Freshman Seminar
F-Sem. Freshman Seminar
Prerequisites: Must be taken the first semester at the Academy
Students are introduced to a variety of topics to equip them for success throughout their college career. The seminar includes exercises in learning skills such as extracting information from written and verbal sources, critical thinking and evaluation of data and synthesizing ideas from multiple sources. In addition, the seminar engages students in discussion about career planning, time management, health and safety and decision making based on values and ethics.
1 semester credit hour
Behavioral and Social Sciences
BUS301. Marketing
Prerequisites: COM101, COM102, SOC105
Principles and concepts of marketing are surveyed. Students apply research and marketing skills to develop a marketing approach and plan for products. Self-promotion and entrepreneurship are integral parts of the course.
3 semester credit hours
SOC105. Film and Society
Prerequisites: COM101 and COM102
Film is examined as a reflection and influence on society. Students concentrate on the content of the film (script, period style or historical reference) as opposed to the form (cinematography, design, etc.). Students apply a series of critical approaches and theories to the analysis of fine art, pop culture, mass media and contemporary society. The course covers concepts such as authority, subjectivity, race, class and gender as they are applied to producing and interpreting a message.
3 semester credit hours
SOC207. Film and Society: World Cultures
Prerequisites SOC105
Films from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America are explored to develop a holistic, cross-cultural perspective. Students gain an appreciation of cultural similarities and differences and enhance their intercultural sensitivity.
3 semester credit hours
SOC301. Contemporary Visual Culture
Prerequisites: SOC105, ART101 and ART102
The course offers a historical and contemporary view of visual culture from a sociological perspective incorporating various critical theories.
3 semester credit hours
SOC310. Art and Activism
Prerequisites: SOC105
This course examines artists who have been influential as activists thoughout history, as well as contemporary artists who are committed to social causes. Students research social issues of their own generation and develop strategies for becoming positive agents for change.
3 semester credit hours
Communications
COM101. English Language Arts I: The Written Word
Students develop skills in writing unified, coherent, well-developed essays using correct grammar and effective sentence structure. Non-fiction, fiction, research and poetry are explored as uses of the writing process.
3 semester credit hours
COM102. English Language Arts II: The Oral Process
Prerequisites: COM101
This course combines communication theory with the practice of oral communication skills. Students learn to present, analyze and critique oral communication.
3 semester credit hours
COM201. Creative Writing
Prerequisites: COM102
An introduction to the different genres of writing such as poetry, short stories and essays. Students gain an understanding of sentence structure as it relates to producing visual scenes for the reader. In a collaborative workshop environment, students are encouraged to develop their writing style.
3 semester credit hours
COM303. Professional Writing
Prerequisites: SOC105 and recommended BUS301
An introduction to such subjects as cover letters, memos, reports, grant proposals, proofreading, memo writing and billing communications.
3 semester credit hours
COM410. Special Topics in Communication
Prerequisites: COM102
A seminar course that examines communication issues using theoretical, conceptual or thematic approaches. Course work includes readings, lectures, discussions and papers.
3 semester credit hours
Fine Art/Humanities
ART101. Art History Survey I
Prerequisites: COM101
Beginning with prehistoric cave paintings and progressing through Egyptian, Greek and Medieval European art, students are acquainted with the major movements, artists and artworks of the western world.
3 semester credit hours
ART102. Art History Survey II
Prerequisites: COM101
Students study the masterworks of some of the greatest figures in western art—the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-Classical, Romantic and Impressionist periods.
3 semester credit hours
ART104. World Art
Prerequisites: COM102, ART101, SOC207
A focus on the role of art in world societies as it relates to painting, sculpture and architecture, textiles and mask and body decoration. Emphasis is placed on art from India, Southeast Asia, Africa and the cultures of the South Pacific Islands. The development of the visual arts and their contextualization within their social, economic and historical milieu and cross-cultural commonalities are examined.
3 semester credit hours
ART301. Survey of American Illustration
Prerequisites: ART101 and ART102
An overview of the styles, thoughts and methods of the last one hundred years of American illustration from Catlin’s first depiction of the American Indian, through the Golden Age of Howard Pyle, to Norman Rockwell and beyond. As reporters, storytellers and merchandisers, illustrators have provided a mirror for each generation and helped to define their age.
3 semester credit hours
ART302. History of Graphic Design
Prerequisites: ART101 and ART102
A survey of historical and contemporary design trends in industry, including comparison of global design histories and trends. Students are introduced to the theories and methods that drive historical and current design as well as to the work of leading designers.
3 semester credit hours
ART303. 20th Century and Contemporary Art History
Prerequisites: ART101, ART102
An introduction to the major movements and artists of the twentieth century with reference to the transition of modernism from European roots to America and into the pluralism and internationalism of the present. Emphasis is placed on the dynamism and variety of the historical process with attention to the idea of the artists’ individuality in relationship to their milieu.
3 semester credit hours
ART304. Art History: Renaissance and Baroque
Prerequisites: ART101, ART102
An introduction to the influential periods of art: Italian Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, Venetian art, Mannerism and Baroque.
3 semester credit hours
ART305. Art History: Art and Technology
Prerequisites: ART101, ART102
An examination of the technological invention and advancements that have influenced art and the art-making process. This course explores the mechanical and electronic inventions that have caused/altered art movements as well as created new art forms such as film, video, radio and interactive art.
3 semester credit hours
ART306. Art History: Rococo and Neo-Classical
Prerequisites: ART101, ART102
An exploration of art movements and the historical and social milieus of Western Europe in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Beginning in the age of French salons and absolute monarchy, this course traces the rise of the bourgeoisie, the revolt against the aristocracy and the triumph of enlightenment thought.
3 semester credit hours
Mathematics and Physical and Life Sciences
LIF101. Anatomy
This course provides an understanding of the skeleton system as an architectural framework of the human body and of the muscular system as production of motion for the human body. Students study the biological and evolutionary aspects of the human body.
3 semester credit hours
LIF301. Advanced Anatomy
Prerequisite: LIF101
An exploration of the variations in human anatomy based on age, gender, race and body type. Students study the history of artists’ use of anatomical knowledge in rendering the human form.
3 semester credit hours
MTH101. Quantitative Literacy
Students develop a conceptual understanding of problem-solving, decision-making and analytic skills dealing with quantities and their magnitudes and interrelationships. Through lectures and assignments, students develop an appreciation for mathematics as both a science and an art.
3 semester credit hours
SCI101. Vision, Light and Color
Examination of basic physics and light chemistry in the framework of geometrical and physical optics. Topics covered include refraction and diffraction, structural color, the nature of light and its interactions with matter, photochemistry, pigments and dyes and the principles underlying fluorescence and phosphorescence, lasers and holography.
3 semester credit hours
SCI205. Introduction to Science Labs
Students study and conduct experiments and hands-on applications for a variety of scientific principles and phenomena qualified by lab reports that document the collection and analysis of data. Laboratory sessions span fields such as biology, chemistry, astronomy and physical science.
3 semester credit hours
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