Department of Art
Learning Goals
Majors and related majors are to gain an understanding of introductory level issues pertaining to visual art. Issues to be covered include:
- A broad spectrum of the history of art including its role in western and non-western society. Students should gain a working knowledge of vocabulary used to describe movements and periods. An ability to discuss art works and to place them in a chronology is expected.
- Drawing is considered a universal element in working toward a career in the arts. Students are expected to: be able to discern and/or discuss: value, proportion, mass, texture, perspective, and organization of form within traditional rectangular formats.
- Organizational elements of two and three dimensional art work are be confidently and accurately discussed by students entering upper division course work.
- Personal strengths and weaknesses should not interfere with an ability to communicate verbally (or in writing) about works of art.
- From foundation level course in art history students should be able to place major monuments of art within cultures and within periods.
- In establishing skills necessary to move forward in the major, students are expected to focus on good working habits and self discipline. Risk taking, and invention of idiosyncratic approaches to art making is not expected of introductory level students.
- Critical thinking: Students are expected to participate in and respect the process of critiquing works of art.
