Art Education

3 semester credits. This lecture and lab-based course will help prepare students to teach art to elementary and middle school children. Students learn about the role of visual arts in children's education and how it relates to developmental growth. The course will explore the historical, philosophical, and social foundations of art in education, including recent developments, current issues, and technology. Topics introduce the basic philosophy and structure of art education, directed learning activities in 2 and 3-dimensional design, different approaches to teaching methodology, art appreciation, lesson themes, on-site observations, teacher responsibilities, and health and safety in the art studio. Prerequisites: Studio Art major or equivalent.

3 semester credits. This course represents a comparative study of art as an expression of human experience from the aesthetic paradigms developed during the Renaissance to the contemporary perception of beauty. Major artists and influences will be analyzed in terms of styles and movements across eras and in relation to the concept of place. The course will examine the contrasts between the multiple identities emerging in Florence as diverse ways to convey art and beauty. Course topics and learning approaches feature an experiential pathway for understanding the evolution of artistic language and its potential future directions.

3 semester credits. This one-week study away course will focus on the relationship between the city of New York and its avant-garde movements in order to understand what inspires new artists to create, share, and celebrate new forms of art as well as new creative trends. Through hands-on and on-site experience in the urban context of the city, students will expand their understanding of and literacy in contemporary art. Areas of analysis include the complex relationship between the city and its inhabitants, especially in connection with new artist generations and their need to express perspectives on the cultural, political, and social dynamics of the city.  Prerequisites: A Survey of Western Art or equivalent.

3 semester credits. This lecture/lab course introduces students to the therapeutic functions of art. The aim is for students to become familiar with art therapy methods and techniques whose primary objective is to develop creative expressions. During class meetings, students will use their own personal experiences by conducting direct experiments to understand the function of art within a therapeutic context. This hands-on experience will then be compared with the theoretical ideas outlined in the required readings. In the laboratory/studio part of the course, students will handle a great variety of art materials ranging from the more traditional to less common objects. The aim is to facilitate self-expression on a non-verbal and creative level and in a safe environment, open to the free exchange of opinions and untouched by prejudiced or judgmental attitudes. The essential elements that compose the created image - space, color, movement, and form - will be examined and put to the test as expressive and symbolic tools of one's inner world.

4 semester credits. This lecture/lab course introduces students to the therapeutic functions of art. The aim is for students to become familiar with art therapy methods and techniques whose primary objective is to develop creative expressions. During class meetings, students will use their own personal experiences by conducting direct experiments to understand the function of art within a therapeutic context. This hands-on experience will then be compared with the theoretical ideas outlined in the required readings. In the laboratory/studio part of the course, students will handle a great variety of art materials ranging from the more traditional to less common objects. The aim is to facilitate self-expression on a non-verbal and creative level and in a safe environment, open to the free exchange of opinions and untouched by prejudiced or judgmental attitudes. The essential elements that compose the created image - space, color, movement, and form - will be examined and put to the test as expressive and symbolic tools of one's inner world. This course includes service learning hours within the local community.

3 semester credits. This lecture and lab-based course focuses on issues related to the art education of culturally or linguistically diverse children, gifted children, or children with special needs. Students will learn developmental instructional strategies which can be used to plan and sequence effective art-learning experiences for children with special needs. The course will especially focus on how art educators can help encourage and guide a child's artistic self-expression and sense of discovery. Students will also explore alternative assessment strategies for evaluating children's learning and performance in art. Prerequisites: Introduction to Art Education or equivalent.

3 semester credits. This course introduces students to all aspects related to the operations and management of an art gallery and its exhibited content. Students will be involved in curating and promoting art shows and art-related events through community and on-campus exhibitions. Course projects and activities will contribute with the journalism activities of Blending, the magazine of University campus press Ingorda.

6 semester credits. This course introduces students to all aspects related to the operations and management of an art gallery and its exhibited content. Students will be involved in curating and promoting art shows and art-related events through community and on-campus exhibitions. This course includes experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). Course projects and activities will contribute with the journalism activities of Blending, the magazine of AUF’s campus press Ingorda.

3 semester credits. The course develops a comprehensive study of the historical and cultural events that shaped the artistic patrimony of the Ligurian Riviera from Romanticism to Futurism, a social and artistic phenomenon that fostered the enthusiasm for technological progress at the beginning of the 20th century. Students will explore and analyze the key traits and symbols of those artistic movements that intertwined with the Ligurian city’s intellectual life in relation to the urban landscape. The course promotes a pragmatic approach to the addressed topics involving students in first-hand experiences with local sites that will underline the bond between the city and Art expressions. Since the Riviera has always been a commercial and cultural crossroad that became the destination of many Italian and European artists from the Romantic age onwards, the course features a focus on the town cultural legacy enriched by the contributions of writers and poets that determined “The Gulf of Poets” city epithet.

Cross-listed from Internships

Cross-listed from Experiential Learning