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:
For you to meet your 120 credits.
(WARNING: certain courses only)
The department offers many classes that fulfill general education requirements.
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 |
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).