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Advisory Board: Dorotha Lemeh, Dr. Yu Jiang
  
Description:  Since the advent of cave painting more than 20,000 years ago, people have  created images and visual forms that speak about our senses of order, structure, aesthetic values, and socio-political agenda.  By learning the principles of design and applying our studio art skills, by studying historical and current human creations, and by critically reviewing past and contemporary analytical theories and approaches to art, we can better understand and appreciate visual art as a means of communicating and representing our ideas, feelings, and values.  The making of visual forms thus enriches our life, and our exploration of the different visual forms and aesthetic possibilities in their different historical and cultural background provides us with a fundamental understanding of the development of cultures and civilizations in the world. 

The Honors Interdisciplinary Visual Arts Concentration provides students with the opportunity to explore ways in which the arts contribute to our intellectual life and socio-cultural inheritance.  This program assists and prepares students with aspirations to pursue a career in the art field, including art history, studio art, community arts, art criticism, public art programs, studio management, gallery and museum work, or arts administration positions.  Upon graduation, students should be prepared if they decide to pursue graduate study in art history, criticism, studio art, or related areas.

As a contribution to the Honors College interdisciplinary curriculum, the Honors Interdisciplinary Visual Arts Concentration significantly works with other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.  Students will learn basic visual vocabulary, and are expected to develop their own sets of aesthetic standards.  The analysis of the art, though valuable, is only a portion of the critique.  Artistic production along with the development of visual literacy with their relevance to the individual's artistic practice is an indispensable part of this academic study.  A combined exploration of these areas will help students to construct meaningful visual images and forms, to develop problem-solving skills, to be able to differentiate an argument from an opinion, and to speak or write out their own ideas in a coherent and persuasive way.  

Areas of Specialization: Students may select a general concentration in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, or choose to specialize in one of two areas: Studio Art and Criticism; or History of Art. Students who concentrate in an area other than Art may choose a Minor Concentration in Visual Arts.

Requirements: All students concentrating in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts must complete 5 introductory courses, 5 additional Visual Arts courses, and 3 courses in related disciplines. Students must spend two semesters of their senior year in consultation with their concentration advisor researching and writing an honors thesis. Those choosing to specialize in Studio Art & Criticism must prepare an art exhibition along with an honors thesis; students without an area of specialization or who choose to specialize in Art History must complete an honors thesis.

I. Introductory Courses:  Concentrators must take Honors History of Art I & II (6 credits) and 3 additional courses from the list below.

II. Additional Coursework in the Visual Arts:
Concentrators must take a minimum of 5 additional courses in the Visual Arts from the list below, which is organized into three areas: studio art, critical theory in the arts, and art history. Students who choose not to specialize in either Studio Art & Criticism or in Art History may select any 5 courses from the list, regardless of the area.  Students selecting one of the two areas of specialization must select their courses as follows:
Interdisciplinary Visual Arts: Studio Art & Criticism: Of the 5 additional Visual Arts courses taken from the list below, at least 2 must be Studio Art courses and at least 2 must be Critical Theory in the Arts courses. Students planning on doing graduate work in studio arts are encouraged to select 3 of these 5 additional courses in Studio Art.
Interdisciplinary Visual Arts: Art History: Of the 5 additional Visual Arts courses taken from the list below, students must take ARH 4811 H Methods and Approaches in Art,  at least 2 other Art History courses, and at least 1 Critical Theory in the Arts course. Students planning on doing graduate work in art history are encouraged to take art history courses covering a breadth of areas and periods.
Students are reminded that they must have 45 credits of upper level (3000 or 4000 level) coursework to graduate.

Additional Visual Arts Courses

III. Courses in Related Disciplines: All concentrators must take at least 3 courses in a related discipline (not art or art history) from the list below.  These courses are, like the rest of the Liberal Arts curriculum, integral to the development of a mature, articulate, well-rounded individual knowledgeable about the field.  Students are encouraged to expose themselves to other ways of constructing knowledge and understanding the world.  This focus helps students to develop their critical and analytical skills so as to argue persuasively and coherently in oral or written forms.

IV. Honors Thesis.  In their senior year, students should write their thesis.  It requires two semesters, and fulfills 6 credits.

V. Internship or Study Abroad.  Students are required to conduct an internship or enroll in a Study Abroad Program (3 to 4 credits) with an emphasis on art.

Minor Concentration in Visual Arts (16 – 19 Credit Hours)
Students must have at least a 3.0 grade point average in courses taken for the Minor Concentration.  At least 50% of upper level credits must be from Honors College Courses.  At least 7 credits of coursework in Visual Art must be Introductory Art Courses, from the list in Section I, above. One of the courses must be in art history, and one must be in studio art.   Nine or more credits must be at 3000-4000 level, from among the courses in Studio Art, Critical Theory in the Arts, and Art History, in the list in Section II, above,  for a total of 16-19 credit hours for the Minor.

Approved March 2, 2007.

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Updated 3/13/07