Introduction to history, aesthetics, and practice of photography as a fine art; includes demonstrations, workshops, critiques, final portfolio; photography time outside of class; digital camera required.
Elements of Photography will allow beginning non-major students to experience a broad range of photographic practices. This includes introduction to contemporary image culture, workshops centered on historical darkroom techniques, and the production of a fine art portfolio. Students will learn how to use digital SLR cameras in a variety of modes as well as gain experience using Adobe photo editing software and producing fine art digital prints. Digital SLR camera required; available for checkout through the Photography lab.
non-art major
Basic Drawing 3 s.h.
This course is designed for the art major, addressing the formal and conceptual bases of drawing. Beginning with problems focusing on the essentials of line and mark, it progresses to shape and form. Each of these properties is explored with reference to space and value. Color is a minor component, with tonal range in black and white stressed. The media of charcoal, pencil, and ink are employed. Serious involvement is expected and additional outside work is required. The semester is devoted to developing a visual vocabulary and working attitude that are consistent with the major in art and serves to assist students well in advanced two- and three-dimensional courses. Course format consists of group and individual critiques, perceptual (including still-life and human figure, clothed and unclothed) and conceptual drawing, and other class activities. Materials such as paper, a portfolio, and the aforementioned media are required supplies. TA's teach the course with supervision from faculty.
art major or art minor
Design Fundamentals 3 s.h.
This entry-level studio course explores two- and three-dimensional concepts of design. The emphasis is on creative thinking and problem solving. Class projects are completed with variety of computer software to introduce students to industry standards. (Adobe: Illustrator, InDesign, Autodesk: AutoCAD, 3ds Max). Students prototype class projects using modern technologies such as Computer Numeric Controls (CNC) and Rapid Prototyping (RP), also known as 3D Printing, along with traditional techniques. Course format consists of informal lectures, in class workshops, and assignments completed outside of class. Grading is based primarily on class projects, participation and final portfolio.
art major
Hand Drawing Bicycles 3 s.h.
For designers and engineers drafting and drawing go hand in hand. While working exclusively in digital drawing is the norm, a person who can draw ideas by hand has a fuller understanding of the object and project. Students will do drawings of bicycles, bicycle components, and bicycles in locations, learning hand drafting, using drawing tools including pen, pencil, and marker. With the bicycle as context, students will learn iterative drawing, sketching diagrams, loose orthogonal drawings, measured two-dimensional and three-dimensional drawing, perspective, isometric study, and basic drawing skills (line, contour, cross-contour, value, volume, texture, color theory).
Engineering Be CreativeScene Design I 3 s.h.
This course focuses on the development of communication skill-sets and personal design aesthetic; script analysis, research, sketching, model building and drafting techniques will be explored and refined through the creation of a variety of scenic design projects. Success in this class is reflected the continual growth and development of the individual student’s abilities to effectively communicate their ideas within the context of this collaborative art form. If you have questions about the course or if you are a non-major and interested in the class, please contact the Eric Stone at eric-stone@uiowa.edu.
Engineering Be CreativeFor UICB students, this course counts toward the Studio Practice area.
Foundational Hands is the classic introduction to calligraphy. This course teaches fundamental calligraphic skills. Students learn Roman majuscule, Humanistic minuscule (Lowercase Romans) and Italic, three foundational calligraphic hands that are the basis for our standard modern typefaces. Exercises in basic layout will be incorporated into letter practice and small projects. Students will complete two broadsides, a book and explore other lettering applications. Students should expect about 5 hours of classwork per week some of which is done in class.
Engineering Be Creative
Introduction to Book Arts 3 s.h.
Topics related to artist books, hand bookbinding, letterpress printing, papermaking, and lettering arts.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsCeramics I: Handbuilding 3 s.h.
This course serves as an introduction to the ceramic arts and focuses on hand-building techniques and surface decoration. Students will learn to create original work through five assignments. Students load and fire electric and gas kilns, with occasional wood, soda, and raku firing as time and scheduling permit. Students mix glazes and make clay throughout the semester. There are lectures on artists relevant to the field of ceramics, basic glaze and clay formulation and preparation, along with lectures on technical information and contemporary ceramics discourse. Short papers may be assigned for research. Several critiques concerning class assignments will be conducted throughout the semester.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsIntroduction to filmmaking; how to shoot and edit short works of cinematic art; exposure to various working methods including nonfiction, fiction, and experimental modes of video production.
Modes of Film and Video Production is a foundational filmmaking course that introduces the basics of sound and image recording and editing. Weekly lectures will introduce important conceptual and technical aspects of filmmaking such as cinematography, sound design, editing syntax, and mise-en-scene. Bi-weekly sections will focus on reinforcing these concepts and applying them through hands-on filmmaking exercises, screenings, discussions, group critiques, and technical demonstrations. Students will complete several short video and audio projects focusing on different aspects of sound and image creation and, in a more open-ended final project, integrate and further develop these skills through the production of a short film.
Exploration of creative nonfiction genres through readings, discussion, and writing exercises; introduction to workshop environment.
A course exploring genres of creative nonfiction through readings, discussions, writing exercises, and writing itself. Students experience a workshop environment in which class members read, discuss, respond to, and critique the drafts their fellow students produce. Course readings, assignments, and exercises model the many modes of nonfiction for student writers. For beginning non-English majors.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsHow we tell stories: every time people talk about themselves, someone they know, places visited or events experienced; creation of a story with intention to entertain and inform a particular audience; how to create compelling, thought-provoking, and resonant texts from raw material of daily life; exploration of three fundamentals of great storytelling: taking emotional and intellectual risks, being imaginatively rigorous, and revising, revising, revising.
Engineering Be CreativeFundamental elements of new media; readings that celebrate and challenge today's newest experiments in podcasts, video games, internet, Twitter feeds, and Tumblr narratives; crafting and critiquing texts in these media.
Engineering Be CreativeProse Style 3 s.h.
Sentences: how they work, what they do; how sentences can help writing, expand understanding of prose style, stretch options.
This course comes at the question of good writing through a perhaps obvious, possibly overlooked lens: the sentence. Throughout the semester, we'll write sentences, read sentences, discuss sentences, take sentences apart, and put them back together. By the end of the course, it is my hope that you'll be able to write better sentences (and explain why they're better), recognize great sentences (and explain why you think they're great), improve sentences, both your own and other people's, and develop an effective writing process that works for you.
Engineering Be CreativeTheories, practices, strategies, and history of writing and teaching writing.
This course explores the idea that to learn to teach writing best, we must write and read; these acts cannot be disconnected. Students read and discuss accounts by professional writers, student writers, teachers of writing, and writing researchers. The discipline of composition studies, as well as reflections by writers on writing, is rich with interesting documentation, important theory, and vigorous dialogue. Students write for an audience to read and respond, in a broad variety of genres including the personal essay, the poem, short fiction, short nonfiction, the letter, the one-pager, and an experimental blur of genres. Writing is one tool for working out thinking. It is a link between inner speech and a frame for talk, a link between writer/speakers and reader/listeners. It is a writing teacher's responsibility to create an environment that ensures a diet of varied writing and broad reading, a community of rich, specific responders, and lots of opportunities for revising and careful editing. Along with the development of the individual writer-reader, the "social construction of knowledge" is an important concept in a writing class, and students experience it in this course. There are no actual stages, there is no specific process, but we can describe and theorize about prewriting techniques, revision strategies, conferencing models, inventories of grammatical conventions and mechanics, and publishing opportunities. Describing writing allows us to freeze the action to discover conditions under which writing takes place, and what the differences are in every writer's approach. To teach writing, you need to see that the act of writing is different with each piece you write, that you contribute to the next piece you write with each piece you read.
English majors may apply this course to the following area and/or period requirement. Area: Nonfiction and Creative Writing.
Engineering Be CreativeCreative Writing 3 s.h.
The primary goal of this course is to strengthen each writer's fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction; another goal is learning to read more like a writer. Much of the semester is spent reviewing and discussing the work of the writers in the class, but students also complete writing exercises and study work by established authors. Always, the focus is on craft and how to best negotiate the infinite number of choices that a writer faces with every word. Students may attend readings and lectures taking place on campus and at Prairie Lights Bookstore. Students are expected to attend class faithfully, bringing with them well-reasoned comments, honest work, and the belief, if for only a few hours a week, that nothing matters more than the powers of language and imagination.
Engineering Be CreativeFiction Writing 3 s.h.
Poetry Writing 3 s.h.
Science fiction literature as an ongoing conversation about the possible; exploration of world boundaries we have by imagining worlds that we don't (yet); alien encounters that consider ways we react to beings we see as unlike ourselves; alternate histories to illuminate what might have been; transhumanist fiction to explore what we may become; issues of composition and craft that underlie all effective fiction; students write and revise works of science fiction and engage in constructive discussion of each other's work.
Engineering Be CreativeThis class is a laboratory in which students will experiment with forms of writing common to the workplace. Through a series of scenarios that simulate on-the-job experience, students will generate professional communications including resumes, cover letters, email correspondence, press releases, short-deadline projects, and elevator pitches. In addition, lessons in grammar, usage, and style will help students become more effective editors of their own work. At the end of the semester, each student will have produced a portfolio of polished writing samples and will be ready to write in the workplace with confidence and skill.
Engineering Be CreativeThe course is designed to provide students an opportunity to explore interdisciplinary and foundational learning in the area of the world dance through interactions with explorations of two of the main aspects of the Brazilian popular culture (Samba and Carnival). Through extensive literature, video presentations and practice of popular dances of Brazil, students will be exposed to one of the most important and influential expression of popular culture in the world, according to place, time and event. This includes all aspects present in the Brazilian Carnival: dance, music, historical and social contents; production; critical theories of performance; religious backgrounds; and theatre making in the Carnival Parades – from current to centuries-old tradition.
Engineering Be Creative Values and Culture Values, Society, and DiversityGraphic Design I 3 s.h.
Basic concepts and principles that can be applied to all modes of contemporary visual communication.
This course focuses on basic concepts and principles of traditional and contemporary visual communication practices. Topics include fundamentals composition, color, and design thinking.
This course offers and introduction to basic metalworking techniques, including: sheet metal fabrication, hammer forming, hydraulic die forming, soldering, riveting, texturing, roll printing, stone setting, patination; creation of jewelry, functional, and nonfunctional objects using metals and other materials.
Grading is based on the completion of 3 major projects along with samples related to primary skills. Students will also engage in research in contemporary Jewelry and Metal Artists and complete a short presentation on them. Grading is also based on execution of learned skills, personal effort, attendance, and participation.
Garage Band: The Basics 2 s.h.
This course explains the basic applications of Mac-based GarageBand and requires each student to compose two pieces of music using the program.
The mid-term composition involves acoustic instruments with pre-recorded loops and the final composition will employ MIDI instruments and keyboards.
Use of editing techniques and effect processing will also be part of the final composition resulting in a CD of original compositions. Music therapy majors may be asked to write more sophisticated pieces of music than the non-majors.
The basic course structure is:
1. How to set up the Mac and Getting Started with GarageBand.
2. Music theory basics (maj/min keys, notation, transposition, harmony)
3. Composition basics (the blues, AABA, & various basic song forms)
4. Drop-n-drag with apple loops (arranging possibilities)
5. Using the multi-track recorder (first with real instruments/microphones)
6. Using software instruments (using the MIDI keyboards/guitars)
7. Applying the variety of effects (reverb, echo, compression, EQ)
8. Using plug-ins (downloading and importing from the web)
9. Mixing process (automation, panning, volume levels, etc)
10. Exporting music and creating your own CD’s using itunes.
Engineering Be CreativeCreativity in Music 3 s.h.
Where does music come from? When, why, and how did people first start making music? How do music creators turn raw inspiration into finished pieces? How do improvisers create music on the spot? Can anyone create music, or is that something only for composers? This course will provide answers to these questions and more, tracing the development of music creation from long ago up to the present day. The course will include presentations by a number of guest composers and performers who will demonstrate how they compose or improvise music their music. Course work will include reading articles and selections from books, viewing videos, and listening to audio track.
Assessment will be through daily assignments, quizzes, and midterm and final projects. There will be two lecture/presentation sessions plus one discussion/workshop session each week. Workshop session will often be experiential, providing direct experience into what it’s like to be a composer and an improviser.
This course is intended for non-music majors only.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsPhotography I 3 s.h.
This course is designed to introduce students to color theory as it pertains to image making including color as conceptual/compositional tool, color as visual language, and consistency of printed color throughout a photographic series. Concepts are presented within the context of contemporary trends and practices. Through slide lectures and critiques the course emphasizes visual literacy while encouraging students to develop a critical awareness of their work.
***Please note that while Photography I and Photography II may be taken in any order, Photography II will not count as an upper-level BA course until Photography I has been completed. Contact your academic advisor with any questions.***
Painting I 3 s.h.
This course is a basic study of visual issues as they relate to pictorial space. Specific problems may involve still life, landscape, human figure (clothed and unclothed), or concept. Projects include monochromatic statements and the complexities of color. A technical understanding of oil media, a visual vocabulary, and the beginning of a personal investigation are stressed. Course format consists primarily of studio work and practice with faculty guidance through lecture and critique. Grading is based on the quality and improvement of work, participation in class critiques, and attendance. Written work may be required. A technical text may be assigned. The University Art Museum, Art Library, and School galleries are supplementary resources. Required materials include a complete list of oil painting supplies. The course is taught by a faculty member.
Introduction to Printmaking 3 s.h.
This class will give the beginning artist an overview of basic printmaking techniques and an understanding of what a print is - both as a unique object and as an editioned multiple-original – along with its historical and contemporary significance. Printmaking processes result in a rich array of pictorial possibilities and methodological approaches that are unique to this discipline. Students will be introduced to the foundational techniques and concepts of intaglio, lithography, relief, and basic computer applications for printmaking during the course. We will discuss the history of printmaking by looking at works by professional printmakers, both historical and contemporary, for inspiration.
art major
Acting for Success 3 s.h.
Undergraduate Sculpture I 3 s.h.
This course is an introduction to basic sculptural concepts and processes. Emphasis is placed on developing personal ideas, and acquiring basic skills and knowledge of materials. Each assignment builds upon the others, creating a solid conceptual/technical foundation. Instruction includes readings, discussions, demonstrations, and slide presentations. Attendance is mandatory and grades are based on personal development and class participation. This is a fundamental 3D art course that introduces students to a wide array of hands-on fabrication techniques including, wood assemblage, plaster/wax mold-making and fabricating with wire/metal.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsIntroduction to 3D Design 3 s.h.
Develop conceptual and critical design thinking while solving problems to create 3D structures with sustainable materials, processes, and consumption; discuss, develop, and evaluate composition principles and their relation to aesthetics, modular systems, structure, and sustainable use of material through handmade models and systems that lead to final designs; engage in diverse multidisciplinary collaborations. GE: Sustainability.
This is the foundation course for Product, Furniture, and Interior Design and the introduction to 3D Design with Sustainability. Students create four project and a Digital portfolio (Website).
They develop conceptual and critical design thinking while solving problems to make 3D structures with modular systems and sustainable material, processes, and consumption.
Students learn traditional hand drafting and model making, use AutoCAD software and Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machine to create scale models, learn basic woodshop skills, research sustainable material and processes, practice how to pitch an idea and present projects, utilize map systems, take pictures using the lighting studio, edit images using Adobe software, and create a website portfolio.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts SustainabilityBasic Acting 3 s.h.
This course is intended for students who are not theatre arts majors. The course is an introduction to the elements of performance, including exercises in concentration, imagination, observation, communication, relaxation, and sensory awareness. Classes are designed to promote toning the voice and body, freeing creative expression, and developing an understanding of the dramatic situation. This is primarily a lab class; appropriate casual clothing is necessary. Play attendance with written critiques, a journal, and a final performance project with written character and scene analyses are required. The course enhances interpersonal communication and presentation skills required for a successful career in occupations such as Engineering, Business, Medicine, Marketing, Mass Communications and Education to name a few.
non-theatre arts major
Theatre Technology 3 s.h.
This is a concentrated hands-on training course that quickly introduces students to scenery, costume, and property construction, along with lighting and sound production. Students are shown the stages, shops, tools, equipment, safety procedures, and some of the basic techniques involved in producing a live performance. The course is required for all theatre arts majors. Course requirements outside of class include a mandatory tool qualification, and the attendance at one technical rehearsal and two performances. Theatre faculty teaches the course.
Engineering Be CreativeProduction Lab 1, 2, 3 s.h.
Playwriting I 3 s.h.
This course provides an introduction to the craft of playwriting. Students will focus on the fundamentals of writing for the stage, including playwriting structure, creating characters, writing dialogue and building plays. Coursework includes in-class writing, regular writing assignments, and the reading of plays.
Engineering students, as well as students of other disciplines, are encouraged to enroll.
Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing ArtsUse of theatrical exercises and improvisation techniques to help students develop their imaginations, stimulate creativity, and approach practical projects from a fresh point of view; emphasis on working in teams and using improvisational techniques to solve problems.
Engineering Be CreativeCostume Design I 3 s.h.
Lighting Design I 3 s.h.
A hands-on introduction to the principles and mechanics of lighting design in contemporary theatre and dance. This course is designed to further the student’s knowledge of live theatre by providing them with an opportunity to explore emerging lighting technologies. This objective will be accomplished through demonstrations, group projects, and individual presentations. At the conclusion of this course, the student will have a basic understanding of the tools and techniques associated with contemporary lighting design, including 3-D modeling. In addition, the student will have acquired the skills to conceptualize and execute a lighting design for a gallery production in the Department of Theatre Arts.
Engineering Be CreativeEntertainment Design 3 s.h.
A hands-on introduction to concert lighting design, large format projection design, media servers, LED walls, and basic scenic design layout for corporate events. Working in groups, students are exposed to a variety of software and design concepts that relate to the Entertainment Design field. Students execute design projects with Moving Lights, LED Fixtures, Media Servers, and Projection Mapping software. Students are then able to choose their final project from the concepts covered during the semester.
The course is open to all students and may serve as an elective for the Event Management Certificate.
Please Note: This class is an ELECTIVE in the Department of Theatre Arts, it does NOT satisfy the Design Requirement.