Art and Visual Technology (AVT)
College of Visual and Performing Arts
103 Introduction to the Artist’s Studio (3:3:0) For non-majors only. Through projects, readings, class critiques, videos, CD-ROMs, slides, and field trips, students explore materials, techniques, concepts, and processes essential to understanding the language of visual arts and artist’s role. Develops imaginative thinking and sensitivity to visual environment.
104 Studio Fundamentals I (4:2:4) First half of a two-semester course that introduces common concepts, principles, and practices in two-dimensional and color media. Blend of studio projects, study and practice, discussions, and presentations. Develops fundamental knowledge and basic skills in visual arts through review of historical and contemporary achievements in the arts, visual communication, and the environment.
105 Studio Fundamentals II (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 104, or permission of instructor. Second half of a two-semester course that introduces common concepts, principles, and practices in three-dimensional and time-based media. Blend of studio projects, study and practice, discussions, and presentations. Develops fundamental knowledge and basic skills in visual arts through review of historical and contemporary achievements in the arts, visual communication, and the environment.
180 Computers in the Creative Arts (3:1:2) Introduces computing from artist’s perspective. Emphasizes computer use for artistic creation and research. Overview of hardware, software, operating systems, peripherals, 2D graphics, and web design.
204 Visual Thinking (3:3:0) Introduction to visual thinking. Topics include information from visual perception, memory, classical and modern art, performance, and dance. Opportunities for students to assess themselves as visual thinkers.
206 Color (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 104, or permission of instructor. Examines color in light and pigment; behaviors of colors in relation to one another; physical and archival properties of pigment; dyes and color reproduction processes; psychology of color; basic digital processes and light projections; and practical applications in visual communication, environment, and arts.
207 Writing Out Loud (3:3:0) Explores relationship between writing and the voice, looking at texts that were written to be performed aloud. Students write and present their own work, and develop personal and collaborative projects. Emphasizes composition for oral presentations; and delivery, poise, persuasiveness, clarity, and comprehensibility in public delivery.
215 Graphic Information Design I (4:2:4)Prerequisites: AVT 104, 105, and 222 or equivalent; or permission of instructor. Introduces elements of basic typographical composition, including historical development of letter forms; recognition, use and specification of existing typefaces; and alphabet design.
222 Drawing I (4:2:4) Introduces fundamentals of drawing with emphasis on observational study and formal composition. Develops perceptual and rendering skills through exposure to a range of materials, methods, and formal concepts, including effective and expressive use of lines, mass, value, perspective, and composition.
232 Painting I (4:2:4) Introduces basic techniques and principles of oil and water-based painting through projects combining observational study, technique development, fundamentals of formal composition, color interaction, and articulation of form. Offers basic knowledge and experience in preparing various supports, mixing of color, and techniques of paint application.
243 Printmaking I (4:2:4) Introduces basics of hand printing with emphasis on translation and transferal of images, tools, equipment, and technical skills to make a well- defined print. Explores various print media with reference to historical and contemporary models. Discussion, presentation, and field trips focus on practical and conceptual concerns of making multiple images.
252 Photography I (4:2:4) Introduces basic principles and aesthetics of photography, 35mm camera operation, and darkroom practices including film processing and print development.
253 Introduction to Digital Photography (4:2:4) Introduces digital photography methods, theories, and practices. Students become familiar with the digital camera, basic image editing skills, and basic concepts of traditional photography for integrated understanding of photography.
262 Sculpture I (4:2:4) Offers foundation in basic technical and formal processes of sculpture, and introduces diverse methods and concepts underlying the work of historic and contemporary sculptors. Explores various materials, technical execution, conceptualization, and creative problem-solving to enable students to visually manifest their individual ideas.
272 Interdisciplinary Arts (4:4:2) Prerequisite: AVT 104, or permission of instructor. Introduces interdisciplinary art practice and equally important practice of writing about own work and work of others. Complements Studio Fundamentals. Focuses on studio practice in its cultural context, with practical projects in performance, writing, and installation. Students also look at artists’ writings and draft, write, and edit their own art writing. Helps students prepare for the writing-intensive class Writing for Artists and AVT Honors, and provides opportunity to deepen understanding of nontraditional media practices.
280 Introduction to Digital Arts (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 104 and 180, or permission of instructor. Investigates various concepts in which contemporary artists are employing tools of digital culture. Students create meaningful works of art that demonstrate conceptual awareness and technical skill.
300 Artsbus Attendance (0:0:0) Students travel to New York or other destinations once during the semester aboard the AVT Department’s Artsbus to attend faculty-selected gallery and museum exhibitions. S/NC.
305 Creative Processes (3:3:0) Study of the creative process in general, with particular emphasis on the inspiration, working methods, and final creations of various artists. Students are encouraged to explore their own creative processes through regular journal keeping, collaborative exercises, and two major projects.
307 Aesthetics (3:3:0) Goal is creation of heightened aesthetic perception and understanding. Examines a broad range of contemporary art and culture to engage an expansive conception of aesthetic experience.
308 Mixing It: Art for a New Century (3:3:0) Prerequisites: AVT 307, or permission of instructor. Interdisciplinary course exploring art making and ideas from the last two decades, with special emphasis on artists working and shaping, or responding to, the culture with which we are immediately involved. Investigates what art making is in contemporary society, what informs the current artistic condition, and how it differs from its predecessors. Considers broad spectrum of influential factors, including technology, politics, the role of the artist’s intent, and the influence of the market and educational systems on art making.
309 Art as Social Action (4:4:2) Interdisciplinary course exploring the work of citizen-artists who make their art with the express purpose of becoming agents of social commentary, social protest, community improvement, individual and world betterment, and even radical change. Examines practices by which these artists take the content of their lives and turn it into art. Through lectures, films, videos, and projects, students explore the lesser-known history of socially engaged art-making, and investigate the ways art stimulates connections and conversations.
311 Graphic Information Design II (4:2:4)Prerequisite: AVT 215, portfolio review or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Introduction to graphic communication design concepts, processes, and production. Students create a portfolio of graphic products that solve typical problems in communication design.
313 Graphic Information Design III (4:2:4)Prerequisite: AVT 311, or permission of instructor. Intermediate graphic design course emphasizing publication and information design. Students develop a series of professional graphic communication products.
323 Drawing II (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 222, or permission of instructor. Builds on skills and concepts covered in Drawing I. Students continue to develop rendering and observational skills while utilizing formal concepts and knowledge of materials and expressive techniques.
324 Figure Drawing (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 222 or permission of instructor. Focuses on drawing through study of human body. Emphasizes composition, action, and design through a variety of media such as graphite, charcoal, color pencil, oil stick, watercolor, gouache, and mixed techniques.
326 Nontraditional Approaches to Drawing (4:2:4)Prerequisites: AVT 222, or permission of instructor. Investigates contemporary trends challenging mainstream notions and traditional roles of drawing. Students are first guided in creating innovative works by learning to combine familiar drawing techniques with new approaches, and conventional drawing media with unusual formats and surfaces. Students then progress to investigating and experimenting with nontraditional materials and methodologies to develop personal thematic and conceptual drawing aesthetic.
333 Painting II (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 232, or permission of instructor. Building on concepts, knowledge of materials, and techniques covered in Painting I, course further develops student’s formal and technical skills while enhancing perceptual awareness. As students continue to practice and develop traditional techniques of observational painting, development enriched by the introduction of concepts, methodologies, and approaches relevant to contemporary painting.
336 Experimental Painting (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 232, or permission of instructor. Uses late 20th century and contemporary painting as starting place to explore recent experimental and conceptual approaches to painting. Through structured and free problems, investigates nontraditional materials, scale, formats, surfaces, and methods of paint application, as well as content and concept-driven approaches. In the context of expanding and defining their own practices, students engaged with questions. Includes one field trip, slide lectures, and video screenings.
337 Figurative Painting (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 232, or permission of instructor. Explores human form as main subject for broad array of visual, conceptual and expressive inquiries. By using a human model for all class projects and self-portraiture for several home assignments, students are challenged to hone observational skills and investigate formal pictorial issues. By directing attention to the expressive properties of color, scale, space, and process within the context of observational practice, students learn conceptual and visual thinking that makes art purposeful and engaging.
343 Printmaking II (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 243, or permission of instructor. Introduces relief printing, including the study of historical antecedents and relevancy to contemporary printmaking. Teaches reductive and additive techniques in preparing printing surfaces for single color, multicolor, and multiblock printmaking.
345 Digital Bookmaking (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 180 or 280 or permission of instructor. Intermediate course in hand printing of digitally processed images in book format. Projects focus on developing visual ideas in electronic imagery, and digital printing on specialized papers for hand binding. Elements of time and space explored in movable and sculptural structures. Personal content will evolve in making booklets of sequential or narrative digital images.
346 Digital Printmaking (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 180 or 280 or permission of instructor. Beginning course in hand printing of digitally processed images. Projects focus on electronic means of creating and manipulating imagery for application within various processes in printmaking. By exploring personal content, with an emphasis on images of self and languages of the body, students achieve skills in the multiple steps and incremental development required in making prints.
353 Photography II (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 252, or permission of instructor. Continuation of Photography I, with further investigation into the aesthetics of photography through experimentation with new films, developers, and papers, and development of a portfolio of photographic images.
354 Digital Photo (4:2:4) Prerequisites: AVT 252 and 180, or permission of instructor. Computer-intensive class using Photoshop to create digital images from the viewpoint of a photographic artist. Develops technical proficiency using digital tools from image capture to digital manipulation, and creates digital negatives for use in the analog darkroom. Ongoing discussions and critiques of projects develop insights into digital techno1ogy’s impact on traditional photography.
355 Color Photography I (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 353, or permission of instructor. Introduces basic concepts, theories, modern materials, and processes of color photography with focus on creative photographic expression and technique. Combines lecture and darkroom time to expand photographic repertoire through work with color negative, print, and transparency materials.
356 Studio Lighting I (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 353, or permission of instructor. Introduces theory, concepts, and applications of photographic studio lighting with emphasis on ability to control and manipulate light. Students investigate artificial and natural light sources, and produce a series of photographs based on combination of technical understanding and creative problem-solving.
363 Sculpture II (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 262, or permission of instructor. Intermediate-level studio course offering opportunity to investigate a wider variety of materials, techniques, and conceptual issues. Emphasizes individual creative work, and increases familiarity with historical and contemporary aesthetics.
370 Entrepreneurship in the Arts (4:2:4) Combined lecture and studio course. Develops communication skills, planning strategies, and nurturing skills that enable students to creatively solve problems and think about opportunities. Students will conceive, develop and present a for-profit or not-for-profit business strategy, followed by a full business and marketing plan for the final project.
371 Visual Perception and the Arts (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 3 credits of AVT, or 3 credits of ARTH or junior standing; or permission of instructor. Reviews major approaches to the study of visual perception. Topics include an analysis of picture perception, visual thinking, the relationship between symbolic and nonsymbolic thinking and representation, and how pathologies of vision affect art production.
372 Hip Hop Culture (3:3:0) Examines hip hop as an art form within a continuum of cultural expression, and also explores gains, conflicts, and contradictions. Surveys and assesses varieties of artistic expression emerging from hip hop. Takes comprehensive look at the multilayered social, political, and aesthetic aspects of hip hop, historical causes and precedents, and contemporary derivatives and implications.
373 Performance Art Studio (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 272, or permission of instructor. Studio course focusing on theory and practice of collaborative performance art. Analyzes creation and production processes from interdisciplinary perspective in conjunction with practical training in multimedia technologies, body sculpture, and theater of images.
374 Sound and Vision (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 180 or 280, or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course focusing on selection, editing, processing, and integration of sound and music (post-production) into video and animation. Studies time, frequency, and amplitude domain techniques, as well SMPTE synchronization formats and MIDI control. Students post-produce sound and music for five-minute video or animation due at semester end.
375 Writing and Performance (4:2:4) Prerequisite: 3 credits of AVT, 3 credits of ARTH or junior standing, or permission of instructor. Explores relationship of word, sound, and image in performance and visual art, performance poetry, theatre and web-based performance. Conducted as a series of practical, critical workshops. Students produce written papers and performance documentation for assessment.
376 Live Movies (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 272, or permission of instructor. Advanced performance studio emphasizing cinematic forms and multimedia technologies. Also covers sound design, scenic design and materials, production planning, and interdisciplinary approaches to narrative and content in performance. Students collaborate on production projects.
377 Cyberpunk (4:6:0) Prerequisite: 3 credits of AVT, 3 credits of ARTH or junior standing, or permission of instructor. Traces how cinema, music, fiction, cultural theory, visual art, television, theater, and performance have embraced and been shaped by cyberpunk and cyberculture. Includes readings, writings, discussion, screenings, guest speakers, and research projects.
378 The African American Experience in the Performing Arts (3:3:0) Through lectures, slides, audio recordings, videos, and films, examines African-American contributions to cultural fabric of American forms and institutions. Also explores aesthetic, political, historical, and social contexts.
382 Digital Art and Animation (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 381, or permission of instructor. Digital imaging concepts as applied to computer animation; course focuses on the production of a short animated digital “film” with sound. Lab assignments introduce technical and aesthetic challenges of computer animation techniques. Students learn to animate hand-drawn and computer-generated images
383 Three-Dimensional Digital Art (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 382, or permission of instructor. Teaches how to create realistic, three-dimensional scenes with scaled objects, surface textures, lights, and shadows. These scenes serve as sets for short animations. Emphasis on idea generation, concept development, visual aesthetics, and technical abilities.
390 Digital Media and Video Art (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 280, or permission of instructor. Integrates study of contemporary theory, philosophy, and artistic practices with application of new media and technology. Special focus on video, visual digital, and Internet artists, their relationship to technology, and sociopolitical implications of their work. Explores form and content, medium, and process of art works.
392 Gallery Practices (4:1:3) Prerequisite: 3 credits of AVT or ARTH, junior standing, or permission of instructor. Introduction to gallery practices associated with the department’s galleries, including planning, curatorial, budgetary, advertising, installation, and docent activities.
393 Field Experience in the Arts (1-6:0:0) Prerequisite: junior standing, and permission of instructor and academic advisor. Paid or unpaid placement with an organization or individual in the arts, or as a teaching assistant, providing introductory working and learning experience in the field. Placement documentation to include 45 hours of work per credit. May be repeated for maximum 6 credits.
394 Honors Seminar (1:1:0) Prerequisite: by invitation to qualified honors students. Offers maximum exposure to art world professionals and experiences, aligning activities with the New York Artsbus program, by field trips, research, and creative assignments that may include Washington, D.C., area galleries, artist studios, gallery talks, art events, and public art presentations. Selected students invited to work toward achieving credit to graduate with honors in AVT. May be repeated for maximum 8 credits. Graded S/NC.
395 Writing for Artists (3:3:0) Prerequisite: ENGL 302, or permission of instructor. Practical writing seminar encouraging students to think of text and writing practice in its broadest terms, including the ways in which artists have used writing, books, and language. Students are encouraged to discover the creative value and pleasure of using writing inventively.
396 Introduction to Art Teaching and Learning (3:3:0)Prerequisites: junior standing, completion of ENGL 302, and completion of at least 20 credits of AVT course work (including AVT 307); or permission of art education advisor. Prior to enrollment, students must complete art education inquiry form, and receive approval to enroll from art education advisor. Explores art-teaching profession through readings, discussion, hands-on activities, and visits to diverse area public schools. Students discover a variety of ways that art is taught and evaluated to meet multiple educational needs of today’s PK-12 students.
399 Special Topics in Art and Visual Technology (1-6: 1-6:0-6) Explores topical studies in AVT including theoretical and critical aspects of art or studio production. Topics and credit vary with instructor. May be repeated when taken under different topics.
414 Graphic Information Design IV (4:2:4)Prerequisite: AVT 252 and 313, or permission of instructor. Advanced graphic-design course emphasizing corporate 2D, 3D, and web graphic information design systems. Students develop professional corporate design products, and become knowledgeable about profession’s resources and range of products.
422, 423 Drawing III, IV (4:2:4), (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 323, or permission of instructor for 422; AVT 422, or permission of instructor for 423. Intermediate to advanced drawing skills and techniques emphasizing individual exploration and expressive techniques. Along with rigorous observational study, students work from a variety of sources to develop a broad understanding of visual responses and solutions within contemporary art practice.
432, 433 Painting III, IV (4:2:4), (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 333, or permission of instructor for 432; AVT 432, or permission of instructor for 433. Students expected to have strong foundations in principles and techniques of the medium, as well as some familiarity with issues and practices of contemporary painting. Emphasis on further development of content and personal vision, and formal methods and techniques relevant to their expression.
434, 435 Painting V, VI (4:2:4), (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 433, or permission of instructor for 434; AVT 434, or permission of instructor for 435. Painting on advanced level. Students work rigorously and independently, gaining insights into personal process and direction through dialogue with faculty and formal group critiques. Emphasizes individual decision-making and personal initiative.
442 Printmaking III (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 343, or permission of instructor. Advanced course in intaglio printmaking. Students explore traditional metal engraving and etching, as well as new, related printmaking techniques in toray and sintra plate printing. Hand-drawn, digital and photo-based imagery developed in a series of related prints. Includes the study of historical antecedents and their relevancy to contemporary printmaking.
443 Printmaking IV (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 442, or permission of instructor. Advanced course incorporating three-dimensional applications of hand printing. Students develop concepts in digital printmaking, bookmaking, sculptural prints, and installation works focused on specific, individualized themes. Explores issues in contemporary printmaking through critical discussions, and reading and writing assignments.
452 Advanced Photographic Printing I (4:2:4)Prerequisite: AVT 353, or permission of instructor. Advanced darkroom course with emphasis on fine art and craft of black-and-white photographic print. Students produce a personal portfolio based on technical instruction, contemporary photographic approaches, and critical discussions.
453 Advanced Photographic Printing II (4:2:4)Prerequisite: AVT 452, or permission of instructor. Intensive continuation of AVT 452. Students produce a photographic portfolio based on technique, content, personal expression, photographic criticism, and knowledge of contemporary trends. Includes critical discussions, and reading and writing assignments.
454 Alternative Photo Processes (4:2:4) Prerequisites: AVT 353, or permission of instructor. Introduction to 19th century and nontraditional photographic processes including cyanotype, van dyke, gum bichromate, liquid emulsion, and image transfer. Exploration and discussion of photography’s influences, application, and use in other mediums.
455 Advanced Digital Photo (4:2:4) Prerequisites: AVT 354, or permission of instructor. Advanced digital-imaging course involving further exploration of digital photo techniques and personal expression. Emphasizes developing technical proficiency using Photoshop as well as furthering personal aesthetics. Students will create digital negatives based on the use of color, creating large-scale, photographic, digital images.
456 Large Format Photography (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 353, or permission of instructor. Introduction to basic concepts, controls, and exposure theories of large format photography. Students work with 4x5 view cameras in the studio and field. Darkroom techniques emphasize tray processing of negatives and printing in large format. Classroom critiques, introduction to contemporary photographers and styles, and discussions further aesthetic knowledge of view camera’s applications.
457 Documentary Photography (4:2:4) Prerequisites: AVT 452, or permission of instructor. Introduces documentary photography: techniques, history, choices, and ideas necessary to create meaningful photo essays that incorporate a personal, committed, in-depth approach to seeing and depicting lives and situations.
458 Advanced Studio Lighting (4:2:4) Prerequisites: AVT 356, or permission of instructor. Advanced study of photographic studio lighting concepts using electronic strobes and power packs. Students learn about constructing studio equipment, metering techniques, staging complex sets, different types of transparency films, and working with medium-format cameras. Also introduces on-location photography. Students examine principles of photographic seeing and visual perception through discussions, readings, and exercises to facilitate greater understanding of visual communication in a studio environment.
459 About Photography: Practice and Research (4:2:4)Prerequisites: one course from AVT 452-458, or permission of instructor. Combined studio and lecture course investigating photography’s history, critical theory, philosophy, and practice. Lectures, discussions, readings, and projects focus on ubiquity of the photograph, multiplicity of uses, and complexity as a medium that has enormously influenced art and culture.
462, 463 Sculpture III, IV (4:2:4), (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 363, or permission of instructor for 462; AVT 462, or permission of instructor for 463. Intensive studio course for advanced students to further individual, conceptual, and critical development. Students produce a body of work through self-expression based on technical exploration, critical discussion, reading, and writing components.
464, 465 Sculpture V, VI (4:2:4), (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 463, or permission of instructor for 464; AVT 464, or permission of instructor for 465. Sculpture on advanced level. Students work rigorously and independently, gaining insights into personal process and direction through one-on-one critical dialogue with faculty and formal group critiques. Emphasizes individual decision-making and personal initiative.
472 Critical Theory in the Visual Arts (3:2:1) Prerequisite: ARTH 374, or permission of instructor. In-depth examination of theory and criticism that have formed theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of contemporary practice and critical analysis in visual arts. Emphasizes modernist and postmodernist practices as influenced by science, philosophy, politics, and literary theory, particularly structuralist and poststructuralist theories.
473 Advanced Performance Art Studio (4:2:4)Prerequisite: AVT 373, or permission of instructor. Advanced laboratory for creating and producing performance art. Emphases include new technologies and their applications, multimedia scriptwriting and storyboarding, and the creation of audio-visual performance. Students participate in collaborative production.
482 Advanced Two-Dimensional Digital Art (4:2:4)Prerequisites: AVT 280, or permission of instructor. In-depth look at advanced vector and raster graphics imaging techniques. Emphasizes idea generation, concept development, visual aesthetics, and technique. Students create a portfolio of large-format, high-resolution digital prints, and further develop visual critical analysis skills through active participation in critiques.
483 Internet Art (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 382, or permission of instructor. Investigates Internet as space for making art while detailing a selection of tools, concepts, issues, and history pertaining to net art.
487 Advanced Digital Media (4:2:4) Prerequisite: AVT 382, or permission of instructor. In-depth look at digital media techniques including layer compositing, digital video editing, rotoscoping, and hand-drawn animation. Introduces techniques in publishing and authoring final projects to CD-ROM, digital video tape, DVD, and Internet. Focuses on creating individual and group projects. Emphasizes integration of traditional techniques with recent software applications.
489 Internship in Art and Visual Technology (1-6:0:0)Prerequisite: senior standing, completion of 12 concentration credits, or permission of instructor and academic advisor. Unpaid professional level work experience related to the student’s concentration and career plans, providing opportunity to be apprenticed in a professional organization or with an individual artist. Placement documentation to include 45 hours of work per credit. May be repeated for maximum 12 credits.
491, 492 Independent Study in Art and Visual Technology (1-6:0:0), (1-6:0:0) Prerequisite: senior standing, completion of 12 concentration credits, or permission of instructor. Study proposal submitted prior to registration. Opportunity for development of advanced skills and concepts in drawing, painting, sculpture, and other media. Project documentation to include 45 hours of work per credit. May be repeated for credit for maximum 12 credits.
493 Teaching Visual Thinking Through Media, PK-12 (3:3:0)Prerequisite: AVT 396, or permission of art education advisor. Investigates range and appropriateness of media and materials that encourage creative expression in the art classroom for PK-12 students, and expands the artist-teacher’s visual repertoire. Incorporates art history, criticism and aesthetics, as well as language arts and other content areas that challenge students’ artistic growth and human development.
494 Teaching Critical Response to Art, PK-12 (3:3:0)Prerequisite: AVT 396, or permission of art education advisor. Develops visual literacy and critical-thinking skills for application to the PK-12 classroom by examining diverse theoretical models and applying strategies to expand knowledge about art and artifacts. Includes intensive writing, readings, discussions, museum work, research and Internet skills, and studio work.
495 Portfolio Preparation (4:2:4) Combination lecture and studio production course addressing nature of professional portfolio in terms of career development and self-marketing including visual presentation of a body of work, preparing professional written materials, and public and verbal presentations.
497 Senior Project (4:2:4) Prerequisite: senior AVT major, completion of 12 concentration credits, or permission of instructor. Students participate in all aspects of development and presentation of cohesive and mature body of work, including developing and presenting written materials and documentation, and participating in formal oral critiques with critics or AVT faculty.
498 Senior Design Project (4:2:4) Prerequisite: senior AVT major with a graphic information design concentration, completion of 12 concentration credits, or permission of instructor. Students participate in all aspects of development and presentation of cohesive and mature body of work, including developing and presenting written materials and documentation, and participating in formal oral critiques with critics or AVT faculty.
522, 523 Drawing V, VI (4:2:4), (4:2:4) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program or permission of instructor for AVT 522; AVT 522; or permission of instructor for 523. Drawing on an advanced level, emphasizing individual decision-making and personal initiative.
596 Independent Study (1-6:1-6:0) Prerequisite: BA or equivalent, or permission of instructor. Independent reading and research on specific project under department faculty member’s direction. Written reports required. May be repeated for credit.
599 Special Topics in Art and Visual Technology (1-6: 1-3:0-6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Exploration of topical studies in AVT, including theoretical and critical aspects of art or studio production. Topics and credit vary with instructor. May be repeated when taken under different topics.
600 Research Methodologies (3:3:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Graduate seminar focusing on development of independent research project in student’s area of emphasis. Explores principal methods of researching and documenting art and arts practice. Along with traditional methods of library research, emphasizes new processes of examination and investigation through the use of computer-aided research systems.
605 Issues and Research in Art Education (3:3:0)Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, and permission of instructor. Readings and projects explore historical and contemporary ideas, issues, philosophies, pedagogy, and research in art education. Investigates teachers’ use of research-oriented questions and data to explore classroom issues and improve teaching and learning.
610 Graduate Seminar (1-4:0:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Seminar course required of all AVT graduate students four times during course of study. Students present their work or the work of contemporary artists for discussion and peer and faculty critiques. Special focus on developing public communication and presentation skills on contemporary issues in the arts. Repeatable for 4 credits.
615 Technology for Art Teachers (3:3:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, and permission of instructor. Addresses uses of technology in PK-12 art classroom. Focuses on research, presentation and instruction, and image creation. Students develop technology- enhanced teaching units for different grade levels, and explore related issues including copyright, plagiarism, and appropriation.
616 Networked Art Practice (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Studio, lecture course investigating art as networked activity. Particular attention focused on Internet as context for creation, distribution, and patronage of art.
620 Theory, Criticism and the Visual Arts (3:3:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Cross-disciplinary graduate seminar focusing on key theories and themes that have informed 20th and 21st century arts practice. Explores theory and criticism in a variety of contexts, from popular to scholarly, and considers the role of artists as thinkers and writers.
622 Advanced Drawing (4:2:4) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Advanced directed research in drawing with continued development of individual aesthetic. Study of historical and philosophical precedents integral.
632 Graduate Painting I (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Entering students are expected to be competent painters, with technical proficiency, a disciplined process, and a directed personal vision. Students work rigorously and independently toward the understanding and mastery of techniques, methods, and concepts relevant to formal expression of personal content. Students expected to participate in critical discourse with supervising faculty. Achievement measured by faculty review board at midsemester and term’s end.
633 Graduate Painting II (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 632, or permission of instructor. Building on research and practices established in Graduate Painting I, students continue to develop strategies for the expression of personal vision and style. Progress tracked and assessed through periodic one-on-one critical discussions with supervising faculty. Achievement measured by faculty review board at midsemester and term’s end.
634 Advanced Graduate Painting (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 633, or permission of instructor. Working independently on a cohesive body of work, students must demonstrate a thorough understanding and mastery of techniques, methods, and concepts relevant to their own practices, and be able to discuss their work within the context of historical and contemporary art practices. Progress tracked and assessed through periodic one-on-one critical discussions with supervising faculty. Achievement measured by faculty review board at midsemester and term’s end.
642, 643 Graduate Printmaking I, II (5:2:6), (5:2:6)Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Directed research and practice in printmaking focuses on individualized development of content and technique. Explores intellectual and expressive aspects of printmaking process.
644 Advanced Graduate Printmaking (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 643, or permission of instructor. Intensive course of creative exploration in print media that furthers students’ independence through production of individualized body of work reflecting interests within the broader contexts of contemporary social, technological, and cultural issues. Students also engage in collaborative studio practices to integrate visual technologies in their work. These may include digital imaging, drawing, graphic design, painting, performance, photography, and sculpture.
652 Graduate Photography I (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Critical theory and directed practice in photography focusing on development of a personal voice and working method through intellectual activity and creative work. Emphasizes ability to explore concepts, develop skills, and evolve as a communicator of ideas and photographic artist.
653 Graduate Photography II (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Continuum of Graduate Photography I, an intensive critique class concentrating on the development of creative work with emphasis on articulating responses to others’ work, the cultural climate. and issues involved in one’s own work as it progresses. Weekly classes share equal time with critical theory and hands-on studio work. Includes readings, visiting artists and lecturers, and field trips.
654 Advanced Graduate Photography (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 653, or permission of instructor. Advanced graduate photography course. Intensive critique class concentrating on the development of creative work with emphasis on articulating responses to others’ work, the cultural climate, and issues involved in one’s own work as it progresses. Weekly classes share equal time with critical theory and hands-on studio work. Includes readings, visiting artists and lecturers, and field trips.
662 Graduate Sculpture I (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Intensive studio course that furthers student independence through production of a body of work reflecting interests, including a broader context of social, cultural, and contemporary issues. Emphasizes self-evaluation, critical discussion, reading, and writing.
663 Graduate Sculpture II (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 662, or permission of instructor. Intensive studio course that furthers student independence through production of a body of work reflecting interests, including a broader context of social, cultural, and contemporary issues. Emphasizes self-evaluation, critical discussion, reading, and writing.
664 Advanced Graduate Sculpture (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 663, or permission of instructor. Emphasizes individual creative production and development, with periodic exposure of student’s work and ideas to the critical attention of the AVT teaching faculty and other graduate students. Writing and reading components.
668 Three-Dimensional Artmaking Across Cultures (4:2:4)Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, and permission of instructor. Explores the diversity of art forms in world cultures, and work of traditional and contemporary artists. Students learn basic 3D artmaking techniques, including ceramics and fibers, and learn to design 3D art instruction for PK-12 levels.
670 Teaching Practicum (3:3:0 or 6:6:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Supervised classroom teaching practicum in Mason’s undergraduate program or community college program. May be repeated for total 6 credits.
672 Performance Studio I (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Introductory studio course looking at performance as a visual art practice and focusing on time, space and the body. Emphasizes artist as performer. Students study the work of performance practitioners, make short performance pieces, document and exhibit their work, and go to galleries and performances locally and in New York. Substantial research project required.
673 Performance Studio II (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. In-depth studio course focusing on collaborative practice of performance art. Analyzes creation and production processes from an interdisciplinary perspective in conjunction with practical training in multimedia performance, complemented by screenings, readings, guest artists, and field trips.
674 Advanced Performance Studio (5:2:6) Prerequisite: AVT 673, or permission of instructor. Advanced laboratory for creating and producing performance art. Emphasizes new technologies and their applications, multimedia scriptwriting and storyboarding, and the creation of audiovisual performance. Students work independently and also contribute to collaborative production.
675 Advanced Performance Topics (5:6:2) Prerequisite: AVT 673, or permission of instructor. Opportunity for advanced study in interdisciplinary arts topics including African-American experience in the performing arts, cyberpunk, global motion, interarts figures, live movies, writing and performance. May be repeated for maximum 15 credits when taken under different topics.
676 Sound and Music for Video and Animation (5:2:6)Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course focusing on selection, editing, processing, and integration of sound and music (postproduction) into video and animation. Studies time, frequency, and amplitude domain and processing. Students postproduce sound and music for 15-minute film or animation due at semester end.
678 Interface and CD-ROM Design (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Combined lecture and studio course in multimedia interface and CD-ROM design. Focuses on exporting traditional visual and aural artistic aesthetic to the computer environment within a multimedia context. Assigned class readings augmented and supported by presentations of various digital interfaces and CD-ROM examples. Discusses commercial, entertainment, and educational titles, as well as CD-ROM experimental art works. Studio time divided between AVT labs and area multimedia facilities. Students conceive, design, and develop two CD-ROM or Kiosk Interfaces due at midterm, and complete a dual platform CD-ROM project due at semester end.
682 The Art of 2D Animation (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Designed to broaden range of visually expressive time-based media from cel animation and stop motion animation to rotoscoping and 2D digital animation. Emphasizes idea generation, concept development, and visual aesthetics.
684 Two-Dimensional Digital Art (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Overview of 2D computer imaging applications in the arts, including painting, printmaking, mixed media, illustration, video, and animation. Lectures combine technical and aesthetic material, including image processing for artists and color reproduction. Emphasis on developing advanced studio portfolio.
685 Video Art (5:2:6)Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Explores video as medium that is transforming art and is transformed by art. Emphasizes developing an approach to personal narrative, creative skills and construction of meaning, as well as on acquiring technical skills.
686 Three-Dimensional Digital Art (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Teaches how to create realistic, three-dimensional scenes with scaled objects, surface textures, lights, and shadows. Emphasizes idea generation, concept development, visual aesthetics, and technical abilities. Students required to render a portfolio of high-resolution images.
687 Advanced Digital Media (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Advanced course in digital media, including layer compositing, digital video editing, rotoscoping, and cel animation. Emphasizes integrating traditional techniques with software applications; and publishing projects to CD-ROM, DV tape, DVD, and Internet.
688 Digital Animation (5:2:6) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Study of digital 2D and 3D animation practices. Introduces lighting, camera movement, object motion, timing, and texture mapping as students plan and produce a short animation. Emphasizes idea generation, concept development, visual aesthetics, and technical abilities.
691 Elementary Art Education (3:3:1) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, and permission of instructor. Concepts and methods in early childhood and elementary art education. Students spend three hours per week in class, and one hour per week of required field experience in public schools and other educational settings.
692 Secondary Art Education (3:3:1) Prerequisite: AVT 691, or permission of instructor. Concepts and methods in secondary art education. Students spend three hours per week in class, and one hour per week of required field experience in the public schools and other educational settings.
693 Apprenticeship (3:3:0 or 6:6:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Apprenticeship at a local business conforming to students’ interests in visual information technologies. May be repeated for total 6 credits.
695 Internship in Art Education (Student Teaching) (6:0:0)Prerequisite: completion of all other program requirements. Corequisite: AVT 696. Full-time internship teaching in elementary and secondary schools with guidance from cooperating mentor teachers. College supervisors make periodic site visits to observe, assess, and evaluate progress.
696 Seminar for Student Teachers (1:2:0) Corequisite: AVT 695. Weekly professional seminar focused on needs and concerns of student teachers. Covers issues as they emerge in practice, and concludes with an “Art of Teaching Art” exhibit of work by students of preservice teachers.
796, 798, 799 Directed Project, Directed Reading, Thesis (1-9:0:0), (3:0:0), (1-3:0:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program, or permission of instructor. Three courses comprising the MFA comprehensive experience for AVT students. Involves a study of historical basis for studio project, independent creative production suitable for public viewing, and written thesis documenting evolution of the creative problem and exploring the intention, purpose, and relative success of the finished production.