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Academic Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Courses
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Liberal Arts: Social Sciences |
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LASS230 Financial Literacy & Careers 3cr.
Practical knowledge about personal finance including taxes, credit, how to budget, save, and
invest. Learn how to define your career goals to explore opportunities and successfully present
yourself to the working world. [Formerly titles Financial Literacy]
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Fall and Spring
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LASS232 Free Speech, Democracy and Artists 3cr
This course examines freedom of speech, a fundamental right indispensable to democracy and indispensable for artists. The tension between liberty and control of speech is central to many forms of media and artistic expression. The course examines speech broadly by examining topics such as: speech during wartime or in time of fear; hate speech; speech by students; and libel and slander. In addition, the course examines free speech controversies involving obscenity and pornography, or merely nudity, including controversies concerning artistic expression in film and literature. Students consider speech on television, the Internet, and social media. The course also treats symbolic expressions of speech, such as flag burning and painting; as well as campaign financing as speech. The course focuses primarily on U.S. law–most of the readings will be excerpts of U.S. Supreme Court cases–but the course includes a comparative component, incorporating laws regulating speech and expression in other nations.
Prerequisites: FRSM100, LALW100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LASS233 Music Cultures of the World 3cr
The course explores selected music and rhythms from throughout the world. Students explore various folk, popular, indigenous, and hybrid music from every continent and surveys the development of musical traditions through the development of contemporary world music. The course also treats several American musical traditions, including country, folk, and musical transmissions from Europe, expressive cultural traditions from indigenous peoples of America, and black musical traditions in the New World. This is a Liberal Arts course with required readings, written assignments, and listening work. Under a different course number and requiring different assignments, this course may also provide studio credit in selected studio departments. [Formerly titled: The World of Music]
Prerequisites: FRSM100. LALW100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LASS236 Music and Society 3cr
The course considers how music expresses and inspires social change. By examining the origin and inspiration of major works of classical music, such as Haydn’s Farewell Symphony, Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro, Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and Shostakovich’s Babi Yar Symphony, the course considers what music reveals about history.
Prerequisites: FRSM100; LALW100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LASS241 Twentieth Century World History 3cr.
World history from 1900 to 2001. The course
introduces students to major events and major
themes in twentieth century history, including
world wars, the rise and fall of totalitarian
philosophies and empires, economic contractions
and expansions, colonial empires and liberation
movement, antithetical internationalist,
nationalist, regionalist, and faith-based
movements, and the gradual process by which the
machine age became the information world.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LASS242 Film Music 3cr.
This course treats the evolution of film music
from silent movies until the present. It
introduces students to musical syntax, the
aesthetics of film music, and the means by which
composers synchronize music and script to convey
mood and render action vivid. Working
chronologically, the course explores the
increasing importance of music in cinema and how
music functions as an expressive element in a
film. The course treats composers who wrote
almost exclusively for the cinema (i.e., Charlie
Chaplin and the contemporary John Williams),
treats classical central European composers who
migrated to the screen composition from wartime
Europe (i.e., Korngold, Waxman, Alexandre
Tansman, Bronislaw Kaper), and treats
composer-director/producer collaborations such as
Eisenstein-Prokofiev, Rota-Fellini/Visconti, and
others. The course additionally treats the role
of ethnic music (Morocco, India, China, Japan) in
world cinema. Two term papers are assigned, one
dealing with a composer-director partnership, the
second treating the function of score in a major,
iconic film such as Gone with the Wind. The
textbook is Mervyn Cooke’s A History of Film
Music.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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LASS245 Cities and Society 3cr.
Cities are fascinatingly complex places, and for millennia people have flocked to them for a host
of reasons. Some people have looked to cities as a way to escape the ennui of rural existence,
some have gathered in cities for economic opportunity, and many others have arrived simply
to be in close contact with different groups of people. Taking “the city” as our primary unit of
analysis in this course, we will attempt to explore some of the major themes and processes
that affect most urban areas, along with offering some historical perspective on the trends that
have created “the city” as we find it today.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & LALW-200
Fall and Spring
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LASS248 Why Didn’t I Learn This Before: (in Word and Video) 3cr
The information about things you’ve never learned is in plain view: in the media, in the books anyone can get in the bookstore or order on Amazon, in TV documentaries, in podcasts readily available online. The information is also on the ground, all around us: all over the cities we live in, in the store where we shop for food and clothes, in our neighborhood police station, in art galleries and museums.
Then why haven’t I learned it all before???
Few Americans are able to honestly explain why some people have mansions, while others are served eviction notices and thrown out on the street with their families. And few can explain why the area around MassArt, for example, is pretty much all white, while Roxbury, only a few miles further east, is mostly black. Is it really just because people want to live close to people who look like them? The answers are everywhere, and yet they are hidden from view. In this course we will examine the questions, and the answers - in word and video.
[Formerly Titled The Hood: Life and History]
[Formerly Titled White Privilege]
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Spring
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LASS249 Queer Studies:Beyond Traditional Ideas of Gender and Sexuality 3cr
This class offers students a chance to ground
their own artistic and academic projects in a
working theoretical and practical knowledge of
the discipline of Queer Studies; both the
historiography and current work being done in the
field. Our goal is to establish a classroom
environment of mutual respect where queer ideas
about artistic challenges and choices can be
developed and shared in a supportive and safe
academic and working environment grounded in
solid social science methodology. We will examine
the development and current state of the academic
discipline of Queer Studies as it has emerged
from both Women’s Studies and Gender Studies. Our
method will be to research both archival and
current academic and multi-media sources to see
where the field stands as an academic discipline
but also as an applied paradigm for social
justice and artistic action. Special attention
will be paid to the development of connections
between applied Queer Theory and artistic and
life choices for today’s working artist. The list
of class materials will be fluid and
inter-disciplinary and rely on input and research
from all class members, reflecting the core
nature of the discipline itself.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Spring
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LASS250 Philosophy of Religion 3cr
The course explores the concept of God and the sacred, the grounds forand challenges to religious belief, the credentials of mystical experience, the implications of religious pluralism, and the idea of a religiously ambiguous world. Readings will be drawn from classical and contemporary thinkers.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Seminar
Spring
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LASS253 East Asia: Modernity Redefined 3cr
With astonishing rapidity, the nations of East
Asia have emerged as an imposing presence on the
world stage. Their rich and varied cultures have
influenced other regions of the world in ways
that have helped to redefine modernity. Along
with the recent US strategic shift to the
Asia-Pacific, it has become imperative in our
time to study modern East Asia and to understand
its impact on global politics and culture and its
relevance to our daily lives. This course follows
the main themes in East Asian history since 1600,
focusing primarily on China, Japan, Korea, and
Vietnam. We will study long-term changes and
continuities in East Asian society, politics,
culture, art, and economy. We will also study the
dramatic changes that have taken place in East
Asia’s relationship with the rest of the world.
Classes will combine lectures with class
discussions, presentations, and films.
Lecture
Fall
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LASS254 Immigration and Race in the USA: The American Experience 3cr
Often portrayed as a “nation of immigrants” with
ample and equal opportunities for the “huddled
masses,” the United States has a long and
complicated history of immigration marked not
always by open doors but rather by exclusion,
marginalization, and contestation. Immigration
has helped define American national identity, and
it continues shaping its political debates,
economic patterns, social transformations, and
cultural life. It has become even more salient
and contentious since the 2016 presidential
election. This class places contemporary
immigration debates in historical context and
provides a systematic review of American
immigration history in local, national and global
contexts.
We will start with the early stages of
immigration since the colonial era and then place
the great waves of European, Asian, and Mexican
immigration during the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries in the context of comparable
and relatable global migrations across the world.
We will discuss the rise of federal laws on
immigration in the late 19th century and the
tightened immigration control and restriction in
the early 20th century, followed by the impacts
of WWII and the ensuing Cold War on immigration.
The rest of the class will focus on the more
recent immigrant and refugee communities from
Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa,
highlighting the changing patterns of migration
since the 1965 immigration reform (including the
changes in post-9/11 America).
Lecture
Spring
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LASS280 Introduction to Psychology 3 cr.
An examination of the dynamics of the self from the interpretative, clinical perspective. The course discusses the growth and the making of the “solid self” and explores the influences that can further or hinder the constitution of a coherent, stable personality. Narcissistic disorders, the most common psychic disorders of our time, are also addressed.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
Fall/Spring
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LASS281 Psychology of Flourishing 3 cr.
This course examines the human potential for growth and flourishing as well as for resiliency. Traditionally, psychologists have aimed at helping individuals notice and fix unwanted or dysfunctional habits, uncover and repair unfortunate or traumatic childhood experiences, or calibrate damaged brain chemistry. Rather than focusing on human weakness and dysfunction, this class explores the human condition from a positive psychology perspective. Students study concepts such as hope, happiness, optimism, and resiliency, and surveys human core character strengths and virtues.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS300 Race in America 3 cr.
How did various peoples from America, Africa, and Europe, speaking different languages and possessing different cultures, come to be defined as “red”, “black”, and “white,” and how did later immigrants or conquered peoples from Asia and the western hemisphere get fitted into this scheme? This class examines how race categories were formed in the colonial period and have been repeatedly remade up to the present.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS302 Gender, Class and Race in American Film 3 cr.
This class analyzes film as an important part of mass culture. The course is a social science course, not a “film viewing” one. It treats sociological themes such as gender, class, and race as these themes are reflected in the actions of the film’s characters; in their relations with other characters; in their expectations, hopes, and dreams; and, implicitly, in the film’s cinematic, visual aspects.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS307 Medieval and Renaissance History 3cr
This course encompasses no less than twelve centuries of European history extending from the last decades of the Roman Empire in the West to what is often referred to as the Early Modern period (I.e., the 16th century), the era characterized by the rise of powerful centralized monarchical states and empires. Throughout, a determined effort is made to precisely define broad historical concepts such as “civilizations” and “intellectual revolutions.” For example, we will ask what particular historical and cultural elements made the Medieval West a distinct civilization? In the same manner, what presumably different and distinct elements formed and shaped the civilization of Byzantium? What was the Renaissance, both in Italy, and north and west of the Alps? Where and how does the Renaissance intersect with the Reformation and the Reconnaissance, enormously significant historical phenomena in themselves?
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall & Spring
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LASS308 Narcissism, Aggression and Creativity 3cr
Are we really capable of falling in love with an image of ourselves, as in the story of Echo and Narcissus? If so, what are the consequences? Do contemporary cultural themes cast a light on the story? What impulses motivate these thoughts and processes? This course utilizes a psychoanalytic approach to discover and analyze themes that emerge from an awareness of creative impulses. What blocks them? What role does aggression play in the responsiveness to the creative impulse? Psychoanalytic literature, in combination with contemporary themes, questions and illuminates the art making process.
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
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LASS309 History of Modern Europe 3 cr.
A comprehensive overview of the last four centuries of European history. The course surveys political and international history, social history, and intellectual history. Students gain a deep appreciation for the rich complexity of European civilization and an understanding of the continuity of events from the seventeenth century onward.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS312 Technology and Language 3cr
The course investigates the relationship of languages of expression to tools and communication technologies. Through interdisciplinary exploration of various modes and practices, from the language of typography, audio/visual expression, to dynamic languages of interaction, social media and crowd sourcing, students gain knowledge and understanding of current issues of social communication in the context of dynamic media technology. The course introduces students to recent developments, theory and criticism of communication design and technology through selected case studies involving the work of historical and contemporary inventors, designers, artists and new media innovators.
Prerequisites: LALW100,FRSM100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
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LASS314 Race Uncut:America in Black and White 3cr
How do race and class operate not just in categorizing people, but in maintaining and reproducing the socio- economic life and in
shaping common experience of history and present. We will focus on African Americans and white Americans and discuss what race means, and what class means – historically, culturally, and economically – in the context of the American dream. 6 cinematic representations will serve
us as prompts to examine in depth selected historical themes, from the Civil War to the
present. [Formerly Titled Race,Class and the American Dream]
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall and Spring
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LASS315 Cultural Cold War 3cr.
From an ideological weapon to an instrument of peaceful understanding, the role of culture in
the Cold War has recently become a topic of much study and debate. This course will go beyond the
traditional parameters of the Cold War as a Soviet-American conflict fought through high
politics, the space race, and limited hot wars, by examining the political,diplomatic, social,
and imperial utilization of and impact on culture in Britain, the US, the Soviet Union, China, and
their respective empires. The course will consider official policies like the Soviet VOKS
(Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries) and exchange programs in arts and
education as well as processes like tourism, literature, film,consumerism, and sport.
Prerequisites: LALW-200
Spring Only
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LASS318 Seminar: Reading Marx 3 cr.
A critical reading and discussion of some of Karl Marx’s writings on history, philosophy and society, plus commentary.
Prerequisites: LALW100; FRSM100; LALW200
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS320 Fashion and Culture 3cr.
Fashion is both a reflection of and influence on culture. This course can examine clothing in
context, exploring the phenomenon of fashion in terms of technological developments, aesthetics,
and body politics (gender, race, sexuality, and class) as well as its connection to cultural
identity and the global economy. Focusing the examination on specific key moments in fashion
history from the French Revolution to today, the course will foster critical thinking and writing
about fashion from a multidisciplinary perspective. The meaning of fashion at these
select and pivotal historical periods will be gleaned through diverse sources - fiction,
diaries, paintings, histories, and design theory- and be complemented by direct examination of
objects.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 & FRSM-100
Fall Only
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LASS323 Minds,Brains&Consciousness 3cr
What is the mind? Some of history’s most profound
thinkers have attempted to answer this question,
yet the nature of the mind remains elusive and
hotly debated in contemporary philosophy. Can the
mysteries of conscious experience be reconciled
with a naturalistic, scientific world view? Is
the mind really just a kind of computer, a
machine made of meat? What is thinking, and can
computers do it? In this course, we will
investigate what Francis Crick has called the
Astonishing Hypothesis-“that “You,” your joys and
your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions,
your sense of personal identity and free will,
are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast
assembly of nerve cells and their associated
molecules.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Fall and Spring
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LASS325 Gender Identity and the F-Word(feminism) 3cr
What does it mean to call oneself (or someone
else) a ‘feminist’? How does gender intersect
with other social hierarchies to shape both how
we see, and how we are seen by, others? In this
advanced undergraduate elective, we will consider
efforts to reveal, unravel, and remedy the
conceptual, psychological, and economic
dimensions of gender oppression. We will examine
the intersection of sexism with racism,
heterosexism, and class exploitation, and
investigate the role of the concept of difference
in creating and maintaining structural
inequalities.
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Lecture
Spring
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LASS326 American Slavery 3cr
This survey history course provides a broad
overview of the origins and evolution of American
slavery. Lectures provide historical context for
analysis of a wide range of documents and films
analyzing the construction of laws defining
American slavery, religious ethos of slaves,
gender identities, resistance, slave culture, the
role of free people of color in the period of the
American slave regime, the coming of the Civil
War, and the aftermath of emancipation.
Lecture
Spring
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LASS360 Memory and Dreams 3 cr.
This course explores the intersecting realms of memory and dream. Dreaming is an entirely subjective experience, but how objective is remembering? How do we understand phenomena like post-traumatic or implanted or false memories? How can culture construct our memories–and our forgettings–for us? How can we separate identity from memory and either from forms of fiction? The world of dream: is it meaningful, nonsense, prophetic, usable? This course treats current neuroscience and neuropsychology, film clips, case histories, fiction, and analytic theory. In preparation for the final project, students keep a nightly dream journal. The course treats the nature of consciousness and subjectivity, the existence of a coherent self over time, and the creative uses to which memory and dream may be put.
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS401 On Truth and Value 3 cr.
The course is organized around the following core questions: What is truth and is it attainable? Why is truth important? How do we get to know objective reality? What is a “good life” in the ethical sense, and why should one desire to live a “good life?”
Prerequisites: LALW100, FRSM100
Lecture/Seminar
All College Elective
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LASS402 Minds,Brains&Consciousness 3 cr.
What is the mind? Some of history’s most
profound thinkers have attempted to answer this
question, yet the nature of the mind remains
elusive and hotly debated in contemporary
philosophy. Can the mysteries of conscious
experience be reconciled with a naturalistic,
scientific world view? Is the mind really just a
kind of computer, a machine made of meat? What
is thinking, and can computers do it? In this
course, we will investigate what Francis Crick
has called the Astonishing Hypothesis-“that
“You,” your joys and your sorrows, your memories
and your ambitions, your sense of personal
identity and free will, are in fact no more than
the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells
and their associated molecules.”
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Lecture
Fall
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LASS403 Us/China: Ties Or Clashes 3cr
This course explores the relationship between China and the United States from its beginning to the present. Unlike conventional narratives of Sino-U.S. relations focusing on politics and diplomatic relations, this course will cover more broadly social, cultural,and economic interactions, such as mutual perceptions and images,cultural/educational exchanges, migration and foreign policies, and international trade. Accordingly, we will look at a wide array of individuals and institutions such as missionaries, educators, merchants, migrants, non-government organizations, corporations and mass media rather than nation-states as the sole actors on the stage. We will place China and the United States in their regional and historical contexts while focusing on the interactive dynamic to show how their relations shaped their own histories as well as the global history. This course is to help students develop a solid understanding of the evolution of Sino-U.S. relations over time as well as a sharp and well informed perspective on current challenges and opportunities, especially the new face of
Sino-U.S.relations with China’s rise as a major economic powerhouse and the repositioning of the United States in the world. In addition to learning about the substance of these facets of Sino-U.S. relations, the course is designed to teach several important skills to students: informed reading of various types of sources, historical and critical thinking, policy analysis and debates,oral presentation and writing, and teamwork. Different assignments are designed to develop and advance these skills.[Formelry titled China-U.S. Relations]
Prerequisites: FRSM-100 and LALW-100
Seminar
Fall
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LASS404 Asian Diaspora and American Experience 3cr
This course surveys Asian American history (1850-
present) from international and global
perspectives. It starts with the massive
migrations of different Asian groups to the U.S.
from the Gold Rush to WWII, focusing on themes
such as colonialism, imperialism, labor,
communities, legal exclusion, and foreign
policies. Then it moves on to the great changes
within the Asian American community since 1965
and how Asian Americans are changing American
society and the relations between the United
States and Asia.
Prerequisites: LALW-100 and FRSM-100
Seminar
Spring
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LASS406 Seminar on Romanticism 3cr
A seminar in the study of Romanticism in Europe
and America in the late 18th and early 19th
century.
Prerequisites: LALW-100, FRSM-100 and LALW-200
Seminar
Fall
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Photography |
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MPPH100 Intro Photo for Non-Majors 3 cr.
A beginning course for students with an interest in creative work and study in black and white photography. Teaches exposure controls, camera operation and rudimentary film development and printing.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPPH206 Introduction to Digital Photography for Non-Majors 3 cr.
An introduction to the digital darkroom that offers a solid foundation in digital imaging skills. Technical focus is on the current array of input, editing and output options. The content of student work is addressed in periodic critiques, and class discussions emphasize the role of the computer in contemporary photography.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPPH214 Drawing With Light 3cr
Drawing with Light introduces students to making cameraless photographs in combination with
collage, assemblage, and hand-applied elements including drawing. Students use photographic
techniques such as photograms and the camera obscura as departure points for investigations of
the line, value, shape, texture and space.
Hybrid studio Critique
Fall and Spring
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MPPH240 Sophomore Major Studio I 6 cr.
This required sophomore course is the first in the progression of major studio/hybrid seminars
in photography. The course addresses the aesthetic and technical dimensions of contemporary practice in black and white analog photography. Proficiency in B&W darkroom techniques is
emphasized. At the discretion of the instructor, the class will concentrate on the use of either
4X5 view cameras or small/medium format cameras for the semester. Weekly assignments and
critiques familiarize students with the importance of this equipment in contemporary
practice as well as the history of the medium. Slide presentations and field trips are combined
with the principles of optics, cameras, film, photographic chemistry and darkroom technique. Studetns are required to attend the regular lecture series that occurs within the limits of scheduled course contact hours.
Prerequisites: Majors Only
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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MPPH241 Sophomore Major Studio II 6 cr.
This required sophomore course is the second in the progression of major studio/hybrid seminars in photography. The course builds upon the base of knowledge students gained about black and white analog photography in Sophomore Major Studio I. Advanced B&W darkroom techniques and fine silver gelatin printing are emphasized. The class concentrates on the use of the camera format they were not exposed to in Sophomore Major Studio 4X5 view cameras or
small/medium format cameras- for the semester. Weekly assignments and critiques familiarize
students with the importance of this equipment in contemporary practive as well as in the history
of the medium. Slide presentations and field trips are combined with principles of optics,
cameras, film, photographic chemistry and darkroom technique. Students are required to attend the regular lecture series that occurs within the limits of scheduled course contact hours.
Prerequisites: MPPH241
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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MPPH280 Sophomore Studio/Medium Format 6cr
This required sophomore course is the first in the progression of major studio/hybrid seminars
in photography. The course builds a base of knowledge about black and white analog
photography. Black and white darkroom techniques and fine silver gelatin printing are emphasized.
The class concentrates on the use of the medium format camera. Weekly assignments and critiques
familiarize students with contemporary photographic practice, as well as in the history
of the medium. Slide presentations and field trips are combined with principles of optics,
cameras, film, photographic chemistry, and darkroom techniques.
[Previously titled Soph. Studio I]
Seminar Hybrid
Dept Requirement
Fall and Spring
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MPPH281 Sophomore Studio/Large Format 6cr
This required sophomore course is the second in the progression of major studio/hybrid seminars
in photography. The course addresses the aesthetic and technical dimensions of
contemporary practice in black and white analog photography. Advanced black and white darkroom
techniques are emphasized. The class will concentrate on the use of the 4X5 view camera.
Weekly assignments and critiques familiarize students with the importance of this equipment in
contemporary practice as well as the history of he medium. Slide presentations and field trips
are combined with the principles of optics, cameras, film, photographic chemistry, and
darkroom techniques. [Formerly titled Soph. Major Studio II]
Seminar Hybrid
Dept Requirement
Fall and Spring
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MPPH303 Alternative Camera, Alternative Techniques 3 cr.
An introduction to non-silver processes such as palladium and cyanotype printing and to unusual types of cameras including plastic cameras, pinholes, and others. This class will include regular demonstrations as well as critique and research techniques for seeking out unusual photographic materials.
Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Critique
Departmental Elective
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MPPH304 Lighting for Photography 3 cr.
This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of photographic
lighting. Students will explore the uses of strobe, tungsten and ambient light in both studio and location settings. Classes will consist of lectures on a wide array of approaches to the use of lighting, in-class demonstrations, and critique of student work. Over the course of the semester we will endeavor to create a collaborative conversation regarding the use of lighting and its integral relationship to the photographic image.
Prerequisites: Open to Soph, Junior, and Senior Only
Critique
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MPPH323 Topics in Photography 3 cr.
Courses with this title offer in-depth studies of special topics in photography. Past seminars have included “Ways of Seeing”, “Photo Book Making”, “Portrait”, and “Afterlife: Professional Practices in Photography”.
Prerequisites: MPPH240 and MPPH-241 or permission of instructor
Critique
Departmental Elective
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MPPH350 Visiting Artist Seminar 3 cr.
This course introduces students to leading practitioners in the field of contemporary photography through frequent lectures by visiting artists, historians, and curators. The course also includes readings and discussion, film screenings, slide lectures, and visits to area exhibitions.
Prerequisites: concurrent enrollment in Junior Projects, Senior Projects or Senior Thesis
Lecture/Seminar
Departmental Requirement
Fall/Spring
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MPPH360 Major Studio: Digital Photography 6 cr.
This course is a rigorous introduction to the digital tools available to photographers. The class covers a wide array of topics, with emphasis placed on digital image capture and the use of the computer as a parallel tool to traditional photographic practices. Weekly critiques address students’ aesthetic and technical progress and are supplemented by readings, lectures, and discussions that evaluate the role of the computer in contemporary photography. Students are meant to develop a solid understanding of these digital imaging practices as well as an adaptable approach to emerging technologies.
Prerequisites: MPPH260 and MPPH261
Seminar/Hybrid
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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MPPH361 Junior Projects 3 cr.
In this required course, students develop and refine a personal vision of their own through long-term photography based projects, more advanced technical knowledge, and a deeper familiarity with uses of the medium. Weekly critiques, slide presentations and group discussions are important elements of this class.
Prerequisites: MPPH260, MPPH261, MPPH360 and concurrent enrollment with the same instructor in MPPH350critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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MPPH374 Photo: Documentary 3 cr.
This course provides an overview of the history, theory, and politics implied in making documentary work. Assignments and weekly critiques of student projects will encourage our greater understanding of the world and of the photographic language of documentary. By the end of the semester, students will produce a coherent body of work following a specific subject chosen in consultation with the instructor. Related readings, discussions, and slide presentations will be introduced. Formely titled: Documentary Seminar
Prerequisites: MPPH240 or MPPH241
Critique
Departmental Elective
Fall & Spring
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MPPH377 Landscape Photo 3 cr.
A course designed to explore the contemporary landscape, both with the camera and through readings on the land and on environmental concerns. Emphasis is on student photographic work, discussion of imagery and literature, and developing a personal perspective on the human relationship to the land.
Prerequisites: MPPH240 and MPPH241 or permission of instructor.
Critique
Fall/Spring
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MPPH379 Image and Object 3 cr.
Image and Object is a cross-media course that examines some of the possible intersections of photography and sculpture. The course will provide demonstrations of a number of photographic and sculptural processes, lectures about artists who work with both mediums as well as critiques, field trips and visiting artists. The emphasis in this course will be on making hybrid objects, on the development of individual projects and critiques.
Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPPH392 PH Course Assistantship
A course assistantship allows qualified
sophomores, juniors, and seniors to assist a
faculty member with whom they have studied
previously. Duties may include set up, assisting
with demonstrations and critiques during class
meetings. Course assistants may not grade
students. Students may register for only one
3-credit course assistantship each semester, and
no more than two such assistantships may count
toward degree requirements.
Students selected by faculty to be course
assistants submit a Course Assistantship form
with the faculty and chair’s signatures to the
Registrar during registration and no later than
the end of the Add/Drop period. Students who are
performing a Teaching Assistantship should follow
Independent Study procedures
Prerequisites: By Permission of the Instructor
Fall/Spring
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MPPH398 PH Internship 3 cr.
An internship is a supervised professional
experience that allows you to use classroom
training in a real work environment, develop your
skills, focus your career goals, and make
professional contacts.
MassArt offers students enrolled in a degree
program the opportunity to register an internship
for credit. An internship counts as 3 studio
elective credits. To receive credit, the
internship must meet our basic internship
requirements, be approved by a faculty advisor,
and registered before you start the internship.
Prerequisites: By Permission of Instructor
Fall/Spring
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MPPH399 PH Independent Study 3 cr.
Juniors and seniors who have a specific studio
project which cannot be accomplished within the
structure of a course may arrange to work with a
faculty member on an independent basis. The
Independent Study form (available in the
Registrar’s Office) includes a description of the
project. Students may take only one 3-credit
independent study each semester, and no more than
four independent studies will count toward the
degree.
Independent Study forms, with faculty and the
chair’s signatures, should be submitted to the
Registrar during registration and not later than
the Add/Drop deadline.
Prerequisites: By Permission of Instructor
Fall/Spring
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MPPH406 Polaroid 20X24 3 cr.
This course is centered on using the specialized Polaroid 20X24 camera. Students work directly with the instructor to create work based in the studio. Students will learn lighting and collaborative techniques unique to the Polaroid.
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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MPPH450 Visiting Artist Seminar 3 cr.
This course introduces students to leading practitioners in the field of contemporary photography. Talks by visiting artists, historians and curators are organized by Instructors. On alternate weeks, the course breaks into sections to discuss the previous week’s lecture, assigned readings, view additional materials, or visit area exhibitions.
Prerequisites: enrollment with the same instructor in MPPH361, MPPH460 or MPPH461
Lecture/Seminar
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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MPPH460 Senior Projects 3 cr.
Students develop a specific project to be worked on throughout the semester and formally presented at final review. Weekly critiques of student work will be the emphasis of the course with time dedicated to developing artist statements, a written thesis paper, and preparation for a career in photography.
Prerequisites: MPPH260, MPPH261, MPPH360, MPPH361 and concurrent enrollment with the same instructor in MPPH450
Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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MPPH461 Senior Thesis 3 cr.
In the final semester of the major, students are expected to complete a body of work, participate in a class exhibition, finalize a written thesis and complete preparation for pursuing a career in photography. The class will consist of critique, slide lecturers, student presentations, and discussions on assigned readings.
Prerequisites: MPPH260, MPPH261, MPPH360, MPPH361, MPPH460 and concurrent enrollment with the same instructor in MPPH450
Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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Studio for Interrelated Media |
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MPSM204 Lighting for Events and Installations 3 cr.
This course will explore the use of theatrical and commercial lighting, dimming and control units. The class will visit professional installations to learn the hardware and safety practices from working technicians. Students will design and build their own class projects.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM205 Stagecraft & Technical Production 3 cr.
This course aims to demystify basic lighting, rigging, sound and staging practices. Technical workshops will be conducted during class time where students work in teams to complete assignments. Demonstrations and lectures also include site planning, power distribution, and safety in the workspace. Students will prepare and present their own personal projects using the class as crew and SIM’s technology.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
Fall
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MPSM207 Beat Research 3 cr.
This is a studio course about electronic music and culture. Students explore the techniques of sampling, sequencing and drum programming using current music making software including Reason and Ableton Live. Most assignments involve the creation of music/sound but we also address techniques of video production and performance.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPSM209 Light as a Sculptural Element 3 cr.
To explore light as a sculptural element in art making, this class will focus primarily on the application of light as a transformative medium in all visual art practices. The class will examine the works of artists such as Thomas Wilfred, James Turrell, Ann Hamilton, Won Ju Lim, Diana Thater, Wolfgang Laib, Cai Guo-Qiang, Robert Irwin, Shirin Neshat, Bill Viola, Olafur Eliasson and many others. This course is designed to familiarize the student with a wide variation of art practices and to encourage a sense of discovery in relation to the medium of light and in everyday observations.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM211 Interrelated Media Practice 3 cr.
This is a critique studio course where students
produce and present interrelated media artworks in
progress and/or in final form. The course is
closely modeled after the Studio for Interrelated
Media Major Studio course, but with a smaller
class size. Additionally, rotating faculty also
present emerging topics related to interrelated
media for discussion and exploration. For SIM
Majors, this course provides a more intimate
setting to work through artworks in progress. For
Non-majors, it is an opportunity to expand one’s
artistic practice, interact with artists from
other disciplines, and refine public speaking
skills. There is no prerequisite and it is an open
elective.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
Fall/Spring
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MPSM221 Interdisciplinary Video 3cr
This is a studio course in which students learn
the basics of video production - from shooting to
editing to the use of effects and finally
publishing/screening final works. The class
explores the inclusion of video in installations,
live performance, and other experimental
applications. The contemporary practice of video
production is presented within the historical
context of the moving image from silent films up
to the modern Youtube era. Additionally,
introductory video mapping technologies and video
sound techniques are presented. The course
combines lectures, demonstrations, workshops,
visiting artists, and both collaborative and
individual assignments.
Hybrid Studio Critique
Undergraduate Elective
Every Other Fall
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MPSM222 We Are Pirates! : Appropriation, Decomposition and Interrelated Media 3cr
Appropriation, modification and trafficking of
imagesacross networks, systems and digital
devices have become a mass ritual of contemporary
social participation. While large media
conglomerates
make professional use of post production tools
for editing and enhancing each and every image to
which we are exposed daily, a large sector of
the population responds to this environment of
saturation by appropriating and trafficking
memes, video, animation and amateur photography.
Where do artists and designers fit within this
exchange?
What are the creative tools involved in the
market of piracy and uncreativity? Who owns the
images and cultural products we share everyday?
Students in this class explore the basics of
design fundamentals through a series of
decompositional exercises devoted to learning the
digital tools involved in the manipulation of
existing media, along with a
series of lectures and readings on piracy,
originality and contemporary
art and design practices. The class aims to stir
the imagination of the group and invite students
to embrace piracy as a learning process where
applications for digital production appear as
critical tools with a potential to respond to
their mere commercial use.
Hybrid Studio Critique
Fall
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MPSM272 Sound Performance 3 cr.
Students will learn elements of sound performance, technical considerations including vocal techniques, content development and presentational context. Students present live sound pieces on a weekly basis.
Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM273 Intro to Sound Studio 3 cr.
Students will learn principles of electroacoustic and digital sound processing, including audio recording, editing, mixing, and signal processing techniques. Students are required to present “live” or recorded sound pieces. Sound studio includes analog and digital synthesis, analog and digital recording and editing systems, signal processors. Weekly assignments. Fall term only.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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MPSM276 Studio for Interrelated Media/Major Studio 3 cr.
This is the first year of the Major Studio class (2 semesters of MPSM276 required) in SIM in which individuals and groups present and discuss work in media of their choice such as audio, video, computer, performance, publishing, and production of events that interrelate media. Each week, student presentations of work are organized into performances and exhibitions produced by students who select, schedule and technically support the presentation. In this first year of SIM, students are required to complete all components of a sophomore review board. While students register for different sections of the course each year, each section shares the same space, time and faculty so that all SIM majors are able to meet each other, collaborate, mentor and critique each other’s work. SIM Majors are required to take 6 semesters of SIM Major studio in total. 2 MPSM276 (Sophomore year), 2 MPSM376 (Junior year) and 2 MPSM476 (Senior year).
Prerequisites: SIM majors only. Take two semesters of this course.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall and Spring
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MPSM277 The Moving Body 3 cr.
Movement is basic to all life, from the atomic to the astronomic level. This course explores the human body as an instrument for making art in space and time. Students will practice various physical disciplines based on contemporary dance techniques, yoga, and contact improvisation for example. They will be encouraged to observe movement in the world around them as source material. Students will work individually and in groups to create their own movement pieces. In-depth critiques, discussion, and revision of works will reinforce the importance of process in this class. Students will complete several short assignments as well as one final movement project of their own choosing. This course will also consider sound, objects, and environments in relation to movement. Students will be encouraged to make direct relations between their principal fields of artistic interest and time-based performance. Some readings and video will be included to introduce students to the various forms that movement has taken in twentieth century live art.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
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MPSM307 On the Spot 3 cr.
As human beings, we carry with us precious instruments for expression - the body and the voice. This course explores perception - looking and listening - as a tool for making instantaneous performance choices. We will work through a series of improvisational techniques from concepts of “action theater” to contact improvisation. Students will work individually, in duets, and in groups to explore gesture, space, time, energy, intention and the voice. We will experiment with the voice by “sounding” as well as by speaking. The course may also consider objects and environments in relation to performance. Students will be encouraged to make direct relations between their principal fields of artistic interest and time-based, improvisational performance. Some readings and video may be included to introduce students to the various forms that improvisation has taken in twenty-first century live art.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM311 Elec.Projects/Artists/Digital 3 cr.
This course introduces students to computer interfaces for connecting interactive sculpture,
performance and installation with software. Course content includes microcontrollers,
electrical sensors, custom-made circuits and programming. No previous programming experience is
necessary.
Prerequisites: MPSM-310 strongly advised but not required.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM313X Beat Research II 3 cr.
This course is designed for students who have already taken Beat Research I and wish to continue making art in a community of Beatmakers and electronic musicians. Emphasis will be on critiques, the sharing of advanced techniques and the organizing of media for presentation outside of the class (audio CD, video DVD, live performance etc)
Prerequisites: MPSM207
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM317 Event Planning and Production II 3 cr.
This is the second semester of a year-long course. This course is for those that are actively involved in organizing and producing events and exhibitions throughout the year. However the emphasis is on events that are complex enough that they require at least a year to plan. It is required for Eventworks producers and Godine Family gallery managers. Students will meet with the instructor one-on-one throughout the semester, additionally the class will meet periodically as a group to discuss general production issues. It is also open to those not involved in Eventworks or Godine Gallery but that have another event(s) in mind. By permission of instructor. This is a one-year long course.
Prerequisites: MPSM 319X Event Planning and Production
Lecture/Seminar
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MPSM336 Events Planning and Production 3 cr.
This course is for those that are actively involved in organizing and producing events and exhibitions throughout the year. It is required for Eventworks Producers and Godine Family Gallery Managers. Students will meet with the instructor one on one throughout the semester, additionally the class will meet periodically as a group to discuss general production issues. It is also open to those not involved in Eventworks or Godine Gallery but that have another event (s) in mind.
Prerequisites: by permission of instructor
Hybrid Studio/Critique
|
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MPSM337 Electronic Projects for Artists 3 cr.
The purpose of this studio course is to provide skills and information that will be useful for artists who use electronic devices in their artworks.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM338 Adv.Techniques/Sound Pro 3cr.
This is a sound production course offering advanced experience in sound recording and studio
techniques. Students will have the opportunity to work with multi-track recording, signal
processing, mastering techniques and surround sound production. Both the technical and
aesthetic aspects of creating sound works for a variety of mediums including music production,
sound art, installation and sound for moving image will be covered. Students will produce and
critique their work in the both the SIM Sound Studio, Design and Media Center and with the
Pozen surround sound systems. The course will included tutorials, individual exercises, group
projects, and guests from the sound production field.
Prerequisites: MPSM273
Spring Only
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MPSM342 Methods & Design/Art Exhibition 3 cr.
In this course, students will be guided through
the design/build fundamentals of installing an
art exhibit, preparing artwork for installation
and the construction methods used in producing
exhibitions. Students will have the opportunity
to learn new skills that can be applied to
preparing and installing their own artwork. The
course, which takes place in a classroom and
gallery setting, will start with an introduction
to the fundamentals (hardware, tools,
understanding basic floor plans, construction,
fabrication, sustainable materials, shipping,
lighting and basic A/V installation) followed by
a study of concept and design processes (exhibit
design, curation, registration), installation
procedures and finally, install/de-install a
professional exhibit at MassArt’s Bakalar and
Paine Galleries.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
Fall/Spring
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MPSM345 Internet Culture & Technology 3 cr.
This course will explore topics related to
artists’ use of the Internet as a medium for
creative production and distribution. Lectures
and discussions will cover topics relevant to
artists’ work on the Web including: social media,
the free software movement, censorship, humor,
streaming media, Net Neutrality, tele- robotics,
programming and web- based multimedia. Techniques
for creating web content will be demonstrated
using commercial and free software. Some examples
will involve writing code, but no previous
programming experience is assumed. All students
will be required to create a website as a final
project and after being given options, they will
be free to choose methods and content most
appropriate for their own process in the creation
of work.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
Fall
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MPSM346 Interdisciplinary Projects in Sustainability 3 cr.
Sustainable art and design focuses on how to leave our future more just,healthy and
environmentally stable than it is today. Through careful consideration of
materials,lifecycles,subjects, audiences,economies,and many other aspects of
daily life, we will imagine and make projects that address significant issues resulting from
environmental impacts on human and animal societies. Open to students from all departments,
this course focuses on developing projects in nterdisciplinary studio settings that address
issues of sustainability on our campus,in our city,and in the larger global context. Research
practices,collaboration and charrette forms will be explored through a series of assignments
leading up to a half semester independent project.
Through readings,field trips,studio vosots and critique,we will learn about revolutionary
projects in sustainability in design and art fields today. Open to juniors and seniors, this
class will allow students to work in the medium of their choice while focusing on research and
development in the area of sustainability.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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MPSM349 Performance, Art & Politics 3 cr.
In this studio course, students will be introduced to historical examples of politically-engaged performance art as a context for creating their own work. This will include the creation of original performance art works by adapting techniques which were developed by the Czech Underground which built a platform for the artists-run “Velvet Revolution” of 1989. For students without experience in video, the course will also introduce the basic tools and principles of video production.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM357 Experimental Ensembles 3cr.
Experimental Ensembles is an opportunity for students to collaborate in significant ways on
works that involve various groupings of student ensembles engaging in collective actions that are
both performance and non-performance based. The class explores the artistic practice of
conducting, composition, and collaboration along-side the experience of following the
direction of others in order to create an artwork that has a public impact. Students will have to
the opportunity to use each other as actors, agents, units, and parts of their creative vision
in varied environments and alternative spaces. Topics included the examination of historical
works that have emerged from: the Fluxus art movement; happenings of the ‘60s; performative
installation; live choral-based configurations; experiments with sound, light, motion, site, and
performance; as well as, alternative genres such as live cinema. An ensemble can be a Flash mob, a
gathering of organized movements and soundings on a park walk, mobile sculptural elements, or a
series of instructions that a group or public is asked to follow. We will work in large ensembles
and also experiment with smaller forms within the group.
Undergraduate Elective
Fall and Spring
|
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MPSM358 Immersive Media - AR/VR 3cr
Immersive media and the Landscapes of Augmented &
Virtual Reality
In this course, students have the opportunity to
survey the current state of augmented and virtual
reality tools and applications. The ever-changing
landscape of augmented and virtual reality offers
artists uncharted territory in artistic expression
and the opportunity to create a new artistic
language. This course provides a review of the
theory, history, and development of both AR and VR
while exploring the artist’s potential within
these mediums. Students are expected to make work
using video mapping, smart phone AR, and to
participate in VR sessions. The course includes
several visiting artists and professionals in the
field.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge in video production.
Studio
Spring
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MPSM361 Investigations in Expanded Cinema 3cr
Expanded cinema can describe a film, video,
multi-media performance or an immersive
environment that extends the boundaries of filmic
concepts. In this course we explore elements of
light, motion, materiality, and sound to create
works that extend beyond the traditional cinematic
relationship between the audience and the screen
by considering the variables of space,
architecture, sculptural forms, and viewer
relationship. The course investigates how pre
cinematic forms can inform the post cinematic.
Much of our investigations focus on approaches to
physical installation that extend the notion of
the frame into multidimensional environments using
light, space, and architecture - concepts that can
also be applied to creating simulation media with
virtual and augmented reality technology.
Readings, research, and discussion will be an
integral aspect of this course. We also touch on
themes such as Post Cinema, Media Archaeology,
Time Space Compression, and Post Continuity. This
course is designed to familiarize the student with
a wide variation of art practices related to
contemporary installation and immersive notions of
art.
Hybrid Studio Critique
Fall
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MPSM376 Studio for Interrelated Media 3 cr.
This is the second year of the Major Studio class (2 semesters of MPSM376 required) in SIM in which individuals and groups present and discuss work in media of their choice such as audio, video, computer, performance, publishing, and production of events that interrelate media. Each week, student presentations of work are organized into performances and exhibitions produced by students who select, schedule and technically support the presentation. In this junior year of SIM, students are required to complete all components of a junior review board during their first semester of MPSM376. While students register for different sections of the course each year, each section shares the same space, time and faculty so that all SIM majors are able to meet each other, collaborate, mentor and critique each other’s work. SIM Majors are required to take 6 semesters of SIM Major studio in total. 2 MPSM276 (Sophomore year), 2 MPSM376 (Junior year) and 2 MPSM476 (Senior year).
Prerequisites: 6 credits of MPSM 276
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall and Spring
|
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-
MPSM392 SIM Course Assistantship
|
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MPSM399 SIM Independent Study
|
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MPSM402 Art, Life and Money 3 cr.
This course is targeted towards soon-to-graduate art students who are thinking about the practicalities of continuing life as in independent artist after art school. Throughout the semester students will meet graduates of the Studio for Interrelated Media as well as others pursuing unconventional artistic paths. Through discussion, presentations and field trips, issues surrounding the realistic struggles of maintaining life as an independent artist alongside the celebration of such a choice will be explored. The course will attempt to demystify tax responsibilities, non-profit organization opportunities, and grant-writing. Students will interview artists as well as research methods for balancing art, life and money after school. Students will also practice writing their artist statement and resume and create a personal five year plan using any media.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
|
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MPSM404 City, Site and Public Practice 3cr.
This course explores examples of contemporary “social practice”, its historical precedents, and
current scholarly dialog on the topic. Social practice refers to the field of contemporary art
practice that moves between art and life. Often, it is created in communities and spaces
unaffiliated with traditional cultural institution and is frequently driven by an effort
towards social change. The projects are usually collaborations with practitioners from many
disciplines, are site-specific, and success depends on long-range planning and team
management. In this class, student will have the opportunity to design and model their own
socially-engaged, site-specific projects informed by the content of the course. The class will
include visiting artists, site visits, and assignments designed to give students access to
venues outside of their comfort zone. [Previously Titled Site and Social Engagement]
Undergraduate Elective
Fall Only
|
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MPSM404 Site and Social Engagement 3
This course explores examples of contemporary “social practice”, its historical precedents, and current scholarly dialog on the topic. Social
practice refers to the field of contemporary art practice that moves between art and life. Often, it is created in communities and spaces
unaffiliated with traditional cultural institution and is frequently driven by an effort towards social change. The projects are usually
collaborations with practitioners from many disciplines, are site-specific, and success depends on long-range planning and team
management. In this class, student will have the opportunity to design and model their own socially-engaged, site-specific projects informed
by the content of the course. The class will include visiting artists, site visits, and assignments designed to give students access to
venues outside of their comfort zone.
Studio Hybrid
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
|
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MPSM405 Publications: Print, Digital,PostDigital 3cr.
The rise of digital publishing, online media platforms, and mobile devices has radically altered the way we look at information, art and culture, while inspiring new uses and interpretations of print media. Artists and cultural producers everywhere are actively experimenting with alternative print and publishing practices that evoke analogue memories, critically document the present, or reformulate the future of the medium. These contemporary practices examine media sustainability, propose mediated participation and configure new social spaces for the dissemination and interchange of ideas.
In this context we will initiate our studies. This class proposes a collaborative studio environment in which we will investigate various printmaking techniques, examine the history of the medium, observe and critique its current state, and experiment with the different forms that compose the expanded field of contemporary print. Through studio and post-studio projects
students are asked to propose and discover alternative approaches to printmaking, cultural production and social engagement, while discussing issues of authorship, piracy,
reproduction, dissemination, interchange, and participation. [Formerly Titled: Expanded Print Media]
Undergraduate Elective
Spring Only
|
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MPSM406 Contemporary Art Issues 3cr
Students explore issues of theory, interpretation and criticism of contemporary art, focusing on developments since 1980. Contemporary and
historical readings along with in-class discussion and group presentations provide a basis for critically understanding one’s own
artistic practice in relation to other artists, as well as the culture at large. Students are exposed to writings, interviews, and artworks
representing marginalized populations and ideas often overlooked in mainstream historical sources. Throughout the semester, students
practice research and critical writing skills by observing and writing about the work on display throughout the campus as well as in galleries and
museums in Boston. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to experiment with methods for presenting and disseminating their writing.
Hybrid Studio Critique
Undergraduate Elective
Fall
|
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MPSM407 Advance Video Techniques 3cr
In this course students explore the latest
developments and possibilities in video image and
sound capture, editing, and screening. The
course explains the finer points of several types
of cameras and accessories accessible for student
use in the Studio for Interrelated Media
department equipment collection. Guests bring
workshops and demos of the cutting edge
applications in VR, immersive media and augmented
reality. Practical applications of video
documentation are taught via hands-on
collaborative projects documenting art projects
on campus. This is an advanced course for
students that already have some video skills in
place.
Prerequisites: This is an advanced course for
students that already have some video skills in
place.
Hybrid Studio Critique
Instructor’s Discretion
|
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MPSM408 Intensive Performance Art Studio 3cr
In this class, students develop and deepen ways
performance art fits into their practice. Through
class exercises, assignments, and personal
research, students investigate audience -
performer relationships, site-specificity, working
with extended duration, body awareness, risk
management, personae work, delegated performance
approaches, and documentation strategies.
Approaching performance art through a visual arts
lens, we investigate the history and contemporary
climate around the medium’s inclusion and/or
exclusion from institutional art contexts, public
space, and artist-run initiatives. Students
complete readings, writing assignments, follow a
course blog, and attend local art
exhibitions/events during the semester that will
be discussed in class. This course includes
guest-artist presentations, guest critics, and
significant student-led studio time. Students are
required to present works in progress and
developed pieces throughout the semester. Our
efforts culminate into a final event where
students share developed live works with the
public. In addition to exhibiting their own works,
students collaborate in the organization,
promotion, and documentation of this event.
Prerequisites: MPSM216 Performance Art Fundamentals or MPSM307 On the Spot
or Instructor Permission
Hybrid Studio Critique
Spring
|
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MPSM409 Mining Meaning 3cr
This class focuses on the development of artistic
practice and individualized research through
multiple lenses. During the course, students are
expected to create project based works through
multi-faceted approaches to research. The course
examines Practice-based Research which is a form
of research that aims to advance knowledge partly
by means of practice. Students will be introduced
to the writings of Donna Haraway, Vilem Flusser,
Oscar Wilde, James Baldwin, Juhani Pallasmaa,
Kumagusu Minakakta, Theaster Gates, William
Kentridge, Susan Sontag, and many others.
Discussion, in-depth reading and written analysis
regarding contemporary issues in art are a
fundamental component of the course.
Hybrid Studio Critique
Spring
|
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MPSM476 Studio for Interrelated Media 3 cr.
This is the third and final year of the Major Studio class (2 semesters of MPSM476 required) in SIM in which individuals and groups present and discuss work in media of their choice such as audio, video, computer, performance, publishing, and production of events that interrelate media. Each week, student presentations of work are organized into performances and exhibitions produced by students who select, schedule and technically support the presentation. In this final year of SIM, seniors are required to complete all components of a senior review board. While students register for different sections of the course each year, each section shares the same space, time and faculty so that all SIM majors are able to meet each other, collaborate, mentor and critique each other’s work. SIM Majors are required to take 6 semesters of SIM Major studio in total. 2 MPSM276 (Sophomore year), 2 MPSM376 (Junior year) and 2 MPSM476 (Senior year).
Prerequisites: 6 credits of MPSM376
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall and Spring
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Studio Foundation |
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SFDN109 Figurative Paint,Color and Light 3cr.
Through painting the figure, this class examines
current practices and uses of color as they
pertain to both visual artists and designers. A
variety of color issues are explored including
vocabulary, theories, cultural context,
expressiveness, and pictorial qualities.
[Formerly Figurative Painting&Color]
Undergraduate Elective
Spring
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SFDN181 Studio for Drawing 3 cr.
STUDIO FOR DRAWING introduces drawing as a practice of observation. We approach the illusions of space and form through formal analysis, subjective interpretation and through the human figure. We consider and examine the multiple functions of drawing across time and culture. We emphasize the breadth of the drawing experience and its application across disciplines. [Formerly Drawing Studio I]
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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SFDN182 Visual Language 3 cr.
From the complexities of art and design, Visual Language will isolate a series of topics for
examination, discussion, and development. These topics are fundamental to all of the disciplines
within the fields of art and design. The topics explored are: learning about terms and concepts
common to all of the visual arts (for example, composition, space content, color); exploring
material, media and presentation skills (traditional and digital technologies included);
initiating an historical and contemporary context for art and culture (issues surrounding the
history and the institutionalization of art, and issues in contemporary art making and critical
thinking); and, furthering a student’s own sense of direction in the arts. Through prescribed
projects emphasizing two-dimensional formats, students will progressively define and articulate
their subjective interests, expressive ideas, and visual affinities.(Formerly Visual Language I)
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall
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SFDN183 Form Study 3 cr.
Form Study is an introduction to the central tenets of three-dimensional art and design. Understanding 3D form and space is vital to all majors, in particular 3D fine arts and crafts, industrial design, fashion, and architecture. It is also a necessary component for the successful composition and production of two-dimensional images.
Employing a wide range of materials and processes, students design and construct projects that investigate the three-dimensional elements of line, plane, surface, volume, mass, and space.
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Fall/Spring
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SFDN185 Drawing Projects 3 cr.
DRAWING PROJECTS is a menu of advanced drawing courses building on the elements introduced in Studio for Drawing.
There are 2 groups of courses in the menu:
A.) Studio 2 (4 sections)
B.) Thematic Menu (18 - 22 sections)
Studio 2 builds on the variety of principles and techniques introduced first semester yet explores drawing principles more intensely, in greater depth, building in time needed for practice.
It is an essential choice for anyone who may not have entered with the strongest drawing experiences prior to art school, or are challenged by drawing and need more time and practice to develop their ability, especially in preparation for major concentrations which demand strong drawing skills.
It is likewise directed towards students who have already acquired certain drawing skills but want to develop these further and more intensely. They typically expect to enter major concentrations that rely more heavily on drawing, such as illustration, fashion, industrial design, animation, graphic design, printmaking and painting.
Acknowledging different abilities within this class, a variety of challenge levels are designed for projects throughout the semester.
Thematic Menu courses advance the formal and expressive issues introduced first semester but with a specific focus area. Intensely exploring a single theme, participants take the time needed to develop a drawing practice, conceptually and technically. A menu of courses is organized each semester to evenly represent each of 3 areas - observation, expression, technical drawing. Students select from the menu based on their needs, interests, and with their intended major in mind, typically in conjunction with their advisor or Studio for Drawing faculty member. [Formerly Drawing Studio II]
Prerequisites: SFDN-181
Hybrid Studio/Critique
Departmental Requirement
Spring
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SFDN188 Handmade Paper & Book 3 cr.
Pulp made into beautiful sheets of paper will be used for artists books and journals filled with imagery. Students will explore Western papermaking techniques with Thai Kozo and Abaca fibers. Japanese book binding, the accordion, simple side-bound books and journals for personal mark making will be emphasized. Students will be drawing and painting with water-based pigments, hand and machine sewing, graphite, inks etc. In this class drawing skills, perception, and expression will be motivated by the extraordinary qualities of paper and the book as art for visual narrative. [Formerly titled: Pulp: Paper and Book]
Hybrid Studio/Critique
All College Elective
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