College Catalog: 2015-2016
School of Contemporary Arts (CA): Contemporary Arts (B.A.)
Website: School of Contemporary Arts
Convener:
The Contemporary Arts major is an interdisciplinary contract major that allows students to design their own major to reflect their particular interests and career goals such as Public Relations or Animation. Working in consultation with a faculty advisor, students select courses from the offerings across the School of Contemporary Arts and across the whole college. For example, a student interested in pursuing a career in Animation may elect to take courses from the fine arts programs of Theater and Visual Arts, combined with courses from the Communication Arts program. Or, a student interested in Business Communications may combine communications journalism and writing with courses from the Anisfield School of Business.
This major requires self-motivation and serious planning, but it can be especially rewarding for the student who has specific goals that cannot be met in a regular major at the college, or who wishes to have the flexibility to take a wider array of courses than would be possible in a regular major. After an initial consultation with the Convener of the major, each student will develop the major with a faculty advisor who is most knowledgeable in the area of the student’s interest.
Examples of past Contemporary Arts Contract Major titles include: Arts Management, Arts in Community, Business Communication, Advertising, Environmental Journalism, Photojournalism, Art and Design and Film Business.
This major leads to a B.A. degree. It requires a minimum of 48 credits in the major, at least 16 of which must be upper level, (300/400), in addition to the School of Contemporary Arts Core.
A first year student entering the college may declare the Contemporary Arts major in provisional status. Upon the completion of 32 credits, you may declare the major in permanent status through the following process:
- After an initial consultation with the Convener of the major, each student will be assigned to work in developing the major with a faculty member who is most knowledgeable in the area of the student’s interest.
- Students are required to complete the major proposal process, explaining your academic interests and career goals and giving your major a title.
- This will include submitting:
- a statement of goals
- a paragraph describing the relationship of their interdisciplinary studies
- a preliminary list of courses
- In consultation with their advisor, students will create an advisor agreement, laying out a tentative cycle of courses, learning outcomes, and advisement schedule.
- Schedule an appointment and meet with the convener of the major to discuss these and to review the requirements of the major.
- Complete the change of major form with the convener
- Upon reaching a threshold of 75 credits, students will be asked to reflect, in writing, on their contract.
As a transfer student you should follow the same process, but should plan to meet with the convener before your orientation on campus in order to select appropriate courses for your first semester.
Note: Students may not declare the Contemporary Arts major if they will have completed 96 credits by the end of the current semester. At least six of the “open choice” courses must be within the School of Contemporary Arts. A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 is required to transfer into the major from another major.
Advisement: Once you have declared the major, they will be assigned to work with a faculty advisor to develop a course sequencing plan that will serve to guide your course selection. You are expected to meet with your faculty advisor at least once in every semester. Your course sequencing plan will remain flexible until you apply for graduation. At least half of the credits applied to your major must be earned from courses taken in the School of Contemporary Arts.
Outcome 1: Understand the discipline or inter-disciplines identified as part of their learning agreement developed in consultation with their academic advisor.
Outcome 2: Apply creative thinking in the work they produce.
Outcome 3: Be able to write appropriately to their discipline. This outcome includes demonstrating and synthesizing significant ideas about the disciplines through writing.
Outcome 4: Produce advanced work that demonstrates skills relevant to their discipline. Students should be able to demonstrate an ability to connect and synthesize ideas, use innovation to solve problems and explore their content in depth.
- Transfer students who have 48 or more credits accepted at the time of transfer are waived from the courses marked with a (W) below. Waivers only apply to General Education Requirements NOT School Core or Major Requirements.
- Double counting between General Education, School Core, and Major may be possible. Check with your advisor to see if any apply.
- Writing Intensive Requirement (six courses): three writing intensive courses in the general education curriculum are required: First Year Seminar, Critical Reading and Writing, and Readings in the Humanities; the other three courses are taken in the major.
- Not all courses are offered each semester. Please check the current Schedule of classes for semester course offerings.
CONTEMPORARY ARTS MAJOR
- Subject & Course # – Title & Course Description
- GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
- SELECT ONE – (W) BADM 115 - PERSPECTIVES OF BUSINESS AND SOCIETY OR
- (W) SOSC 101 - SOCIAL ISSUES
- CRWT 102 - CRITICAL READING AND WRITING II
- AIID 201 - READINGS IN THE HUMANITIES (W)
- SELECT ONE – (W) GE-HISTORY CATEGORY: HIST 101-110
- SELECT ONE – GE-MATHEMATICS CATEGORY: MATH 101-121
- SELECT ONE – GE-SCIENCE WITH EXPERIENTIAL COMPONENT CATEGORY
- SELECT ONE – GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES CATEGORY
- SELECT ONE – GE-INTERCULTURAL NORTH AMERICA CATEGORY
- SELECT ONE – (W) GE-TOPICS SOCIAL SCIENCE CATEGORY
- SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS REQUIREMENTS
- CNTP 101 - FIRST YEAR TOPICS (W) (satisfies first year seminar requirement)
- CA INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSES: SELECT ONE (MUST be in discipline OTHER THAN major)
- AMER 311 - AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL CULTURE
- AMER 322 - AMERICAN ART I: CONTACT TO 1865
- ARHT 305 - AFRICA AND CINEMA (formerly 405)
- ARHT 311 - AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL CULTURE
- ARHT 322 - AMERICAN ART I:CONTACT TO 1865
- ARHT 325 - AMERICAN ART: 1865-1945
- ARHT 337 - PHOTOGRAPHY AND AFRICA
- ARHT 338 - EUROPEAN AVANT- GARDE ART & DESIGN
- ARHT 340 - PERFORMANCE AND ART
- ARHT 341 - IMPRESSIONISM AND AFTER
- ARTS 331 - ART AS THERAPY
- COMM 302 - CONTEMPORARY CRITICISM: FILM (formerly CNTP-312)
- COMM 310 - APOCALYPTIC VISIONS IN ANIME, FILM & MEDIA
- COMM 317 - MEDIA AND PERSUASION
- COMM 334 - BEYOND THE EDITING ROOM: HISTORY AND AESTHETICS OF FILM EDITING
- COMM 341 - TV NOIR AND AMERICAN CULTURE
- COMM 343 - CINEMA OF THE OTHER
- COMM 355 - NEW HOLLYWOOD CINEMA: 1968-1980 AND THE STUDIO SYSTEM
- COMM 359 - DIGITAL CULTURE
- COMM 360 - GOOD & EVIL IN DESIGN FILM & VISUAL MEDIA (formerly CNTP-328)
- COMM 363 - MEDIA & CULTURE IN LATIN AMERICA (formerly CNTP-363)
- COMM 367 - AMERICAN INDEPENDENT CINEMA
- COMM 377 - GLOBAL MULTICULTURAL MEDIA ISSUES (formerly CNTP-327)
- MUSI 309 - MUSIC AND GENDER
- MUSI 313 - MUSIC ONLINE
- MUSI 325 - WRITING ABOUT MUSIC
- MUSI 335 - AVANT GARDE AND EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC
- MUSI 365 - CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES ON MUSIC
- THEA 321 - BLACK EXPERIENCE THROUGH THEATER
- THEA 328 - CONTEMPORARY WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS
- THEA 331 - THEATER & SOCIETY 1950-1960
- THEA 334 - THEATER & SOCIETY 1960-1975
- THEA 341 - FASHION AND POLITICS
- CONTEMPORARY ARTS MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
- Please refer to the About the Major section for information on the major requirements.
- CA CONTRACT MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
- HISTORY/THEORY/CRITICISM 200 LEVEL: SELECT TWO (additional courses may be available, consult with your advisor)
- ARHT 204 - INTRODUCTION TO NON WESTERN ART TRADITIONS
- ARHT 205 - INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN ART
- ARHT 214 - PHOTOGRAPHY: CONCEPTS AND HISTORY
- ARHT 220 - RENAISSANCE ART
- ARHT 225 - HISTORIES AND CONCEPTS OF 20TH CENTURY ART
- ARHT 240 - ART, ARTISTS, AND SOCIETY
- ARHT 241 -
- COMM 203 - FILM REPRESENTATION: RACE, CLASS AND GENDER
- COMM 209 - HISTORY OF TV AND NEW MEDIA
- COMM 216 - MEDIA AND CINEMA STUDIES
- COMM 229 - WORLD CINEMA MOVEMENTS
- COMM 223 -
- MUSI 201 - MUSIC IN OUR TIME
- MUSI 202 - THE BLACK EXPERIENCE THROUGH MUSIC
- MUSI 203 - MUSIC IN LATIN AMERICA
- MUSI 204 - MUSIC AND DANCE IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA: CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
- MUSI 205 - MUSIC AND DANCE IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA: NORTH AMERICA
- MUSI 222 - MUSIC IN THE THEATER
- MUSI 224 - FILM MUSIC
- MUSI 232 - HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL
- MUSI 233 - HISTORY OF HIP-HOP AND RAP MUSIC
- MUSI 237 - HISTORY OF JAZZ
- MUSI 249 - AMERICAN MUSICAL TRADITIONS
- THEA 232 - HISTORY OF THEATER
- THEA 233 - DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN THEATER
- CO-OP/INTERNSHIP COURSE REQUIREMENT:
- CNTP 388 - CO-OP/INTERNSHIP CONTEMPORARY ARTS
- SENIOR CAPSTONE REQUIREMENT: SELECT ONE
Upon consultation with your faculty advisor, select a pre-existing capstone course from the list below, or design a 400-level Independent Study within Contemporary Arts. - ARHT 410 - ADVANCED RESEARCH IN ART HISTORY
- ARTS 408 - SENIOR THESIS EXHIBITION
- COMM 319 - CREATIVE NON-FICTION
- COMM 404 - SENIOR PROJECT: DESIGN AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA
- COMM 405 - VISUAL IDENTITY DESIGN
- COMM 410 - GLOBAL MEDIA,LOCAL CHANGE
- COMM 415 - VISUAL EFFECTS FOR DVD & FILM
- COMM 420 - RACE,ETHNICITY & CROSS CULTURAL JOURNALISM
- COMM 423 - SENIOR PROJECT: WRITING
- COMM 430 - SENIOR PROJECT: JOURNALISM
- COMM 433 - SENIOR PROJECT: DIGITAL FILMMAKING
- COMM 404 - SENIOR PROJECT: DESIGN AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA
- COMM 447 - SR PROJECTS:GLOBAL COMMUNICATION & MEDIA
- COMM 487 - FILM, HISTORY, CULTURE & MYTH (formerly CNTP-487)
- MUSI 450 - CAPSTONE SEMINAR IN MUSIC
- THEA 435 - ADVANCED THEATER PROJECTS
Note: A 2.0 GPA in the major is required for graduation.
General Education Requirements
Four Year Plan
Graduation Requirements
School of Contemporary Arts Website
Faculty Profiles