Course Syllabus
Course: ART 2756
Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
Department: Visual Art
Title: Travel Seminar
Semester Approved: Fall 2019
Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2024
End Semester: Summer 2025
Catalog Description: This course is designed to expose art majors to the diversity of the art world through travel and first-hand experience. This one credit offering provides the opportunity to become immersed in the art and culture of major art centers both domestic and abroad.
Semesters Offered: TBA
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 1; Lecture: 1; Lab: 0
Justification: The art world is flooded with diversity. A good understanding of contemporary art trends is essential for art majors. These carefully designed tours allow art majors the opportunity to encounter what is happening in the world of art today, specifically in major art centers in the United States and abroad. This valuable and exciting experience will further prepare students with a better knowledge base of contemporary approaches in visual art. Seeing slide and printed reproductions of art is a valuable teaching device but seeing art first-hand is invaluable. Travel seminar is required for all Snow College AFA candidates.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Conceptual Principles: Students will be exposed to a variety of conceptual principles over a diverse collection of mediums and display practices. This will contribute to a better understanding of how artists communicate complex conceptual ideas through artistic means. This knowledge will be applied to assist students with effectively communicating using the visual language in their own work. Evidence of proficiency will be determined through both written and visual projects, documenting progress and providing a dialog to discuss potential for improvement.
Historical Context: Students will encounter artistic work that is historically significant and will be able to evaluate the context in which it was created and the sentiments that inspired the message of the work. This knowledge will assist in informing the students creative communication through visual language. A knowledge of the historical factors affecting contemporary art will ultimately contribute to a student’s work being more sophisticated and nuanced. The understanding of historical context will be manifested in class discussions and written and visual assignments.
Critical Analysis: Group discussions and lectures prior to, during and after the travel experience will provide opportunities for students to synthesize their ideas, and discuss various artistic styles, venues, and methods of display. Seeing original art in its intended context will contribute to a better, more detailed evaluation of the materials, technical processes and concept that affect the production of works of visual art. Students will demonstrate their knowledge through class discussions, and written and artistic works.
Content:
This course will include travel, lectures, and class discussions, as they apply to the following topics:
• directed art study in classical museums and many other contemporary venues
• experiencing the dynamic art culture in each city
• writing assignment responding to historical perspectives, interesting trends, subjective reactions and cultural experiences.
• artistic production responding to the travel experience
Key Performance Indicators:
Each student will be evaluated on
Written paper and artistic response to travel experience 75 to 90%
Attendance and Participation 10 to 25%
Representative Text and/or Supplies:
TBD
Supplemental readings and research to be determined by the instructor
Supplies to be determined by the instructor
Pedagogy Statement:
This course will include lectures, class discussion, oral and written critiques, demonstrations.
Instructional Mediums:
Lecture/Lab
Maximum Class Size: 25
Optimum Class Size: 15
