Learning outcomes

Students will:

• Develop an understanding of the power and unique role of art/art making in society.
• Develop a lifetime appreciation for art as a means of enrichment and learning.
• Develop an understanding of how art reflects and shapes cultural values and mirrors contemporary social history.
• Recognize the transference of culture and ideas through resolved artistic practices.
• Recognize that art making can be a useful tool for learning.
• Recognize and utilize the foundation skills of art in their own work.
• Understand the need for continual technical and intellectual growth.
• Develop the ability to think critically about art and art making.

To prepare students for the information revolution by encouraging the development of computer literacy specific to the discipline of art, students will:

• Learn to compose, edit and revise using the computer, particularly and PowerPoint, Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Learn how to use the Internet for research.
• Know how to use art research databases.
• Identify the importance of digital media in the contemporary art world.

To develop in students a verbal and technical proficiency in the foundations of art, students will:

• Complete the foundations program of the Art major in the proper order and build upon these technical skills in upper-division courses.
• Learn to evaluate their work and that of others using the following criteria:
• Craftsmanship
• Inventiveness
• Verbal skills in discussing work
• Ability to discuss related art historical material

To develop in students the ability to think critically about art and art making, students will:

• Demonstrate their ability to explore personal and cultural assumptions about creativity in art making.
• Learn how to write formal critiques of contemporary
   and historical artwork.
• Learn how to write formal research papers on works of art that
   look at the work as a cultural artifact of its time.
• Prepare a reflective and critical thesis to go along
   with their senior exhibition.

To develop in students a manual dexterity and the ability to excel in one medium taught in the department, students will:

• Be able to confidently demonstrate and explain nuances of a given medium to students just entering lower-division instruction in that medium.
• Exhibit intellectual and technical proficiency and exploration in the medium of their choice.

To develop in students a respect for the power of art in society, students will:

• Demonstrate an awareness of the impact of art and visual culture on history, politics and culture, in general.
• View art and art making as a major force in the development of history, society and culture.
• Develop an awareness of, and appreciation for, the great diversity found in the art world.

To encourage lifelong artistic exploration, both technical and historical, students will:

• Develop a sophisticated understanding of art practices that build lifelong artistic habits.
• Develop a confidence in exploring artworks considered to be intellectually intimidating.
• Be encouraged to explore the rich visual culture of their own community in an attempt to build a lifelong sense of connection and its importance.