Expanded Media Courses
Drawing is often considered a preliminary step towards achievement of an artist’s final work in sculpture or painting. However, drawing is also an independent art form and is valued as the most direct, personal expression of the artist. Both aspects of drawing are studied in works by the world’s old and modern masters. Students will gain greater understanding of drawing materials and formal problems by experimentation with chalk, charcoal, pen and ink, pencil, and pastels. This is a more advanced course than Drawing I.
The course includes at least a week of intensive group travel and study abroad. Our goal is to increase your appreciation of art history, to develop your communication with the enjoyment of people in another country, and to make you an experienced traveler. The best way to understand works of art and architecture is to see the originals in their country of origin. This course prepares you to study art history abroad by familiarizing you in advance in class with art in its cultural context. Students have found this course to be a life-changing experience.
A water-based ink, environmentally friendly course that teaches the stencil method, monoprint approach, and photo-emulsion based processes for creating images in silkscreen. Historical and contemporary examples of silkscreen as art works. Students are encouraged to develop art ideas that begin in silkscreen or ideas previously explored in other media.
It is often said that we have just finished the American Century, and that the 21st will be the Chinese Century. With 1.3 billion people, the longest and arguably richest history of any country ever to exist, and the fastest growing economy in the world, China is poised to play a dominant role in shaping your future. This course will provide an overview of Chinese culture within the context of Chinese history and politics, including such topics as calligraphy, king fu, Beijing Opera, cuisine, literature, architecture, and contemporary film and music. Each class session will include lessons in speaking basic conversational Mandarin.
Be it anime, judo, sushi, the films of Kurosawa, the cars of Toyota, or the latest game from Nintendo, Japanese culture is very much a part of the American way of life. This course offers a fascinating look at both traditional and contemporary Japanese art forms within the context of Japanese politics, history, and lifestyle. Test, film, multimedia, guests, and class trips will inspire and prepare you for a visit to Japan, and each class session will include lessons in speaking basic conversational Japanese.
On the cutting edge of new media innovation yet drawing upon a rich cultural heritage, Korea is clearly a country on the move. The land of Buddhist temples, tae kwon do, kim chee, hanji papermaking, and other exquisite traditional crafts is also Asia’s most wired nation. Readings, movies, guest speakers, and class trips provide an overview of Korean culture within a historical and political context. Each class session will include lessons in speaking basic conversational Korean, which is accessible to Westerners because it uses a conventional alphabet (han’geul) of vowels and consonants rather than pictographic characters.
European art and architecture from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century, taught from the perspective of international travel, trade, and cultural interactions. We will study works of art first-hand in New York and local museums and see the influence of key artists on each other, the evolution of their styles, technical practices, and content.
Understanding the ways in which visual ideas function and what they represent in our media landscape of advertising, news and popular culture requires important navigational tools and critical thinking skills. This class will explore a range of concepts and theories used to acquire analytical approaches towards the achievement of visual literacy.
A number of different course offerings that concentrate on specific genres, directors, periods, movements, or themes, such as "Contemporary Independent Cinema", "Developments in Black Film from WWII to the Present", "British and American Cinema in the 1960s", "International Political Cinema", "Three Directors: Welles, Hitchcock, Bergman." Emphasis is on film analysis.
Student team work on collaborative projects using the latest technology, software and social media.
Please contact your instructor for specific topic.
(Also WRT 256) Writing in 21st century workplaces does not only involve typing emails and documents. In this class you will learn to compose in a variety of digital platforms by drawing upon both technical and rhetorical skills that you will develop over the course of the semester. You will deploy design processes with purpose, audience input, and revision in mind, building on your previous writing courses while composing for real audiences.
An introduction to video as a creative visual, auditory, and spatial medium. Students learn the fundamentals of video production with the goal of making original work in a the genres of single-channel, performance, and installation. Works by filmmakers and video artists are viewed and discussed. It is highly recommended that students take CAT 126 Digital Photography prior to enrolling in this class.
Students expand their video production skills while increasing their knowledge of the history and theory of video. The course focuses on advanced camera techniques, video installation and alternative video practices. The grammar and aesthetics of editing in the visual storytelling process will also be emphasized.
This course examines the evolution of mechanically reproduced media and its inevitable application by the aesthetic community, beginning with the invention of the film camera (1800s) to digital technology (1940s), through to contemporary field of interactivity, sound and image. This course discusses the convergence of the scientific, military, and political environments that spawned the employment of technology
(Also AFS 266) An overview of the contributions African-Americans have made to American performance culture. Exploration of black performance traditions and the social contexts in which they were developed. A useful sampling of information for students interested in American Studies, African-American Studies, Theatre, Dance, Drama, History, Music, Popular Culture and related areas.
In this advanced studio course, students improve their creative and technical skills while exploring questions related to the status of the photographic medium and the art of photography through reading, discussion and assignments. Presentations on historical and contemporary artwork introduce various photographic genres and emerging technologies. Using Adobe Lightroom, students develop effective workflows for sorting and editing images, refine image adjustment
skills, and perfect printing ability. As they work toward developing a personal visual language, participants experiment with new approaches to visual storytelling, sometimes pushing their projects beyond the still image.
Students will explore the potential of traditional sculptural media and new digital media to create three-dimensionally. They will work to develop a technical skill base, a critical sense, and a personal creative vision.
Students in this course become better members of the College’s improvisational acting troupe. They develop improvisational approaches to acting that are then put to use in performing a wide variety of scenarios–some involving audience participation–on current issues of particular concern to college students. There are frequent performances during the semester both on and off campus. This course may be repeated for credit.
Printmaking allows artists to change and develop images in stages, creating a visual record of creativity. This course will introduce many techniques, both traditional and experimental.
Rehearsal for and actual production of a full length play, to be performed at the College and perhaps elsewhere as well. Students may become involved as performers or as stage managers, designers, costumers, or any combination thereof.
(Also WMS 302) Multi/Transcultural & Global Awareness A hands-on quilting bee and a global look at women, past and present, as artists and workers in fabric.
Acting for film and television places different demands upon an actor. Working in conjunction with the video classes and the course in TV Studio, aspiring performers experiment with such areas as drama, commercials, and news broadcasting.
Be a part of the motion graphics craze – learn how to create bugs, lower thirds, opening animations – all the elements that are in demand for the NYC Metropolitan broadcast industry. Work on projects and become proficient at using AfterEffects, the state-of-the-art special effects digital video editing software.
A continuation of the first semester, this course is focused on longer, more in-depth work. Through individual development as well as group projects, students will gain insight into the experience of working on a production team that will carry into the workplace. Further discussion of aesthetics and the role of sound in our visual world and sound and music in media will be explored. Prerequisite: CAT 286.