Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

501 Advanced Drawing
Investigation and development of various techniques and media. Emphasis on figure drawing.

502 Advanced Drawing Problems
Advanced work in traditional and contemporary drawing media. Independent exploration of graphic problems. Solutions to problems sought in relation to student’s personal objectives.

(Art Ed) 501 Student Teaching Practicum PreK-9
Art Education student teaching in grades K-9. Taken in conjunction with ART 761. Prerequisites: Art Education major, ART 510, 512, 515 or 516, and consent of instructor. Credit, 3-12.

(Art Ed) 502 Student Teaching Practicum 5-12
Art Education student teaching in grades 5-12. Taken in conjunction with ART 761. Prerequisites: Art Education major, ART 510, 512, 515 or 516, and consent of instructor. Credit, 3-12.

510 Visual Arts and Human Development I (1st sem)
Exploration of art as taught in public schools and community settings. Topics include: introduction to art education, artistic and aesthetic development, teaching methods for diverse student populations, special education in art classrooms, and lesson planning. Readings, written assignments, class presentations, and extensive off-campus field experiences. Prerequisite: MA in Art Education student or consent of instructor.

512 Visual Arts and Human Development II (2nd sem)
Exploration of art as taught in public schools and community settings. Topics include: studio materials for elementary and secondary classrooms, artistic development, teaching methods for diverse student populations, art curriculum development, and evaluation and assessment. Requirements include: readings, studio and written assignments, class presentations, and extensive off-campus field experiences. Prerequisite: MA in Art Education students or consent of instructor.

515 Advanced Problems in Art Education K-9 (1st sem)
Three components: curriculum development, special needs students, and pre-practicum to be arranged in area schools. Prerequisites: Art Education major, completion of ART 510 and 512; or consent of instructor.

516 Advanced Problems in Art Education 5-12 (1st sem)
Three components: curriculum development, special needs students, and pre-practicum to be arranged in area schools. Prerequisites: Art Education major, completion of ART 510 and 512; or consent of instructor.

520 Painting I—Representation I
Basic practice and theory of painting developed through the study of traditional and contemporary procedures used in the development of pictorial form. Emphasis on still life, landscape, and the human figure. Materials: oil.

521 Painting—Representation II
Basic practice and theory of painting developed through the study of traditional and contemporary procedures used in the development of pictorial form. Emphasis on still life, landscape, and the human figure. Materials: aqueous media.

522 Painting - Intermediate
Thematic and serial development based upon the study of objects, the environment, the human figure, and non-objective vocabularies. Related contemporary and historical issues included. Group and individual critiques used to develop continuity of work.

523 Painting - Advanced Materials and Techniques
Study of formal and informal painting procedures. Focus on development of form as content. Information provided regarding painting processes and associated materials. Related contemporary and historical theoretical issues included. Introduction to self-directed projects. Prerequisites: ART 521, 522, or consent of instructor.

540 Printmaking: Relief I
Techniques and aesthetic considerations of the woodblock print and related media. Emphasis on drawing and on understanding technical procedures.

541 Printmaking: Intaglio I
Techniques and aesthetic considerations of techniques, engraving, aquatint, and related media. Emphasis on drawing and on understanding technical procedures.

542 Printmaking: Lithography I
Techniques and aesthetic considerations of making lithographs. Emphasis on drawing and on understanding technical procedures.

543 Printmaking: Advanced Monotype
The focus of this class is on the immediacy of the monotype, a crossover discipline combining skills of drawing, painting, and printmaking in independent projects involving a sustained inquiry into self selected themes.

560 Sculpture 1: Introduction to Sculpture
Introduction to a range of basic sculptural processes and materials with an emphasis on formal investigation and intellectual query. Projects cover basic sculptural principles and hand skills with an emphasis on working from observation. This course will introduce basic additive and reductive processes, including wood, metal, clay, and plaster.

561 Sculpture 2: Construction Sculpture
A deeper investigation into the methods and strategies for creating constructed sculpture. This course will focus on developing technical ability while incorporating a variety of traditional and non-traditional materials with an emphasis on wood and metal construction.

562 Sculpture 3: Moldmaking and Casting
A deeper investigation into the methods and strategies for moldmaking and casting. This course will focus on developing technical ability with a range of contemporary molding and casting materials and techniques.

574 Animation Fundamentals
With studio. Introduction to methods and techniques of animation, as well as history of experimental film. Hands-on work with object, sand, line, and clay animation, among others. Basic audio and video skills. Students develop projects of their own design resulting in a fully edited videotape of their work. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

575 Digital Imaging
Explores the creative possibilities of digital image creation and manipulation. Through demonstrations, creative technical assignments, students explore the digital workflow in independent projects involving sustained inquiry into self selected themes.

580 3-D Studies/Ceramics—Handbuilding
Introduction to all basic methods of handbuilding and decorating techniques. Focus on both vessel tradition and ceramic sculpture. Introduction to glazes, slips, and firing. Overview of ceramic historical traditions.

581 3-D Studies/Ceramics—Wheelthrowing
Emphasis on multiples and ceramic surface solutions. Personal solutions to assignments highly encouraged. Introduction to temperature glaze, slips, and clay making. Overview of contemporary ceramic history.

582 3-D Studies/Ceramics—Moldmaking
Introduction to plaster moldmaking for use in slip, paper, and metal casting. The use of slip casting and the making of slip and press molds. Emphasis on modular units, multiples, and production.

583 3-D Studies/Ceramics 4
Focus on representing the human figure using clay as the primary material. Introduction to building techniques in clay. Focus on observation and elements of three-dimensional form.

630 Image Capturing
Students submit a proposal outlining a semester-long project. An audio-visual presentation focusing on all the influences related to the project also required. Class time divided between critiques, discussions based on readings, presentations, and technical demonstrations. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

633 Art in the Expanded Field
This course explores photographically derived images as device and strategy, potentially lending themselves to photo-sculpture, photo-text, photo-installation and photo-performance. Work discussed through readings, lectures, and visual presentations.

640 Printmaking: Relief II
Advanced study of materials, techniques, and aesthetic considerations relevant to relief printmaking.

641 Printmaking: Intaglio II
Advanced study of materials, techniques, and aesthetic considerations relevant to etching, engraving and aquatint.

642 Printmaking: Lithography II
Advanced study of lithography. Emphasis on concepts and techniques of color lithography.

645 Digital Media: Printmaking
This class explores digital image manipulation using the printmaking technique of Photopolymer Gravure within the context of contemporary art practice. Independent projects will be assigned involving a sustained inquiry in to self-selected themes.

646 Digital Media: Printmaking Offset Lithography
Through demonstration, technical assignments, the possibilities of digital image creation and manipulation using Photoshop, and the photolithographic process is explored in independent projects involving sustained inquiry into self selected themes.

647 Digital Media: Silkscreen
Through demonstrations, technical assignments, the possibilities of digital image creation and manipulation using photo Silkscreen process is explored in independent projects involving sustained inquiry into self selected themes.

674 Computer Animation I
With studio. Principles and applications of computer animation in film, video, music and technology. Introduction to 2-D and 3-D animation programs. Skills acquired in preparation for production in second semester. Emphasis on professionalism and quality. Prerequisite: ART 597Q or consent of instructor.

675 Moving Image
Explores experimental digital video and sound within the context of contemporary art practices in projects involving a sustained inquiry into self-selected themes.

684 Computer Animation II
With studio. Animation production using both 2-D and 3-D software, video and audio editing equipment. Includes a group project and a personal animation submitted on fully edited, individual videotape. Emphasis on professionalism and quality. Prerequisite: ART 674.

689 Introduction to Visual Culture: Theory and Practice
Visual culture can be roughly defined as material artifacts, buildings and images, plus time-based media and performances, produced by human labor and imagination. These serve practical functions, aesthetic, symbolic, ritualistic or ideological ends, and, to a significant extent, address the sense of sight. Visual Culture Studies draws from a number of multi-disciplinary fields such as Cultural, Media and Performance Studies. This course touches upon discourses within these fields, including semiotics, structuralism, post-structuralism, feminism, political economy, post-colonialism, psychoanalytic and queer theory. Class time will be dedicated to lectures, discussions, film and video screenings.

691A New York Professional Outreach Program
Introduction to the professional art system in New York City. Overnight trips. Visits to artist studios and art critics. Meetings with curators at nonprofit, alternative and museum spaces. On Friday nights: performance art, video screenings, art openings, underground films, dance events. Independent work from students’ studios discussed in critiques with class and instructor in Amherst.

696 Independent Study
Credit, 1-6.

697WS Special Topics - Graduate Teaching Workshop
Required for Teaching Assistants and Associates in Studio Arts. General discussion of educational principles and philosophy, art education theory and practice, lesson development, interpersonal relationships, classroom management, critiquing methods. Credit, 1

761 Seminar—Art Education
Seminar, lecture, discussion. Evaluation of student teaching experiences. Problems and procedures. Assigned readings. Participation required. Prerequisites: ART 510 and 512.

792K Supervision in Art Education (2nd sem)
Guided field work in supervision of undergraduate art education student teachers in the schools. Graduate Art Education majors only. Credit, 6.

792L Graduate Seminar in Art Education
Required for all students in the M.A. in Art Education Program. Current issues in art education. Readings, discussions, and lectures. Graduate Art Education majors only.

792M Research in Art Education
Research methodologies and problems in art education. Designing of a research problem/study and engaging in a pilot study for further research. Graduate Art Education majors only.

792N Independent Research Project in Art Education
An extensive research paper in art ed-ucation. Graduate Art Education majors only.

795 Graduate Art Seminar
Required for first- and second-year students. Research, critique and studio class to develop body of work to be shown at mid-term and final reviews. Class includes critiques, discussion of assigned readings, lectures, screenings, and panel discussions. Rotates amongst faculty.

796 Independent Study
Credit, 1-6.

799 Master’s Thesis
Credit, 1-18.