Visual Arts
OFFICE: 216 Mandeville Center for the Arts
http://visarts.ucsd.edu
Professors
Courses
The Department of Visual Arts offers courses in painting, drawing,
sculpture, performance, computing for the arts, film, video, photography,
and art history/criticism (including that of film and video). A bachelors
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, faculty and graduate students have offices/studios/
research spaces in the Visual Arts Facility located in Eleanor Roosevelt
College. Facilities and equipment are available to undergraduates in
both the Mandeville Center and at the campus-wide 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, non-linear 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 the Silicon Graphics/Mac/NT lab
located at the Visual Arts Facility, the INTEL-shared lab in the Applied
Physics and Mathematics building, and a new dedicated ICAM lab in building
201 University Center.
The University Art Gallery displays a continually changing series of
exhibitions, and the Mandeville Annex 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,
media history/criticism, film/video, and ICAM. A minor consists of six
specific courses of which at least three must be upper-division. Effective
January 1, 1998, a minor will consist of seven specific courses, of
which at least five must be upper-division. 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.
Education Abroad Program
Students are often able to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program
(EAP) and UCSDs 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 the
director of Undergraduate Studies before going abroad, and courses taken
abroad must be approved by the department. More information on EAP/OAP
is detailed in the Education Abroad Program of the UCSD General Catalog
or on their Web site http://ucsd.edu/icenter/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 UCSD. Students who transfer to UCSD 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 UCSD by all students,
including transfer students, in the art history, media, and studio majors.
Note: Rarely are community college transfer credits accepted
toward fulfilling upper-division requirements in any of the four majors,
but courses of comparable content will be considered by petition.
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 pre-professional 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
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 sequence of individual
studies 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 programs should consult
with the departmental adviser.
Double Major within the Department
There are three double majors within the Visual Arts department: 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 degree.
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 students increasing
awareness of the range of theoretical possibilities in the field. The
curriculum includes courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, performance,
photography, video, 16mm film, many offerings in art history/criticism,
as well as new courses in digital imaging and electronics.
Group I: Lower-Division
Foundation Level
Five courses required
1
2
3
22
|
Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practices
Introduction to Art Making: Motion and Time Based Art
Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices
Formations of Modern Art
|
Choose one from:
20
21
84
|
20 Introduction to Art History
21 Introduction to Non-Western Art
84 History of Film
|
Group II: Upper-Division
Entry Level
Five courses required
Note: Required for Visual Arts studio, media, and art history
majors. VIS 111 can be taken at the same time as any A series
classes or VIS 40, 60 or 70N. VIS 40, 60, or 70N can be taken to fulfill
Group II upper-division studio.
Choose four from:
40/ICAM 40
60
70N
104A
105A
106A
107A
|
Introduction to Computing in the Arts
Introduction to Photography
Introduction to Media
Performing the Self
Drawing: Representing the Subject
Painting: Image Making
Sculpture: Making the Object
|
Group III: Upper-Division
Intermediate Level
Two courses required
104BN
105B
105D
106B
107B
140/ICAM 101
147A
|
Verbal Performance
Drawing: Practices and Genre
The Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy
Painting: Practices and Genre
Sculpture: Practices and Genre
Digital Imaging: Image and Interactivity
Electronic Technologies for Art I
|
Group IV: Upper-Division
Advanced Level
Five courses required
Group A:
Choose two from:
104CN
105C
105E
106C
107CN
147B
|
Personal Narrative
Drawing: Portfolio Projects
Chinese Calligraphy as Installation
Painting: Portfolio Projects
Sculpture: Portfolio Projects
Electronic Technologies for the Art II
|
Group B:
Group A must be completed before Group B can be taken.
Choose three from:
108
110A
110B
110C
110D
110E
110F
110G
110H
110I
110J
110K
130
132
|
Advanced Projects in Art
Contemporary Issues and Practices
New Genres/New and Old Technologies
Proposals, Plans, Presentations
Visual Narrative/Tableau
Art in Public Places/Site Specific Art
Installation: Cross-Disciplinary Projects
The Natural and Altered Environment
Image and Text Art
Performing for the Camera
Ritual Performance
Installation Performance
Special Projects in Visual Arts
Installation Production and Studio
|
Group V: Upper-Division
Non-Studio
Three courses required
Upper-division art history, film history, and theory/ criticism courses
such as:
113CN*
117B*
117D*
124CN
125A
125BN
125CN
125E*
126F*
152
154
157
158
159/ICAM 150
194
|
History of Criticism III: Contemporary (1950present)
Theories of Representation
Portraiture
Nineteenth Century Art
Twentieth Century Art
Contemporary Art
Histories and Contexts of Conceptual Art
History of Performance
Western and Nonwestern Rituals and Ceremonies
Film in Social Context
Hard Look at the Movies
Video History and Criticism
Histories of Photography
History of Art and Technology
Fantasy in Film
|
*seminar
Honors Program in Studio
110M
110N
|
Studio Honors I
Studio Honors II
|
The Studio Honors I and the attached Studio Honors II count as one
course towards the fulfillment of a Group IV 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 nonwestern societies from prehistory to the
present day. Courses in criticism review the theoretical approaches
which 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 which 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.
FOUNDATION LEVELLower-Division
Five courses required
20
21
22
23
|
Introduction to Art History
Introduction to Nonwestern Art
Formations of Modern Art
Information Technologies in Art History
|
Choose one from:
1, 2, 3
60 In
70N
|
Introduction to Art-Making
Introduction to Photography
Introduction to Media
|
ADVANCED LEVELUpper-Division
Thirteen courses required
GROUP IRequired Courses
Two courses
These two courses are required for all art history and criticism majors:
111
112
|
Structure of Art*
Art Historical Methods
|
Note: Majors must complete VIS 112 by the end of their junior
year and are strongly advised to do so earlier.
* Required of Visual Arts art history, media, and studio majors.
GROUP IIDistributional Requirement
Five courses
Choose one course from each of the following areas:
A. Pre-Modern: Ancient and Medieval
120A
120B
120C
120D
121AN
121B
121C*
121D*
121E
128AN
129AN*
|
Greek Art
Roman Art
Late Antique Art
Prehistoric Art
The Idea of Medieval Art
Castles, Cathedrals, and Cities
Art and Gender in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
The Illuminated Manuscript in the Middle Ages
The Pursuit of the Millennium
Topics in Pre-Modern Art History
Special Problems in Pre-Modern Art History
|
B. Early Modern: Renaissance and Baroque
122AN
122BN
122CN
122D
122E*
123AN
123BN*
123CN*
124AN B
128BN
129BN*
|
Renaissance Art
Vision, Belief, and Civic Virtue: Italian Art of the Early Renaissance
Defining High Renaissance Art
Michelangelo
The City in Italy
Between Spirit and Flesh: Northern Art of the Early Renaissance
Jan van Eyck
Early Print Culture: The First Media Revolution
Baroque Art
Topics in Early Modern Art History
Special Problems in Early Modern Art History
|
C. Modern
124BN
124CN
125A
125BN
125CN
125DN*
125E*
128CN
129CN*
158
159/ICAM 150
|
Art and the Enlightenment
Nineteenth Century Art
Twentieth Century Art
Contemporary Art
Histories and Contexts of Conceptual Art
Marcel Duchamp
History of Performance
Topics in Modern Art History
Special Problems in Modern Art History
Histories of Photography
History of Art and Technology
|
D. Nonwestern
126AN
126BN
126CN
126DN
126E
126F*
126G*
126H*
128DN
129DN*
|
Pre-Columbian Art of Ancient Mexico and Central America
The Art and Civilization of the Ancient Maya
Art of the North American Indians
African and Afro-American Art
Oceanic Art
Western and Nonwestern Rituals and Ceremonies
Problems in Mesoamerican Art History
Problems in Ancient Mayan Iconography and Inscriptions
Topics in Nonwestern Art History
Special Problems in Nonwestern Art History
|
E. Theory
113AN*
113BN*
113CN*
114
117A*
117B*
117C*
117D*
117E*
128EN
129EN*
|
History of Criticism I: Early Modern
History of Criticism II: Early Twentieth Century (19001950)
History of Criticism III:Contemporary (1950Present)
Art Criticism
Narrative Structures
Theories of Representation
Art in Time: The Historical Dimension
Portraiture
Problems in Ethnoaesthetics
Topics in Art Theory and Criticism
Special Problems in Art Theory and Criticism
|
*seminar
Students must take at least two upper-division seminars in addition
to VIS 112 and to the course taken in fulfillment of the distribution
requirement for Theory. These two additional seminars may be taken in
fulfillment of Pre-Modern, Early Modern, Modern and Nonwestern or as
open electives.
Art history majors cannot enroll in more than one upper-division seminar
without having completed Information Technologies in Art History (VIS
23) and Art Historical Methods (VIS 112).
GROUP IIIElectives
Six courses
Students are required to take six upper-division courses in addition
to VIS 111, VIS 112 and those used to fulfill the distribution requirements.
At least three of these must be courses in art history or theory. For
the remaining three, choose from the following:
- Any upper-division art history course (s) in history or theory
- any upper-division course(s) in media history and criticism (e.g.,
VIS 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156N, 157);
- up to two upper-division courses in studio or media production;
or
- with permission of art history faculty adviser, one upper-division
course in a related department or program such as anthropology, history,
literature, or critical gender studies.
- Two two-unit curatorial practices workshop courses (VIS 127A) count
as one course towards the fulfillment of an elective.
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 UCSD.
FOUNDATION LEVELLower-Division
Six courses required
Group A
1 or 2 or 3
22
84
|
Introduction to Art Making
Formations of Modern Art
History of Film
|
Group B
40/ICAM 40
60
70N
|
Introduction to Computing in the Arts
Introduction to Photography
Introduction to Media
|
All six courses listed under Groups A and B above are required. VIS
70N is prerequisite for use of the Media Center facilities; no further
production courses may be taken until VIS 70N is completed.
INTERMEDIATE LEVELUpper-Division
Nine courses required
Group A
Six courses required
111
174
|
Structure of Art
Media Sketchbook
|
Both VIS 111 and VIS 174 are required and prerequisite to further study.
Additionally, all courses from one of the following emphases are required.
Computing Emphasis
Three courses plus one from photography or film/video
140/ICAM 101
145A/ICAM 102
145B
|
Digital Imaging: Image and Interactivity
Digital Media I: Time, Movement, Sound
Digital Media II
|
Photography Emphasis
Two courses plus two from computing or film/video
164
165
|
Photographic Strategies
Camera Techniques
|
Film and Video Emphasis
Three courses plus one from computing or photography
172
176
177
|
Studio Video
Introduction to Filmmaking
Scripting and Editing Strategies
|
GROUP BHistory, Criticism, and Theory
Three courses required
113BN
113CN
117B
150
151
152
153
154
155
156N
157
158
159/ICAM 150
|
History of Criticism II: Early Twentieth Century (19001950)
History of Criticism III: Contemporary (1950Present)
Theories of Representation
History and Art of the Silent Cinema
History of Experimental Film
Film in Social Context
The Genre Series
Hard Look at the Movies
The Director Series
Special Problems in Film History and Theory
Video History and Criticism
Histories of Photography
History of Art and Technology
|
Note: Any art history courses in Pre-Modern, Early Modern, Modern,
and Theory may be taken to fulfill the Group B requirement.
VIS 158
VIS 159/ICAM 150
|
is required for all students with a photography emphasis.
is required for all students with a computing emphasis.
|
ADVANCED LEVELUpper Division
Five courses required
180A
180B
|
Documentary Evidence and the Construction of Authenticity in
Current Media Practices
Fiction and Allegory in Current Media Practices
|
Both of the above are required. Additionally, three electives must
be taken. VIS 180A and 180B cannot be taken concurrently.
Electives
Three courses required
Computing Emphasis
147A/B
149/ICAM 130
|
Electronic Technologies for Art I and II
Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
|
Photography Electives
166
|
Advanced Camera Techniques
|
Film and Video Electives
181
182
186
|
Sound and Lighting
Advanced Editing
Advanced Filmmaking Strategies
|
VIS180A/B must be completed before any of the following four courses
may be taken; instructor approval is required to enroll:
109
131
132
197
|
Advanced Projects in Media
Special Projects in Media
Installation Production and Studio
Media Honors Thesis
|
Note: Enrollment in production courses is limited to two per
quarter. Production courses are numbered VIS 109, 131, 132, 140/ICAM
101, 141A-B, 145A/ICAM 102, 145B, 147A-B, 164-166, 172-177, and 180A-186.
Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts (ICAM)
The Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts major in the Music and
Visual Arts departments 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
Eight courses required
Arts
Four courses required
MUS 4
VIS 1
VIS 22 F
VIS 70N
|
Introduction to Western Music
Introduction to Art-Making: Two-dimensional Practices
Formations of Modern Art
Introduction to Media
|
Computer Science
One course required
CSE 11
|
Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA
|
Note: CSE 11 is an accelerated course in the JAVA programming
language. CSE 8A and 8B, which cover the same material in a non-accelerated
format, may be substituted.
Mathematics
Two courses required
MATH 20A
MATH 20B
|
Calculus for Science and Engineering
Calculus for Science and Engineering
|
Note: MATH 20A and 20B are accelerated calculus courses for
Science and Engineering. MATH 10A, 10B, and 10C, which cover similar
material in a non-accelerated format, may be substituted.
Computing and the Arts
One course required
ICAM 40/VIS 40
|
Introduction to Computing in the Arts
|
UPPER-DIVISION
Twelve courses required
Survey
One course required
ICAM 110
|
Computing in the Arts: Current Practice
|
Foundation
Three courses required
ICAM 101/VIS 140
ICAM 102/VIS 145A
ICAM 103/MUS 170
|
Digital Imaging: Image and Interactivity
Digital Media I: Time, Movement, Sound
Musical Acoustics
|
Advanced
Four courses required
ICAM 120
ICAM 130/VIS 149
VIS 109
VIS 131
VIS 132
VIS 141A
VIS 141B
VIS 145B
VIS 147A
VIS 147B
VIS 174
MUS 171
MUS 172
MUS 173
MUS 174A-B-C R
MUS 175
MUS 176
|
Virtual Environments
Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics
Advanced Projects in Media
Special Projects in Media
Installation Production and Studio
Computer Programming for the Arts I
Computer Programming for the Arts II
Digital Media II
Electronic Technologies for Art I
Electronic Technologies for Art II
Media Sketchbook
Computer Music I
Computer Music II
Audio Production: Mixing and Editing
Recording/MIDI Studio Techniques
Musical Psychoacoustics
Music Technology Seminar
|
Theory and History
Two courses required
ICAM 150/VIS 159
|
History of Art and Technology
|
and one of:
VIS 123CN
VIS 125E
VIS 150
VIS 151
VIS 152
VIS 153
VIS 154
VIS 155
VIS 156N
VIS 157
VIS 158
VIS 194
MUS 111
MUS 114
|
Early Print Culture: The First Media Revolution
History of Performance
History and Art of the Silent Cinema
History of the Experimental Film
Film in Social Context
The Genre Series
Hard Look at the Movies
The Director Series
Special Problems in Film History and Theory
Video History and Criticism
Histories of Photography
Fantasy in Film
Topics/World Music Traditions
Music of the Twentieth Century
|
Senior Project
Two courses required
ICAM 160A-B
|
Senior Project in Computer Arts
|
Note: Enrollment in production courses is limited to two per
quarter. Production courses are numbered VIS 109, 131, 132, 140/ICAM
101, 141A-B, 145A/ICAM 102, 145B, 147A-B, 174. ICAM 120, 160A-B.
Admission to the ICAM Major and to the Media Major with Computing
Emphasis
Student interest in the interdisciplinary computing and the arts major
(ICAM) and the media major with computing emphasis has been strong.
Because the department has limited resources to accommodate student
demand, it is necessary to limit admission to these majors to the most
highly qualified students. Any student admitted to UCSD beginning in
fall 2002 who wishes to declare either an ICAM major or media major
with computing emphasis will be admitted to the pre-major.
ICAM Major
Students designated as pre-majors in ICAM must complete the following
eight required lower-division courses within six quarters (by the end
of their sophomore years):
MUS 4
VIS 1
ICAM 40/VIS 40 A
MATH 20A**
MATH 20B**
CSE 11*
VIS 22
VIS 70N
|
Introduction to Western Music
Introduction to Art-Making: Two-dimensional Practices
Introduction to Computing in the Arts
Calculus
Calculus
Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA
Formations of Modern Art
Introduction to Media
|
*CSE 11 is an accelerated course in the JAVA programming language.
CSE 8A and CSE 8B, which cover the same material in a non-accelerated
format, may be substituted.
** MATH 20A and 20B are accelerated calculus courses for Science and
Engineering. MATH 10A, 10B, and 10C, which cover similar material in
a non-accelerated format, may be substituted.
Media Major with Computing Emphasis
Students designated as pre-majors in media with computing emphasis
must complete the following six required lower-division courses within
six quarters (i.e., by the end of their sophomore years):
Group A (3 courses)
VIS 1
|
Introduction to Art-Making: Two-dimensional Practices,
|
or
VIS 2
|
Introduction to Art-Making: Motion and Time-Based Art,
|
or
VIS 3
VIS 22
VIS 84
|
VIS 3 Introduction to Art-Making: Three-dimensional Practices
VIS 22 Formations of Modern Art
VIS 84 History of Film
|
Group B (3 courses)
VIS 40/ICAM 40
VIS 60
VIS 70N
|
VIS 40/ Introduction to Computing in the Arts
VIS 60 Introduction to Photography
VIS 70N Introduction to Media
|
Applying to the Majors
Upon completion of all required lower-division courses, pre-majors
who seek entrance to either the ICAM major or the media with computing
emphasis must formally apply at the visual arts department Undergraduate
Program Office. Admission to these majors will be based on the following
criteria: 1. Performance in the lower-division courses as measured by
a GPA of 3.0 or higher, determined by the department on an annual basis.
2. Submission to the department of a portfolio of work demonstrating
superior progress as a pre-major. The portfolio for both majors will
consist of at least two projects that the student has produced in ICAM
40/VIS 40, in another digital arts class, or independently, that in
the facultys judgment demonstrate that the student possesses the
artistic ability and technical skills to perform at a high level in
upper-division courses in the majors. Pre-majors should consult an adviser
in visual arts as to the form in which projects should be submitted
(disk, slides, tapes, etc.).
Transfer Students
Beginning in fall 2002, transfer students who wish to declare an ICAM
major or media with computing emphasis are subject to the majors
admissions policies: that is, they will be admitted initially as pre-majors,
apply to the major on the same basis as other students, and be subject
to the same requirements with respect to lower-division courses, grade-point
average, and portfolio evaluation. Transfers entering with 36 or more
quarter units must apply for admission to the major no later than their
third quarter of study at UCSD. At the time of admission to the pre-major,
transfer students transcripts will be evaluated by the department
to determine what courses completed elsewhere, if any, may be petitioned
as equivalent to required courses. Students should be prepared to provide
course descriptions and other materials that may be required to determine
the content of such courses.
Continuing Students (Students admitted prior to fall 2002)
Any student admitted to UCSD before fall 2002 may declare an ICAM major
or media major with computing emphasis by completing a Change of Major
form at the Registrars Office, attending a departmental orientation
meeting, and obtaining a department stamp.
Policies Relating to the ICAM Major and the Media Major with Computing
Emphasis
Satisfactory Progress
Any ICAM major or media major with computing emphasis whose GPA in
courses required for the major drops below 2.0 will be placed on probationary
status the following quarter. If, during that probationary quarter,
the GPA does not move back to up 2.0 or better, he or she will be dropped
from the major.
Prerequisites
Students are required to complete all prerequisites prior to enrolling
in any course required for the major. Exceptions must be negotiated
with the instructor of the course in question, in consultation with
a visual arts adviser.
Limitations to Enrollment by Non-Majors
A department stamp is required for all upper-division courses in computing
in the arts. Because ICAM and media with computing emphasis are impacted
majors, first preference in enrollment in upper-division computing in
the arts will be given to those two majors and to music majors with
a technology concentration. Second preference will be given to other
visual arts and music majors. Other students will be admitted to these
courses only if space is available.
Master of Fine Arts Program
The program is designed to provide intensive professional training
for the student who proposes to pursue a career within the field of
artincluding art making, criticism, and theory. The scope of the
UCSD program includes painting, sculpture, performance, environmental
art, photography, film, video, and digital media. The program is unique
in that the course of study provides for and encourages student mobility
within this range of traditional and media-based components. It also
offers opportunities for collaborative work.
The educational path of students is focused around their particular
interests in art. The department seeks to provide an integrated and
comprehensive introduction to the possibilities of contemporary art
production, the intellectual structures which underlie them, and the
world view which they entail. All art-making activities
are considered serious intellectual endeavors, and all students in the
program find themselves confronted by the need to develop their intellectual
and critical abilities in the working out of their artistic positions.
A body of theory-oriented courses is required. Therefore, we have no
craft-oriented programs or facilities; nor do we have any courses in
art education or art therapy. The courses offered are intended to develop
in the student a coherent and informed understanding of the past and
recent developments in art and art theory. The program also provides
for establishing a confident grasp of contemporary technological possibilities,
including those involved in film, video, photography, and the electronic
media.
The program includes formal education in lecture and seminar courses
as well as study groups, studio meetings, and quarterly departmental
critiques. Course work is intended to place art making in critical and
intellectual context but doesnt underestimate the central importance
of the students own work. In fact, this aspect of the students
activity is expected to be self-motivated and forms the core around
which the program of study operates and makes sense.
No two students will necessarily follow the same path through the degree
program, and the constitution of individual programs will depend upon
the analysis of their individual needs and interests, worked out by
students in collaboration with their individual faculty advisers.
Admission Requirements
Grade-Point AverageAn overall GPA of 3.00 and a 3.50 in
a students undergraduate major is required.
Art HistoryStudents are expected to have had at least
four semester courses or six quarter courses in art history and/or film
history/criticism at the undergraduate level. Those who have a broader
art history background will have a better chance of being awarded teaching
assistantships. Students without this requirement can be admitted, but
they may be expected to make up the six courses in excess of the seventy-two
units required for the degree. If there are questions concerning this
requirement, check with the department.
StatementStudents are required to submit an essay of approximately
three pages on the direction of their work and its relationship to contemporary
art. This essay should be critical in nature, refer explicitly to the
students own work, and may refer to other artists, recent events
in art history, and issues in domains other than art that have bearing
on the students process, thought, and work.
WorkStudents are asked to submit documentation of their
best work in a suitable format such as slides, videotape, film, diskettes,
CD-ROMs, photographs, etc. These will be returned upon review of the
application. It is necessary to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope
for return of work.
Regular University Admission Policies
Please note that no application will be processed until all required
information has been received. Students should submit applications with
the application fee to the graduate admissions office on or before Monday,
February 2, 2004. Portfolio, statement, letters of recommendation, and
official transcripts should be sent directly to the department.
Requirements for the Degree
The M.F.A. Is considered the terminal degree in studio work, and is
a two- to three-year program. The following requirements must be completed
in order to receive the M.F.A.:
First Year ReviewThis review takes place in the third quarter
in residence. Students make a formal presentation of their work to a
faculty committee; this includes a position paper and an oral examination.
This presentation is considered a departmental examination, and if at
its conclusion the students work is judged to be inadequate, the
student may be dismissed regardless of GPA, or may be reviewed again
in the fourth quarter.
Seventy-two units of course work, including a four-unit apprentice
teaching course, are required. Students may select sixteen of these
units (four courses) from upper-division undergraduate course offerings.
(See listings in this catalog.) There are five required Visual Arts
seminars:
- Introduction to Graduate Studies in the Visual Arts (VIS 200)
- Contemporary Critical Issues (VIS 201)
- Art Practice Seminar (VIS 202)
- Working Critique Seminar (VIS 203)
- one course in either Art Practice/Theory group or the Art History/Theory/Criticism
group
Specific information on other course distribution requirements can
be obtained from the department. One additional graduate course is required
and must be taken in another department.
The M.F.A. Final Presentation
Presentation of WorkDuring the last quarter in residence, each
student is required to present to the public a coherent exhibition or
screening of his or her work.
Oral ExaminationA committee of three Department of Visual Arts
faculty members and one faculty member from another department will
administer an oral examination to each student covering the students
work and its relationship to the field of art.
ThesisStudents are required to submit some form of written work
for the M.F.A. degree. Four options are available:
- CatalogThe student would design and have printed an actual
catalog. This would include a critical essay of approximately 1,500
words.
- Critical paperThe student would write a critical paper of
3,000 words analyzing his or her process and the relationship of his
or her work to recent art history, with references to contemporary
styles and specific artists.
- Analytical essay on some phase of artStudents who have focused
on both art production and art criticism would write a 3,000 word
critical essay on any current art position. A brief discussion (750
words) of the students work would also be included.
- Critical thesisStudents whose emphasis is essentially criticism
and who do not present an M.F.A. exhibition would write a forty- to
fifty-page thesisthe topic to be decided by the student and
his or her adviser.
Applications and additional information can be obtained from the graduate
office of the Department of Visual Arts.
Ph.D. Program
The Department of Visual Arts offers the Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in
art history, theory, and criticism with concentrations in any of the
areas in which faculty do research (see below). Offering a distinct
alternative to other programs in the field, the program centers on a
unique curriculum that places at the center of inquiry art works and
practices, both past and present, and encompassing fine art, media,
and mass culture, even as it encourages examination of the larger frameworkshistorical,
cultural, social, intellectual, and theoreticalwithin which the
category art has been contextualized in the most recent
developments in the discipline.
This program is also distinctive in that it is housed within a department
that has been for many years one of the nations leading centers
of art practice and graduate education in studio, media, andmost
recentlydigital media. The offering of the Ph.D. And M.F.A. degrees
is based on the departments foundational premise that the production
of art and the critical, theoretical, and historical reflection upon
it inherently and necessarily participate in a single discursive community.
The innovative character of this program is most evident in a unique
curricular structure that is broadly organize into three groups of seminars.
The importance of critical theory to the field today is reflected in
the seminars under the heading Theories/New Visions group, while the
study of art in its concrete historical, social, and cultural contexts,
across different cultures and media, is emphasized in time, place, and
media specific seminars listed under Times/Terrains.
The program builds most distinctively on recent developments in the
field in the seminars under the heading Categories/Constructs. These
seminars address the core questions about artworks and practices that
the department believes every doctoral student in art and media history,
whatever his or her area of specialization, should be challenged to
engage. How is the category art itself produced, now and
in the past, in the urbanized west and in other cultures, and for what
classes of people? How are artistic identities constructed across distinct
epochs and societies, and with reference to categories such as gender
and ethnicity? What are the circumstances and contexts (social, intellectual,
institutional, and the like) within which art is both produced and disseminated?
What are the alternative modes of engaging art objects and practices
and what are the histories and theoretical assumptions of the specialized
languages used to describe and analyze them?
Seminars in the Categories/Constructs group are unique in the degree
to which they foreground the self-critical turn in recent art and media
history by making reflection upon the central concepts, constructs,
categories, and languages of art historical inquiry a central and systematic
programmatic concern. They are also distinctive in that they are designed
to cut across traditional categories of history and contemporaneity,
art and media (film, video, photography, digital media), history and
theory, and to promote cross-cultural inquiry insofar as they center
on questions crucial to the study of art of diverse cultures as well
as diverse art forms and historical epochs.
Admission
Applicants may apply to the Ph.D. program only. For circumstances under
which the M.A. is granted, see below. Prior to matriculation, students
must have obtained a bachelors or masters degree in art
history, art practice, or another field approved by the departmental
committee on graduate studies, such as (but not limited to) history,
literature, anthropology, or philosophy.
Applicants must submit their academic transcripts, scores on the Graduate
Record Examination, three letters of recommendation, a statement of
purpose (no more than 750 words), and a sample of written work (e.g.,
senior honors thesis, M.A. thesis, or other research or critical paper,
preferably in art or media history). An overall GPA of 3.00 and a 3.50
in a students undergraduate major are required. The Test of English
as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international applicants.
Applicants must have a good reading knowledge of at least one of the
foreign languages required for graduate study, normally either French
or German, at the time they enter the program.
Please note that no application will be processed until all required
information has been received. Students should submit applications with
the application fee to the graduate admissions office on or before Monday,
February 2, 2004. Statements of purpose, writing samples, and letters
of recommendation should be sent directly to the department.
Areas of Concentration
During the first year of study, each student must declare an area of
major concentration in consultation with his or her individual faculty
adviser and with the approval of the Ph.D. graduate adviser. The major
concentration may be selected from the following: ancient art; medieval
art; renaissance art; early modern art; modern art (nineteenth and twentieth
centuries); contemporary art; media studies (film, video, photograph,
digital media); Meso-American art. A student may also choose, in consultation
with his or her adviser and the Ph.D. Graduate adviser, a field of emphasis
that cuts across the areas within the department (e.g., art or media
theory and criticism) or, with appropriate approvals, one that involves
another department (e.g., early modern art history and history). Once
the field of emphasis is established, it will be the responsibility
of the student and his or her adviser to devise a program of courses,
independent study and outside reading, over and above the required program,
that will ensure that the student will attain command of the major field
of emphasis.
Course Work
A normal full-time program consists of 12 units per quarter. Prior
to the qualifying examination, students will be expected to complete
84 units, equivalent to 21 four-unit courses. This 21-course requirement
will normally be satisfied by a combination of graduate seminars, reading
courses, independent study, and apprentice teaching. No more than three
may be apprentice teaching; no more than two may be reading courses;
and no more than two may be graduate seminars in art practice or art
practice/theory. By reading course, we mean an upper-division undergraduate
course which a student takes with additional reading and writing requirements.
Full-time study is expected; part-time study will be considered on a
case-by-case basis and for a limited time.
All students are required to take the following seminars in their first
year of study: VIS 200 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Visual Art
and VIS 204 Re-Thinking Art History. Students must also take, at some
point, one seminar from the Art Practice/Theory group, VIS 210-VIS 219.
One four-unit apprentice teaching course is also required.
In order to ensure that students attain a reasonable measure of historical
and cultural breadth, all students are required to take one seminar
from at least four of the following areas: 1) ancient or medieval art;
2) renaissance or early modern art; 3) modern or contemporary art; 4)
media studies; 5) non-western art.
If a student has completed some graduate work in art history, theory,
and criticism before entering UCSD, there may be some appropriate adjustments
in course work as approved by petition to the Ph.D. Graduate adviser
and the department chair.
Foreign Language Requirements
Students will be required to demonstrate reading knowledge of at least
two of the foreign languages required for advanced study in art history,
theory, and criticism. Normally one of these should be either French
or German, and the other should be the language most directly relevant
to the students area of specialization. The student and his or
her individual adviser will jointly determine the examination languages.
Foreign language requirements will normally be satisfied by passing
examinations requiring sight translation of texts in art history, theory,
and criticism. No student who has not passed one such examination will
be admitted to second-year study, and no student who has not passed
two will be admitted to third-year study.
Examinations
No later than the end of the second year, the student, in consultation
with his or her individual adviser, will form a qualifying examination
committee which will consist of at least three members drawn from the
visual arts department faculty and one drawn from another department.
This committee will conduct the qualifying examination required by university
policy and oversee completion of the dissertation. The membership of
the committee must be approved by the Ph.D. Graduate adviser and ultimately
the dean of Graduate Studies. The qualifying examination will consist
of a three-hour written examination, followed within the next two days
by a two-hour oral examination, in the students major field. A
student must have completed all required course work and passed all
language examinations before taking the qualifying examination, which
will be held no later than the end of the third year. Upon successful
completion of the qualifying examination, the student will be advanced
to candidacy.
A student who fails either the written or the oral examination may
petition the committee and Ph.D. Graduate adviser to repeat the examination.
Any student who fails a second time will not be advanced to candidacy.
In some cases, the committee and graduate program director may judge
such student eligible to receive a terminal M.A. (see below).
Dissertation
Following successful completion of the qualifying examinations, the
student will complete a doctoral dissertation in his or her field of
emphasis. Upon selection of the dissertation topic, a colloquium will
be held at which the student will present a prospectus that outlines
the topic and program of research for discussion by the graduate group
and for approval by his or her committee. After the committee has reviewed
the finished dissertation, the student will defend his or her thesis
orally. In exceptional cases, the thesis defense may be waived by unanimous
agreement of the committee members and the Ph.D. Graduate adviser.
Normative Time from Matriculation to Degree
The student will normally advance to candidacy in two and one-half
to three years and must be advanced to candidacy by the end of four
years. He or she will normally complete the research for and writing
of the dissertation by the end of his or her sixth year of study. Total
university support may not exceed seven years, and total registered
time at UCSD may not exceed eight years.
M.A. Degree
All students will apply for and be admitted to the Ph.D. Program An
M.A. degree may be awarded to continuing Ph.D. students upon successful
completion of the following: (1) at least 12 four-unit courses, including
VIS 200 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Visual Art, VIS 204 Rethinking
Art History, and one seminar from the group VIS 210-219; (2) the written
portion of the qualifying examination (see Examinations above); (3)
one language examination; and (4) an M.A. thesis. The M.A. is not automatically
awarded; students must apply in advance to the Ph.D. Graduate adviser
and in accordance with university procedures, no later than the first
two weeks of the quarter in which they expect to receive the degree.
Students who demonstrate minimal competence on the qualifying examination,
but not sufficient competence to continue in the program, may be awarded
a terminal M.A. upon completion of the requirements set forth in the paragraph
above.
Visual Arts
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