Visual Studies Minor (Social Sciences and History Peak)
SSH PEAK
Visual studies, sometimes also known as visual culture studies, seeks to understand the many ways that we see, and are made to see, the world and the role that visual images play. While such imagery includes works of art, it also encompasses the imagery of movies, plays, advertisements, scientific illustrations, political posters, fashion, pornography, comics, graphic novels, web pages, YouTube, and many other areas of visual culture.
Students of visual studies analyze how the design of images (that is, their use of formal elements such as line, shape, value, texture, and color), the combinations of text and image, how the media disseminates them, their sequential arrangements (in the case of narrative imagery), their choice of foci affects our interpretation of them.
Understanding iconography--that is, the set of symbolic meanings that we attach to images-- is also important as this frequently reflects socio-political dynamics, religious beliefs, gender norms, ideals of morality, etc. The latter point relates to the very important question that students of visual studies ask: For whom was the image made and why? That is, when someone makes an image they invariably do so, either consciously or not, with assumptions about the social, gender, or cultural identity of the viewer. This vital point unites the study of visual imagery in art, theatre, and movie history, and in the fields of psychology and anthropology.
16 credits (Total does not include prerequisite courses
Minor Requirements
Complete 3 credits from the following:
| ART-107 | Digital Imaging | 3 credits |
| ART-108 | Introduction to Web Design | 3 credits |
| ART-130 | Introduction to Design | 3 credits |
| ART-281 | Graphic Design | 3 credits |
| ART-239 | Ancient to Medieval | 3 credits |
| ART-240 | Renaissance to Modern | 3 credits |
Complete 3 credits from the following:
| ART-324 | Picasso and 20th Century Art | 3 credits |
| ART-325 | Art of the Romantic Era | 3 credits |
| ART-326 | Rembrandt and 17th Century Dutch Art | 3 credits |
| ART-341 | Modern Art: 1850-1940 | 3 credits |
| ART-342 | Modern Art After 1940 | 3 credits |
| ART-351 | Auguste Rodin and Modern Sculpture | 3 credits |
| ART-356 | History, Literature, and Art of the
Italian Renaissance | 3 credits |
| ENG-225 | Asia Through Its Movies | 3 credits |
| IND-307.1 | London: Art/History/Literature | 3 credits |
| THE-200 | Introduction to Film Studies | 3 credits |
| THE-340 | Scenic Design | 3 credits |
IND 307: 3 out of the 6 credits
Complete 9 credits from the following:
| ATH-300 | Anthropology and Art | 3 credits |
| HIS-365 | The Mondern Jewish Experience in Film | 3 credits |
| HIS-367 | The History of Jewish Art | 3 credits |
| PSY-254 | Psychology & the Movies | 3 credits |
| PSY-336 | Psychology of Human Vision: Theory and
Application | 3 credits |
| PSY-410 | Media Psychology | 3 credits |
| SOC-100 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 credits |
Program and Portfolio Review
After completing fifteen credits of visual-studies courses (the minor requirements listed above), minors must enroll in the one-credit visual-studies portfolio course, ART-490. Their portfolio will contain relevant materials such as exams, papers, and digital images of assignments, plus instructor comments. Students must include a 1000-1500-word essay describing the most important insights and skills developed during their course of study. The essay must also assess the strengths and weaknesses of the visual-studies minor. The portfolio will be graded Pass/Fail. Students should therefore take care from the time they begin the program to retain copies and images of work from courses comprising the visual-studies minor.
| ART-490 | Visual Studies Portfolio and Program
Assessment | 1 credit |
Recommended
| ART-497 | Internship | 1-3 credits |
ART-
| Any studio art classes | 3 credits |
Courses that include significant use of visual material such as: