five hours per week. N. Carter

VIS 222 Sculpture I Spring LA A studio introduction to sculpture, particularly the study of form, space, and the influence of a wide variety of materials and processes on the visual properties of sculpture. Students will develop an understanding of contemporary sculpture and a basic technical facility in a variety of materials and processes. Two studio classes, five hours per week. M. Friedman, P. Lins

VIS 223 360 Degrees With 7 Storytellers (also

CWR 223

VIS 224 An Introduction to the Radical Imagination (See DAN 223)

VIS 225 Sound Art (also

MUS 271

VIS 239 Sound and Place (See MUS 239)

VIS 242 Film Genres: The First Five Decades of Cinema Not offered this year LA A historical examination of a film genre--e.g., comedy, documentary, detective film (also called film noir). The object of the course will be the understanding of the uniquely cinematic aspects of each genre, studied against the backdrop of parallel literary genres (e.g., comedy from Aristophanes to Beckett; documentary fiction and essays; 19th- and 20th-century detective fiction). One genre will be the topic of the course each year. Two 90-minute classes, one film screening. Staff

VIS 261 How to Make a Film Fall LA A film/video course introducing the techniques of shooting and editing digital video. Works of film/video art are analyzed in order to explore the development of, and innovations in, cinematic language. Production is oriented toward film/video as a visual art, including narrative, documentary, and experimental genres. Several short video projects produced during the semester. Two studio classes, five hours per week. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. K. Sanborn

VIS 262 How to Make a Film Spring LA A film/video course introducing the techniques of shooting and editing digital video. Works of film/video art are analyzed in order to explore the development of, and innovations in, cinematic language. Production is oriented toward film/video as a visual art, including narrative, documentary, and experimental genres. Several short video projects produced during the semester. Two studio classes, five hours per week. Prerequisite: instructor's permission. K. Sanborn

VIS 263 Documentary Filmmaking Spring LA This course will give students an introduction to documentary film and video production, with a special emphasis on the practical challenges of producing films in the real world. Students will learn fundamental filmmaking techniques from a professor with thirteen years experience running her own film production company, as well as a handful of guest professionals in the fields of cinematography, casting, and editing. Production and critique of student work will be augmented by film screenings, readings, and discussion of the effects that practical realities can have on the creative process. S. Friedrich, L. Sachs

VIS 264 Narrative Filmmaking LA This studio course will be equal parts directing and screenwriting, with a special emphasis on social issue-driven material. Students will learn how to bring a script to life in collaboration with actors, production crews, and their fellow students. The course will also critically examine a selection of powerful narrative films and analyze their different approaches to visual storytelling. Specific topics covered will be: the basic tenets of film direction, writing for the screen, effective ways to work with actors, the post-production process, and how journalistic research methods can inform the early stages of the filmmaking process. S. Friedrich

VIS 300 Body and Object: Making Art that is both Sculpture and Dance (also

DAN 301

VIS 303 Intermediate Painting Not offered this year LA This course is designed to allow students to explore more deeply the process and meaning of painting. Students will complete a set of structured assignments and are encouraged to develop an independent direction. Contemporary critical theory is integrated into the course. Two studio classes, five hours per week. Prerequisite: 203, 204 and instructor's permission. E. Aschheim

VIS 304 Intermediate Painting Not offered this year LA This course is designed to allow students to explore more deeply the process and meaning of painting. Students will complete a set of structured assignments and are encouraged to develop an independent direction. Contemporary critical theory is integrated into the course. Two studio classes, five hours per week. Prerequisite: 203, 204 and instructor's permission. E. Aschheim

VIS 309 Introductory Printmaking Spring LA An introduction to fundamental techniques of copper plate etching, and relief printing. Assignments focus on applications of various printmaking techniques, while encouraging independent development of subject matter. Critiques will occur throughout the term. Students are encouraged to draw regularly outside of class to cultivate themes and content applicable to their prints. Field trips to the University's museum and the library's graphics collection will complement class work. Two studio classes, five hours per week. D. Heyman

VIS 311 The Photographic Apparatus Spring LA Since its inception, the technical development of photography has arisen out of specific historical and political circumstances that have "naturalized" its practice and ideologically coded its apparatus. Through critical discussions, material examinations, and studio projects, this seminar will take a reflexive approach to photographic technology past, present, and future. What can earlier periods of photography reveal about our current condition? How do lens-based technologies relate to determinations of race, class, and gender? What does it mean to be a photographer, to take photographs, and to agree or disagree with its apparatus? F. Backström

VIS 312 Introduction to Color Photography Not offered this year LA Theory, processes, and applications of color photography as an artistic medium, exploring camera technique, color film, and darkroom printing methods. Students investigate the formal issues presented by color as an element of the medium and analyze visual content in the broader project of photographic image-making. Prerequisite: 211 or 212 and instructor's permission. One three-hour class. J. Lee

dio classes, five hours per week....