Courses For Non-Majors

The Department of Visual and Media Arts offers students in other majors the opportunity to pursue an interest in the visual arts. If you are interested in taking art and design courses but aren’t a major, there are many options available to GVSU students. These include art education, art history, film and video production, photography, and studio art classes. The courses are typically three credits.

What do These Count For?

The courses below apply to the following possibilities:

Electives Toward Graduation

For you to meet your 120 credits.

General Education Credits

(WARNING: certain courses only)

The department offers many classes that fulfill general education requirements.

To fulfill a minor

When applicable, these courses can fulfill requirements in many minors, including studio art, art history, and photography minors.


Quick Links

Courses Offering General Education - Foundations: Art Credit

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

Gen.Ed. Category

ART 101

Introduction to Art

Introduction to the visual arts. Examination of creative, social, historical, and aesthetic aspects of selected works of art. 

3

Fall and Winter

Foundations: Art

ART 153

Foundations: Making and Meaning in Art and Design

Introduction to various verbal and visual techniques for creative problem solving, including the use of the computer as a creative tool. 

3

Fall and Winter

Foundations: Art

ART 231

Integrating the Visual Arts Across Disciplines

Art-based inquiry as an integrative approach to teaching in PK-6. Connections among art and other content areas emphasized to develop interdisciplinary approaches with a focus on big ideas and their relationships to the world through problem-solving, creative inquiry, and art-based activities.

3

Fall and Winter

Foundations: Art

ART 260

Introduction to Painting

Fundamentals of painting in opaque media with a variety of subjects and styles. 

3

Fall and Winter

Foundations: Art

ART 270

Sculpture: Creating/Building/ Making

A hands-on studio course that is equally accessible and challenging for both art and non-art majors. Introduction to basic sculpture techniques includes mold making, metal working, wood working, and sewing. Creative project topics include lost wax bronze casting, found object assemblage, soft sculpture, and fibers.

3

Fall and Winter

Foundations: Art

ART 271

Digital 3D Modeling and Design

This primarily computer-based studio course is accessible and challenging for both art and non-art majors. Introduction to basic digital fabrication techniques will be taught, including 3D digital modeling and rendering, laser cutting, 3D scanning and printing. Creative project topics cover prototypes, inventions, hybrids, digital artifice, and public art proposals.

 3

Fall

Foundations: Art

ART 275

Ceramics: The Basics

A ceramics course designed for art and non-art majors covering all basic clay and ceramics techniques and their historical background. Some clay geology, clay making, and kiln loading/unloading will be covered within the context of general studio practices and safety.

3

Fall and Winter

Foundations: Art

FVP 225

Film Culture

This is an introductory course on film as a significant cultural form. It examines the formal elements through which films tell stories, and the kind of stories they tell in response to audience needs and desires. Focuses on how audience interaction shapes narrative filmmaking.

3

Every semester

Foundations: Art

PHO 170

Introduction to Photography

An introductory course in digital photography without darkroom instruction. Covers camera operation and use, basic image processing, composition and visual communication, and artists using the medium. Access to digital camera with manual control options is required. Cell phone cameras or point-and-shoot cameras without exposure controls are not adequate.

3

Every semester

Foundations: Art


Courses offering General Education - Cultures credit

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

Gen. Ed. Category

ART 322

Goths to Gothic: Medieval Art

A thematic examination of the arts and visual culture created between the sixth and 15th centuries in Europe and the broader Mediterranean. Explores diverse media in relation to their political, religious, and social contexts. Also considers 19th century and contemporary reception of medieval art and ideas.

3

Fall semester of even-numbered years.

Global Perspectives

ART 323

Rethinking Renaissance Art

Thematic examination of the visual arts produced between 1400 and 1650 focusing on intersections between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Topics include the artist and society, civic and domestic contexts for the arts, and the representation of self and community. Explores concepts of Renaissance art in later eras. 

Requires Junior Standing

3

Winter semester of odd-numbered years

Global Perspectives and Issues-Globalization

ART 422

Art and the Worlds of Islam

Examines the arts and material culture produced in Islamic contexts between the 7th century and the present. Themes include patronage, materials, reception, cultures in contact, and plurality of meaning, as well as colonial and postcolonial circumstances. Also explores the work of contemporary artists in relation to transnational contexts.

Requires Junior Standing 

3

Winter semester of even-numbered years

Global Perspectives and Issues-Globalization

ART 425

Depicting a Nation: 19th Century American Art

A thematic approach to 19th century American arts and visual culture. Considers individual artists, but stresses works and their cultural contexts. Topics include portraiture, westward expansion, and the Civil War, as well as the role of visual culture and concepts of gender, race, ethnic identity, and socioeconomic class.

Requires Junior Standing

3

Fall semester of odd-numbered years

U.S. Diversity


Courses offering General Education - Issues credit

Note: All Issues courses have a junior standing prerequisite.

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

Gen. Ed. Category

ART 323

Rethinking Renaissance Art

Thematic examination of the visual arts produced between 1400 and 1650 focusing on intersections between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Topics include the artist and society, civic and domestic contexts for the arts, and the representation of self and community. Explores concepts of Renaissance art in later eras. 

Prerequisite: Junior Standing

3

Winter semester of odd-numbered years

Issues-Globalization and Global Perspectives

ART 335

Digital Creativity

This course is a hands-on studio course that provides basic skills and an understanding of computer technology in the creative process. Emphasized exploration of digital media concepts and methods for supporting creativity through examination of the themes and issues in contemporary arts and culture. 

Prerequisite: Junior Standing

3

Fall and Winter

Issues-Information, Innovation, or Technology

ART 350

Learning to See: Visual Training for the Health
Care Professiona

Interactive studio art course that trains visual thinking and analysis skills used in health care settings. Designed for the health care professional but open to all. Discussion, drawing, writing, meditation, visual training related to diagnostic thinking. No previous art experience or skill necessary. 

Prerequisite: Junior Standing

3

Fall and Winter

Issues-Health

ART 373

Design and Materiality: Objects and Sculpture

This primarily hands-on studio course emphasizes material knowledge in relation to functionality, form, and design fundamentals utilized in product development. Material explorations may include metalworking, woodworking, mold making, plastics, fibers, found objects and/or digital processes. Individual and collaborative projects will be informed by student research, experimentation, problem solving, and discussion.

Prerequisite: Junior Standing

3

Fall

Issues-Information, Innovation, or Technology

ART 391

Civic Studio: Art in Public

Visual art methods are used to study, form, and present art in a specific public context. Includes the development of a project site, individual and collaborative work, and service learning. Studio operates "in public" presenting lectures, visual displays, and public gatherings. 

Prerequisite: Junior Standing

3

Fall

Issues-Identity

ART 392

Curatorial Studio: Art, Exhibition, Events

This course involves the creation of art exhibitions, events, and projects as a studio practice. It explores the presentational and critical aspects of curatorial work and the theoretical discourse specific to such practice within a studio context. May be repeated once for credit.

Prerequisite: Junior Standing 

3

Fall and Winter

Issues-Information, Innovation, or Technology

ART 394

Interactive Studio: Art, Interface, Collaboration

Interactive Studio addresses the study and creation of art works in which the audience is involved in an interactive exchange. Media explored include interactive situations, community collaborations, social/political interactions, and current electronic interactive interfaces.

Prerequisite: Junior Standing 

3

Winter

Issues-Information, Innovation, or Technology

ART 422

Art and the Worlds of Islam

Examines the arts and material culture produced in Islamic contexts between the 7th century and the present. Themes include patronage, materials, reception, cultures in contact, and plurality of meaning, as well as colonial and postcolonial circumstances. Also explores the work of contemporary artists in relation to transnational contexts. 

Prerequisite: Junior Standing 

3

Winter semester of even-numbered years

Issues-Globalization and Global Perspectives


Courses offering General Education - SWS credit

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

Gen. Ed. Category

ART 221

SWS Survey of Art History I

A survey of art history from prehistoric times to the Renaissance.

3

Fall

SWS

ART 222

SWS Survey of Art History II

A survey of art history from the Renaissance to the present day.

3

Winter

SWS

FVP 327

SWS Film Theories

This course will introduce various perspectives on the study of film in order to explore and explain how films generate meaning and pleasure. Students will gain a historical understanding of film and learn to write in the language of scholarly film criticism. 

Pre-requisite: FVP 123

3

Fall and Winter

SWS


Courses without Pre-requisites that Welcome all Majors

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

ART 150

Foundations: 2-D Design and Color

Explores the theories and concepts of two-dimensional art forms. Basic visual design principles and color theory are presented and analyzed through contemporary and historical examples and applied to studio problems.

3

Fall and Winter

ART 151

Foundations: 3-D Design 

Fundamentals of design with an emphasis upon projects that develop the language of art as applied to three-dimensional forms in space.

3

Fall and Winter

ART 155

Foundations: Introduction to Drawing I

A study of fundamental pictorial concepts of drawing. Experimentation with varied technical means and media directed toward both descriptive and expressive ends.

3

Fall and Winter

ART 209

Graphic Design Basics

The course is designed for any nongraphic design student who requires or seeks an overview of the graphic design process and its application in visual composition, symbol development, typography, and layouts. Students produce solutions to visual communication problems and learn to articulate and present effectively their design choices. 

3

Fall and Winter

ART 221

Survey of Art History I

A survey of art history from prehistoric times to the Renaissance. 

3

Fall

ART 222

Survey of Art History II

A survey of art history from the Renaissance to the present day.

3

Winter

ART 245

Fabricating Adornment: Jewelry Basics and Design

This course will explore traditional and fundamental jewelry-making within a conceptual context. Specific techniques to be covered include cold connection, etching, surface embellishment, simple stone setting, and finishing. Additional topics will include the historical and contemporary significance of jewelry in cultural production

3

Fall and Winter

ART 246

Fluidity in Small Form: Jewelry Casting

This course will examine the casting process as it relates to jewelry production. Emphasis will be placed on the lost-wax process of casting and related fabrication techniques. As a conceptual focus, the course will explore the practice of adornment as it relates to the casting process. 

3

Winter

ART 263

Screen print and Relief

Working primarily with screen print and block printing, students will gain skills in each, while also learning the historical context for these techniques. Experiences will include the production of hand-drawn and photographic screen stencils, carving both linoleum and wood blocks, mixing and modifying inks, and printing by hand and printing press. 

3

Fall and Winter

ART 264

Etching and Monotype

A hands-on overview of intaglio and planographic print processes. Working primarily with etching and monotype, students will gain skills in both, while also being presented with their historical context. Specific intaglio techniques to be covered include dry-point, hard-ground, soft-ground, and aquatint. Approaches to monotype will include painterly, subtractive, and trace.

3

Fall and Winter

ART 293

Image Studio: Art, Production, Meaning, Display

Image studio explores the creation, use, and presentation of images and the theoretical discourse specific to such practices within a studio context. The studio incorporates uses of current image creation and presentation technologies.

3

Fall

ART 295

Space Studio: Art, Installation, Environment, Site

Space Studio addresses the creation of site-specific works based in the primary form and experience of space typically referred to as installations. It includes studio considerations of space, site, installation, public art, presentational practices, and the related theoretical discourse within a studio context

3

Winter

ART 296

Time Studio: Art, Video, Sound, Action 

Time Studio explores temporal and presentational practices and the theoretical discourse specific to such practices within a studio context. Time-based works include time and change as central elements. This includes ephemeral and kinetic objects, performance, sound works, and works incorporating moving images.

3

Fall

ART 348

The Body Adorned: Constructed Identity

From the earliest humans to punk rockers, fashion, jewelry, body modification and other forms of adornment have played a critical role in the expression of self and cultural identity. This course will explore how non-metal and mixed media techniques are used in the production of such adornment. 

3

Winter

ART 368 / PHO 368

Alternative Photographic Print Processes

An introduction to photographic-based printmaking processes such as cyanotype, polymer photogravure, and photo-stencil silkscreen. Emphasis is on the technical and aesthetic mastery of these media for the development of the student's creative visual work. 

3

Fall

ART 371

Materials and Making: Digital Fabrication in Sculpture

This hands-on and computer-based studio course combines traditional approaches to sculpture fabrication (welding, woodworking, sewing, and found object assemblage) with digital fabrication tools, including 3D modeling, 3D scanning, CNC machining, and laser cutting. Open to all students. Previous experience with 3D modeling and/or three-dimensional studio coursework is desirable

3

Winter

ART 372

Mold Making and Casting: Digital Foundry in Sculpture

This hands-on and computer-based studio course utilizes digital modeling and prototyping techniques alongside foundry processes. 3D modeling, scanning, printing, and machining are used for problem-solving and generating forms to be cast in wax, bronze, and/or glass. Open to all students. Previous experience with 3D modeling and/or three-dimensional studio coursework desirable.

3

Fall

ART 386

Art History Study Abroad

Of varying focus, the course makes use of the history, culture, and society of a host country in order to highlight disciplinary perspectives in context. To be taught in that country (or countries) as part of an approved study abroad program. By permit only.

3

Summer

ART 387

Studio Art Study Abroad

Of varying focus, the course makes use of the history, culture, and society of a host country in order to highlight disciplinary perspectives in context. To be taught in that country (or countries) as part of an approved study abroad program. By permit only.

3

Summer

FVP 125

Media Production I

The fundamentals of video production, including the techniques and the aesthetics of shooting, lighting, and editing are covered, with an emphasis on hands-on production experience using digital video. A preadmission course for film and video production.

3

Fall and Winter

PHO 266

History of Photography I

A survey of the origins and developmental phases of photography. Technical innovations will be examined, but emphasis will be on the historical motivations and changing climates of aesthetic intent, philosophical rationale, and visual experimentation in the history of photography from the early 19th century to the present.

3

Fall


Courses with Pre-requisites that Welcome all Majors

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

ART 420

Asian Art

This course will survey the visual arts of India, China, and Japan, focusing on the relationship between visual form and cultural ideology.

Prerequisites: ART 221 and ART 222, or Junior standing, permit request not needed

3

Fall semester of odd-numbered years

ART 421

Surrealism

This course provides an in-depth investigation of the Surrealism movement, addressing its artistic, historical, political, philosophical, and psychological implications.

Prerequisite: ART 222 or Junior standing, permit request not needed

3

Winter semester of odd-numbered years

ART 423

Animals in Art

This class explores representations of animals and their varied functions in the visual arts. Using a thematic approach, the course considers works from prehistory to the present, incorporating imagery from cultural traditions throughout the world.

Prerequisite: Junior standing, permit request not needed

3

Fall semester of even-numbered years


Courses with Pre-requisites that Welcome all Majors and Require Special Permission

Attention: Override Needed!

Permission from instructor and/or an override will be needed to register for the courses in the list below. For instructions on how to request an override, please visit: https://www.gvsu.edu/registrar/prerequisite-and-registration-override-information-25.htm

Course Number

Title

Description

Credits

Offering

ART 218

Design History

The history of design from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Discussions of the politics and ethics of design.

Permit Override Needed

3

Fall

ART 219

History of Illustration

The history of illustration and illustrators from 1900 to the present. Discussions on social and political trends, arts movements and technological advances will be explored.

Permit Override Needed

3

Winter

ART 332

Introduction to Art Education

An introduction to the field of art education, including the study of its historical, sociological, and theoretical foundations and their effect on its practice in the K-12 classroom. 

Permit Override Needed

3

Fall

FVP 325

Animation I

An introductory course in animation filmmaking. Students will work in small groups on animation and movement exercises and will individually produce a short final film. Readings will be assigned; films will be viewed and discussed.

Permit Override Needed

3

Fall

Questions?

For any questions, please contact the Department of Visual and Media Arts office during its regular hours (listed at the bottom of the site).

 

 



Page last modified April 28, 2024