During their four years at Gutenberg, students participate in three art seminars and one art practicum. In the art seminars, students explore various art media as well as the ideas and concepts of art—the purpose of the seminars being both to give students a greater appreciation for the arts and to expose them to art’s power to convey the vital messages of our human and spiritual natures. The art practicum gives students practical experience making art; the focus of the practicum is not on individual skill, however, but rather on the challenge of transforming an idea into a form.
Freshman Seminar: Music (ART 101)
Music has always been an expression both of universal human feelings and specific cultural trends. This seminar provides a general introduction to music theory, history, appreciation, and practice. Students will listen to a variety of music as well as explore the nature of music and the ways it has changed over time. The goal is to give students a broad overview that will prepare them to listen to music more knowledgeably and to understand better the role of music in Western cultural history.
Freshman Practicum: Making Art (ART 102)
This practicum introduces students to some of the elements of art making. While the particular medium may change from quarter to quarter, the goal is the same: to help students understand some of the fundamental issues involved in understanding and making art.
Freshman Seminar: Defining Art (ART 103)
This freshman seminar centers on discussing readings on art by a variety of artists and art scholars. Students will also interact with works of art in various media. The goal of this seminar is for students to derive a definition of art by which the nature of all art practices can be understood.
Senior Seminar: Moving Images & Cinema (ART 401)
Our society appears to be moving from a “word-based” to an “image-based” culture, due in significant measure to the rise of the motion picture in the twentieth century. This seminar provides a general introduction to film theory, history, appreciation, and practice. The goal is to help students understand the nature of film as an art form and a cultural force.