|
|
Course Catalog 2010-2011 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Art
|
|
 Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
Susan Kane, Professor of Art; Department Co-Chair
Johnny Coleman, Associate Professor of Art and African American Studies; Department Co-Chair
Bonnie Cheng, Associate Professor of Art and East Asian Studies
Julia Christensen, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Don Harvey, Visiting Asst. Professor of Art
John Harwood, Assistant Professor of Art
Erik Inglis, Associate Professor of Art
Christina Neilson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Pipo Nguyen-Duy, Associate Professor of Art
Arzu Ozkal-Telhan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
John Pearson, Eva and John Young-Hunter Professor of Studio Art
Sarah Schuster, Associate Professor of Art
Susan Umbenhour, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Nanette Yannuzzi Macias, Associate Professor of Art
The Department of Art faculty consists of a nearly even number of artists and art historians. These numbers underscore the department’s interest in, and commitment to, a balanced study of the visual arts in a liberal arts curriculum. The Allen Memorial Art Museum is an important resource for art students. Courses routinely meet there and students have the opportunity to participate in the Museum’s Docent program. Introductory courses—whether in studio or art history—presuppose that the student has no prior experience in art. The three majors offered—art history, studio, and visual arts—are designed to offer individuals a solid preparation for graduate school or a career in art-related fields.
Advanced Placement. A grade of 5 on the AP exam in Art History may be transferred as three general credits to the Oberlin transcript. However, the department offers no major credit, and no exemption from major requirements, for AP work in Art History. The Department offers no credit and no exemption for AP work in Studio Art.
Entry-level course suggested sequence:
- Art History. Prospective majors are advised to take all required introductory courses and to fulfill the history and language requirements as early as possible in their college careers.
- Studio Art. It is highly advisable for those intending to major in Studio Art to take one or more “Visual Concepts and Processes” courses as early as possible and have an advisor in Studio Art. First-year students and sophomores considering the major should consult with one of the studio instructors in planning their programs.
- For those students considering a major in Studio Art, it is recommended that you make every effort to take four courses towards your major by the end of your sophomore year.
Majors in the Art Department:
The Department of Art insists that its programs of major study be deeply integrated with the overall liberal arts education that Oberlin both endorses and offers. In planning their programs of study, students should therefore keep in mind the fact that all three major programs may be completed within the two final years of work towards the BA degree. Requirements for the three majors are as follows:
Art History
The department offers Art History courses in four separate groups. Courses with 100 and 200 numbers provide a broad introduction to the field and are open without prerequisite. Courses with 300 and 400 numbers comprise the core of the major in Art History, and are available only to students who have completed the prerequisites or have received the instructor’s consent to enroll.
- Courses in the 100-numbered group have been designed to provide broad, synthetic overviews of Art History as an intellectual enterprise. In this group are both large lecture courses and First-Year Seminars. Note: The First-Year Seminars meet none of the requirements for completing the major in Art History and may not be applied towards major credit. No more than one 100-numbered large lecture course may count towards the major.
- 200-numbered courses provide entry into the Art History curriculum by introducing students to the methods and concepts peculiar to the discipline. They place particular emphasis on acquiring the visual skills necessary for the close, analytical scrutiny of works of art. To that end, these courses make intensive use of the collections of the Allen Memorial Art Museum. The 200-numbered courses give access to courses numbered 300 and 400, and are among the major requirements.
- 300-numbered courses provide lectures on the major periods and styles in the art-historical fields taught in the Department.
- 400-numbered courses focus on selected problems in art history in a discussion-oriented format. They treat themes, techniques, traditions of representation, or particular critical issues.
At the 300- and 400-levels, students pursue advanced topics that provide training in art-historical research and writing. Some majors complete their work in the department in the year-long Honors (500-numbered) Program.
|
Major in Art History
This major requires at least 30 credits in the Art Department. These credits must include a minimum of 24 credits in Art History and three credits in Studio Art.
- Major requirements within the department are:
- Six 3-credit courses distributed as follows:
- one 200-level course
- three 300-level courses
- two 400–level courses
- At least one and no more than two 3-credit courses in Studio Art
- Stipulations:
- At least one Art History course must focus on non-western art.
- Of the six required courses, four must be taught by different instructors in the department.
- No more than 6 hours on the 100- and 200-level may count toward the major.
- Major requirements outside the department are:
- Two 3-credit History courses in two different periods or cultures (may be courses cross-listed with History by other departments, such as Classics, African American Studies, or East Asian Studies).
- A demonstrated ability to read a foreign language at the level of competence equal to two semesters of introductory language study at Oberlin. Students may meet this requirement in a number of ways, including but not limited to: (1) completing a two-semester introductory language course at Oberlin; (2) placing above the first-year level on a placement test administered by one of the language departments; or (3) transferring the equivalent of an Oberlin introductory language course taken elsewhere.
For students who are considering graduate work in Art History, the department strongly recommends advanced language courses. In general, within the first year of graduate study in any field of Western art, students are expected to demonstrate reading competency in French and German; for East Asian Art students will need a working knowledge of Japanese and/or Chinese. Depending on the area of specialization, other languages may also be necessary, e.g. Greek, Latin, or Italian.
- A grade of D may not be counted toward the art history major.
Transfer of Credit to the Art History Major
A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred to
the Art History major for work completed at other institutions. The department grants transfer
credit from other accredited institutions of higher education only. Note: Students who plan to
transfer credit for courses taken away from Oberlin must obtain the department’s approval of the
course of study well in advance of their departure. Minor in Art History
Students with 15 or more credits in Art History may graduate with a
minor in Art History entered on their transcripts. No more than three credits may be transferred
for the minor in Art History; departmental approval is required for such transfers (see section on
Major or Minor Credit for off-campus study). Note: Students are responsible for notifying the
Office of the Registrar if they wish to have the minor in Art History entered on their transcripts. Major in Studio Art
No fewer than 30 hours. A Studio Art major must have taken at least one course with at least four different studio instructors before enrolling in the Senior Studio and Thesis.
Required courses are:
- Four “Visual Concepts and Processes” courses (Senior Studio and Thesis may substitute for one of the four required “Visual Concepts and Processes” course and, under special circumstances, a problems level course may substitute for one “Visual Concepts and Processes course). Vis/Pro courses may be repeated for credit if taken with a different instructor.
- Two “Problems in: (Discipline): (Title)” courses (These courses may be repeated one time only for credit with the consent of the instructor).
- Two courses in Art History, one of which must be in 19th- and/or 20th-century art, and one in an earlier field or “Approaches to Western Art.” Only courses with a grade of C–/P/CR or better may be counted toward the Studio Art major. It is recommended that students interested in majoring in Studio Art take the 19th and 20th century course in Art History as early in their program as they can.
- Courses in African American Studies “Talking Book”, “Blues Aesthetic: Continuity and Transformation”, and “Something From Something” may be counted towards Studio majors and minors.
Major in Visual Art
This major is offered within the Studio Division of the Art Department. It allows individual students greater flexibility for pursuing an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the visual arts. Concentrations in this major permits students to study art within a particular social or historical context – urban or environmental studies, critical theory, museum studies, or art conservation. In addition this major can serve students wishing to pursue projects in the creative arts that may combine for example creative writing, theater, dance, music, performance art, or architectural design. It may also be designed to accommodate students who wish to study more wide-ranging topics such as environmental aspects of art and/or architecture, art in the context of another discipline such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, critical or cultural studies, art and the law, arts management, multi-media work in computer science, music, or even such disciplines as geology.
Only courses with a grade of C–/P/CR or better may be counted toward the Visual Arts major. Requirements of the Visual Art Major Include
The Visual Arts major consists of 36 hours. Students should be aware
that 12 of the required 36 hours make up the Concentration for the
Visual Arts Major. Students should therefore consult with an additional
advisor in the appropriate department or program offering the
coursework for this concentration. Students interested in this major
must consult with members of the Studio Art division in the Art
Department for further information.
A Visual Arts major must be grounded in Studio Art coursework.
Twenty-four hours must be within the Studio division of the Art
Department. Of those 24 hours, students are required to take 9 hours of
the Visual Concepts and Processes level courses, 3 hours of Problems
In: (Discipline), and three hours of Art History. The remaining nine
credits may be chosen by the student in consultation with her/his
Studio Art advisor.
Students are required to work with an advisor in the Studio division
of the Art Department to create a written proposal that explains the
rationale for this major, namely how the two disciplines (studio art
and the chosen concentration) are closely interwoven. A one-page
statement is sufficient. This proposal must be approved by your studio
art advisor and signed by the department chair before it can be
formally declared with the Office of the Registrar. A copy of this
proposal remains with your advisor and on file in the Art Department
office. Because this major requires more advanced planning than the
standard Studio Art major, it is required that it be declared at the
beginning of the junior year. Any revisions to the proposed
Visual Arts major must be re-submitted to the student’s Studio Art
advisor for approval. Visual Arts majors are strongly urged to
apply for the Senior Studio and Thesis (SST) course. Admittance to SST,
a one-year production/seminar course, is by portfolio only.
Applications are available in the Art Department office. In order to
adequately prepare for admittance to SST students must consult their
Art Department advisor in the first semester of their junior year.
The Concentration in the Visual Arts Major
As noted above, the Visual Arts major requires students to take 12 hours of study in an area outside of the Art Department and include this as part of their major. Students must be clear in their proposal as to why these particular courses are relevant to their Visual Arts major. This is done in consultation with an advisor in the Studio Art division of the Art Department. Transfer of Credit/Major Credit for Off-Campus Study
The Art Department’s preliminary approval must be obtained before beginning work away from Oberlin if this work is to be counted as credit for the major. Students must receive tentative prior approval from the Chairperson of the Art Department before leaving campus. On return, students must supply both an official transcript and evidence of the nature of the work done. Such requests, as well as those of transfer students, will be handled on an individual basis. The department is not obliged to give credit for work that fails to fit the general patterns of the Oberlin curriculum or that fails to come up to Oberlin’s standards, no matter how valuable a student feels the experience has been, or how much time and effort has been expended.
Art History: No more than 12 credits may be transferred to an Art History major, unless the courses were taken in an Oberlin-affiliated program. Students should submit transcripts, syllabi, class notes, term papers, and examinations in order to obtain final approval for credit.
Studio Art: No more than six credits may be transferred to a Studio Art major. Students should submit transcripts and Syllabi to their advisors to obtain major credit for work completed at other accredited institutions.
Visual Arts: No more than six credits of studio art may transfer towards this major. Minor in Art History or Studio Art/Transfer of Credit
Students with 15 or more credits in Art History may graduate with a minor in Art History entered on their transcripts. Students with 15 or more credits in Studio Art may graduate with a minor in Studio Art entered on their transcripts. These Studio Art courses must be taken in at least three fields with three instructors. There is no minor in Visual Arts.
No more than three credits may be transferred for the minor in Art History; departmental approval is required for such transfers (see the section “Transfer of Credit/Major Credit for Off-Campus Study” above). No credit may be transferred to the minor in Studio Art.
Note: Students are responsible for notifying the Office of the Registrar if they wish to have the minor either in Art History or Studio Art entered on their transcripts. Honors Program
Honors Program.
Honors Program. Admission to the Honors Program is at the discretion of the department. There are three paths to honors in the Art Department, dependent on one’s major, Art History, Studio Art, or Visual Art. In art history, projects generally begin in one of two ways. An instructor may approach a student in his or her junior year and indicate a willingness to work with that student towards Honors. Alternatively, before spring break of the junior year, a student may broach the topic with his or her academic advisor, following which he or she may then approach a specific instructor whose interests coincide with the student’s. If the instructor agrees, the student collaborates with the instructor to develop a project proposal. This proposal must be submitted to the Art Department’s art history faculty by the instructor who will sponsor the Honors project by the end of the spring semester of the junior year. Students who are away from Oberlin in this semester may submit a proposal on the last Friday before orientation begins in the fall. Final credit will depend upon effective presentation of the results of such studies. In Art History, Honors students are required to take ARTS 401:Research Methods and Resource/Visual Art.
Studio Art and Visual Art majors may apply for honors using the following paths. Students advised to apply to the Senior Studio and Thesis course, (see description and timeline under Senior Studio and Thesis) are simultaneously applying for honors as it is assumed that all students accepted into the SST are on an honors track. Students may also declare their interest in honors with their art department advisor, following which he or she may then approach a specific instructor whose interests coincide with the student’s. If the instructor agrees, the student collaborates with the instructor to develop a project proposal. This proposal must be submitted to the Art Department faculty by the instructor who will sponsor the Honors project before spring break of the junior year. Final honors credit will be dependent upon effective presentation of the results of such studies. There are other advanced course options for majors who do not take senior studio.
GLCA Arts Program in New York
The program consists of a semester of work, normally in the junior year, combining an internship in an artist’s studio, or one of a variety of other artconnected organizations and agencies, with a seminar in the arts of the city, and an independent study. Successful completion earns 15 hours of credit towards graduation; these credits cannot count as major credit towards any of the departmental majors. Winter Term
Various Winter Term projects, including off-campus projects such as gallery or
museum internships or studio assistantships with artists, and on-campus ones such as supervised
individual or group research projects, are typically sponsored by members of the Art Department. Preparation for Further Professional Study
Students interested in preparing for graduate
studies in Studio Art, Museum Studies, and Art Conservation should consider the following
programs of study:
- Studio Art. It is suggested that studio art majors who wish to prepare for graduate study
leading to the MFA degree take as many studio courses as allowed and it is strongly
recommended that they apply for Senior Studio and Thesis. Many of the candidates
competing for the limited number of placements in graduate schools will have received the
BFA (studio) degree (not offered at Oberlin) and have earned a substantially higher
number of studio credits than those required for the studio major at Oberlin.
- Museum Studies. Students wishing to pursue a museum career are advised to consult
with the curatorial staff of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at their earliest convenience.
There are both research and teaching opportunities as curatorial interns and docents
available to interested and qualified students. Either an Art History or a Visual Arts major
would provide suitable pre-graduate school preparation for this field. Knowledge of a
relevant foreign language (French, German, Chinese, Japanese) is essential for museum
curatorial work and helpful preparation for other areas of the museum profession, such as
administration or education.
- Conservation of Art. It is suggested that students who wish to prepare for graduate study
in Art Conservation fulfill the requirements for the BA with a major in either Art History,
Visual Arts, or Studio Art. Most schools of conservation require between 18 to 21 hours of
art history, between 8 and 15 hours of studio, and a portfolio. Additionally, most schools
require: a reading knowledge of German, French or Italian, two classes in organic
chemistry with labs, and an additional one or two science courses with labs. The following
may also be useful: Physical Chemistry 309; GEOL 201 Mineralogy, PHYS 103-104 or
PHYS 110, 111. For further information, consult with Mr. Inglis.
- Classical Archeology. Students interested in classical archeology as a profession should
note the availability of a concentration in classical archeology within the Archeological
Studies Major. For further information, see the separate listing under Archeological
Studies above, or consult Ms. Kane in the Art Department.
Art History - Introductory Courses for a General Audience
Art History - 300-Level Lecture Courses
Courses require one 200-level course or an equivalent as a prerequisite. Art History - 400 Level Seminars
Art History - 400 Level Advanced
Studio
The aim of all studio courses is to enhance students’ awareness of and sensitivity to the visual
arts through engaging in the actual intellectual and technical processes by which works of art
come into being. Students learn to perceive the world in visual terms and to conceptualize their
perceptions through their own work. They also become familiar with selected techniques of artmaking
and with examples of those techniques by significant artists through the study of the art
both past and present.
Students planning to complete their studies with the Bachelor’s degree in art should
recognize that the fine arts curriculum at Oberlin is designed primarily as an integral part of the
liberal arts program of the College, and not as specialized technical training. Studying art at
Oberlin does provide a solid foundation for students who wish to proceed into formal
professional training at the graduate level or to continue their development as artists on their own.
The purchase of textbooks is not usually required for studio courses. It is necessary for each
student to purchase expendable supplies as required and/or to pay a fee for expendable materials
supplied by the department. Students should realize that studio art practices can often be quite
expensive.
The size and facilities of the department are limited. Therefore, it is impossible to offer work
in every field of student interest; however, credit can be arranged for off-campus study in areas
not available at Oberlin. A program of study must have the prior approval of the department. See
Introduction: Major or Minor Credit for Off-Campus Study.
Students absent from the first studio session in any course will be dropped from the
enrollment list. Visual Concepts and Process Courses
Read the following course descriptions carefully. The courses listed below are designed to
offer students an introduction to art by encountering a diverse range of concepts, attitudes, and
approaches through the direct “hands-on” procedure of exploring a wide variety of art media and
processes. General focus will be upon the disciplines specified in the course title suffix, but
coverage will not be limited to the conventional assumptions about these disciplines. These
courses may be repeated if taken with a different instructor. Courses With Prerequisites or Consent of Instructor: “Problems in: (Discipline/Title)”
Material covered in these courses will correspond generally with the boundaries as specified in the course descriptions listed below. The instructors in each course will pay special attention to the individual requirements of each student. Courses in this sequence may be elected more than once. These courses may be taken only by consent of the instructor.Senior Studio and Thesis
Visual Arts and Studio Arts majors are strongly urged to apply for the
Senior Studio and Thesis (SST) course. Admittance to SST, a
one-year production/seminar course, is by portfolio only. Students
interested in Senior Studio and Thesis are strongly encouraged
to take at least one course with at least four different studio
instructors before enrolling in Senior Studio and Thesis. In
order to adequately prepare for admittance to SST, students must
consult their Art Department advisor in the first semester of their
junior year. Applications are available in the Art Department
Office.
|
Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
|
|
