Jun 17, 2024  
Academic Catalog 2021-2022 
    
Academic Catalog 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses


 

Graduate

  
  • AETE543 Saturday Studios Pre-Practicum II 3cr


    A teaching experience to practice theories and models of teaching in the context of the Saturday Studios setting. Through readings, class discussions, and coaching sessions, students analyze communication skills and motivational techniques to inform their practice. Students reflect upon all aspects of their teaching and set goals to address challenges they encounter in
    the Saturday Studios classes for 4th to 12th graders.

    Prerequisites: AETE542

  
  • AETE545 Designing Curriculum 3cr


    An exploration of the philosophical, sociocultural, and personal issues that shape long-term art curriculum development for a
    course, year, or program in PK-12 settings. Through readings and critical analysis of existing models, students design individual solutions to curriculum problems in the visual arts. [Formerly Titled Seminar V:Curriculum]

  
  • AETE546 Student Teaching Practicum 6cr


    As part of the final semester, students will focus on the practice of teaching as a student teacher intern at a school site under the guidance of a certified teacher called the supervising practitioner. A MassArt instructor will teach the seminar class at MassArt and also serve as the program supervisor by observing the student teacher intern at the school location at
    least four or more times throughout the semester.

    Students in the practicum are required to complete the following based on the appropriate standards for course grading at MassArt and for the MA Department of Education Practicum Form and Preservice Performance Assessment documenting
    their summative assessment by using sources of evidence, as designated in the DOE Guidelines of
    August 2004. The student teacher intern is expected to complete approximately a twelve week practicum at the school site. It is expected that the student teacher intern will meet the guidelines as outlined in the Student TeachingInternship Practicum Handbook. 

  
  • AETE549 Artist Teacher Studio 3cr


    Artist Teacher Studio is designed to help teaching interns navigate the balance between being an artist while being a teacher. Students collaborate to find ways to maintain their own art practice, to bring the works and practices of contemporary art into teaching, to create and participate in communities of support, and to use art and teaching engagement as foundations for research. [Formerly known as Portfolio: Artist/Teacher Seminar]

  
  • AETE640 Art and Human Development 3cr


    An exploration of cognitive and psychosocial development of learners from birth through the lifespan, considering psychological, sociological, and anthropological theories. Theories of development and the nature of art-making are the focus of the course.

  
  • AETE644 Concepts and Processes 3cr


    An intensive, condensed examination of the traditional and new media of visual artists as used in elementary, middle, high school, and other educational settings. Emphasis is placed on the relationship of materials and processes to
    the images and ideas they convey, as well as the practical concerns of organization, age-appropriateness, special adaptations, and efficient routines. Each student engages in research and an in-depth exploration of a concept/process. Special consideration is given to substantive, appropriate, and respectful content in Pre-K to 12 classrooms. 

  
  • AETE647 Studio Investigations 3cr


    This intensive visual arts studio course is meant to connect and expand candidates’ engagement with their own studio practice and includes review and benchmark. Participation in outside lectures and related readings is required. Qualifying outcome:
    Successful benchmark for a body of work, plan for moving forward, and completion of other course requirements.

  
  • AETE648 Teaching in New Media 3cr


    Through project-based inquiry, this course addresses issues of teaching art in new media. Students evaluate the roles of new media technology for existing PK-12th grade art curricula and develop projects that support the art making experience. The course emphasizes building inventive, interdisciplinary curriculum for teaching art. Most classes are structured as a combination of lectures, conversations, visits to maker labs, research, and studio time. The final project for the class is the development of an interdisciplinary lesson plan/unit with supporting materials.

  
  • AETE650 Foundations and Research in Artist Contexts 6cr


    This course establishes a foundation in artist, researcher, and teacher contexts and settings and in research practices. Students are introduced to two overlapping areas of content: (1) historical development and contemporary contexts of art
    education in the USA, and (2) diverse paradigms of research in the field of visual arts education, with emphasis on those appropriate to research questions for investigation of individuals’ practices in PK-16 art education
    contexts. Through readings, discussions, presentations, and individual and collaborative projects, students determine a research direction and develop a proposal as a foundation for their MEd research in the remaining terms of the
    program. Participation in outside lectures and related readings is required. Qualifying outcome: Research proposal  and completion of other course requirements. 

  
  • AETE652 Social and Cultural Contexts for Art Education 3cr


    This course explores characteristics of diverse learners, cultures, and issues of social justice
    in art and educational contexts through readings, discussions, and projects. Qualifying outcome: Completion of course requirements.

  
  • AETE654 Problems in Aesthetics 3cr


    This course investigates historical and contemporary theories and philosophies of western art in the context of a global society through readings, discussions, and projects. Qualifying outcome: Completion of course requirements.

  
  • AETE656 Research Investigations I 3cr


    This course supports students in learning research design and data collection around a practical question of professional interest and importance to art and teaching at PK-16 levels. Qualifying outcome: Data collection, research plan revised, and other course requirements completed.

    Prerequisites: AETE650

  
  • AETE658 Research Investigations II 3cr


    This course supports students in developing greater validity in research outcomes around a practical question of professional interest and importance to art and teaching at PK-16 levels. Students refine research methods and data analysis and begin exploring journals in which to publish their work. Qualifying outcome: Research process presentation, plan and completion of other course requirements.

    Prerequisites: AETE656

  
  • AETE747 Studio Investigations II 6cr


    This intensive visual arts studio course includes final review and benchmark of a body of artwork. Participation in outside lectures and related readings is required. Qualifying outcome: Successful benchmark of a body of artwork and completion of other course requirements.

    Prerequisites: AETE647

  
  • AETE750 Final Projects in Research and Contexts 3cr


    Students write and submit an article to submit for publication that aligns with the style format of a specific journal they select. The article is based on research they conducted during the program at PK - 16 art-teaching sites. Participation in outside lectures and related readings is required. Qualifying outcome: Article submitted for publication and suitable for research presentation, completion of other course requirements.

    Prerequisites: AETE656

  
  • DSGN601 Design Studio I 6cr


    Design Studio is an advanced program of study and research in communication design. Part I focuses on fundamental principles of visual communication in the context of interactive media; Part II focuses on complex information structures for various contexts and audiences, emphasizing interactive media in the context of information design.

    Fall
  
  • DSGN602 Design Studio II 6cr


    Design Studio is an advanced program of study and research in communication design. Part I focuses on fundamental principles of visual communication in the context of interactive media; Part II focuses on complex information structures for various contexts and audiences, emphasizing interactive media in the context of information design.

    Prerequisites: DSGN601

    Spring
  
  • DSGN611 Design Seminar I 3cr


    Part I examines socioeconomic and technological context of design disciplines, producing a comprehensive paper that analyzes history of design concepts and movements and their impact on current design practice. Part II examines and debates current issues of communication design and design education in lectures, studio projects, readings and discussions, with emphasis on the intellectual context of design.

    Fall
  
  • DSGN612 Design Seminar II 3cr


    Part I examines socioeconomic and technological context of design disciplines, producing a comprehensive paper that analyzes history of design concepts and movements and their impact on current design practice. Part II examines and debates current issues of communication design and design education in lectures, studio projects, readings and discussions, with emphasis on the intellectual context of design.

    Prerequisites: DSGN611

    Spring
  
  • DSGN631 Elements of Media 3cr


    This course is focused on developing a better understanding of the complexities of the re-synthesis of visual, oral, aural, and temporal information as they exist in timebased and interactive media. Through lecture and in-class demonstration students will learn the technological processes necessary to begin temporal explorations in sound and image

  
  • DSGN633 Design As Experience 3cr


    This is a multidimensional and multi-sensory research based course, focused on creative processes that integrate form and content generated within and outside of the class experience. Students explore temporal, spatial, visual and verbal aspects of communication process. Work consists of both static and dynamic media presentations and individual and group projects

  
  • DSGN701 Thesis Project I 6cr


    The thesis project DSGN 701 / DSGN 702 courses provide a supportive context for the development of the project component of the thesis. The class limited to 5 students, is a forum to articulate and debate the issues associated with individual thesis projects. The work in class is structured by a specific agreement between the student and faculty advisor, who guides the program of study, and provides ongoing feedback and evaluation. The student select a particular course/faculty upon approval of the preliminary thesis proposals. The faculty advisors may further define their own specific criteria, process and schedule of thesis development.

    Prerequisites: DSGN602

    Fall
  
  • DSGN702 Thesis Project II 6cr


    The thesis project DSGN 701 / DSGN 702 courses provide a supportive context for the development of the project component of the thesis. The class limited to 5 students, is a forum to articulate and debate the issues associated with individual thesis projects. The work in class is structured by a specific agreement between the student and faculty advisor, who guides the program of study, and provides ongoing feedback and evaluation. The student select a particular course/faculty upon approval of the preliminary thesis proposals. The faculty advisors may further define their own specific criteria, process and schedule of thesis development.

    Prerequisites: DSGN701

    Spring
  
  • DSGN711 Thesis Seminar I 3cr


    The thesis document DSGN-711 / DSGN-712 courses provide a supportive context for the development of the document component of the thesis. The class is a forum for students to articulate, debate and record the results of their research and design process and provide critical discussion of historical and contemporary context of their work. The final thesis document becomes a part of the graduate design archives.

    Prerequisites: DSGN612

    Fall
  
  • DSGN712 Thesis Seminar II 3cr


    The thesis document DSGN-711 / DSGN-712 courses provide a supportive context for the development of the document component of the thesis. The class is a forum for students to articulate, debate and record the results of their research and design process and provide critical discussion of historical and contemporary context of their work. The final thesis document becomes a part of the graduate design archives.

    Prerequisites: DSGN711

    Spring
  
  • EDAD502 Methods and Materials 3cr


    This course introduces students to the origins, properties, working methods, and assembly techniques of the major materials that comprise the built environment with a focus on the development of woodshop skills and wood frame construction.

  
  • EDAD510 Architectural Design I 3cr


    Introduction to architectural design as a social art. The course lays the foundation of basic skills in architecture through which students are introduced to design through observation of people and places, program schematics, access, siting and elementary building languages. Through a series of projects of increasing complexity, students work on designs that include
    small scale private and public programs, and transform ideas into built form.

  
  • EDAD511 Digital Tools 3cr


    Students are introduced to 2D/3D drawing and modeling software with an emphasis on architectural design in digital space.
    In-class demonstrations occur throughout the semester and address how to use digital tools at various stages of the design
    process at various scales. Students apply skills taught in class to small design projects as part of the course.

  
  • EDAD516 History of Architecture& Urban Planning I 3cr


    The course examines building cultures from different periods and places, beginning with pre-history and ancient civilizations from more than 5000 years ago that kept the first written records, through the era of medievalism up to the dawn of modernity. Emphasis is given to different aspects of the built domain: selected individual buildings, their symbolical significance, layouts, spatial organization, construction, building materials and technologies, along with buildings’ sites and city plans within the broader urban and cultural landscapes. Each lecture is based on a variety of case studies of buildings and settlements explored within their specific geographies and historical settings. Rather than asking for simple memorizing of particular data or dates, students develop skills of analyzing, comparing, and getting oriented within distinct historical spaces and periods.

  
  • EDAD517 Architectural Design I 3cr


    Introduction to architectural design as a social art. The course lays the foundation of basic skills in architecture through which students are introduced to design through observation of people and places, program schematics, access, siting and elementary building languages.

    Through a series of projects of increasing complexity, students work on designs that include small scale private and public programs, and transform ideas into built form.

  
  • EDAD520 Architectural Design II 3cr


    The studio focuses on the development of tools and fundamental skills for primary competence in design leading to an emerging ability to integrate design explorations-the ability to think critically about and integrate research and precedents, climate and site, program, use and structural building propositions.

  
  • EDAD526 History of Architecture and Urban Planning II 3cr


    The course explores building cultures from around the world from 1400s until the mid-20th century. As the time-line covered in the course starts with the Renaissance – defined by its radical shift from the previous, predominantly religious,
    ideological framework, to man-centered belief systems – the entire period can be generally considered as the Age of Modernity. Therefore, special attention in the course is paid to the various concepts, understanding, and architectural manifestations of the idea of Modern. Each lecture is based on a variety of case studies - specific buildings, urban plans
    and theoretical statements of the leading architects, planners and visionary contributors to the creation of the built domain, understood through the specificities of the ideological, cultural, and intellectual settings of different periods and geographies.

  
  • EDAD527 Architectural Structures II 3cr


    This course continues structural design of wooden buildings and computations for generic or special extra load applications requiring compound wood sections. The course introduces steel construction and calculation for steel beams and columns and environmental systems of plumbing, heating, and insulation. Students will design a domestic plumbing system. 

  
  • EDAD530 Architectural Design III 3cr


    Development of architectural design skills that address the issues of housing both locally and globally viewed through a lens of cultural differences in typical / minimum housing sizes and varied user profiles. The coursework includes investigation of elements of urban tissue such as plazas, squares, street edges and systems of city form understood through street patterns and greenways followed up in a site study focused on the primary design project for the studio. Students explore needs, values, norms and spatial patterns as a means to sensitize them to diverse physical and cultural environments that culminates in the design of a mixed-use housing project in a local urban context.

    Prerequisites: EDAD-520

  
  • EDAD532 Sustainable Architecture 3cr


    The goal of this course is to define sustainable architecture in contemporary practice through two primary approaches:

    Tool Kit Creation & Critical Analysis

    Tool Kit. A collection of digital spreadsheets, indices, CAD details, drawing in plan and mostly section, details, and instruction on existing software, providing students with useable strategies for design.

    Critical Analysis of a wide range of sustainable design principles leading to an understanding of detailing methodologies in many types and scales of construction and materials. Material will also address issues of site, building form, building
    service systems and place-making, and provide comparison of details with constructed functioning cultural precedents. The course will also include field trips, workshops, and visiting lecturers.

  
  • EDAD535 Professional Practice I 3cr


    Students are introduced to the issues of architectural practice through social and community design issues, fiduciary responsibility, design and construction contracts and contract law, regulations and codes governing design and construction, ethics, sustainability and environmental issues and requirements for planning, site design and building design and construction.

  
  • EDAD567 Building Operating Systems 3cr


    Mechanical/electrical/plumbing/communication systems for domestic to tall buildings are introduced in the context of declining energy supplies and increasing global pollution. Lower energy systems for heating, ventilating, air conditioning, plumbing, and lighting for new and retro-fit applications are contrasted with traditional systems, and selections of architectural design and landscape elements which support more sustainable systems are covered. Students estimate heating, cooling, ventilating, lighting, electrical, elevator, sewage and pure water loads and gain some understanding of how handling these loads affects the space and layout of buildings and what sort of collaboration with engineers is to be expected. The principles of operation and code standards for the various environmental control systems are explained, together with relative costs and expected maintenance requirements. Issues of energy source availability, safety, pollution, storage and delivery are discussed from a local and global perspective. Field trips to local “”green”” buildings demonstrate the use of currently available lower energy systems.

  
  • EDAD577 Structures Overview 3cr


    Designed for students who require a comprehensive overview of current structural methods in the United States. Covers structural examples and calculations for reinforced concrete, steel, wood frame and cross laminated timber. Students
    accustomed to a masonry building tradition are introduced to the possibilities of wood and related calculation methods. Computations are presented in typical applied context.

  
  • EDAD605 Community Build Studio 12cr


    This studio is a design/build intensive focusing on a design problem with a community partner to provide the opportunity for students to design and construct a project as a full time experience in a single summer. This includes developing empathy for and sensitivity to the requirements of a community client through interviews, site observation, and measuring, programming, and presentation, while being exposed to specifications, budgeting, cost-control strategies, scheduling of a project from design through construction, and developing construction documents. The studio is set up as a collaborative experience in which the students direct a design and construction process with engineers, landscape architects, and other professionals in the community. Students design systems of assembly in wood, metal, and concrete, in a context that encourages a thoughtful approach to sustainable materials selection and reuse. As the work progresses through construction, students develop design and artisanry skills and are exposed to community building and leadership, with the hands-on experience of engineering and building systems.

  
  • EDAD702 Architectural Design VII 6cr


    Design studio with a complex, multi-storied program in an urban site, in which students integrate a site analysis with an historical context, public space and select structural systems and enclosure, and the development of sustainable systems integration relevant for planning neighborhoods and communities in the Boston area. Students analyze urban and historical site and building precedents, select and design steel and concrete frame systems that support their project concept, site and proposed uses, develop typical wall sections illustrating an understanding of fire separation assemblies, sustainable building envelope systems, and hone graphic design skills in their presentations. 

    Prerequisites: EDAD-605

  
  • EDAD708 Thesis I 6cr


    Completing a successful independent thesis is the culmination of the Master of Architecture degree at MassArt. 

    In Thesis I students select an issue in the field of architectural design as the basis for their thesis project. The first half of the
    course is focused on developing well-structured research broadly based on the student’s topics of interest and related areas that influence the program, approach to the site, technologies and other aspects relevant to the design. The goal is to
    develop the thesis proposal with a finalized site and a research agenda.

    In the second half of the course, the students zero in on their sharpened thesis topic, and work through the second round of more in-depth investigation and analysis of their earlier work, adding new components including interviewing experts, understanding current and historical precedents, and additional areas that may also support the social, cultural and philosophical issues for the design. By the end of the course, students have completed the research and analysis
    and have begun to test their concepts through preliminary design studies.

    Prerequisites: EDAD-702, EDAD-711, EDAD-720

  
  • EDAD711 Making Cities Work 3cr


    What design decisions lead to a more sustainable future and how are those decisions made? The space between buildings-a city’s parks, urban gardens and greenways, and infrastructures of water, transportation, and communication are integral to the making of the urban places we inhabit. In this course we examine how the architecture and design of cities is dependent on the underlying urban fabric by looking carefully at the forces that shape great urban spaces - the designers, the political players and the everyday urban dwellers. Contemporary projects ranging from The High Line in Manhattan to Germany’s
    Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord are used as case-studies in conjunction with study of Boston’s historical and contemporary urban landscape. Students’ final projects for the course involve direct observation, analysis, and documentation of selected sites in Boston. Through the case studies and investigations in Boston, we critically assess the social, cultural, environmental, and economic factors that influence built and landscape fabric of cities and what the confluence of those underpinnings means for the future of the places where we live.

  
  • EDAD720 Integrated Systems 3cr


    Students explore strategies for enclosing buildings and examine how to integrate the building enclosure with its surrounding
    environment including framing, climate modification, and building services systems.

    Using their design from a prior studio as the basis for developing building enclosure systems, students will research and explore multiple building service/ environmental systems that compliment their design in a sustainable context. This exploration includes how evaluate, select and coordinate the structural framing and commonly used building service and environmental systems in association with the building envelope and it details.  Students use their projects to gain knowledge of these systems as well as discover how to coordinate the interface between dissimilar enclosure systems

  
  • EDAD752 Architectural Design VIII 6cr


    Students investigate multiple aspects of various building systems and regulatory requirement integration in the design process including structure, enclosure, environmental systems, codes, and material choices. 

    Prerequisites: EDAD-720  and EDAD-702

  
  • EDAD805 Professional Practice II 3cr


    Professional Practice II is a continuation of Professional Practice I (EDAD-535) and covers topics essential to the business of architecture. Among the topics addressed are basic business concepts for the successful operation of an architectural firm and office, project finance including accounting fundamentals, forms of business organization, employer-employee relationships, business taxation, project management, and managing risk and professional liability. This material is then viewed through
    the lens of the architect’s fiduciary responsibilities through design, on the jobsite, and in practice, and in relation to the issues of
    professional ethics and social and environmental responsibility.

  
  • EDAD808 Thesis II 6cr


    Thesis II is the second semester of the studio design work leading to the completion and final presentation of the thesis project. Based upon research development in the prior semester, students complete the design project, and convincingly argue their architectural question at a final review to the Thesis Committee including peers and professionals in the field of architecture, using analytical and architectural design tools in order to make a meaningful contribution to the architectural discipline.

  
  • FA2D601 Fine Arts 2-D Major Studio I 6cr


    The Major Studio meetings may include presentations by the instructor(s),critiques of student work in progress, presentations and critiques by visiting artists and scholars, and class trips or off-campus interactions. Students will be prepared to initiate and participate in critical discourse - verbally and visually. They will be able to establish artistic goals, demonstrate a working knowledge of the key issues related to their work, and make coherent, thoughtful, insightful presentations of their ideas and work. As artists, they will be able to identify, research, secure and use resources.

    Fall
  
  • FA2D602 Fine Arts 2-D Major Studio II 6 cr


    The Major Studio meetings may include presentations by the instructor(s),critiques of student work in progress, presentations and critiques by visiting artists and scholars, and class trips or off-campus interactions. Students will be prepared to initiate and participate in critical discourse - verbally and visually. They will be able to establish artistic goals, demonstrate a working knowledge of the key issues related to their work, and make coherent, thoughtful, insightful presentations of their ideas and work. As artists, they will be able to identify, research, secure and use resources.

    Prerequisites: FA2D601

  
  • FA2D701 Fine Arts 2-D Major Studio III 6cr


    The Major Studio meetings may include presentations by the instructor(s),critiques of student work in progress, presentations and critiques by visiting artists and scholars, and class trips or off-campus interactions. Students will be prepared to initiate and participate in critical discourse - verbally and visually. They will be able to establish artistic goals, demonstrate a working knowledge of the key issues related to their work, and make coherent, thoughtful, insightful presentations of their ideas and work. As artists, they will be able to identify, research, secure and use resources.

    Prerequisites: FA2D602

    Fall
  
  • FA2D702 Fine Arts 2-D Major Studio IV 6 or 9cr


    The Major Studio meetings may include presentations by the instructor(s),critiques of student work in progress, presentations and critiques by visiting artists and scholars, and class trips or off-campus interactions. Students will be prepared to initiate and participate in critical discourse - verbally and visually. They will be able to establish artistic goals, demonstrate a working knowledge of the key issues related to their work, and make coherent, thoughtful, insightful presentations of their ideas and work. As artists, they will be able to identify, research, secure and use resources.

    Prerequisites: FA2D701

    Spring
  
  • FA3D601 Fine Arts 3D Major Studio I 6cr


    The 3D Graduate Studio is designed to specifically support students in the development of studio work, leading up to and culminating in the Thesis Exhibition. First and second year grads from the areas of Ceramics, Fibers, Glass, Metals and Sculpture will meet together for this class, in both Fall and Spring semesters. This course is a companion to the Graduate Seminar. There will be particular emphasis on discussions and critique of studio work. There will be several forms of critique each semester, including those in the graduate studio, individual discussions with faculty and guest critics. Each semester there will be a final Review Board. In the fourth semester, there will be a Thesis Review following a Thesis Talk, which is attended by faculty, Graduate Students, Deans and invited Guest Critics. The program requires a successful completion of all Review Boards, and the Thesis Talk and Thesis Review. Full participation is required in all class discussions and critiques.

    Fall
  
  • FA3D602 Fine Arts 3D Major Studio II 6cr


    The 3D Graduate Studio is designed to specifically support students in the development of studio work, leading up to and culminating in the Thesis Exhibition. First and second year grads from the areas of Ceramics, Fibers, Glass, Metals and Sculpture will meet together for this class, in both Fall and Spring semesters. This course is a companion to the Graduate Seminar. There will be particular emphasis on discussions and critique of studio work. There will be several forms of critique each semester, including those in the graduate studio, individual discussions with faculty and guest critics. Each semester there will be a final Review Board. In the fourth semester, there will be a Thesis Review following a Thesis Talk, which is attended by faculty, Graduate Students, Deans and invited Guest Critics. The program requires a successful completion of all Review Boards, and the Thesis Talk and Thesis Review. Full participation is required in all class discussions and critiques.

    Prerequisites: FA3D601

    Spring
  
  • FA3D701 Fine Arts 3D Major Studio III 6cr


    The 3D Graduate Studio is designed to specifically support students in the development of studio work, leading up to and culminating in the Thesis Exhibition. First and second year grads from the areas of Ceramics, Fibers, Glass, Metals and Sculpture will meet together for this class, in both Fall and Spring semesters. This course is a companion to the Graduate Seminar. There will be particular emphasis on discussions and critique of studio work. There will be several forms of critique each semester, including those in the graduate studio, individual discussions with faculty and guest critics. Each semester there will be a final Review Board. In the fourth semester, there will be a Thesis Review following a Thesis Talk, which is attended by faculty, Graduate Students, Deans and invited Guest Critics. The program requires a successful completion of all Review Boards, and the Thesis Talk and Thesis Review. Full participation is required in all class discussions and critiques.

    Prerequisites: FA3D602

    Fall
  
  • FA3D702 Fine Arts 3D Major Studio IV 6 or 9cr


    The 3D Graduate Studio is designed to specifically support students in the development of studio work, leading up to and culminating in the Thesis Exhibition. First and second year grads from the areas of Ceramics, Fibers, Glass, Metals and Sculpture will meet together for this class, in both Fall and Spring semesters. This course is a companion to the Graduate Seminar. There will be particular emphasis on discussions and critique of studio work. There will be several forms of critique each semester, including those in the graduate studio, individual discussions with faculty and guest critics. Each semester there will be a final Review Board. In the fourth semester, there will be a Thesis Review following a Thesis Talk, which is attended by faculty, Graduate Students, Deans and invited Guest Critics. The program requires a successful completion of all Review Boards, and the Thesis Talk and Thesis Review. Full participation is required in all class discussions and critiques.

    Prerequisites: FA3D701

    Spring
  
  • GRAD601 Graduate Seminar 3cr


    This required two-semester course brings together students from the graduate fine arts departments (2D, 3D, Film/Video, and Photography) to consider contemporary art practice from a variety of perspectives. Students interact with artsprofessionals including critics, curators and artists, and discuss the relationship between visual practice and theory, with the goal of understanding and articulating the conceptual framework of their own practice. Many of the artists and topics discussed possess interdisciplinary relevance, affecting artists from a range of fields. This course provides an opportunity for collaboration, for exploration of professional practice, and for discussion of contemporary issues that have a discernible impact on the art world.

    Fall
  
  • GRAD602 Graduate Seminar 3cr


    This required two-semester course brings together students from the graduate fine arts departments (2D, 3D, Film/Video, and Photography) to consider contemporary art practice from a variety of perspectives. Students interact with arts professionals including critics, curators and artists, and discuss the relationship between visual practice and theory, with the goal of understanding and articulating the conceptual framework of their own practice. Many of the artists and topics discussed possess interdisciplinary relevance, affecting artists from a range of fields. This course provides an opportunity for collaboration, for exploration of professional practice, and for discussion of contemporary issues that have a discernible impact
    on the art world.

    Prerequisites: GRAD601

    Spring
  
  • GRAD680 Studio I 3cr


    This once-weekly course begins with a Preview: a formal student presentation of work that indicates a proposed direction for the summer semester. Intensive dialogue and critique with faculty during the Preview provides feedback designed to inform the subsequent studio work. Close dialogue between students and faculty, as well as with visiting artists, is the core of this course. During residencies, students meet with faculty weekly. Visiting artists from multiple disciplines offer presentations on their work and engage in one-on-one studio visits with students.

    Summer
  
  • GRAD681 Studio II 4cr


    Working one-on-one with a locally-based artist-mentor, students develop their studio practice over the semester, building on feedback gleaned in the January and summer residencies. Students meet with their mentor 5 times over the semester, for in-depth discussion and critique about the formal and conceptual aspects of their work. Context, site, and audience are considered as students experiment with ways to install and present their work. The course also incorporates two remote check-in and discussion sessions with core faculty and/or program coordinators. Students begin this course by creating a detailed studio study plan, which establishes goals for the work. They conclude the semester with a written studio study reflection that examines the progression of the work and thinking over the semester, noting how the study may have diverted from the original plan.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-680

    Fall
  
  • GRAD682 Studio III: Mentor 4cr


    Working one-on-one with a locally-based artist-mentor, students develop their studio practice over the semester, building on feedback gleaned in the January and summer residencies. Students meet with their mentor 5 times over the semester, for in-depth discussion and critique about the formal and conceptual aspects of their work. Context, site, and audience are considered as students experiment with ways to install and present their work. The course also incorporates two remote check-in and discussion sessions with core faculty and/or program coordinators. Students begin this course by creating a detailed studio study plan, which establishes goals for the work. They conclude the semester with a written studio study reflection that examines the progression of the work and thinking over the semester, noting how the study may have diverted from the original plan.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-681

    Spring
  
  • GRAD684 Seminar I 2cr


    Seminar I introduces students to the culture and expectations of the MFA program in this once-weekly course. Over their two years and final summer in the program, students are asked to absorb and synthesize what they have gleaned from their academic coursework as well as from diverse feedback gained in critique and dialogue with mentors, faculty, and visiting artists. The first seminar introduces students to a range of creative and conceptual strategies designed to guide them in the process of assimilation as related to the development of their studio work and thinking. In addition, students engage in collaborative processes and projects, forging connections between a multiplicity of ideas and tactics. Professional practice discussions are introduced in the first seminar and sustained throughout the program.

    Summer
  
  • GRAD685 Visual and Critical Studies I 3cr


    Students in Visual and Critical Studies 1, examine their studio practice in the context of contemporary art, while also locating art historical and conceptual precedents. Viewing and responding to a diverse range of artistic practices and strategies, as a cohort, is designed to facilitate knowledge of the range of approaches and interpretations that are available to the 21st century artist. Class discussions are designed to contextualize the studio work in terms of history, theory, and/or social and global issues. As the Visual and Critical Studies course series progresses, students increasingly engage in independent research and writing, focusing on the areas of inquiry, and writing voice, that best inform their studio practice. In this first course, students are introduced to a wide range of writing forms and engage in experimental writing exercises.

    Fall
  
  • GRAD686 Visual and Critical Studies 2 3cr


    In Visual and Critical Studies 2, the next online seminar course, students continue the project of examining their work in the context of contemporary practice, while locating art historical and conceptual precedents. The course explores major issues in contemporary art, criticism, and theory that help negotiate the relationships between art making and global art worlds. The course explores critical and historiographical perspectives on major social/aesthetic problems such as expression, abstraction, identity, globalization, relational aesthetics, conceptualism, and the ideology of consumerism. In addition, students consider fields and ideas outside of the art world, further inspiring and contextualizing their work. The course incorporates independent research and writing work, designed to help students claim their personal writing voice and to further define research skills appropriate for their specific method of working.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-685

    Spring
  
  • GRAD688 Colloquium + Review I 2cr


    Every winter, students gather for 5 days, full-time, to engage in a remote colloquium and review. Each of these winter residencies is organized around a theme (landscape, empathy, identity, etc.) and includes guest speakers and visiting artists. Each theme provides a lens for discussion. Topics are determined in advance by the community, during the summer residency, and may be grounded in art, art history, art theory or from alternate fields. The January residency also includes reviews of student work by program faculty and select mentors. Students present their work, guide the discussion about it, and participate in other student reviews.

    Winter
  
  • GRAD710 Major Studio 2 3cr


    Close dialog between students and faculty is the core of the program. During residencies, students
    meet with Major Studio faculty at least twice a week for critique and discussion. Frequent visiting artists from multiple disciplines join the discussion and visit studios for one-on-one consultation. 

  
  • GRAD720 January Critique II 1cr


    A January weekend devoted to individual critiques of work produced by all students. The reviews take place on the MassArt campus where students install a selection of the work from the non-residency period lasting from August until early January. One-hour critiques are led by two of this program’s faculty, individuals who also participate in the summer residency courses.
    Students are required to attend their own and other students’ reviews for the entire weekend. Students are each assigned a review time and location to install their work (throughoutMassArt). Reviews are comprised of a student introduction, faculty input, and a dialog concerning the work and ideas discussed. [Formerly titled Mid-Term Review 2.]

  
  • GRAD780 Studio IV 3cr


    This once-weekly course begins with a Preview: a formal student presentation of work that indicates a proposed direction for the summer semester. Intensive dialogue and critique with faculty during the Preview provides feedback designed to inform the subsequent studio work. Close dialogue between students and faculty, as well as with visiting artists, is the core of this course. During residencies, students meet with faculty weekly. Visiting artists from multiple disciplines offer presentations on their work and engage in one-on-one studio visits with students.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-682

    Summer
  
  • GRAD781 Studio V 4cr


    Working one-on-one with a locally-based artist-mentor, students develop their studio practice over the semester, building on feedback gleaned in the January and summer residencies. Students meet with their mentor 5 times over the semester, for in-depth discussion and critique about the formal and conceptual aspects of their work. Context, site, and audience are considered as students experiment with ways to install and present their work. The course also incorporates two remote check-in and discussion sessions with core faculty and/or program coordinators. Students begin this course by creating a detailed studio study plan, which establishes goals for the work. They conclude the semester with a written studio study reflection that examines the progression of the work and thinking over the semester, noting how the study may have diverted from the original plan.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-780

    Fall
  
  • GRAD782 Studio VI: Thesis I 4cr


    In the final spring semester of the program, students focus on developing a body of work in preparation for their Thesis Exhibition. The work is highly focused on the culminating requirements of the program. As in prior semesters, they work closely with an artist-mentor, one carefully chosen for the thesis project. Students meet with their mentors 5 times for intensive discussion, and have 2 meetings with faculty/program coordinators.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-781

    Spring
  
  • GRAD783 Studio VI: Thesis II 4cr


    Students return to campus for their concluding, third residency. Though the thesis work will have found its form and direction in the spring semester, students are able, in consultation with advisors, faculty, and visiting artists, to make final decisions about the refinement and installation of their thesis work. Intensive critique and discussion with faculty, visiting artists, and the thesis exhibition curator, offers students abundant feedback and support for their culminating body of work.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-782

    Summer
  
  • GRAD784 Seminar II 2cr


    The second summer seminar brings students back together to examine their discoveries from the year and to begin to map out a trajectory leading toward the thesis work in this once-weekly course. Group dialogue, collaborative projects, and individual and group critique continue as key components of the course structure. Students engage in an in-depth exploration of a diverse range of voices and lenses, exploring cultural theory, curatorial critique, and artists’ writings and interviews. The seminar’s focus on critical thinking helps students situate their work in contemporary practice and forge connections between new concepts and tactics. Seminars are grounded in empathy and an awareness of the diversity of personal and social realities.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-684

    Summer
  
  • GRAD785 Visual & Critical Studies III 3cr


    The third Visual and Critical Studies online seminar builds on the first two courses in the series, with an intensified focus on preparing students for their thesis project. Over the semester, students claim an individualized research practice and writing voice. These discoveries are made in concert with the student’s studio work. This course is designed to empower students in articulating their concepts, intentions, and formal strategies, and in developing the ability to present their images and ideas with facility. Professional practice sessions, focusing both on the culminating thesis projects and on preparing students to meet their future goals, are a central component of the course.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-686

    Fall
  
  • GRAD786 Thesis Composition 2cr


    The online course of Thesis Composition focuses on the preparation of a written thesis document. The document builds on the research and writing practice that each student has developed during their time in the program. The thesis itself emerges out of rigorous dialogue with faculty and student peers. Thesis Composition provides an opportunity for students to think and write extensively about their own studio production, and to articulate the contexts for that work. An initial Thesis Proposal is submitted prior to drafting the thesis, and an examination of related writings and models is a significant feature of this class. A second reader provides additional feedback on the final draft of the thesis.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-785

    Spring
  
  • GRAD787 Thesis Defense 2cr


    The Thesis Defense meets weekly over 5 weeks and constitutes the final review of the work produced in the MFA: Fine Arts, Low-Residency Program. The purpose of this defense is to evaluate each student’s Thesis Exhibition. Students demonstrate their ability to present and discuss their work, provide a context for it, and respond to criticism and questions. At the conclusion of this formal review, a determination is made as to whether the student receives credit. The course includes feedback from external reviewers.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-786

    Summer
  
  • GRAD788 Colloquium + Review II 2cr


    Every winter, students gather for 5 days, full-time, to engage in a remote colloquium and review. Each of these winter residencies is organized around a theme (landscape, empathy, identity, etc.) and includes guest speakers and visiting artists. Each theme provides a lens for discussion. Topics are determined in advance by the community, during the summer residency, and may be grounded in art, art history, art theory or from alternate fields. The January residency also includes reviews of student work by program faculty and select mentors. Students present their work, guide the discussion about it, and participate in other student reviews.

    Prerequisites: GRAD-688

    Winter
  
  • HART680 Graduate Contemporary Art 3cr


    In this course we analyze selected contemporary artworks by applying concepts from writings of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Some of the assigned essays come from the fields of philosophy, psychology, literary criticism, and cultural studies but now have a far broader significance across the arts and humanities. We will consider to what degree this popularity is justified. Throughout the semester, students determine where these essays are most and least useful for thinking about their experience of contemporary art. Close reading and close viewing  enable students to come to understand the complexity of trying to translate one’s unstructured interactions with art into words-a different medium that often seems to promise greater communicability than the original imagery, object, act, performance, and so on.

    Fall
  
  • HART780 Benchmark 3cr


    In one section of the course we will focus on our own personal history of creativity, as well as on recent theories of creativity. We will explore this topic from a practical, psychological, and philosophical point of view. In investigating individual characteristics of creativity, we will focus on creativity as an ongoing, multidimensional activity. 

    We will also investigate the history of the specific visual language each of us has chosen to engage in. This “influence” component includes looking at the work of other contemporary practitioners. We will focus on two artists (and an architect) to begin with, in order to lay a foundation for our approach: the painters Neo Rauch and Beatriz Milhazes (and the architect
    Jean Nouvel.) These three artists are in different ways addressing contemporary issues. The goal for this investigation is not only to sharpen attention and critical analysis, but to build vocabulary and framework for the exploration of our own work. 

  
  • MDES601 Experience Design Lab I 3cr


    Experience Design Lab I serves as an introduction to Human Centered Design. Students use design thinking and practices as an interstitial element that connects business and design by combining organizational strategies and various design disciplines. They learn the basic contexts, tools, and methodologies of consumer research and learn to look beyond their own experiences and biases to empathize, understand and translate values and needs of the people and stakeholders they seek to serve, connecting the customer with the business. This course facilitates students in making human centered decisions based on qualitative research, learning how to recognize patterns and insights from data and how to begin exploring the implications of their insights within the design process. Through understanding the business and strategic implications of their design decisions, they can lead their teams to recognize social/ consumer patterns and explore those implications

    Fall
  
  • MDES602 Storytelling & UX Design 3cr


    This course enables students to express complex ideas and information through many narrative development techniques and communication methods, and to develop skills in user experience design. Students develop skill sets around the user experience as well as communication through visual stories. These visual stories take on many different forms including short videos, storyboarding, improvisation and presentations of user experiences. The essential communication skills as well as user experience design principles obtained in this class form the basis of the course and of subsequent design studios.

    Fall
  
  • MDES603 Design Innovation Lab I 3cr


    Design Innovation Lab provides students with case studies and workshops that address design and innovation. Teams of students develop and propose solutions to a variety of economic and social conditions by using design techniques such as user centered research, prototyping, critique, and iteration, all while integrating business metrics. Students apply both business and design principles to a studio-based project around products and services. Student teams focus on observing, understanding, and making, with quick, iterative prototyping and testing of user experiences, products and services. Teams also focus on prototyping value propositions and business models.

    Fall
  
  • MDES604 Financial Managerial Accounting for Designers 3cr


    In this class students develop the fundamentals of financial literacy and become intelligent users of accounting information who see accounting’s relevance to design decision making in business. This course examines financial and managerial accounting and reporting with a focus on basic business practices and case studies. Students become familiar with reading financial, managerial and annual reports to recognize relevant patterns that inform design strategies, and they begin to use financial statements to assess a company’s performance.

    Fall
  
  • MDES605 Offsite Team Building Retreat 1cr


    During the offsite team building retreat, students work in teams on leadership and supporting roles in developing and proposing solutions to a variety of social challenges. These include using a broad range of design techniques to establish a collaborative and cooperative working environment necessary for their work in the upcoming year. In retreat, student teams develop design solutions to a variety of problems and define if, when, and how to innovate, which sets the framework for organizational thinking and teamwork throughout the program

    Fall
  
  • MDES611 Experience Design Lab II 3cr


    In Experience Design Lab II, students continue exploring Human Centered Design by focusing on the practical applications of design research within multiple business contexts, and by refining the design of experiences established in Experience Design Lab I. Students work to understand and translate values and needs of the people and stakeholders they seek to serve and connect the customer with the business. They practice designing products, services, events, and customer journeys with a focus on the quality of the user experience, make qualitative decisions, discover relationships between elements derived from observational research, seek to recognize social/consumer patterns, and explore implications within the design process

    Prerequisites: MDES601

    Spring
  
  • MDES612 Integration Lab A 3cr


    Integration Lab A is a team-based innovation studio in which teams of students develop projects and solve design problems representing a diverse variety of issues. Teams develop and propose solutions to a variety of economic and social challenges using design techniques such as user centered research, prototyping, critique, iteration, and business metrics. Project teams are led by pairs of student project managers from MDES 712 Integration Lab C. The student teams define when and how to innovate, which sets the framework for organizational thinking, and present strategies for innovations around product, service, environment, system, organization or a combination of these. Team solutions are evaluated by how well the team meets user and market needs, as well as the clear business and/or organizational value of their innovations

    Prerequisites: MDES602

    Spring
  
  • MDES613 Business Models& Stakeholders 3cr


    The purpose of this course is to examine the relationships between business models and their stakeholders, those individuals who are impacted by the design decisions. In depth case studies examine and explore these relationships. Students continue to practice empathy through research processes and techniques. In particular, this class focuses on the practical application of research within multiple business contexts.

    Prerequisites: MDES603

    Spring
  
  • MDES614 Brand Development 3cr


    This course examines issues surrounding design and marketing in brand development through applied problems. Coursework focuses on relationships among marketing, design research, and the telling of compelling stories to connect a brand with people. Students examine branding, graphics, and research techniques through the development of product or service design solutions. Some of the benefits students receive from the successful completion of this course include learning the language and techniques of design and marketing research, and developing experiences with service design to create a memorable experience that resonates with the consumer

    Prerequisites: MDES604

    Spring
  
  • MDES701 Market Insight Lab I 3cr


    The purpose of Market Insight Lab is to continue the exploration and practice of Human Centered Design. Students tie empathy tools and skills together with business realities through the examination of service problems and projects. Students also explore market evaluation techniques and practices

    Prerequisites: MDES611

    Fall
  
  • MDES702 Integration Lab B 3cr


    Integration Lab B builds on the communication skills developed in the Storytelling Studio (MDES 611) and teamwork skills from Integration Lab A (MDES 612). The course has a focus on sustainable practices in product and service design. Students examine the triad of a.) sustainable labor and community, b.) sustainable environmental practices, and c.) sustainable profits. They use a systems approach to problems and develop innovative solutions by examining case studies and designing products and services

    Prerequisites: MDES612

    Fall
  
  • MDES703 Thesis Project I 3cr


    Thesis Project I is the first of a two-part thesis sequence that provides a directed and supportive context for students to explore strategic development of product, service, environment, system, organization, or combinations of these. In Thesis Project I, students define when and how to innovate, define their project goals, and develop content through planning, scheduling, and research. Each student leads a committee of 3 to 5 faculty, including the instructor of record, who collaboratively support project development.

    Prerequisites: MDES613

    Fall
  
  • MDES704 Business Plan “Sustainability” 3cr


    This course addresses the intersection between business model development and sustainability. The goal of the course is to give students background knowledge and skills for developing innovations in business models that are sustainable, not only for ongoing operations, but for humanity and the global environment. Topics covered in the course are: business model innovation, social entrepreneurship, developing new products and services, sustainable organization, clean energy and leveraging local and global partnerships. The course is built around a semester-long business development project.

    Prerequisites: MDES614

    Fall
  
  • MDES705 Offsite Team Building Retreat 1cr


    In their second offsite team building retreat, students take on a mentoring role with first year students by developing and leading the team building retreat. Students lead the first year group in solving design projects from a range of proposed problems, developing strategies for product, service, environment, system, organization and combinations of these over the course of the retreat.

    Prerequisites: MDES605

    Fall
  
  • MDES711 Leadership Design Lab 3cr


    The purpose of the Leadership Design Lab is to continue the exploration and practice of Human Centered Design by focusing on the qualities of decision-making and team management, and their effects on the identification of complex problems and on the execution of effective solutions to human and business realities. Students examine the qualities of creative design leadership through cases studies, and they design the leadership structure of a model organization

    Prerequisites: MDES701

    Spring
  
  • MDES712 Integration Lab C 3cr


    Integration Lab C is a team-based innovation studio. Students take on a leadership role in developing and proposing solutions to a variety of economic and social challenges, using a broad range of design techniques as well as business metrics. Students are paired as project leaders working in teams with students in MDES 612 Integration Lab A. Students solve design projects for a variety of problems and develop strategies for production, service, environment, system, organization or a combination of these. Teams define if, when, and how to innovate, setting the framework for organizational thinking. Team solutions are evaluated by how well the team meets user and market needs, as well as the clear business and/or organizational value of their innovations.

    Prerequisites: MDES702

    Spring
  
  • MDES713 Thesis Project II 3cr


    Building on conclusions from Thesis Project I, Thesis Project II supports students in developing and demonstrating when and how to innovate and to what benefit. Students must effectively document and design product/service solutions. Students present their final solutions formally in public exhibitions and in written documentation, including a thesis that articulates how the theories and methods employed in the project impact the current and future state of design in society. Theses are archived in the graduate design collection and MassArt Morton Godine Library

    Prerequisites: MDES703

    Spring
  
  • MDES714 Organizational Behavior 3cr


    This course addresses management of the organizational ecosystem from a tactical and strategic perspective, examining human behavior in organizations. The goal is to expose students to the challenges and opportunities within a corporate environment from both the new venture and large scale company perspective. Topics include organizational design, company culture, human resources, negotiation, hiring and firing, and operational budgeting. Additional topics may examine organizational development and change management. The course is case driven and includes an emphasis on in-class exercises.

    Prerequisites: MDES704

    Spring
  
  • MDES715 Thesis Defense 1cr


    In Thesis Defense, students make a presentation of their Thesis Project. The project and its documentation are evaluated by a panel of reviewers comprised of MassArt faculty and guest critics, moderated by the coordinator of the program.

    Prerequisites: MDES703

    Spring
  
  • MPFV601 Major Studio-Filmmaking Sem 1 6cr


    The Film/Video seminar is a critique course where the graduate student meets weekly with a Film or Video faculty to present and discuss work-in-progress. Visiting artists often participate, and have included Rebecca Baron, Yann Beauvais, Robert Beaver, Andrew Bujalski, Martha Coburn, Joe Gibbons, Jacqueline Goss, Ed Halter, Julie Heyward, Lewis Klahr, Lynne Sachs, Deborah Stratman, Elisabeth Subrin, Tracy and the Plastics and The Yes Men.

    Fall
  
  • MPFV602 Major Studio-Filmmaking Sem 2 6cr


    The Film/Video seminar is a critique course where the graduate student meets weekly with a Film or Video faculty to present and discuss work-in-progress. Visiting artists often participate, and have included Rebecca Baron, Yann Beauvais, Robert Beaver, Andrew Bujalski, Martha Coburn, Joe Gibbons, Jacqueline Goss, Ed Halter, Julie Heyward, Lewis Klahr, Lynne Sachs, Deborah Stratman, Elisabeth Subrin, Tracy and the Plastics and The Yes Men.

    Prerequisites: MPFV601

    Spring
  
  • MPFV701 Major Studio-Filmmaking Sem 3 6cr


    The Film/Video seminar is a critique course where the graduate student meets weekly with a Film or Video faculty to present and discuss work-in-progress. Visiting artists often participate, and have included Rebecca Baron, Yann Beauvais, Robert Beaver, Andrew Bujalski, Martha Coburn, Joe Gibbons, Jacqueline Goss, Ed Halter, Julie Heyward, Lewis Klahr, Lynne Sachs, Deborah Stratman, Elisabeth Subrin, Tracy and the Plastics and The Yes Men.

    Prerequisites: MPFV602

    Fall
  
  • MPFV702 Major Studio-Filmmaking Sem 4 6 or 9cr


    The Film/Video seminar is a critique course where the graduate student meets weekly with a Film or Video faculty to present and discuss work-in-progress. Visiting artists often participate, and have included Rebecca Baron, Yann Beauvais, Robert Beaver, Andrew Bujalski, Martha Coburn, Joe Gibbons, Jacqueline Goss, Ed Halter, Julie Heyward, Lewis Klahr, Lynne Sachs, Deborah Stratman, Elisabeth Subrin, Tracy and the Plastics and The Yes Men.

    Prerequisites: MPFV701

    Spring
  
  • MPPH601 Major Studio-Photography Sem 1 6cr


    The Graduate Major studio provides the context for graduate critique. Taught by a different faculty member each semester, this class gives graduate students the venue for thinking through their ideas, for sharing the work they produce, and for verbal participation in group critique

    Fall
 

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8