Course Search Results

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 processes. This includes an introduction to professional digital camera operation, hands on experience with industry leading editing software, and the creation of a professionally printed fine art portfolio. Students will also gain experience with critiquing works of art, and be introduced to the history of photography as well as contemporary artists working within the medium. Digital SLR cameras are available for free checkout through the photography lab area.

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.

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.

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.

Scenic art is an exciting theatrical field focusing on the creation of the "finished" visual picture onstage. Scenic Artists paint, carve, sculpt, texture, and faux finish large-scale works, often combining materials in creative ways to achieve the designer's vision.  This introductory class will focus on basic techniques and move into more advanced work as the semester progresses.  There will be a brief introduction to color theory, working with muslin, basic texturing techniques, and then focus on fundamentals such as glazing, spattering, spraying, light and shadow, etc. Students will learn to apply these fundamental techniques to various projects throughout the semester.  Focus will be on the creation of large-scale scenic elements that maintain their visual integrity when viewed from a distance.

No prior experience is needed, and students from all majors are welcome. Please be advised that there is a course fee for this hands-on painting lab class, but then all materials will be provided. Also note that time outside of class will be needed in order to finish assignments.

This class is an ELECTIVE in the Department of Theater Arts, it does NOT satisfy the Design Requirement.  Elements of Design, Costume Design 1 or 2, Lighting Design 1, and Scenic Design 1 are all courses that count towards the Design Requirement for Theatre Arts majors.

For 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.

Topics related to artist books, hand bookbinding, letterpress printing, papermaking, and lettering arts.

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.

Introduction to filmmaking principles; how to shoot and edit short videos utilizing smartphone technology; methods to produce high-quality work without professional equipment.

Introduction 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.

Introduction to the aesthetics and practical applications of projection design for live performance, including content creation, system design, media servers, projectors, cameras, and related professional equipment. Students learn how to create digital artwork with professional content/animation/effects software Adobe After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Audition, etc. Through the media server QLab students learn how to integrate digital artwork and live video cameras into live performance via projectors and digital displays.

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.

How 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.

For English majors and English and Creative Writing majors, this course contributes to the intermediate coursework requirement in Craft and Method.

Sentences: how they work, what they do; how sentences can help writing, expand understanding of prose style, stretch options.

For English majors and English and Creative Writing majors, this course contributes to the intermediate coursework requirement in Craft and Method.

Theories, 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.

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.

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.

This 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, exercises in self advocacy and conflict resolution, networking, and professional self-promotion. In addition, fundamental 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.

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of the semester, each student will have produced a portfolio of polished writing samples that demonstrate their ability to:

• Write clearly, succinctly, and professionally
• Apply fundamental principles of workplace writing to adapt their writing skills to the particular requirements of any job
• Effectively edit their own work

Professionals in healthcare fields are called upon to practice wisdom and take on vast emotional responsibilities. Engaging with literature--both reading and attempting to write creative work--is a proven path to broadening experience and empathy. We may live only a single life, but writing and reading allow us to see beyond the edges of our singular existence.

The 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. 

Robotic Art Studio investigates the essential elements behind integrating robotic systems with art & design. This course will bring together programming, electronics and mechanical fabrication. We will look at how to build autonomous agents that interact with the world.

This course will explore electricity, looking at the necessary concepts and tools of basic electronics. Demonstrations of different motors, sensors and other electronic devices will be given. The class will program Arduino micro-controllers to interface with the external world through motorized mechanisms, lights and other devices. Students will build fundamental circuits that will be necessary in the completion of projects, exploring the construction of feedback systems into art projects. The class will look at how to fabricate mechanisms and link these to the control systems. Group discussions will critique both works in progress and final projects. Throughout the semester students will be introduced to artists including: Stelarc, Bill Vorn and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer who use robotics in their work.  Projects may integrate robotics with light, sound, mechanical form, found objects, sculpture, installations, performance environments and wearable technology.

Basic concepts and principles that can be applied to all modes of contemporary visual communication.

This course focuses on the fundamental concepts and principles of traditional and contemporary visual communication practices. Students are introduced to the basics of composition, color theory, and design thinking through a series of projects that balance conceptual development, technical skills, and the use of design tools, including Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. Assignments are aimed at fostering design thinking, critical discussion, and personal decision-making. Through these assignments, students will explore the core elements of graphic design, including layout, typography, and visual hierarchy. This course offers a comprehensive overview of the discipline of graphic design,  preparing students for more advanced study and practice in the field.

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. 

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.

Photography I is an introductory course focusing on color theory, camera operation and image editing, as well as fine art printing. In addition to these industry leading technical skillsets, the course emphasizes conceptual development through a photographic series, as well as experience critiquing works of art. Through slideshows and lectures, students will learn about the history of photography, as well as how contemporary image makers are using the medium in new and innovative ways. Digital SLR cameras are available for free checkout through the photography lab area.

***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.***

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. 

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.

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.

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.    

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.

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.

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.

Use 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.

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.

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.