Essential Characteristics
Art, Aesthetics, and Creativity courses’ primary focus is the exploration of artistic disciplines and associated forms, materials, and practices. Through the creative process, students develop their making, looking, and listening skills. These courses explore creative practices and criticism in one or more of the traditional artistic disciplines (writing, theatre, visual arts, dance, and music), or in the newer digital arts. Students investigate and use a range of individual and/or collaborative practices and approaches to composition, performance, production, looking, listening, review, and criticism.
Creative people learn about media and forms, history and trends, and the development of ideas and concepts. They recognize the importance of rehearsal and practice for developing their expressive skills. They risk trying something new, and they are open to learning from mistakes. Students in these courses work as artists do, inquiring into, reflecting on and practicing an artistic discipline. Students analyze and review their learning and its implications for their personal, academic, and professional pursuits.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Such a course should enable students to:
- Practice making art within artistic disciplines;
- Engage with and critique works of art;
- Demonstrate knowledge of cultural contexts of artistic disciplines (e.g. aesthetics, ethics, movements);
- Demonstrate knowledge of artistic terminology, techniques, and/or materials; and
- Reflect on the creative process and its implications for personal, communal, academic, and/or professional pursuits.
(Committee approved: 2/2020)