Liberal Arts

Majors & Minors

Courses

ARHU 200: Space & Time

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Explores the classic philosophical questions regarding the nature and our experience of the four dimensions of space and time and their representation in fiction, games, and film.

ARHU 242: Artists Among Poets

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines the relationship between modern visual arts and poetry. Projects include poetry writing and collaborative art book creation.
Prerequisites

None.

ARHU 270: Arts in Context: Comparing the Arts

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Comparative study of the arts as visual languages for human experience and ideas. Considers relationships between various artistic mediums.
Prerequisites

None.

ARHU 295: Dangerous Ideas

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Historical overview of some of the major philosophical ideas that have disrupted our sense of the ordinary. Discussions revolve around questions of cosmology; space and time; paradigm shifts; human nature; power; deviance; revolution; environmental and technological transformation.

ARHU 305: Philosophy of Religions

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores philosophical and theological issues raised by religious belief systems, such as Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Prerequisites

None.

ARHU 342: Arts in Performance

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Considers structural and thematic connections between the visual and performing arts in the vocabulary appropriate to each discipline. Includes free tickets for musical and theatrical performances.
Prerequisites

None.

ARHU 345: Western Music and Painting

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examination of the parallel developments in the history of music and painting in the Western tradition.
Prerequisites

None.

ARHU 380: American Creativity I (1900-1940)

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Study of the relationship between the visual and performing arts and American society during the first part of the twentieth century.
Prerequisites

None.

ARHU 400: Topics in Arts & Humanities

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores varying issues, works, thinkers, and movement drawn from the arts and humanities. Some topics will focus on intersections between concepts derived from the humanities and particular artists and art forms, including the performing arts:
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 111: Development of Art & Ideas

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introductory art history survey. Presents important masterworks from across the globe, from the prehistoric period to the present. Considers art within cultural and historical contexts.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 120: History of Illustration

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
History of illustration from the Middle Ages to the present. Survey of significant illustrators and the artistic, sociological, economic, and political movements which influenced the development of their art.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 121: History of Graphic Design

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of the history of graphic design. Considers development of graphic design and the contextual relationships between visual communications, typography, design, illustration, and social/technological evolution.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 122: History of Photography

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of technical and aesthetic developments in photography within historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts. Topics include: landscape; portraiture; the snapshot; commercial applications of black and white; color and non-silver processes; critical theory. Considers influence of printmaking, painting, and sculpture on photography.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 123: History of Computer Animation

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of history of American animation. Examines technological, conceptual, and aesthetic landmarks from the early 1900s to the present.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 124: History of Game Art

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of the history of computer games. Examines technological, design, and aesthetic landmarks in computer games from 1950 to the present as well as the development of game culture and traditions.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 125: History of Film

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of the history of film. Explores historical development of cinema from the late nineteenth century to the present through the viewing and analysis of significant cinematic achievements. Introduction to the history, techniques, and vocabulary of, and influences on, the cinematic arts. Critical analysis through discussion and writing.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 128: History of Immersive Media

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of the history of Immersive Media and Virtual Reality. Examines technological, conceptual, and aesthetic landmarks from the early 1900s to the present.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 315: Film Genre

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

This course explores the important facets of genre filmmaking: What is the nature of formulaic filmmaking; how does it work; what does it mean; and why does it continue to appeal to audiences. By focusing on one or two genres, such as Horror, Sci-Fi, Film Noir, etc., students will learn the answers to these questions in addition to exploring the history and evolution of a specific genre, its connections to other art forms, its reflection of the society that produced it, and its continued influence.

ARTH 325: Topics of Film History

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces students to standard approaches for analyzing cinema. These approaches not only unveil the formal and narrative techniques of film as an art form but also reveal how film works as a storytelling medium and cultural barometer. Exact topics determined on per semester basis.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 326: Women in Film

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines films with regard to the representation of women on screen as well as films directed by women, including their contributions to film history. The course includes perspectives on Hollywood practices and their impact on the depiction of women. It will also include independently produced films and international films.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 327: African-American Cinema

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of the history, theories, debates, and controversies that have characterized African American cinema, with an emphasis on relationship between African American cinema and American culture.

ARTH 330: History of Architecture: Up to 1400

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces the major periods and styles of architecture around the world from the beginnings of architectural production to the year 1400; each lecture attempts to answer the question: “Why do the buildings look like that?” Examines the technological, aesthetic, political and social forces shaping the built environment.

ARTH 331: History of Architecture: 1400 -1900

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces the major periods and styles of architecture around the world between 1400 and 1900; each lecture attempts to answer the question: “Why do the buildings look like that?” Examines the technological, aesthetic, political and social forces that shape the built environment.

ARTH 345: Latin American Art History

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Survey of Latin American art from colonial times to the present. Examination of: the art of indigenous cultures; history of Spanish contact; synthesis between native art and that of Spain and Western Europe; appropriations of past cultures in modern and contemporary art.

ARTH 360: Art Deco

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Traces the stylistic movement called Art Deco from its inception in France in the early 20th century to its spread around the world up to World War II; each week concentrates on a specific medium: architecture, interiors, furniture, product design, transportation design, graphic design, fashion, textiles, jewelry, and the fine arts.

ARTH 362: Gender and Sexuality in the Renaissance

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Addresses the ways in which gender has affected the history of artistic practice, patronage and viewing during the Renaissance; explores gender and sexuality as social constructs, and investigates the ways these ideas are reflected in and created by works of art and architecture from the years 1400-1600.

ARTH 363: The African Diaspora

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Study of the visual arts of the African Diaspora, from the Middle Passage and Black Atlantic to the contemporary period. Examines art of the African Diaspora through the lens of contemporary African-American artists, art historians, philosophers, and writers.

ARTH 364: Baroque Art & Architecture

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Discuss and researches dynamic new forms of media developed in the 17th century, including print culture and its connections to emerging ocular science. Investigates relationships between patrons and artists and analyzes art in the build environment.

ARTH 365: History of Modern Architecture

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Study of recent architectural history from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Introduces significant works of modern architectural design and their architects. Examines the development of modern architecture within the framework of: architectural theory and criticism; advances in building technologies; stylistic evolution; changes in architectural practice. Considers political, environmental, and mobility issues where relevant.

ARTH 366: Historical Precedents in Design

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Examination and analysis of historical precedent as a framework for understanding design, including significant movements, traditions and theories. Explores how historic principles inform contemporary theories and aesthetic concepts, influencing the design of the built environment. Exposure to historical, social, political, and physical influences affecting design.

ARTH 368: Visual Culture in American Advertising

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Examines relationships of advertising with correlating trends such as society, culture, history, and the economy. Using theories about visual communications, branding, and cultural history, we explore the meaning and legacies of print advertisements and branding campaigns from roughly 1880 through the majority of the 20th century in America and will cover a wide range of topics, such as the origins of advertising, the creation of ads, the interpretation of ads, as well as the depiction of race, class, gender, and sexuality in advertising and how those themes change over time.

Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 380: History of Photography

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of technical and aesthetic developments in photography. Topics include: landscape; portraiture; the snapshot; commercial applications of black and white; color and non-silver processes; critical theory. Considers the influence of printmaking, painting, and sculpture on photography.
Prerequisites

None.

ARTH 385: Islamic Art and Culture

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Explores the visual arts of Islamic cultures across the globe. Considers Islamic art within the context of both traditional and modern Islamic cultures. Topics include: relationship of religion and art; importance of the written word; aesthetics of manuscript illuminations; architectural types; mathematical basis of Islamic design.

ARTH 386: Global Body Art

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Explores the body as a medium throughout the history of the world, focusing on hair; tattooing; scarification; and adornment. Examines several contexts in which body art is produced and used: identity; status and power; cultural importance; and appropriation.

ARTH 387: Buddhist Art & Culture

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduction to the history, visual arts, and personalities associated with Buddhism. Topics include: early Indian roots of Buddhism through transformation in the Himalayas; South and East Asian manifestations; Buddhist-influenced Beat Generation poetry; contemporary American art.

ARTH 391: History of Modern Art I

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Survey of major movements in painting and sculpture from the mid-19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century. Examines concepts and issues that informed artistic creation. Presents techniques for identifying artist’s work through style and movement.

ARTH 392: History of Modern Art II

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Survey of major movements in painting and sculpture from the first quarter of the 20th century to the present. Examines concepts and issues that informed artistic creation. Presents techniques for identifying artist’s work through style and movement.

ARTH 432: Fashion, Power, and Identity in Africa

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Explores issues surrounding body art and dress in Africa as pertains to cultural and national identity, power, and fashion. Covers traditional and contemporary styles of adornment, as well as its role in the cannon of art and its display in museums. Provides an understanding of the context in which adornment functions in Africa; a working knowledge of how these objects are created and seen; and an overall idea of the current issues and theories within the field.

CRWR 105: Story Fundamentals: Character

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces fundamentals of character construction. Considers major characters, minor characters, and walk-ons. Includes strategies on drawing characters from a variety of real-world sources. Includes discussions on voice, dialogue, and point of view. Examines character examples from film, television, drama, and fiction. Includes critiquing of peer writing.
Prerequisites

None.

CRWR 106: Story Fundamentals: Plot

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces fundamentals of plot. Emphasis on how scenes function within a narrative. Examines basic plot structures such as Freytag’s Pyramid, three-act structures, and others. Examines plot examples from film, television, drama, and fiction. Includes critiquing of peer writing.
Prerequisites

None.

CRWR 110: Writing for Digital Media

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces the practice of writing for digital media. Develops strategies for the creation of digital content and the analysis of writing contexts. Includes script development and treatment, navigation, layout, collaborative/interactive and multimedia products. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 111: Reading for Writers

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces major forms of creative writing. Discussion-based class with both creative and analytical writing assignments. Considers examples of successful contemporary and canonical texts in various genres. Provides strategies for reading texts with a focus on writing craft.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 200: Introduction to Storytelling

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduction to creating stories in a variety of media. Examines a range of contemporary and canonical story examples that can include video games, film, TV, comics, board games, and new media. Teaches effective story-making techniques and strategies. This course is closed to CRWR majors. It is available to CRWR minors or others to fulfill a writing requirement.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 205: Story Fundamentals: Revision

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces fundamentals of story revision. Includes strategies on improving writing at a word, sentence, scene, and story level. Considers the role of style and voice in writing. Examines story examples from such sources such as television, drama, fiction, comics, film, and video games. Includes critiquing of peer writing.
Prerequisites

Another Story Fundamentals course or consent of instructor; Any CRWR course.

CRWR 210: Topics in Editing and Publishing

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Reviewing and editing submissions for digital and/or print media. Roles and responsibilities with the course will align with positions within the industry such as managing editor, production manager, and copy editor. Overview of publishing industry standards. Can be taken up to three times for credit.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 211: Writing for Video Games

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Surveys the field of interactive writing for video games; explores the fundamentals of good storytelling for game media. Enhances critical thinking skills. Offers hands-on experience in writing for and about the most prevalent forms of interactive video game writing. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 212: Short Story Workshop

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces intermediate-level craft concerns of short story construction. Emphasis on narrative craft elements such as dialogue, point of view, structure, image, and conflict particular to short stories. Includes critiquing of peer writing. Investigates contemporary and canonical texts to serve as professional models. Briefly considers the habits of professional writers as well as the business of writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 213: True Stories: Writing for Creative Non-Fiction

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduction to writing creative nonfiction, such as personal essays, lyric essays, memoir, and literary journalism. How to blend fact-based events, situations, or incidents with elements of traditional fiction to create dynamic, engaging writing. Focus on developing ideas, themes, and writing descriptive prose that utilize devices of fiction, screenwriting, and poetry: scene setting; dialogue; strong characterizations; narrative structure; imagistic language. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 214: Writing for Tabletop Games

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Explores methods and best practices for integrating creative writing elements with tabletop games by studying, modifying, and adding to existing game systems. Students will analyze existing games and write and revise content for worlds of their own creation.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 310: Magazine and Feature Writing

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Focuses on the craft of short- and long-form digital and print journalism. Emphasis on appropriate interviewing, researching, outlining, and writing/revising techniques. Includes discussion on pitches and queries. Exposure to reporters, critics, and editors from various local media. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 311: Writing for Shared Worlds

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Provides an advanced understanding of storytelling through work on shared worlds. Exposure to a range of real-world examples. Examines the importance of multimedia production in society. Provides an understanding of storytelling through work on multimedia products. Exposure to a range of examples such as Star Wars, Welcome to Night Vale, and Marvel and DC comic book universes. Examines the importance of writing in multimedia story production.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 316: Introduction to Scriptwriting

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Covers fundamental writing skills necessary to create successful scripts. Examines various formats such as ten-minute plays, one-act plays, full-length plays, TV sitcoms, TV series, documentaries, and feature-length films. Provides brief overview of the scriptwriting business. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 317: Poetry Workshop

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Explores the formal elements of poetry through analyzing models and composing original poems. Investigates the intersection(s) of text, visual art, and design. Includes peer review and presentations. Identifies opportunities for publication and performance. 

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 319: Writing Horror

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces the basics of writing effective horror stories. Considers major themes such as madness, death, monsters, obsession, secret sins, and the supernatural. Exposure to contemporary and canonical horror texts. Briefly overviews the history of horror. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 320: Writing Fantasy

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces the basics of writing effective fantasy stories. Includes discussion on world building. Considers major elements such as magic, quests, medievalism, dragons, chosen ones, and good vs. evil. Exposure to contemporary and canonical fantasy texts. Briefly overviews the history of fantasy. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 321: Writing Science Fiction

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces the basics of writing effective science fiction stories. Includes discussion on world building. Considers major ideas such as alternate histories, space colonization, eugenics, singularity, Al, planetary engineering, dystopias, and utopias. Exposure to contemporary and canonical science fiction texts. Briefly overviews the history of science fiction. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 322: Writing Picture Books

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Instruction in writing picture books and magazine pieces through examination of children’s literature, study of the publishing business, introduction to child development, and writing workshops. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 323: Writing for Young Adults

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Supports students interested in writing young adult (YA) novels. Skill development specific to writing for the YA audience. Introduces a range of published YA novels and examines the teen voice, the shaping of characters, and plot. Guides students to write a novel synopsis and multiple polished chapters.
Prerequisites

WRIT 151 Writing Studio.

CRWR 324: Screenwriting

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Practices the fundamentals of screenwriting, such as character, dialogue, plot, and conflict. Explores basic formatting, structure, and style for standard Hollywood feature films. Examines feature-length screenplays from concept to completion. Includes pitching and peer review. Briefly considers the business of screenwriting. 

Prerequisites

None. 

CRWR 325: Advanced Writing for Games

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Develops game writing and development experience; uses advanced game design and writing techniques to create a complete, original video or tabletop game.

Prerequisite Courses
Prerequisites

And CRWR 211 or CRWR 214 or GAME 227.

CRWR 328: Designing Narrative Experiences

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduces how to design and write interactive narrative experiences. Emphasis on creating audience-driven experiences and stories with participatory elements in video games, tabletop games, and immersive experiences. Includes pitching, presenting, and peer review.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 329: Playwriting

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Focuses on the craft of playwriting. Investigates the theory, history, aesthetics, and trends of live theater. Includes pitching, peer review, and discussion of industry-specific best practices.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 400: Senior Capstone

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Builds upon the fundamentals of narrative learning throughout the major. Emphasis on self-directed writing, editing, and research. Includes individualized reading plan and periodic creative, critical, and reflective writings. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisites

CRWR Majors only; 90 credits completed. 

CRWR 401: Senior Capstone II

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Continues to build upon the fundamentals of narrative learning throughout the major. Emphasis on self-directed writing, editing, and research. Includes individualized reading plan and periodic creative, critical, and reflective writings. Includes a short public presentation. Includes critiquing of peer writing.

Prerequisite Courses

CRWR 410: Creative Writing Masterclass

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Advanced creative writing instruction from top-level industry professionals. Deeply explores techniques for effective writing. Examines relevant contemporary and canonical texts. Includes critiquing of peer writing.
Prerequisites

Permission to enroll granted based on portfolio review and faculty recommendations.

ENGL 001: ESL Skills

Department
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces international students to academic and campus life. Emphasis on listening/reading comprehension, speaking/pronunciation, collaborative work, understanding and using campus resources. Learning and practicing campus etiquette among students, faculty, and staff.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 200: Environmental Science

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examination of ecological systems and current environmental issues. Examined in terms of ecological impact, as well as political and economic considerations.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 221: Ecology of Water

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Exploration of geological themes through the common thread of water, including: lakes; ponds; streams; rivers; bayous; bays; oceans; glaciers; rain cycles; and aquifers. Topics covered include: plate tectonics; habitat changes; pollution; human population and resource demand; management; conservation and recovery.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 230: Food, Fuel, Future

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines the relationship between food and fuel. Explores current dominant methodologies in the supply of food and fuel, linkages between them, and alternative ways to meet future demands for both.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 250: The Biodiversity of Earth

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Study of the relationships between plants and animals. Topics include: lifestyle differences between related species; niche adaptation; habitat change; evolutionary development of relationships; extinction.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 260: Environmental Headline News

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines environmental news in the media. Considers news stories in radio, television, and print media that underscore the relationship between people and the environment.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 263: Sustainability

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Study of sustainability as an emerging dominant operational model for business. Process based, systems-oriented model takes into account the synergies of economic, environmental, and social decisions. Introduction to Triple Bottom-Line Management as mechanism for understanding, evaluating, and documenting these relationships.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 330: Environmental Ethics & Ecological Beliefs

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Exploration of ecological and environmental ethics. Topics include: scientific beliefs about ecology; ethics of environmental quality; intergenerational equality relative to our use of resources.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 345: Communicating the Environment

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Considers the role of artists and designers in communication of environmental and social issues to wider constituencies. Students learn to translate scientific facts and visualization into evocative communications that effectively explain to the viewer his or her role in environmental systems.

Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 370: Topics in Ecology & Sustainability

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores topics in ecology and sustainability, including: rapid urbanization; increasing human population; demand for food, water, energy, and natural resources; climate change. Utilizing systems thinking for innovative solutions.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 371: Creating an Ecological City

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines potential paths and processes to transition from traditional to sustainable cities. Topics include: converting waste to energy; rooftop farming; alternative water systems; multi-modal transportation systems; energy efficient buildings; bioregional living; green design; sustainable communities.
Prerequisites

None.

ENVI 375: Applied Environmental Design

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
6
Lecture Hours 0
Minimum Study Hours
3
Studies in applied environmental design. Focus on: green building design; healthy home design; landscape architecture; environmental art; environmental restoration projects; alternative energy/ transportation systems; and urban planning. Students learn how to assess, design, communicate, and implement ecological revitalization projects and programs.
Prerequisites

None.

HIST 271: History Documentaries

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Examines a range of history documentaries as vehicles for interpreting and communicating history, applying history to contemporary issues, and investigating historical mysteries; evaluates examples of the history documentary genre for effectiveness in engaging audiences educationally and for entertainment purposes.

Prerequisites

None.

LIBA 111: Contemporary Design Culture

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of contemporary design culture. Explores how the interplay of artists, designers, and thinkers with technological and economic forces has created the look and feel of the objects and practices that continue to shape our culture today. Combines study of pop culture and recent design history with an investigation of philosophical, sociological, psychological, and technological issues.
Prerequisites

None.

LIBA 112: Film & Narrative

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduction to the visual techniques and language of film, exploring how they are used to define character and communicate narrative and theme. Examines connection between visual design and storytelling by focusing on editing, mise-en-scene and narrative.
Prerequisites

None.

LIBA 202: Contemporary Research Methods for Creatives

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examination of methods of organizing research toward a substantial creative project. Survey of research tools and resources in and out of Goldstein Library. Topics include: creating and mapping research plans and timelines; writing research outcomes; identifying tools and resources; identifying experts; acquiring basic copyright law/Fair Use information.
Prerequisites

WRIT 151 or transfer credit equivalent.

LIBA 230: Worldbuilding

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Learning howto build your own inclusive, ecologically aware, and diverse narrative worlds. Approaches worldbuilding through a variety of perspectives in the Liberal Arts to create believably detailed narrative environments.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 240: Contemporary Literature

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examination of literary works written within the past 100 years. Films and other visual examples are used to counterpoint or develop the discussion.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 241: A World of Stories

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Focus on selected works of fiction, drama, and poetry written from multicultural perspectives. Emphasis on multiple themes, genres, and instructional approaches.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 242: Contemporary Women's Literature

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Focus on women authors published since 1970, such as Erica Jong, Margaret Atwood, Ada Limon, Rachel Kushner, Joan Didion, Roxanne Gay, and others. Texts: poems, short stories, essays, novels, read for story, characterization, cultural/historical significance. Class activities: discussion, close reading/analysis, in-class writing, watching/listening to video/audio clips of writers discussing their work.

LMST 265: Topics in Literature and Media Studies

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores historical and contemporary literary and media-related genres and developments; topics vary each semester, such as crime stories, the Hollywood novel, literature of protest, literary mysticism, and comedy.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 266: Crime Stories

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Surveys the fiction of crime. The course will track the historical and literary emergence of the genre in American, Europe and other continents through readings such as Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to Agatha Christie, P.D. James, Patricia Highsmith, Haruki Murakami, Walter Mosely, and Claudia Pineiro.

LMST 271: Understanding the Art of Film

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores style and meaning in film by examining works of Hollywood and international cinema; overview of basic historical information and contextual material for each film to critically scrutinize the art form that is cinema.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 272: Myth & Symbol in Media

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines cinematic appropriation of symbolism and mythology as means of expressing fundamental human experience to a modern audience. Topics include: quests; rites of passage; struggle between good and evil.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 275: World Cinema

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduction to films from around the world, including the classics of global cinema as well as movies from recent movements, acknowledged masters and emerging filmmakers. History and styles unique to each movement, as well as their universal characteristics and themes.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 305: Contemporary Writers of Color

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces recent writers of color who have changed and shaped Anglophone literature in the last 20 years; focuses on writers who have received wide critical acclaim, and broken out into the mainstream; explores how the literary world has changed and is changing over the last 20 years, including social media engagement by readers and trending hashtags.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 310: National Cinemas

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores the histories, stories, and aesthetics of influential and significant film industries across the globe in various countries/regions/eras. Includes master directors as well as emerging artists.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 330: LGBT Identities in Lit & Film

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores the representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals and communities in American literature and film from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Considers how these representations have changed and have not changed, been understood and misunderstood, and how these images have played out in the real lives of LGBT people. Introduces formal, historical, and cultural approaches to LGBT identities.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 340: Lit. of Comics & The Graphic Narrative

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Studies works composed using words and pictures in combination. Explores the history, theory, and criticism of the comic strip, the comic book, and other forms of graphic narrative.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 341: Children’s Literature

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Critical studies in children’s literature. Explores selected children’s literature, including: classics; picture books; pop fiction; fairy tales; biographies; historical novels; fantasy; psychological realism.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 345: Lit. of Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Studies in speculative fiction. Exploration of literature within the genres of: utopian fiction; fantasy; science fiction; horror fiction; and the Gothic novel.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 370: Fiction and Drama in Film

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines cinematic adaptations of classic novels, short stories, and plays. Focuses on treatments of narrative structure in literature, drama and film.
Prerequisites

None.

LMST 378: Special Topics in Theatre

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
6
Lecture Hours 0
Minimum Study Hours
3
Introduction to professional theatre production. Explores costume, set, and lighting design, as well as elements of playwriting. Introduces the professional theatre through interaction with directors, designers, production managers and visiting artists.
Prerequisites

None.

MATH 256: Creative Geometry

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Develops creative approaches to visualizing and solving spatial and geometric problems. Analyzes geometric structure of works of art, architecture, design, patterns in nature and their expression in mathematical formula.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 180: Intro to Psychology

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduction to the basic concepts of psychology. Focus on: behavioral theories; emotions and motivation; application of psychology to everyday life. Other topics include: key figures in psychology and their theories; research findings from the major sub-areas of the field and using psychological knowledge to improve the quality of our lives.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 200: Digital Culture, Media, and Society

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores how personhood, human connectivity, and society are being reshaped through digital technologies; studies the effects of new digital technologies and their application upon a number of existing and new domains of social life, such as social networks, privacy, mobile and multiplayer gaming, virtual reality, Al, the Dark Web, hacktivism, net neutrality, and crowdsourcing.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 201: Organizing Innovation

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Breakthroughs and innovation in contemporary organizations as seen through a sociological perspective; studies basic concepts in organizational analysis - groups, projects, communities, networks - and opportunities related to managing innovation; reviews innovation as a sociological practice in a broad variety of settings: animation, film, advertising, fashion, music, and military simulations, and develops students' problem-solving ability using systems thinking.
Prerequisites

WRIT 151 Writing Studio.

SBSC 202: Deviance and Society

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Employs a critical sociological approach to deviance in contemporary society; explores the origins and functions of deviance; the institutional production and societal reactions to deviance; the impact of deviance on personal and social identity; and deviant careers. Studies the depiction of deviance in contemporary media through narratives of suicide, medicalization, gang behavior, hate crimes, moral panics, prostitution, elite deviance, and serial murder. Fulfills a Liberal Arts Social & Behavioral Sciences requirement.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 203: Introduction to Gender & Sexuality Studies

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces major themes in gender and sexuality studies; examines key theoretical concepts (e.g., gender sexuality, performativity, intersectionality, feminisms, identity-based oppression and privilege, social construction, queering categories of difference); critically examines, through readings, multimedia, and class discussion, representations of gender and sexuality in popular culture.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 210: Interpersonal Communications

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Techniques in effective interpersonal communication. Provides conversational resources and practices for making and managing meaning. Promotes building healthy, collaborative relationships among artists, designers, family, and friends.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 220: Consumer Culture & Behavior

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Interdisciplinary study of consumer culture and behavior. Explore facets of consumer culture through individual, organizational/institutional, cultural, and global levels of analyses. Offers tools for understanding consumer culture and behavior from the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of the social world. Employs critical perspective toward consumer culture, examining issues of ethics and social responsibility in corporate practices and individual consumptive behavior.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 221: Psych of Social Interaction

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines human social discourse from a psychological perspective. Emphasis on psychological dynamics and differences between everyday face-to-face and virtual environments. Explores: social and generational changes in relating apparent in today’s digital age; the variations between virtual and face-to-face interactions.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 230: Topics in Social Science

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores a variety of topics in social sciences, such as globalization, gender, and inequality. Focuses on the systematic understanding of social interaction, social organization, social institutions, and social change. Introduces students to major themes in sociological thinking, such as the interplay between the individual and society, the causes and consequences of social inequality, and the social construction of human life.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 240: Africa Speaks

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of the development of sub-Saharan Africa, from pre-Paleolithic times to present. Culture based, interdisciplinary anthropological examination of African geography, archeology, history, politics; art, economics.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 245: Psychology of the Arts

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Psychological study of artists and art images/objects as they relate to the creative person, process, product, and audience. Students learn developmental stages in art expression through an overview of theories, and practices in western psychology and art therapy.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 250: Gender, Race and Culture

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores the ideas of race and gender as cultural constructs. Examines their historical development and contemporary impact in relation to forms of prejudice and discrimination.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 270: Visual Anthropology

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduction to cultural anthropology by examining the roles of visual imagery and media in collecting, interpreting, and disseminating cultural beliefs and practices. Emphasizes influence of artists, designers, and photographers on public understandings of globalization and related issues such as subjects’ rights; intellectual property; artists’ ethical responsibilities.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 275: Changing Cultures

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines effects of major social transformations, such as colonization, technological development, or indigenous movements on social structures and modes of cultural creative expression; each semester focuses on particular regional culture, such as: Mexico, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Native American Cultures, or others.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 300: Sociology of Fashion

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Examines fashion as a site of struggle for self-definition, gender coding, and masquerade; synthesizes key debates and theories in the critical study of fashion; discovers the evolution of fashion consumption, and examines the complete cycle of the fashion industry, including digital fashion and image curation.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 301: Serial Killers & Society

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Applies sociological methods, principles, and theories relating to serial murder and its various categories, including mass murderers, sexual predators, male versus female murderers, team killers, and their respective victims. Examines the production of discourses related to spectacularization and commodification of celebrity and violence in popular culture, profiles serial killers as a concern for the criminal justice system and reinvestigates iconic cold cases.

Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 312: Sensation & Perception

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduces the components of body sensory systems and the historical and current role they play in the creation of art and design; reviews basic neuroanatomy and how dysfunctions impact interpretation of the environment; explores how artists and designers have used this knowledge to enrich their work.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 315: Intercultural Communication

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Survey of major concepts in intercultural communication with emphasis on practical applications. Exploration of diversity in communication between cultures and challenges created by multicultural environments.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 316: Ethics of Art and Design

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Explores the primary ethical issues and professional standards applicable to creating, appropriating, buying, selling, and displaying works of art and design in various media. Emphasis upon how professional artists and designers can practice their craft as artist-global citizens in a way that gives heed to our mutual responsibilities to one another and to our planet.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 321: Studies in the Holocaust

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Exploration of anti-Semitism and prejudice as expressed in the events leading up to and including the Holocaust of World War II. Focus on: 19th-century ideas of Social Darwinism; the Aryan myth; modern or scientific anti-Semitism; eugenics. Evaluates the contributions of those who developed the philosophical/psychological mentality that led to the Holocaust. Examines deep connections between Hitler’s rise to power and the influx of capital into Germany via American industrial firms.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 331: Human Factor in Design

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Investigates human factors as an essential ingredient in the design process. Study the dynamic relationship between humans and the environment utilizing: interactive and contextual research; classic books; psychological, philosophical, and anthropological research.
Prerequisites

None.

SBSC 364: Worldwatch

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6
Introduction to global issues confronting nations, societies, and world leaders in the 21st century. Examines events and issues that shaped the 20th century through today. Considers a variety of factors influencing the global scene: historical; political; socio-cultural; economic; geographic; biographic; military-industrial.
Prerequisites

None.

WRIT 120: Professional Writing

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Instructs students in styles of writing commonly used in the art and design world, including artist statements, website content, cover letters, pitch letters, resumes, freelance proposals, letters of agreement, grant proposals, marketing and business plans, exhibition/catalog copy, adjournal articles and reviews, business emails, press releases, critical reviews for online and print media, and social media/promotional platform writing. Emphasizes considerations of audience and purpose, and the production of clear, cogent, thoughtful writing that adheres to the grammatical rules of Standard American English.

Prerequisite Courses

WRIT 151: Writing Studio

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introduction to academic and professional writing. Emphasis on: rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, reading and writing processes and conventions. Analysis and evaluation of multiple reading strategies; composition; use of research tools; development of research process; documentation techniques and incorporation of sources; peer review; editing and proofreading strategies.

Prerequisites

None.

WRIT 270: Professional Communication and Presentation

Department
Credits 3
Studio Hours
0
Lecture Hours 3
Minimum Study Hours
6

Introductory course in oral and written communication skills with a focus on public presentation skills. Instruction in: principles of communication; styles and types of presentation; effective use of traditional and multimedia tools. Emphasis on ability to deliver messages to a wide variety of audiences.

Prerequisite Courses