Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College · Courses
ART
99 courses with the subject ART, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
ART 100Concepts and Creation in the Visual Arts3
A study of the personal and cultural foundations of artistic creation and practice of creative production in the art studio. ART 100 Concepts and Creation in the Visual Arts (3) (BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. ART 100 is intended as an introduction to the concepts underpinning artistic creation. Through lectures and studio work, students will explore relationships between artistic processes and in daily life. The objective of the course is to develop in the student both an appreciation and understanding of contemporary art through an examination of art and contemporary social, cultural, and political issues surrounding artistic practice. Students will respond to the ideas presented in the lectures by completing a series of artworks intended to reflect the issues and concepts that have been presented. The intended, though not exclusive, audience for the course is non-art majors. While the focus of the course is a critical examination of both the artworks studied and the artworks created by the students, the critique will be derived from the various backgrounds and academic experiences of the students and not necessarily from their knowledge of art. In this manner, the course can become a relevant complement to all of their
A beginning level course in Web Design, with emphasis on designing with standards to assure accessibility and effective communication. ART 101 is a beginning level web design course that is concerned with the designing and creating of web sites using XHTML and recommended government standards. This emphasis is central so that the work the students do will reach the broadest audience, including people with disabilities, through the use of a broad range of software and hardware. This course will teach students how to meet the present government standards for accessibility by the disabled and the technical and accessibility standards recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This course will also place an emphasis on the uses of art-images to present information along with the presentation of text and typography for communication and how these elements can make projects on the web more effective. The course will introduce topics such as: clarity of art and design, ease of use (navigability), and in creating art and graphics for web delivery (optimization). There will also be discussion on the dynamics of networked communications, along with issues pertaining to the authoring and publishing of content and media on the internet. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
ART 102Beginning Computer Aided Design for Artists3
ART 102 is an introduction to Computer Aided Design as an artistic media. Students will model objects in a virtual environment and then realize their objects tangibly though 3D printing and other digital output processes. ART 102 will consist of class lecture, demonstration, work periods, and critique. ART 102 is (an almost) paperless computer based class. General Education: Arts (GA) GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Key Literacies Undergraduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 3621
This course is intended for students to investigate the intersection of mathematics with seemingly disparate areas of art, music, nature, and computing. Students will explore the hidden connections between the aesthetic pleasures of art, music, philosophy and that of mathematical foundations and how the beauty of art, music and philosophy can be equated to the corresponding beauty of mathematics. General Education: Arts (GA) General Education: Quantification (GQ) General Education - Integrative: Interdomain GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
An introduction to verbal commentary, both oral and written, about art. The development of critical and expressive skills given emphasis. Bachelor of Arts: Arts United States Cultures (US) Writing Across the Curriculum
ART 133Introduction to Traditional Wooden Boatbuilding3
General Education (GA) course in wooden boatbuilding to study craft and practical woodworking techniques in context with a study of maritime history and material culture. This class will also look at how boats and ships are used as metaphors in language, visual art, and popular culture. In this course, students will work on a central boatbuilding project supplemented with presentations, discussions, and museum visits to demonstrate how artistic studies can lead to professional opportunities, in this case, illustrated in maritime culture and industry. No prior woodworking or boating experience is required for this course.
This course introduces students to contemporary art activism and environmental and humanitarian issues through research presentations, discussions and the production of artwork. It encourages students to imagine the effects of climate change and investigate how art can bring new ways of thinking about and bring a greater awareness to global issues. Media will vary depending on student ideas, it may include drawing, painting, video, sculpture, photography or installation art. Coursework integrates written, oral and visual communication. As an introductory course, assessment will be based equally on class discussion, research presentations, the content of art works produced and student's ability to articulate the synthesis of their work within the theme of climate change. General Education: Arts (GA) GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
ART 160NSTEAM: Connecting Art to Science, Technology, Engineering3
and Mathematics Drawing from traditions of scientific illustration, fine art and literary interpretations of scientific concepts, and collaborations between scientists and artists, this course will establish the ways in which the arts and the creative process have informed the sciences, and have served as a source of inspiration, discovery, and dissemination of scientific thought. Building upon principles shared by the creative process, design- thinking, and the scientific method, the course modules investigate the relationship between form and function in art and each of the STEM disciplines, and explore how the creative process enhances sensory processing and perception of scientific concepts. Through hands-on activities, students will develop creative thinking skills and apply them to understanding and communicating fundamental STEM concepts. The course combines lectures, visual presentations, and problem- based learning activities to build knowledge of pivotal intersections between the arts and sciences, and to develop an appreciation of the interconnectedness of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the Arts (STEAM). This course will examine art objects and processes that have facilitated understanding for scientists - as a process of discovery or record; and for audiences - as form of communication or art. Fundamental questions will be: "Can art or the creative process facilitate discovery and understanding for the scientist? How" "Can artistic interpretations of scientific concepts facilitate communication of science to different audiences?" "Can creative practice, ie drawing, enhance skills that serve scientific method, i.e., observation?" Finally, students will seek creative forms to convey scientific concepts in class projects, with the purpose of integrating these dualistic modes of inquiry to build upon their analytic and critical thinking skills holistically General Education: Arts (GA) General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) General Education - Integrative: Interdomain GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
A studio course that utilizes lecture and varied media experiences to investigate space as artistic expression. ART 165 Artistic Concepts of Space (3) ART 165 Artistic Concepts of Space is a hands-on studio course supplemented by lecture. It utilizes various media experiences to investigate notions of space in artistic expression. Explorations will include traditional and contemporary ways of depicting and constructing space as well as contemporary approaches. Both 2-D and 3-D studio investigations will be employed. A lecture component will provide a historical and cultural backdrop upon which students may better understand the role of special depiction in artistic expression. Bachelor of Arts: Arts General Education: Arts (GA) GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Key Literacies
Modeling in light and dark - with particular attention to drawing. (Approximately 5 weeks) Cultural/historical variations of form - including, but not limited to: Egyptian, Medieval, Byzantine, and Modern, and Contemporary. (Approximately 2 weeks) Sculptural notions of form will be investigated by the actual creation of artistic objects, via exercises in modeling, construction, reduction, assemblage, and casting. (Approximately 8 weeks) Bachelor of Arts: Arts General Education: Arts (GA) GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Key Literacies
This inter-domain general education course provides a cross-disciplinary platform for plant- and microbe-facilitated creative production and art- mediated scientific learning. The course balances studio art activities with lecture- and discussion-based learning about integrated science and art topics. Students use the media of plant and microbial pigments, growth, and biology in a hybrid studio-lab environment. The biology, chemistry, and physics of these living and life-derived media are expected to form integral parts of student presentations. Lectures will provide information about broad scientific principles and in-depth learning about specific phenomena underlying the biologically-based media as well as relevant bio-art issues and contexts in which work is produced. Student projects will represent an integration of natural science understanding with artistic expression. Students will be encouraged to go in various directions with their creative efforts, including visual mechanics (light, color, composition), mark making (painting, drawing), meaning making (metaphors, allegories, cultural appropriations), storytelling, sensing (ways of seeing, phenomenology), and new media issues (e.g., post- humanism). Some example types of bio-media and their scientific connections include: plant pigments, which facilitate discussion of light, photosynthesis, basic chemistry and chromatography; bacterial cultures, which facilitate discussion of microbiology, cell biology, and cellular movements; and fluorescent proteins, which facilitate discussion of DNA, RNA, protein structure, mutations, species concepts, and genetic engineering. Student projects integrate the scientific basis of the bio-art media used such that the media become part of the message of the art. Cross-listed with: PPEM 170N General Education: Arts (GA) General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) General Education - Integrative: Interdomain GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
This course investigates the historical and theoretical intersections between psychology and art. These intersections are organized upon three general domains of perception, cognition, and expression. Within these domain topics may include, but are not limited to: automatic drawing, art and the subconscious, surrealism, symbolism, expressionism, and models and techniques of art therapy. Theorists may include, but are not limited to (I.E. Aristotle, Lowenfeld, Freud, Jung Moon, etc). Students will be expected to consider the psychological structure beneath creative thought and output. Students will also be expected to reflect on their own experiences and processes throughout their studio work. General Education: Arts (GA) General Education: Social and Behavioral Scien (GS) General Education - Integrative: Interdomain GenEd Learning Objective: Effective Communication GenEd Learning Objective: Creative Thinking GenEd Learning Objective: Crit and Analytical Think Undergraduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 3623 GenEd Learning Objective: Integrative Thinking
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or semester. This Special Topics is a GenEd course. General Education: Arts (GA)
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject that may be topical or of special interest. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
ART 211Introduction to Digital Art and Design Criticism3
/Maximum of 3 An introduction to the language, aesthetics and cultural impacts of digita art and design in contemporary society. ART 211 Introduction to Digital Art and Design Criticism (3) (US)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. ART 211 examines 1) the conventions, language, practices, and aesthetics used by digital artists and designers and 2) the social and cultural implications that they and their works have for society with regard for the contexts of politics, philosophy, economics, race, gender, and technological development. Critical and creative thinking and expression are given primary emphasis in class activities and assignments. The course meets twice weekly and topics are explored through lectures, discussions, readings, presentations by visiting speakers, and out-of-class trips. Course assignments are writing and project based and require students to respond to ideas and concepts presented in class and to develop critiques of digital works through a variety of formats. Assignments include informal in-class projects, media reviews, a course journal, and a final project. Students build writing skills through analyzing assigned readings and developing research- and reflection-based projects about digital art and design. Speaking and listening skills are developed through discussions and collaborative activities.Course topics explore the: - social contexts of digital art/design; - significance of the computer interface to digital art and design; - practices used by digital artists and designers and their impact on audiences; and - professional issues, concerns, and controversies affecting digital art/design, artists/designers, and their audiencesStudents are required to have access to the Internet and to their University e-mail account.ART 211 will enroll 25 students and will b offered spring semester. Bachelor of Arts: Arts United States Cultures (US)
ART 211YIntroduction to Digital Art and Design Criticism3
An introduction to the language, aesthetics, and cultural impacts of digital art and design in contemporary society. Bachelor of Arts: Arts United States Cultures (US) Writing Across the Curriculum
Drawing from life. Emphasis on developing the ability to comprehend and record the human figure. ART 220 Figure Drawing (3) This course is intended to further investigate the art of figure drawing for art majors. As a studio offering, emphasis is placed on hands-on studio activities, which promote visual literacy and sensitivity to the various conventions used in figure drawing. Students will be given the opportunity to explore many of the traditional materials of drawing, including pencil, charcoal, cont', ink and ink wash, pastel, as well as experimental tools. As well, slide presentations, studio visits and museum critiques will augment studio exercises to facilitate a greater awareness of the cultural context in which figure drawing functions. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Concurrent at Enrollment: ART 110 or ART 111 Bachelor of Arts: Arts l ART 223: Drawing: Techniques, Materials, and Tools Drawing with an emphasis on organization and the development of drawing skills through a variety of techniques, materials, and tools.
ART 223Drawing: Techniques, Materials, and Tools (3) This course is
intended to further investigate the art of drawing for art majors. As a studio offering, emphasis is placed on hands-on studio activities, which promote visual literacy and sensitivity to the various conventions used in drawing. Students will be given the opportunity to explore many of the traditional materials of drawing, including pencil, charcoal, cont', ink and ink wash, pastel, as well as experimental tools. As well, slide presentations, studio visits and museum critiques will augment studio exercises to facilitate a greater awareness of the cultural context in which drawing functions. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Concurrent at Enrollment: ART 110 or ART 111 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
e 3 Credits An introduction to sculpture consisting of lectures, demonstrations, and basic studio work coordinated to cover a broad range of processes.
An introduction to printmaking consisting of lectures, demonstrations, and studio work to cover a broad range of processes. ART 240 Beginning Printmaking (3) This course will consist of lectures, demonstrations, and studio practice in a broad range of printmaking processes. Critiques will be directed toward technical, aesthetic, and historical issues in black and white and color print. Various print collections within the University will be employed to acquaint the students with the work of the professional in the field. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Concurrent at Enrollment: ART 110 or ART 111 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
The materials and techniques of painting in oil and their uses in creative painting on panels and canvas. ART 250 Beginning Oil Painting (3) This course is designed to teach beginning students the basic fundamentals of painting and introduce them to the visual arts as a vehicle for personal expression. It is divided into technical categories for organizational purposes. The unique process of each discipline structures the course and allows for individual expression from a diversity of students with different skills and interests. The basic skills are introduced and studied through the creative process, from conception of an idea, preliminary sketches, variations, and final painting. Emphasis is placed on understanding the goals for each student and focusing on his or her shortcomings and strengths. While a basic mastery of mimetic painting is aimed at, a diverse range of aesthetic styles is presented. Thus the purpose of this course is to increase the appreciation of the visual arts through studio processes and the development of meaningful critical facility. We hope to educate students who will understand the fundamentals of painting and who will become part of an educated audience for the arts. Hopefully, they will be more imaginative and creative people. The studio emphasis on individual growth allows for flexibility in course structure to accommodate the general education objectives as well as for future painting majors. Creative and visual thinking are innately part of all students and these basic studio courses encourage and nurture them. Enforced Concurrent at Enrollment: ART 110 or ART 111 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 6 This course develops artistic expression in water-based painting media while developing skills with watercolor, ink, acrylic, and natural pigments.
A studio course that utilizes lecture and varied media experiences to investigate light as artistic expression. ART 266 Artistic Concepts of Light (3) ART 266 Artistic Concepts of Light provides students with necessary concepts about light. Both 2-D and 3-D studio investigations will be employed. A lecture component will provide a historical and cultural backdrop upon which students may better understand the role of special depiction in artistic expression. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 165 and ART 166
/Maximum of 9 A studio course that focuses on specific media or techniques reflecting varied faculty expertise. ART 269 Methods and Materials I (3) This course,provides students with the opportunity to experience particular areas of visual art in which Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 165 and ART 166
The fundamentals of ceramics, throwing, hand-building, and glazing; acquainting the student with ceramic materials, techniques, and philosophy. ART 280 Beginning Ceramics (3) This course is intended to further investigate the art of ceramics for art majors. As a studio
/Maximum of 18 Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 Drawing for art majors; emphasis on sustained individual approaches based on figurative and nonfigurative sources. ART 320 Advanced Drawing (4 per semester/maximum of 8) This course is for students who have a firm commitment in the arts, who have adequate background in the use of techniques and materials, and who have experimented with a variety of approaches to subject matter. This course is designed to focus and develop personal approaches to subject matter and to encourage a sustained interest in work. Portfolios will be graded and midterm and at the end of the semester. In addition to the portfolio requirements, each student will give a presentation on a contemporary artist whose work has in some way influenced your own current body of work. Critiques will be regularly scheduled. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 110 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
ART 330Intermediate Sculpture: Metal Fabrication and Mixed-media4
/Maximum of 8 Development of technical and conceptual skills through metal fabrication, welding, and mixed-media processes. ART 330 Intermediate Sculpture: Metal Fabrication and Mixed-media (4 per semester/maximum of 8) This course is for students who have a firm commitment in the arts, who have adequate background in the use of techniques and materials, and who have experimented with a variety of approaches to subject matter. This course is designed to focus and develop personal approaches to subject matter and to encourage a sustained interest in work. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester and group critiques will be scheduled at regular intervals. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques,
ART 331Intermediate Sculpture: Metal Casting and Mold-Making4
/Maximum of 8 Development of technical and conceptual skills through metal casting and mold- making processes. ART 331 Intermediate Sculpture: Metal Casting and Mold-Making (4 per semester/maximum of 12) This course is for students who have a firm commitment in the arts, who have adequate background in the use of techniques and materials, and who have experimented with a variety of approaches to subject matter. This course is designed to focus and develop personal approaches to subject matter and to encourage a sustained interest in work through the development of technical and conceptual skills through metal casting and mold- making. Students will learn both traditional and non-traditional ways of making sculptural objects that use these skills as primary means of artistic communication. Readings, lectures, movies, and demonstrations will introduce students to the materials and techniques used in the various sculpture processes. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester and group critiques will be scheduled at regular intervals. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 230 or permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 Development of technical and expressive skills through selected problems in one or more of the print processes. ART 340 Printmaking (4 per semester/maximum of 8) This course is for students who have a firm commitment in the arts, who have adequate background in the use of techniques and materials, and who have experimented with a variety of approaches to subject matter. This course is designed to focus and develop personal approaches to subject matter and to encourage a sustained interest in work. Readings, lectures, movies, and demonstrations will introduce students to the materials and techniques used in the various printmaking processes. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester and group critiques will be scheduled at regular intervals. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 240 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
Instruction and practice in the fundamentals of intaglio and relief printmaking processes in their relation to the fine arts. ART 341 Intermediate Printmaking: Intaglio/Relief (4) This course is designed Undergraduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 3627 l for the student who is interested in expanding her/his image making vocabulary through intaglio and relief printmaking processes. It will expose students to the history and practice of these processes, and will prepare students to competently produce original works.Readings, lectures, and demonstrations will introduce students to the materials and techniques used in the various intaglio and relief processes. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester and group critiques will be scheduled at regular intervals.This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of complete artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 240 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 A variable offering in painting; course conditions defined on a rotating basis according to needs of individuals and groups. ART 350 Intermediate Painting (4 per semester/maximum of 8) This course is will further develop painting techniques, using the genres of landscape, still life, and painting from the model, collage, abstraction, and some digital applications. Examples from past and contemporary painting practice will be presented and discussed. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the development of a critical awareness concerning processes and content. Readings and discussions will focus on contemporary cultural and political issues. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester and group critiques will be scheduled at regular intervals. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experience through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their creative use and application is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 250 or Permission of Program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
An advanced studio course that emphasizes individual approach to theme oriented problem solving through traditional and non-traditional multi-media explorations. ART 365 Themes and Issues I (3) ART 365 contains a common course theme wherein students will be asked to build a series of three completed works in diverse materials and techniques. Students will work to build clear concepts that are communicated through objects and images. Beginning with a thorough investigation of how artists of all fields (music, architecture, design, writing, theatre etc. have interpreted the theme students will be guided through research, brainstorming, and concept development activities. During this they will be asked to keep a journal which documents their process through written descriptions and comments but also image based resources, sketches, diagrams, and in progress photographs. Students will be urged to complete pieces that are conceptually linked so as to begin working in series. At the completion of each piece, students and faculty will conduct group critiques. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 165 and ART 166 and ART 265 and ART 266
An advanced studio course that emphasizes individual approach to theme oriented problem solving through traditional and non-traditional multi-media explorations. ART 366 Themes and Issues II (3) ART 366 contains a common course theme wherein students will be asked to build a series of three completed works in diverse materials and techniques. Students will work to build clear concepts that are communicated through objects and images. Beginning with a thorough investigation of how artists of all fields (music, architecture, design, writing, theatre etc. have interpreted the theme students will be guided through research, brainstorming, and concept development activities. During this they will be asked to keep a journal which documents their process through written descriptions and comments but also image based resources, sketches, diagrams, and in progress photographs. Students will be urged to complete pieces that are conceptually linked so as to begin working in series. At the completion of each piece students and faculty will conduct group critiques and each student will mount a smale-scale individual exhibition at one of the many available areas for exhibition on campus. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 165 and ART 166 and ART 265 and ART 266 and ART 365
/Maximum of 12 Intermediate ceramics course with focus on using wheel and throwing skills leading to personal expression in form, glazing, and firing. ART 380 Intermediate Throwing (4 per semester/maximum of 12) The purpose of this course is to explore the use of the wheel. Various types of forms will be addressed such as bowls, covered jars, and vases. Technical skills will be learned with the goal to use them to create a personal means of expression via the wheel. Both traditional and nontraditional vessels will be created. Forming, trimming and glazing techniques will be covered. There will be both group and individual critiques along with slide presentations and demonstrations. This labor-intensive studio relies upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essential to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 280 or permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 12 An intermediate ceramics course with a focus on handbuilding ) techniques, leading to personal expression in forming, glazing, and firing.
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest. ) Bachelor of Arts: Arts
This course addresses where art and life meet; how life influences what artists make, and how art influences our lives. "Art and Life: Where They Intersect" focuses on interdisciplinary areas that address notions of creativity, critical thinking, and studio practice as well as how these perspectives can influence what an artist creates. The essence of the course examines how life influences what an artist makes, and conversely how what we create influences how we live. Themes and ideas draw from interdisciplinary perspectives such as contextual approaches to creativity that are linked to themes in sociology, material theories of art as related to distributed views of cognition, expressive aesthetics that are connected to introspective perspectives of psychoanalytic theories, and other forms of creative agency found in the human sciences. The content of the course includes both studio practice and critical studies. This combination of experiential learning
An introduction to the professional activities that occur in art museums. ART 409 / ARTH 409 Museum Studies (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course introduces students to the broad field of art museum work, specifically museum administration, education, curatorial work, registration, and exhibition design. Readings by authors in each field provide current theoretical and philosophical frameworks for all areas, which are then followed by discussions and practical experiences with professional museum practitioners, including the staff of a museum, for example, the Palmer Museum of Art, and invited guests. Museum Studies is open to students who have complete six credits in art, art education, or art history. This course is especially beneficial for majors in art, art education, and art history who are considering a career in an art museum or who want to become more aware about how an art museum functions. In addition to providing an in-depth introduction to art museum work, the course encourages students to build the critical thinking and response skills that are crucial to success in the real-world environment of a museum. The readings provide a solid foundation for later reference or further study in the student's chosen field. Offered every spring, this course will have a maximum enrollment of 20 students. Grades are based on class participation, four out-of-class projects, and a final project. Extra credit i offered for an off-campus visit to a museum, among other options. Cross-listed with: ARTH 409 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
The development, production, and presentation of performance art works, and the study of performance art theory and history. ART 413 Performance Art (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course will consist of lectures, readings, demonstrations, critiques, and studio practices in performance art. The course will begin with introductory exercises aimed toward the use and understanding of objects, images, materials, and actions of the body as performance elements. Performance assignments will range from autobiographical works to those which will address political issues effecting art and the body today such as sexuality, ethnicity, health, ecology, the art market, government intervention, and others. Reading and s discussion assignments will cover the theory and history of performance art in the twentieth-century. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 12 Drawing for advanced students, with total emphasis on sustained individual approaches. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 320 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 Concentrated work in recording and understanding the human figure. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 220 or Permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 12 Advanced work in sculpture, with an emphasis on professional practice and individual development. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 230 or permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 Sustainable Studio is designed to provide students the opportunity to form a community of makers interested in issues regarding sustainability as related to artistic practice. From rural Pennsylvania to megacities of China, people are leading the charge to take on the big challenges of sustainability. How do we reach across boundaries and disciplines, to farmers, architects, scientists, poets, writers and together aim towards a sustainable planet. We will reach out across disciplines at PSU, to Bioengineering, Geography, Agriculture, Philosophy, Women Studies ( to name but a few) and seek out collaborative projects and intersectionality of ideas and production. This class will introduce you to concepts of sustainability and societal wellbeing through the language of creativity and the studio. We will address interconnected and evolving issues in food, water, biodiversity, energy, and climate, land use and examine how ethical and imaginative people can work together to deal with them. Both ancient and modern production methods using sustainable resources will be explored through hands-on workshops and investigative research. Traditional methods of making pigments and papers will be re-examined with contemporary considerations. We will also research non-toxic biodegradable art materials such as bioplastics, botanical dyes, bio-leathers and exploratory substructures and medias. This hands- on studio offering provides students the opportunity to create and exhibit artworks made from their hand-made materials: charcoal, pastels, sketchbooks, paint, hand-made papers and surfaces from locally and globally sourced materials. Visiting artists and lecturers will facilitate awareness of cultural context and historical uses of art materials from around the world. Special studio sessions, labs and DIY workshops will provide students with an opportunity to make their own art materials expanding skill sets and knowledge of how art materials are made. Auxiliary activities such as working on location at the student farm and the Sustainability Experience Center, attending special community events, making documented presentations, and museum & library visits will serve to augment studio sessions, facilitating a greater awareness of the cultural context in which art contributes to the larger conversation of sustainability. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: (ART 110 and ART 111) or
ART 434Found and Fabricated: Found Objects in Sculpture4
/Maximum of 8 Found and Fabricated: Found Objects in Sculpture introduces students to diverse sculptural techniques using found objects. Through hands-on projects, students will explore the creative potential of mixed media and found materials within a concept-driven studio practice. Assignments e encourage experimentation and discovery, emphasizing the learning process. Students will learn cold joining techniques suitable for additive construction with found objects, such as: tape, knots, wire, rivets, hardware, fasteners, and simple stitching. The course content is delivered through readings, lectures, videos, and demonstrations. The course incorporates presentations on historical and contemporary practitioners who work with found objects. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester and group critiques will be scheduled at regular intervals to foster collaboration and feedback. This course is designed to focus and develop personal approaches to subject matter and to encourage a sustained interest in work. This labor-intensive studio experience builds cumulative skills through progressively challenging projects, with a focus on developing visually compelling concepts essential for successful artwork completion. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 111
/Maximum of 8 Creating representations of the human body and related objects as a means of sculptural expression. ART 338 The Body: Issues and Objects (4 per semester/maximum of 8) This course is for students who have a firm commitment in the arts, who have adequate background in the use of techniques and materials, and who have experimented with a variety of approaches to subject matter. This course is designed to focus and develop personal approaches to subject matter and to encourage a sustained interest in work through the exploration of both historical and contemporary artmaking practice concerning the representation of the human body and objects related to identity. Students will learn both traditional and non-traditional ways of making sculptural objects that
/Maximum of 12 Individual projects in one or more of the printmaking processes. Emphasis is on developing a portfolio of prints. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 240 or permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
Study and production of original visual statements through the book as an art form. ART 446ART 446 Artists Books (4) This course will consist of lectures, demonstrations, and studio practice in production of artists books. Lectures and demonstrations will include hand papermaking, signature binding, book design, new and alternative book forms, and container construction. Each student will produce six either unique or editioned books during the semester; each book will have a mock up, title, colophon page, and will be signed. This labor-intensive studio reli upon cumulative learning experiences through increasingly demanding projects. Competency is expected in numerous new skills and techniques, and their application in creating visually compelling concepts is essentia to the success of completed artworks. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 110 and ART 111 and ARTH 111 and ARTH 112 and enrollment in the ARTBA_BA, ARBFA_BFA, AED_BS, or INART_BA degree program. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 12 Development of the artist through a series of commitments; each semester serves as a contractual agreement along professional lines. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 350 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 The painter in relation to his peers and his profession. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 350 or Permission of Program Bachelor of Arts: Arts Undergraduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 3631
An advance studio where students are expected to explore personal themes and individual concepts in their art work. ART 465 ART 465 Individual Approaches I (3) ART 465 is an advanced studio course concentrating on creating art within a series. Students will be asked to complete 4-6 pieces that stem from an individual idea. Medium is open and can be traditional or non-traditional. Students will be required to document and maintain a journal outlining the steps needed to complete each piece. Weekly formal and/or informal critiques will allow students constant feedback of their progress. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 165 and ART 166 and ART 265 and ART 266 and ART 365 and ART 366
An advance studio/lecture addressing the preparation for potential employment and/or entrance into graduate studies. ART 466W ART 466W Individual Approaches II (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. ART 466W is the Visual Art Studies capstone experience where students are given the opportunity to experience the professional aspects of a practicing artist. In addition to completing the last 2-4 pieces toward their exit portfolio students will address vital activities surrounding applying for employment and graduate school. Students will create "packets" including resumes, cover letters, post cards, slides, and portfolio CDs that can be used directly out of school for various calls and job listings. In addition topics that will be addressed in depth are photo-documentation, and inventory of work through es database maintenance. All of these issues will culminate with small group exhibitions which will be curated, installed, and promoted by the students. l Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 240 or permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts Writing Across the Curriculum
ENGL 202B ‡ 3 General Education Course 3 General Education Course 3 Elective 3 Elective 3 Elective 3 15 15 Total Credits 121 * Course requires a grade of C or better for the major ‡ Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education # Course is an Entrance to Major requirement † Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement University Requirements and General Education Notes: US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures). W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement. General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better. Bachelor of Arts Requirements: Bachelor of Arts students must take 9 credits in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Fields (Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Arts; World Languages [2nd language or beyond the 12th credit level of proficiency in the 1st]; Natural Sciences; Quantification). The B.A. Fields courses may not be taken in the area of the student’s primary major. See your adviser and the Degree Requirements section (p. 3340) of this Bulletin. Bachelor of Arts students must take 3 credits in World Cultures. See your adviser and the full list of courses approved as World Cultures courses (p. 3407).
History and theories of contemporary digital art emphasizing humanistic approaches to technology. ART 476 / ARTH 476 History and Theory of Digital Art (3)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. Approaches to Digital Art is a survey class that will offer the web designer, cyberspace architect, MUD traffic controller or enthusiastic surfer an opportunity to examine the humanistic aspects of contemporary digital art. Through readings and direct interaction with digital media and digital artists, the class will develop an appreciation of the ways in which the interface between human beings and technology has been historically constructed and is subject to critical investigation. The goal of the class is to prepare each student so that she or he may engage with digital media in a way that is every more historically and socially self aware.Students will address the ways in which digital technologies transform artistic practices such as museum display, the writing of art criticism, the definition of works of art, changing role of the artist and the changing space of the art studio. More important, however, by engaging with digital works of art students will learn to think critically about technology and its engagement with culture at large. They will be encouraged to think about the political, economic and social impact of digital technologies. This humanistic approach to technology would make this course particularly useful to students of art history, philosophy, comparative literature, art education, and the visual/plastic arts. A significant portion of the course will be devoted to the ways in which art on the internet and digital art in general challenge the integrity of categories such as race and national identity. For example, students will have an opportunity to engage with African American artists such as Keith Obadike, whose on-line performances include an attempt to put his "blackness" up for sale on ebay.com in August of 2001. Students may also look at the ways in which net.art (Art made to be viewed on the internet) can critique commercial cooptation of global culture: etoy.com, for example, is an international and collaborative artist's group that satirizes global capital by camouflaging itself as a multinational corporation.This class will depend largely upon written responses and class discussion, rather than upon tests. Thus, students will learn how to approach difficult theoretical sources that have been assigned to them, and they will learn how to ask the kinds of questions that will help them understand such sources. This course will emphasize critical thinking rather than memorization, so students will develop analytical skills that will be useful in many other contexts. Because students will be given weekly writing assignments, they will be able to improve their skills in composition. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: 3 credits of ARTH Cross-listed with: ARTH 476 Bachelor of Arts: Arts
In Curator's Workshop, students will gain valuable experience in curatorial practices, exhibition design, and arts administration. Focus topics include how to generate an effective exhibition concept; liaising with artists, institutions, and other curators; curatorial research in support of an exhibition concept; questions and concerns in spatial design; and the writing of didactic materials such as labels, wall texts, press releases, checklists, and others. Students will engage in a final project requiring them to generate a complete exhibition proposal, inclusive of a budget, written and visual support and documentation, and a clearly defined concept. Through field trips, readings, guest lectures, and research, students will gain a fuller understanding of the role of the curator in today's art world, relating their work back to their individual fields of study. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: Fifth semester standing or above
/Maximum of 12 Individual exploration of ceramic materials and construction leading to graduate study or career development as a professional potter. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: ART 280 or permission of program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 18 Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction including field experiences, practica, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required. Enforced Prerequisite at Enrollment: Permission of Program Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 18 Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 18 Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest. Bachelor of Arts: Arts
/Maximum of 8 Seminar covering special topics at the graduate level, emphasizing interdisciplinary discourse including criticism and review of graduate work.
/Maximum of 14 Individual problems in design, with special emphasis on professional practice in the area of graphic design. Graduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 931
/Maximum of 9 Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or semester.
