Visual Arts
[ graduate program | courses | faculty ]
216 Mandeville Center for the Arts
http://visarts.ucsd.edu
All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice. Updates may be found on the Academic Senate website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/catalog-copy/approved-updates/.
The Department of Visual Arts offers courses in painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, computing in the arts, film, video, photography, and art history/criticism (including that of film and video). A bachelor’s degree from this department provides students with a solid liberal arts background and is preparatory training for careers as artists, art historians, filmmakers, video artists, photographers, digital media artists, and art critics. It also provides students the initial skills required for teaching and work in museums, television, and the commercial film, photography, and Internet industries.
By its composition, the Department of Visual Arts is biased in the direction of actively producing artists and critics whose presence at the center of the contemporary art world necessitates reconsideration and reevaluation of artistic productions, their information structure, and significance. Consequently, a flexible introductory program of historically based courses has been devised mainly to provide the student an opportunity to concentrate on areas involving significantly different aesthetic and communication structures. A series of studio courses, in which painting and sculpture are included, is presented to bring the student into direct contact with the real contingencies compelling redistribution of aesthetic attitudes and reinterpretation of genres. Because of the exploratory nature of our program, the department is prepared to emphasize new media that would traditionally be considered to have scant relation to the visual arts. Thus, courses in theatrical events, linguistic structures, etc., are provided. In this context, theoretical courses with a media orientation, as in film, video, photography, or computing, are also offered.
The Department of Visual Arts is located in the Mandeville Center for the Arts. In addition, the master of fine arts program office, as well as faculty and graduate students’ studios/research spaces are located in the Visual Arts Facility sited in Sixth College. Facilities and equipment are available to undergraduates in both the Mandeville Center and at the campuswide Media Center, providing the opportunity to study painting, drawing, photography, computing in the arts, 16mm film, performance, sculpture, and video. Facilities at the Media Center include portable video recording equipment, video and audio editing suites, nonlinear editing, and production studios. Additional film equipment available includes an animation stand, optical printer, two sound-mixing studios, and numerous film editing suites. Courses in computing in the arts take place in labs located at the Visual Arts Facility and the Mandeville Center.
The University Art Gallery displays a continually changing series of exhibitions, and the Mandeville Adam D. Kamil Gallery, located on the lower level, is directed by visual arts undergraduate students. A gallery and performance space, located in the Visual Arts Facility, are directed by graduate students.
The Undergraduate Program
College Requirements
The Department of Visual Arts teaches courses applicable toward the Muir, Sixth, and Warren general-education requirements, the Marshall humanities requirement, the Eleanor Roosevelt and Revelle fine arts requirements. Optional minors may be taken within any college.
Minor in Visual Arts
The Department of Visual Arts offers minors in seven areas of study: studio painting/drawing/ sculpture, photography, computing, art history, history and criticism of film and video, digital video and film production, and ICAM. A minor consists of seven specific courses, of which at least five must be upper division. No more than two upper-division courses may be taken outside of UC San Diego. Because the requirements differ for each minor, prospective visual arts minors should consult with the departmental adviser for a complete list of appropriate classes acceptable for the minor.
Students are advised to begin their program in the second year; otherwise, they cannot be guaranteed enough time to complete the classes required for a minor.
Art History (VA26)
http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/art-history-minor
Required Courses
VIS 20. Introduction to Art History
Choose one from
VIS 21A. Introduction to Art of the Americans or Africa and Oceania
VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art
Choose one course from three of the five Distribution areas A–E.
Please refer to the art history major (http://visarts.ucsd.edu/sites/default/files/ArtHistoryguide092011-2.pdf) for the course options in each area:
- European Pre-Modern: Ancient and Medieval
- European Early Modern: Renaissance and Baroque
- Modern and Contemporary
- Arts of the Americas
- Arts of Asia
Choose two additional art history courses from any area A–E.
Studio Minor (VA28)
http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/studio-minor
Lower Division
Required:
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major
Upper Division
Required:
VIS 111. Structure of Art
Choose four upper-division studio courses: 105A–107CN.
ICAM: Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (VA29)
http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/icam-interdisciplinary-computing-and-arts-minor
Seven Courses Required:
Lower Division
Required:
VIS 41. Design Communication
Choose one from:
VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making
MUS 4. Introduction to Western Music
Upper Division
Required:
ICAM 110. Computer Arts: Current Practice
VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
Choose one from:
VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts
VIS 145A. Digital Media I: Time, Movement, and Sound
MUS 171. Computer Music I
Choose two from:
ICAM 120. Virtual Environments
VIS 149. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
MUS 170. Musical Acoustics
MUS 172. Computer Music II
MUS 176. Music Technology Seminar
VIS 132. Installation Production and Studio
VIS 141A. Computer Programming for the Arts I
VIS 141B. Computer Programming for the Arts II
VIS 145B. Digital Media II
VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies for Art II
Speculative Design (VA30)
Required Courses
VIS 30. Introduction to Speculative Design
VIS 41. Design Communication
Choose one from:
VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practices
VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making: Motion and Time-Based Art
VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices
Choose two from:
VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture
VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts
VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
Choose two from:
VIS 100A. Design of Public Culture
VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies
VIS 101A. Design of Urban Ecologies
VIS 102. Cross-Border Urbanizations
VIS 109*. Advanced Projects in Media
VIS 130. Special Projects in Visual Arts
VIS 141A*. Introduction to Computer Programming in the Arts
VIS 141B*. Advanced Computer Programming in the Arts
VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I
VIS 145B*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II
VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies for Art II
VIS 149. Contemporary Computing Topics
VIS 161. Systems and Networks at Scale
VIS 162. Speculative Science and Design Invention
VIS 163. Systems and Synthesis: Topics in Design Research and Criticism
VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook
TDDE 141. Theater Process (Sound Design)
TDDE 142. Advanced Sound Design
TDGE 126. Storytelling and Design in Animation
Photography (MO54)
http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/photography-minor
Required courses
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography
VIS 111. Structure of Art
VIS 158. Histories of Photography
VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
VIS 164. Photographic Strategies
VIS 165. Camera Techniques
Digital Video and Film Production (MO71)
http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/digital-video-and-film-production-minor
Seven courses required:
Lower Division
Required:
VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
VIS 84. History of Film
Upper Division
Required:
VIS 111. Structure of Art
VIS 174. Media Sketchbook
Choose one upper-division course in digital video and film production listed below:
VIS 171. Digital Cinema: Theory and Production
VIS 175. Editing: Theory and Production
VIS 176. 16 mm Filmmaking
VIS 177. Scripting Strategies
VIS 178. Sound: Theory and Production
Choose two upper-division courses in the history and/or criticism of film and video: VIS 151, 152, 152D, 153, 154, 155, 156, 194S.
*Five unique upper-division courses in media are required if any of these courses overlap with your major or minor.
Students may not major in visual arts media (VA27) and minor in digital video and film production.
History and Criticism of Film and Video (MO72)
http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/history-and-criticism-film-and-video-minor
Required courses
VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
VIS 84. History of Film
VIS 111.* Structure of Art
Choose four upper-division courses in the history and/or criticism of film and video: VIS 151, 152, 152D, 153, 154, 155, 156, 194S.
*Five unique upper-division courses in media history/criticism are required if you are also completing a visual arts major or minor.
Education Abroad Program
Students are often able to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UC San Diego’s Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making progress toward completing their major. Financial aid is applicable to study abroad and special study abroad scholarships are readily available. Students considering this option should discuss their plans with an Education Abroad adviser before going abroad, and courses taken abroad must be approved upon return by the departmental faculty adviser. More information on EAP/OAP is detailed in the Education Abroad Program of the UC San Diego General Catalog or on their website http://programsabroad.ucsd.edu/pao/. Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center.
Residency Requirements
A minimum of two-thirds of the course work completed for the major must be taken at UC San Diego. Students who transfer to UC San Diego in their second or third year may petition to substitute courses taken at other colleges and universities for major requirements.
Visual Arts 111, Structure of Art, must be taken at UC San Diego by all students, including transfer students, in the art history, media, and studio majors.
Honors Programs
The department offers honors programs in art history, in media, and in studio for outstanding students.
The art history honors program will provide outstanding students with preprofessional experience. It consists of an issue-oriented seminar followed by a directed group study and will result in an exhibition with catalogue, a scholarly conference with a mock publication and/or series of research papers. Students who meet the criteria may, with permission of the art history faculty adviser or the art history honors seminar instructor, enroll in the art history honors program during the last quarter of their junior year or as a senior. This program is open to juniors and seniors who meet eligibility requirements: minimum major GPA of 3.5 (3.3 overall), completion of all lower-division art history requirements, completion of all upper-division art history distribution requirements, and completion of Art Historical Methods (VIS 112) and at least one additional art history seminar. The level of distinction will be determined by the faculty committee on the basis of work in the honors seminar and on the research project.
The media honors program will help students develop high-quality professional portfolios. The honors thesis project is a sequence of individual studies that runs the length of an academic year to provide sufficient time for ideas to develop and critically aware work to be produced. Students may arrange to work with different faculty advisers each term or may engage a single adviser for the year. To be eligible for the honors thesis sequence, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA in the major and have approval of all the advisers with whom they will work. Qualified students may begin their sequence the last quarter of their junior year or during their senior year. At the end of the third quarter, all involved media faculty will meet to critique the overall quality of the final thesis work to determine level of distinction.
Through exhibition, verbal and written presentations and course work, the studio honors program is intended to give the student as strong a technical, critical, and theoretical base as possible. The program is open to juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.5 GPA in the major (3.0 overall), who have completed all lower-division studio requirements and all upper-division groups I, II, III, and IV (subgroup A) requirements.
Students interested in participating in an honors program should consult with the departmental adviser.
Double Major within the Department
There are three double majors within the Department of Visual Arts: art history/theory/criticism paired with either studio, media, or ICAM. Students interested in a double major within the department must have at least ten upper-division courses that are unique to each departmental major and the remaining courses may overlap with other major requirements. Students should consult with the departmental adviser for additional information.
Major Requirements
Twenty courses are required in studio, media, and ICAM and eighteen courses in art history for the attainment of the bachelor of arts. A minimum of twelve of these courses must be upper-division, however, some majors may require more upper-division courses.
All courses taken to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a letter grade, and only grades of C– or better will be accepted in the visual arts major.
Studio Major
The studio major is aimed at producing a theoretically based, highly productive group of artists. Lower-division courses are structured to expose students to a variety of ideas in and about the visual arts. Introductory skills are taught, but their development will occur at the upper-division level in conjunction with the student’s increasing awareness of the range of theoretical possibilities in the field. The curriculum includes courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, performance, photography, digital imaging and electronics, and many offerings in art history/criticism.
Lower Division
Foundation Level
Five courses required.
VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
Choose two art making courses:
VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practices
VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making: Motion and Time-Based Art
VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices
VIS 41. Design Communication
VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography
VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
Choose one history course:
VIS 20. Introduction to Art History
VIS 21A. Introduction to the Art of the Americas
VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art
VIS 84. History of Film
Upper Division
Intermediate Level
Seven courses required.
VIS 111. Structure of Art
Choose three Group A courses:
VIS 105A. Drawing: Representing the Subject
VIS 105D. Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy
VIS 106A. Painting: Image Making
VIS 107A. Sculpture: Making the Object
Choose two Group B courses:
VIS 105B. Drawing: Practices and Genre
VIS 106B. Painting: Practices and Genre
VIS 107B. Sculpture: Practices and Genre
Choose one interdisciplinary course:
VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture
VIS 102. Cross-Border Urbanization
VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts
VIS 145A. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media
VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 164. Photographic Strategies
VIS 165. Camera Techniques: Analog Futures
ICAM 120. Virtual Environments
History and Theory
Three courses required.
Choose three from:
Any upper-division art history course: VIS 120-129
Any upper-division media history course: VIS 151-159, 194S
Advanced Level
Five courses required.
Choose two art making courses:
VIS 105C. Drawing: Portfolio Projects
VIS 105E. Chinese Calligraphy as Installation
VIS 106C. Painting: Portfolio Projects
VIS 107C. Sculpture: Portfolio Projects
Choose three interdisciplinary courses:
VIS 108. Advanced Projects in Art
VIS 109. Advanced Projects in Media
VIS 110A-J. Advanced: Various Topics
VIS 110M-N. Studio Honors
VIS 130. Special Projects in Visual Arts
VIS 131. Special Projects in Media
VIS 132. Installation Production and Studio
VIS 145B. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media
VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies for Art II
VIS 148. Visualizing Art Practice
VIS 149. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
VIS 167. Social Engagement and Photography
VIS 168. Pictorialism and Constructed Reality
VIS 185. Senior Media Projects
VIS 198. Directed Group Study
VIS 199. Special Studies in Visual Arts
ICAM 110. Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
Note: The studio honors sequence, VIS 110M-N, counts as one course towards the fulfillment of an advanced level requirement.
Art History/Theory/Criticism Major
The major in art history, theory, and criticism is designed both for students who desire a broadly based education in the humanities and for those who plan to pursue a career in an art-related profession. In both cases, the foundation for study is proficiency in the languages of artistic expression. Through the study of art history, students learn to treat works of art as manifestations of human belief, thought, and experience in Western and non-Western societies from prehistory to the present day. Courses in criticism review the theoretical approaches that are used to understand artistic achievement. By combining art historical and critical study, the program promotes in the student an awareness of the cultural traditions that have shaped his or her intellectual outlook and provides a framework for informed judgment on the crucial issues of meaning and expression in contemporary society.
Majors are encouraged to take relevant courses in allied disciplines such as history, communication, anthropology, and literature, and in such area programs as classics and Italian studies. In addition, students who plan to apply to graduate schools are strongly advised to develop proficiency in one or more foreign languages, as is dictated by their area of specialization.
Lower Division
Foundation Level
Five courses required.
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
VIS 23*. Information Technologies in Art History
Choose two history courses:
VIS 20. Introduction to Art History
VIS 21A. Introduction to the Art of the Americas of Africa and Oceania
VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art
VIS 84. History of Film
Choose one art making course:
VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 41. Design Communication
VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography
VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major
Upper Division
Intermediate Level
Eight courses required.
VIS 111. Structure of Art
VIS 112*. Art Historical Methods
Choose six courses, at least one from each area, A-E:
A. European Pre-Modern: Ancient and Medieval
- VIS 120A. Greek Art
- VIS 120B. Roman Art
- VIS 120C. Late Antique Art
- VIS 121AN. Art and Experience in the Middle Ages
- VIS 121B. Church and Mosque
- VIS 128A. Topics in Pre-Modern Art History
B. European Early Modern: Renaissance and Baroque
- VIS 122AN. Renaissance Art
- VIS 122CN. Leonardo da Vinci in Context
- VIS 122D. Michelangelo
- VIS 124BN. Art and the Enlightenment
- VIS 128B. Topics in Early Modern Art History
C. Modern and Contemporary
- VIS 124CN. Nineteenth-Century Art
- VIS 125A. Twentieth-Century Art
- VIS 125BN. Contemporary Art
- VIS 125F. Latin American Film
- VIS 128C. Topics in Modern Art History
- VIS 151. History of the Experimental Film
- VIS 152. Film in Social Context
- VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinema
- VIS 153. Genre Series
- VIS 154. Hard Look at the Movies
- VIS 155. The Director Series
- VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
- VIS 158. Histories of Photography
- VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
D. Arts of the Americas
- VIS 126AN. Pre-Columbian Art of Ancient Mexico
- VIS 126BN. The Art and Civilization of the Ancient Maya
- VIS 126HN. Pacific Coast American Indian Art
- VIS 126I. Southwest American Indian Art
- VIS 126J. African and Afro-American Art
- VIS 126K. Oceanic Art
- VIS 126P. Latin American Art (1890–1950)
- VIS 126Q. Latin American Art (1950–Present)
- VIS 128D. Topics in Art History of the Americas
E. Arts of Asia
- VIS 127A. Contemporary Arts in South Korea
- VIS 127B. Arts of China
- VIS 127C. Arts of Modern China
- VIS 127N. Twentieth-Century Art in China and Japan
- VIS 127P. Arts of Japan
- VIS 128E. Topics in Art History of Asia
You may fulfill the sixth course requirement with one additional course from above (A-E) or with one from the following:
VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture
VIS 102. Cross-Border Urbanization
VIS 105A. Drawing: Representing the Subject
VIS 105D. The Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy
VIS 106A. Painting: Image Making
VIS 107A. Sculpture: Making the Object
VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts
VIS 145A. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I
VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 164. Photographic Strategies
VIS 165. Camera Techniques: Analog Futures
ICAM 110. Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
ICAM 120. Virtual Environments
Advanced Level
Five courses required.
Choose one theory course:
VIS 113AN*. History of Criticism I
VIS 113BN*. History of Criticism II
VIS 113CN*. History of Criticism III
VIS 114A*. Landscape and Memory
VIS 114B*. The Fragment: Uses and Theories
VIS 117E*. Problems in Ethnoaesthetics
VIS 117F*. Theorizing the Americas
VIS 117G*. Visual Theory and Practice since 1980
VIS 117I*. Western and Non-Western Rituals and Ceremonies
VIS 129F*. Seminar in Art Theory and Criticism
Choose three seminar courses:
VIS 122F*. Leonardo’s La Gioconda
VIS 1125DN*. Marcel Duchamp
VIS 126C*. Problems in Mesoamerican Art History
VIS 126D*. Problems in Ancient Maya Iconography
VIS 127D*. Early Chinese Painting
VIS 127E*. Later Chinese Painting
VIS 127F*. Japanese Buddhist Art
VIS 127G*. Twentieth-Century Chinese Art
VIS 127Q*. Japanese Painting and Prints
VIS 129A*. Seminar in Pre-Modern Art History
VIS 129B*. Seminar in Early Modern Art History
VIS 129C*. Seminar in Modern Art History
VIS 129D*. Seminar in Art History of the Americas
VIS 129E*. Seminar in Art History of Asia
Note: Students may also select any course from the theory course list to count towards the seminar requirement. Course will count as ONE theory or seminar course, but not both.
Choose one elective course:
- Any intermediate art history course
- Any advanced art history course
- Art History Honors (VIS 129G and VIS 129H)
- VIS 199 or AIP 197
The completion of both VIS 129G and 129H count as one course towards fulfillment of the advanced level elective.
*seminar
Students must take at least three upper-division seminars in addition to VIS 112. These three additional seminars may come from any area and be taken in fulfillment of the distribution requirements or as open electives.
In accordance with standard university policy, the department requires that students take two-thirds of the upper-division courses in their major at UC San Diego. The distribution requirement must be fulfilled with courses taken at UC San Diego. Courses taken abroad or at other US institutions do not count toward, and will not be substituted for, the six-course distribution requirement.
Honors Program in Art History
VIS 129G.* Art History Honors Seminar
VIS 129H.* Art History Honors Directed Group Study
*seminar
The completion of both the Art History Honors Seminar and the Art History Honors Directed Group Study counts as one course toward the fulfillment of the Group III requirement.
Students who meet the criteria may, with permission of the art history faculty adviser or the Art History Honors Seminar instructor, enroll in the Art History Honors Program during the last quarter of their junior year or as a senior. This program is open to juniors and seniors who meet eligibility requirements. Please consult with the departmental adviser for these requirements.
Media Major
With a visual arts foundation, the program is designed for students who want to become creative videomakers, filmmakers, photographers, and computer artists, encouraging the hybridity of media. The curriculum combines hands-on experience of making with practical and theoretical criticism, provides historical, social, and aesthetic backgrounds for the understanding of modern media, and emphasizes creativity, versatility, and intelligence over technical specializations. It should allow students to go on to more specialized graduate programs in the media arts, to seek careers in film, television, computing, or photography, or to develop as independent artists. All media majors should see the visual arts undergraduate adviser upon entrance into UC San Diego.
Lower Division
Foundation Level
Six courses required.
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
VIS 84. History of Film
Choose two art making courses:
VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 41. Design Communication
VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography
VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major
Choose one history course:
VIS 20. Introduction to Art History
VIS 21A. Introduction to Art of the Americas
VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art
VIS 84. History of Film
Upper Division
Intermediate Level
Seven courses required.
VIS 111. Structure of Art
VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook
Choose four art making courses:
VIS 164*. Photographic Strategies
VIS 165*. Camera Techniques
VIS 171*. Digital Cinema
VIS 175*. Editing—Theory and Production
VIS 176*. 16 mm Filmmaking
VIS 177*. Scripting Strategies
VIS 178*. Sound—Theory and Production
Choose one interdisciplinary course:
VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture
VIS 102. Cross-Border Urbanization
VIS 105A. Drawing: Representing the Subject
VIS 105D. The Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy
VIS 106A. Painting: Image Making
VIS 107A. Sculpture: Making the Object
VIS 142*. Practices in Computing Arts
VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I
VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I
ICAM 120*. Virtual Environments
History and Theory
Three courses required.
Choose three from:
Any upper-division art history course: VIS 120-129
Any upper-division media history course: VIS 150-159, 194S
Note: Any courses in the art history distributional requirement (http://visarts.ucsd.edu/~gd4/art-historytheorycriticism-major) can be taken to fulfill history and theory courses.
Advanced Level
Four courses required.
Choose three art making courses:
VIS 167*. Social Engagement in Photography
VIS 168*. Pictorialism and Constructed Reality
VIS 180A*. Documentary
VIS 180B*. Fiction and Allegory in Current Media Practices
VIS 181*. Sound and Lighting
VIS 182*. Advanced Editing
VIS 183A*. Strategies of Self
VIS 183B*. Strategies of Alterity
Choose one interdisciplinary course:
VIS 108. Advanced Projects in Art
VIS 109*. Advanced Projects in Media
VIS 110A-J. Advanced—Various Topics
VIS 130*. Special Topics in Visual Arts
VIS 131*. Special Projects in Media
VIS 132*. Installation Production and Studio
VIS 145B*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media
VIS 147B*. Electronic Technologies for Art II
VIS 148. Visualizing Art Practice
VIS 149. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
VIS 185*. Senior Media Projects
VIS 197. Media Honors Thesis
VIS 198. Directed Group Study
VIS 199. Special Studies in Visual Arts
ICAM 110. Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
Note: Enrollment in production courses is limited to two per quarter.
Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM)
The interdisciplinary computing and the arts major in the Departments of Music and Visual Arts draws upon, and aims to bring together, ideas and paradigms from computer science, art, and cultural theory. It takes for granted that the computer has become a metamedium and that artists working with computers are expected to combine different media forms in their works. All of this makes the program unique among currently existing computer art or design programs which, on the one hand, usually focus on the use of computers for a particular media (for instance, specializing in computer animation, or computer music, or computer design for print) and, on the other hand, do not enter into a serious dialogue with current research in computer science, only teaching the students “off-the-shelf” software.
The program also recognizes that creating sophisticated artistic works with computers requires a new model of the creative process, one which combines traditional artistic procedures with the experimental research characteristic of the sciences. All in all, it aims to train a new type of cultural producer, who is familiar with art and media history, who is equally proficient with computer programming and artistic skills, who is always ready to learn new technologies, and who is comfortable interacting with scientists and computer industry resources.
The goals of the program are
- to prepare the next generation of artists who will be functioning in a computer-mediated culture
- to give students necessary technical, theoretical, and historical backgrounds so they can contribute to the development of new aesthetics for computer media
- to prepare students to mediate between the worlds of computer science and technology, the arts, and the culture at large by being equally proficient with computing and cultural concepts
- to give students sufficient understanding of the trajectories of development in computing so they can anticipate and work with the emerging trends, rather than being locked in particular software currently available on the market
Lower Division
Foundation Level
Seven to ten courses required.
MUS 4. Introduction to Western Music
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
VIS 41. Design Communication
VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
Choose one computer science sequence:
CSE 11. Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA
or
CSE 8A. Introduction. to Computer Science: JAVA
CSE 8B. Introduction. to Computer Science: JAVA Continued
Choose one mathematics sequence:
Math 15A/CSE 20. Discrete Mathematics
or
Math 20A. Calculus for Science and Engineering
Math 20B. Calculus for Science and Engineering
or
Math 10A. Calculus
Math 10B. Calculus
Math 10C. Calculus
Choose one art making course:
VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making
VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography
VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major
Upper Division
Intermediate Level
Seven courses required.
ICAM 110. Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
VIS 142*. Practices in Computing Arts
VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I
MUS 171*. Computer Music I
Choose two art making courses:
VIS 141A*. Computer Programming for the Arts
VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I
ICAM 120*. Virtual Environments
MUS 170*. Musical Acoustics
MUS 172*. Computer Music II
MUS 173. Audio Production: Mixing and Editing
MUS 174A-C. Recording/MIDI Studio Techniques
Choose one interdisciplinary course:
VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture
VIS 102. Cross-Border Urbanization
VIS 105A. Drawing: Representing the Subject
VIS 105D. Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy
VIS 106A. Painting: Image Making
VIS 107A. Sculpture: Making the Object
VIS 164*. Photographic Strategies
VIS 165*. Camera Techniques: Analog Futures
VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook
Advanced Level
Four courses required.
Choose one art making course:
VIS 141B*. Computer Programming for the Arts II
VIS 145B*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II
VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art II
Required two courses:
ICAM 160A. Senior Project in Computer Arts I
ICAM 160B. Senior Project in Computer Arts II
Choose one interdisciplinary course:
ICAM 120*. Virtual Environments
VIS 108. Advanced Projects in Art
VIS 109*. Advanced Projects in Media
VIS 110A-J. Advanced—Various Topics
VIS 130*. Special Projects in Media
VIS 131*. Special Projects in Media
VIS 132*. Installation Productions and Studio
VIS 141A*. Computer Programming for the Arts I
VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 148. Visualizing Art Practice
VIS 149. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
VIS 167. Social Engagement and Photography
VIS 168. Pictorialism and Constructed Reality
VIS 185. Senior Media Projects
VIS 198. Directed Group Study
VIS 199. Special Studies in Visual Arts
AIP 197. Academic Internship Program
MUS 172. Computer Music II
Note: VIS 141A, 147A, and ICAM 120 may be taken for the intermediate or advanced level, but not both.
Theory and History
Two courses required.
VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
and one of
VIS 151. History of the Experimental Film
VIS 152. Film in Social Context
VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinema
VIS 153. The Genre Series
VIS 154. Hard Look at the Movies
VIS 155. The Director Series
VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
VIS 158. Histories of Photography
VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film
MUS 111. Topics/World Music Traditions
MUS 114. Music of the Twentieth Century
Senior Project
Two courses required.
ICAM 160A. Senior Project in Computer Arts I
ICAM 160B. Senior Project in Computer Arts II
Note: Enrollment in production courses is limited to two per quarter. Production courses are numbered VIS 109, 131, 132, 140, 141A-B, 145A, 145B, 147A-B, 174. ICAM 120, 160A-B.
Speculative Design
The major structure includes required and elective courses at both the lower- and upper-division levels. It is designed to give speculative design majors within the Department of Visual Arts (1) a broad foundation in the historical and disciplinary issues within the arts and humanities, (2) rigorous history, theory, and methodology courses in speculative design, (3) unique studio-based courses in which studios develop original projects, both individually and in groups, and (4) the opportunity to customize their emphasis within the major to best suit their professional goals.
Lower Division
Foundation Level
Four courses, sixteen units.
VIS 1 or 2 or 3. Introduction to Art Making: 2-D Practices
VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art
VIS 30. Introduction to Speculative Design
VIS 41. Design Communication
Breadth Electives
Two courses, eight to fourteen units.
VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography
VIS 70N*. Introduction to Media
VIS 80. Introduction to Studio
COGS 1. Introduction to Cognitive Science
COGS 10. Cognitive Consequences of Technology
COGS 14A. Introduction to Research Methods
COGS 17. Neurobiology of Cognition
COMM 10. Introduction to Communication
CSE 11**. Introduction to Computer Science: Java
CSE 12. Basic Data Structures and Object Oriented Design
USP 1. History of US Urban Communities
USP 2. Urban World System
USP 3. The City and Social Theory
*Note: VIS 70N is required for the media design emphasis.
**Note: CSE 11 is required for the design/computing emphasis, and can be taken as the two-course sequence CSE 8A-B.
Upper Division
Intermediate Level
Four courses, sixteen units.
VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture
VIS 111. Structure of Art
VIS 135. Collaborative Research, Methodologies, and Management
VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts
Emphasis
Three courses, twelve units.
Choose one emphasis:
Design Systems Emphasis
Choose three:
VIS 149. Contemporary Computer Topics
VIS 161. Systems and Networks at Scale
VIS 162. Speculative Science and Design Invention
VIS 163. Design Research and Criticism
Media Design Emphasis
VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I
VIS 149. Contemporary Computer Topics
VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook
Design/Computing Emphasis
VIS 141A*. Introduction to Computer Programming in the Arts
VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I
VIS 149. Contemporary Computer Topics
Public Culture/Urban Ecologies Emphasis
VIS 100A. Design of Public Culture
VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies
VIS 101A. Design of Urban Ecologies
History and Theory
Three courses, twelve to fourteen units.
VIS 159. History of Art, Design, and Technology
ICAM 110. Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
and
Choose one course from the speculative design history and theory list:
VIS 120A. Greek Arts
VIS 120B. Roman Arts
VIS 120C. Late Antique Art
VIS 121AN. Art and Experience in the Middle Ages
VIS 121B. Church and Mosque: Medieval Art and Architecture between Christianity and Islam
VIS 122AN. Renaissance Art
VIS 122CN. Leonardo da Vinci in Context
VIS 122D. Michelangelo
VIS 122F. Leonardo’s La Gioconda
VIS 122GS. The City in Italy
VIS 123AN. Between Spirit and Flesh: Northern Art of the Early Renaissance
VIS 124BN. Art and the Enlightenment
VIS 124CN. Nineteenth-Century Art
VIS 125A. Twentieth-Century Art
VIS 125BN. Contemporary Art
VIS 125DN. Marcel Duchamp
VIS 125F. Latin American Film
VIS 126AN. Pre-Columbian Art of Ancient Mexico and Central America
VIS 126BN. The Art and Civilization of the Ancient Maya
VIS 126C. Problems in Mesoamerican Art History
VIS 126D.Problems in Ancient Maya Iconography and Inscriptions
VIS 126HN. Pacific Coast American Indian Art
VIS 126I. Southwest American Indian Art
VIS 126J. African and Afro-American Art
VIS 126K. Oceanic Art
VIS 126P. Latin American Art: 1890–1950
VIS 126Q. Latin American Art: 1950–Present
VIS 127B. Arts of China
VIS 127C. Arts of Modern China
VIS 127D. Early Chinese Painting
VIS 127E. Later Chinese Painting
VIS 127F. Japanese Buddhist Art
VIS 127GS. Issues in Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art
VIS 127N. Twentieth-Century Art in China and Japan
VIS 127P. Arts of Japan
VIS127Q. Japanese Painting and Prints
VIS 128A. Topics in Premodern Art History
VIS 128C. Topics in Modern Art History
VIS 128D. Topics in Art History of the Americas
VIS 128E. Topics in Art History of Asia
VIS 151. History of the Experimental Film
VIS 152. Film in Social Context
VIS 152D. Identity Through Transnational Cinemas
VIS 153. The Genre Series
VIS 154. Hard Look at the Movies
VIS 155. The Director Series
VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
VIS 158. Histories of Photography
VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film
COGS 102A. Distributed Cognition
COGS 102B. Cognitive Ethnography
COGS 102C. Cognitive Design Studio
COGS 109. Modeling and Data Analysis
COGS 118A. Natural Computation I
COGS 118B. Natural Computation II
COGS 120. Interaction Design
COGS 187A. Usability and Information Architecture
COGS 187B. Practicum in Pro Web Design
COMM 111D. Critical Design Intermediate
COMM 124. Critical Design Advanced
COMM 146. Advanced Studies in Cultural Production
ETHN 101. Ethnic Images in Film
ETHN 102. Science and Technology in Society: Race/Gender/Class
ETHN 103. Environmental Racism
ETHN 104. Race, Space, and Segregation
ETHN 105. Ethnic Diversity and the City
ETHN 106. Life, Death, and the Human
ETHN 108. Race, Culture, and Social Change
ETHN 109. Race and Social Movements
LIGN 155. Evolution of Language
LIGN 165. Computational Linguistics
LIGN 176. Language of Politics and Advertising
LTCS 110. Popular Culture
LTCS 120. Historical Perspectives on Culture
LTCS 130. Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Class, and Culture
LTCS 131. Topics in Queer Cultures
LTCS 132. Topics in Social Identities and the Media
LTCS 133. Globalization and Culture
LTCS 170. Visual Culture
POLI 102E. Urban Politics
POLI 120F. Mass Media and Politics
TDGE 130. Let There Be Light!
Advanced Electives
Two courses, eight units.
VIS 100A. Design of Public Culture
VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies
VIS 101A. Design of Urban Ecologies
VIS 109*. Advanced Projects in Media
VIS 141A*. Introduction to Computer Programming in the Arts
VIS 141B*. Advanced Computer Programming in the Arts
VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I
VIS 145B*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II
VIS 149. Contemporary Computing Topics
VIS 161. Systems and Networks at Scale
VIS 162. Speculative Science and Design Invention
VIS 163. Systems and Synthesis: Topics in Design Research and Criticism
VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook
VIS 178*. Sound: Theory and Production
TDGE 126. Storytelling and Design in Animation
TDDE 141. Theater Process (Sound Design)
TDDE 142. Advanced Sound Design
Note: Courses may not overlap with emphasis.
Design Master Studio
One course, eight units.
VIS 190. Design Master Studio