Visual and Performing Arts
VPAS 5V01 Supervised Internship in Visual and Performing Arts (1-9 semester credit hours) Exploration of professional settings in the visual and performing arts. Students undertake a new learning experience at a supervised work situation related to their academic interests. An internship provides exposure to a professional working environment, application of theory to working realities, and an opportunity to test skills and clarify goals. Course requirements include formal and reflective writing. Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). Department consent required. ([1-9]-0) R
VPAS 5V02 Internship in Visual and Performing Arts (1-9 semester credit hours) Developing professional tools in the visual and performing arts. Students undertake a new learning experience at a supervised work situation closely related to their academic interests. An internship provides exposure to a professional working environment, application of theory to working realities, and an opportunity to further test skills and clarify goals. Course requirements include formal and reflective writing. Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). Department consent required. ([1-9]-0) R
VPAS 6300 Proseminar in Visual and Performing Arts (3 semester credit hours) An interdisciplinary course focusing on developing skills in scholarly investigation and creative practice and on innovative ways to integrate both into professional and academic work. (3-0) Y
VPAS 6303 Performance Literature, Theory, and Criticism (3 semester credit hours) Examination of a wide range of performance and theatrical traditions and texts. Using various critical and theoretical perspectives, the focus will be on the interplay between textual analysis, theoretical and critical frames, and performance. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6305 Criticism, Interpretation, and Performance (3 semester credit hours) An investigation of interrelationship among the activities of criticizing, interpreting, and performing artistic texts. Examples may be drawn from literature, theater, performance art, digital and inter-media applications, film/video, music, and visual arts. The course will include an exploration of the effects of various cultural and theoretical perspectives on our response to specific works. (3-0) R
VPAS 6310 Introduction to Film Studies (3 semester credit hours) Study of the history and formal and stylistic elements of cinema as a medium of expression, as an industry, and as an art form; and an introduction to the tenets and theoretical basis of the academic discipline known as film studies. (3-0) T
VPAS 6312 Art and Society (3 semester credit hours) Study of the many forms of interaction between the arts and the society in which they exist. Topics may include the role of the artist in society, the representation of social and religious values in art, or the influence of art and the artist upon society. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6313 The Business of the Arts (3 semester credit hours) Exploration of effective means to find, create, and manage markets and audiences for works of art. Topics may include digital media, visual or performing arts, museum studies, and arts management. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (6 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6315 The Arts in Historical Contexts (3 semester credit hours) Studies in one or more arts of various places and historical periods. Topics will vary, but may focus on a particular movement (e.g., Surrealism), a specific era (e.g., the Renaissance), or a place (e.g., Paris in the early twentieth century). May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) Y
VPAS 6317 Art and Authorship (3 semester credit hours) In-depth study of the role of the work, cultural milieu, and impact of an individual artist, writer, filmmaker, composer, performer, critic, scholar, or cultural historian. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6318 Arts and Their Institutions (3 semester credit hours) Studies of the institutions that shape and present the visual and performing arts by providing their physical, administrative, and financial frames; art museums, theaters, symphony associations, performance consortiums, or private foundations. The course will focus selectively on these institutions, grouping them for study in various ways depending on the interests and expertise of the instructor. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (6 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6320 Studies in Experimental Traditions (3 semester credit hours) Studies in the works of artists whose experimentation with forms of expression breaks new ground in the arts and demands changes in the aesthetic perception of the public. The course will focus on such experimental movements as modernism, postmodernism, and various avant-gardes that form the new tradition of the contemporary arts. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6324 Spaces of Display and Performance (3 semester credit hours) Usually art works and performances are encountered in specific ritualized spaces designed for them and exerting strong influence on their character. The course will address such spaces critically from the point of view of architecture, theories of display, and concepts of ritual spectatorship. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6330 Studies in the Visual Arts (3 semester credit hours) Explorations in various forms of the visual arts. The course may focus on a specific form (e.g., painting, sculpture, film, photography) or interrelations among visual forms. Emphasis will be on the understanding of the creative process underlying the finished work. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6331 Studies in Music (3 semester credit hours) Studies in forms of musical expression. Topics will vary, but the course will emphasize the nature, development, and artistic possibilities of various forms of music. Courses may relate music to developments in other arts. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6333 Advanced Orchestra/Chamber Music Ensemble (3 semester credit hours) Workshop in which instrumentalists, singers, dancers, actors, composers, lyricists, visual artists and/or video/performance artists create and perform music for small and larger ensembles, plus multi-media and theater works. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. (0-3) T
VPAS 6334 Iberian Culture and Music (3 semester credit hours) Study of the transfer of music and culture between Spain, Portugal, and the countries of the Americas which had close connections to the Iberian countries via language, culture, and commerce. (3-0) T
VPAS 6336 Photography Studio/Seminar (3 semester credit hours) Workshop-based course designed to foster reflection on the relationship between human perception and the photographic mediation of reality. The course may emphasis photographic processes or conceptual frameworks. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6337 Digital Photography (3 semester credit hours) Workshop in which students explore digital photography within the context of contemporary art, emphasizing the relationship between digital imaging processes and color photographic techniques. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6339 Painting/Digital Imaging/Video (3 semester credit hours) Workshop in which students will pursue creative work in a medium of their preference or expertise (can include painting, drawing, digital imaging, video or hybrid forms). May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6340 Studies in Theater and Dance (3 semester credit hours) An investigation of theater, performance art, inter-media, and/or dance as forms of art. The course will relate to and incorporate trends in other arts and contemporary intellectual and cultural movements, theories and critical issues. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6343 Essential Plays (3 semester credit hours) This course examines some of the world's most beloved masterpieces of dramatic literature. The class will explore methods of analyzing and interpreting plays for theatrical production, as literature, and for deeper understanding and enjoyment as readers, scholars, and spectators. May be repeated as topics vary (6 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6345 Shakespeare in Performance (3 semester credit hours) Studies of Shakespeare's plays, examining varied artistic and scholarly interpretations in film and performance. The course will blend lectures, discussions, and practical skill-based exercises and may include scholarly and/or creative projects. Meant for aspiring writers, actors, directors, and teachers, with or without experience in performing. (3-0) T
VPAS 6347 Solo Performance (3 semester credit hours) Workshop in which students explore aspects of devising, writing, and performing solos, with an emphasis on developing work in multiple genres, media, and formats. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6348 Performance Installation (3 semester credit hours) An exploration of the theory, history, and practice of employing installation and performance art with technology as a means of extending personal artistic practice. Emphasis will be on practical experience in the conceptualization and production of collaborative, experimental, trans-disciplinary artistic expression. May be repeated for credit (6 semester credit hours maximum). (0-3) R
VPAS 6352 (LIT 6322) Creating Television and Movie Scripts (3 semester credit hours) A workshop developing techniques and processes necessary for producing movie, multimedia, video, and television scripts. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) R
VPAS 6353 (LIT 6323) Creating Plays and Musicals (3 semester credit hours) A workshop developing creative techniques and processes necessary for producing plays and musicals. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) R
VPAS 6373 Studies in Film, Television, and Digital Media (3 semester credit hours) Study of aspects of motion picture history, criticism, and aesthetics. Topics may include genre study, documentary practices, national cinemas or movements, theories of reception, or comparisons of these and other art forms. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6374 Myth In/And Media (3 semester credit hours) The class will explore, from a mythological perspective, how we have come to live in a world surrounded by an increasingly pervasive, powerful deluge of mythologically-informed media representations. Yet the content, language, formations, and templates applied are mythological, if not fundamental, to the origins of human consciousness and civilization. Includes mythological examinations of popular television programs, music videos, computer games, comic books, and films. (3-0) T
VPAS 6375 Imagery and Iconography (3 semester credit hours) The study of the visual image, its uses, and constructions of meaning. Topics may include the nature of the visual image, the modes of interpretation of visual images, the relationship of image and text, and the ways in which the visual image is used to shape our imagination. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6377 Critical Theory and the Visual Arts (3 semester credit hours) A mapping of the relations between the visual arts and critical theories from the mid-twentieth century to the present. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (6 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6390 Special Topics in Aesthetic and Performance Studies (3 semester credit hours) Independent study course that may count toward minimum course requirements for the MA degree. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). Department consent required. (3-0) R
VPAS 6391 Creativity: Visual Arts Workshop (3 semester credit hours) A workshop emphasizing the creation of artistic works in a specific area of the visual arts (e.g., painting, drawing, photography, sculpture). Topics such as narrative representation or the study of a genre are explored to examine the theoretical basis guiding practice. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6392 Creativity: Image/Text Workshop (3 semester credit hours) An exploration of the visual possibilities inherent in the art of the text. Topics may include an investigation of techniques derived from various media that foster the transformation and combination of words and images. The problem of creating text for a visual environment will be examined. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6393 Creativity: Time-Based Arts Workshop (3 semester credit hours) Exploration of the conceptual demands inherent in time-based visual art. Topics may include interactive visual arts, installation, kinetic art, computer animation, and video processes. The potential of narrative models may be examined. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6394 Creativity: Performance (3 semester credit hours) A skills-based course intended to enable the exploration, development, and realization of a performance expression. Project-focused, the course may include playwriting, adaption of non-dramatic or oral history sources, or be guided by specific text(s), improvisation, inter-cultural or inter-media explorations. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 6397 Independent Readings in Aesthetic and Performance Studies (3 semester credit hours) Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. (3-0) R
VPAS 6398 Independent Research in Aesthetic and Performance Studies (3 semester credit hours) Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (9 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. (3-0) R
VPAS 6399 Music in Historical Context (3 semester credit hours) Study of music in society: dates, periods, genres, style characteristics, major figures, representative masterworks, political/economical/social climate, corollaries in literature, theater, visual art. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 7305 Advanced Topics in Art History (3 semester credit hours) Advanced studies in one or more arts of various places and historical periods. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 7320 Advanced Topics in the Visual Arts (3 semester credit hours) Advanced explorations in various forms of the visual arts. The course may focus on a specific genre or form or on interrelations among visual forms. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (0-3) T
VPAS 7330 Advanced Topics in Music (3 semester credit hours) Advanced studies in forms of musical expression. The course will emphasize the nature, development, and artistic possibilities of various forms of music. Courses may relate music to developments in other arts. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 7340 Advanced Topics in Theater and Dance (3 semester credit hours) Advanced investigation of theater, performance art, inter-media, and/or dance as forms of art. The course will relate to and incorporate trends in other arts and contemporary intellectual and cultural movements, theories and critical issues. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 7355 Interdisciplinary Studies in Music (3 semester credit hours) Study of music in relation to one or more of the other arts/disciplines: literature, theatre, dance, visual art, cinema, history, psychology, technology, etc. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 7360 Advanced Topics in Film, Television, and Digital Media (3 semester credit hours) Advanced study of particular aspects of motion picture history, criticism, and aesthetics. Topics may include genre study, documentary practices, national cinemas or movements, theories of reception, or comparisons of these and other art forms. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) T
VPAS 7380 Advanced Topics in Aesthetic Studies (3 semester credit hours) Advanced study of particular themes, topics, and issues in the various disciplines that constitute aesthetic studies. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). (3-0) R
VPAS 7390 Advanced Special Topics in Aesthetic and Performance Studies (3 semester credit hours) Independent study course that may count toward minimum course requirements for the Ph.D. degree. May be repeated for credit as topics vary (9 semester credit hours maximum). Department consent required. (3-0) R
VPAS 8303 Independent Readings in Visual and Performing Arts (3 semester credit hours) Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (15 semester credit hours maximum). Instructor consent required. (3-0) R
VPAS 8305 Field Exam Preparation (3 semester credit hours) Independent study course for the preparation of field examinations. Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (18 semester credit hours maximum or fewer depending on the individual student's degree plan). Instructor consent required. (3-0) R
VPAS 8V01 Dissertation Proposal (3-9 semester credit hours) Independent study course for the preparation of the dissertation proposal. Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit (18 semester credit hours maximum or fewer depending on the individual student's degree plan). Instructor consent required. ([3-9]-0) R
VPAS 8V99 Dissertation (3-9 semester credit hours) Pass/Fail only. May be repeated for credit. Instructor consent required. ([3-9]-0) R