Course Name:Critical Issues
in Art
Course Prefix: ART
Course Number: 3085
Submitted by (Name & E-Mail): Matthew
Choberka, matthewchoberka@weber.edu
Current Date: 10/3/2012
College: Arts & Humanities
Department: Visual Arts
From Term: Fall
2013
Substantive
|
new |
Current Course Subject
N/A Current Course Number |
N/A
|
Subject: ART
Course Number: 3085 |
Check all that apply:
This is for courses already approved for gen ed. Use a different form for proposing a new gen ed designation. DV CA HU LS PS SS EN AI QL TA TB TC TD TE |
Course Title: Critical Issues in Art
Abbreviated Course Title:
| Course Type: | LEC |
Credit Hours: 3 or if variable hours: to
Contact Hours: Lecture 3 Lab Other
Grading Mode: standard
| This course is/will be: |
a
required course in a major program a required course in a minor program a required course in a 1- or 2- year program elective |
Prerequisites/Co-requisites:
ART 1040 Orientation to Visual Studies or consent of instructor.
Course description (exactly as it will appear in the catalog, including prerequisites):
This course introduces students to the history of ideas in art from the ancient Greeks to the most contemporary currents, with a focus on Modernism and Post-Modernism up to the present. The goal of this course is the creation of a critical and theoretical foundation that will allow students to locate themselves and their work within the context of critical dialogues in the contemporary art world. Class time will involve discussions of assigned readings, with images presented to supplement and inform the ideas under consideration. Prerequisite: ART 1040 or consent of instructor.
Justification for the new course or for changes to an existing course. (Note: Justification should emphasize academic rationale for the change or new course. This is particularly important for courses requesting upper-division status.)
The Department of Visual
Arts proposes this course as a permanent addition to requirements for Bachelor
of Fine Arts students in all studio areas, except for Visual Communication. This
proposal is made after having offered Critical Issues in Art as an experimental
course in the fall 2012.
The justifications for this course proposal are manifold. First and most
important, the course provides a vital foundation in the history of ideas that
inform the art-making process up to the present day. Based on experiences during
our own undergraduate and graduate educations in visual art, the faculty
recognize that it is very important for students to become fluent in the
theoretical and critical discourse that is invariably a component of
professional life in art, as well as in study at the graduate level. Reports
from recent graduates from our BFA programs have confirmed that in interviews
for admission to MFA (Master of Fine Arts) programs, and in subsequent
interactions within these programs, such a theoretical background is often taken
for granted. Exhibitions of both contemporary and historical art, whether in
commercial galleries or museums and art centers, commonly employ essays and
didactic texts that draw upon and presuppose a familiarity with this range of
ideas. Journalism and criticism in art are replete with exploration and citation
of theory. In short, most aspects of professional and academic life in visual
arts now engage in dialog about the history of ideas associated with the art
studio.
Two years ago, DOVA successfully applied for discipline-specific accreditation
with NASAD, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. In the
process of program review necessary for this accreditation, it was determined
that, while DOVA's programs are currently successful in educating undergraduates
in a range of visual arts studio areas, there is room within our curriculum for
"supporting" courses; that is, courses that supply important and broadly
applicable content to all studio majors, regardless of their areas of
concentration. Given the ubiquity of theoretical discussion within contemporary
art referenced above, the DOVA faculty have identified art theory as an ideal
area upon which to focus such a supporting course. It should also be mentioned
that looking at visual arts programs around the country, such courses are being
widely offered in visual arts at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Furthermore, the DOVA faculty have identified in this proposed course an
opportunity to strengthen our students' skills with both reading comprehension
and writing ability. While Critical Issues in Art is not conceived as an
art-history course (instead emphasizing a more free-ranging discussion of ideas
and of the role they can play in studio practice), the course is
reading-intensive, with brief summary writings and questions submitted for each
text. Questions submitted by students are then used to guide the in-class
discussions. The experimental offering of this course has already provided
evidence that immersion in reading and writing about these ideas has been of
benefit to the sixteen students enrolled with regard to language skills.
The proposed course is conceived to function for DOVA in a role similar to that
of ENGL 3080 Critical Approaches to Literature in the Department of English
Language and Literature here at Weber State University.
INFORMATION PAGE
for substantive proposals only
1. Did this course receive unanimous approval within the Department?
true
If not, what are the major concerns raised by the opponents?
N/A
2. If this is a new course proposal, could you achieve the desired results by revising an existing course within your department or by requiring an existing course in another department?
Although the ideas
covered in this course may be periodically addressed somewhat within other
studio and art-history courses offered by DOVA, it is necessary in the faculty's
judgement to dedicate a course to this content. Studio and art-history courses
have other basic concerns that do not allow for full attention to critical
theory.
3. How will the proposed course differ from similar offerings by other departments? Comment on any subject overlap between this course and topics generally taught by other departments, even if no similar courses are currently offered by the other departments. Explain any effects that this proposal will have on program requirements or enrollments in other department. Please forward letters (email communication is sufficient) from all departments that you have identified above stating their support or opposition to the proposed course.
Although a course in Aesthetics is offered through the philosophy department at Weber State, the proposed offering differs in its basic orientation and goal. While some writings of philosophy are explored in Critical Issues in Art, the selection of readings is wide ranging, and includes art-criticism, artists' statements, and other material relating specifically to the making of art. All course materials are intended to bring the students' focus back to their understanding and experience of the working artist's studio. Having consulted with faculty in the WSU Philosophy Department, it has been determined that the proposed course does not conflict with or duplicate curriculum in Philosophy. Included in this course proposal is the email from Philosophy faculty member Robert Fudge, stating his support for the course.
4. Is this course required for certification/accreditation of a program?
no
If so, a statement to that effect should appear in the justification and supporting documents should accompany this form.
5. For course proposals, e-mail a syllabus to Faculty Senate which should be sufficiently detailed that the committees can determine that the course is at the appropriate level and matches the description. There should be an indication of the amount and type of outside activity required in the course (projects, research papers, homework, etc.).