A beginning course in American culture through an artistic perspective. The student will examine such topics as American institutions, customs, values, society and media through the preparation of short essays and artistic projects that will enable the student to expand their literary, language, speaking and artistic skills through a personal and group analysis of American life.

Music surrounds our everyday life. Students will examine various musical forms such as classical, pop, jazz, and rock, which use the common elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre and form. Listening and ear training are among the skills, which will sharpen the pleasure of music appreciation. Live and recorded music performances are included.

This course continues the continuing exploration of musical forms, with the emphasis on how the composers and performers developed the Classical Musical form from the 18th through the 20th century. Musical forms studied include the Romantic and Impressionist Styles, Grand and Light Opera, Concert, Modern and Jazz Music.

Prerequisite: GCA131 or permission of the Department.

The history of music beginning with the cultures of the Ancient world, especially the Greek, including the Jewish liturgical tradition and the evolution of religious and secular music in the Western world to the time of J.S. Bach.

This course in the history of music continues the exploration of its performance in the Western World from the 18th century through the 20th century. The focus is on the growth of opera as a popular form; the symphony; the musical theater, chamber music, popular musical forms, jazz and “modern” music. How music reflects the society in which it is written and performed will also be studied.

Prerequisite: GCA 133

Students will see a variety of films to introduce the ways a filmmaker shapes a story through images, editing techniques, rhythm, music, etc., to influence and create an impact on the viewer. Special attention is paid to the multicultural and political themes, which are demonstrated in each film. Students will be able to effectively evaluate their own viewing experience, not accepting so easily opinions of others.

This course is a comparative survey of the styles, structure and functions of Western forms from prehistoric art through the Middle Ages. The art and cultures associated with the development of Western civilization will be examined through lectures, reading, slide presentations and visits to museums and other cultural institutions.

Live theatre is the foundation of all films and television. Understanding how a playwright creates a play, its characters, scenery, costumes and lighting helps the student become a more discriminating view of the other arts. Multicultural aspects of plays and performance are emphasized. Some scene work is included.

Through the Internet, CDs, videos, live performances and museum visits, students will introduced to the major art forms of theatre, music, dance, film, the visual arts of painting, sculpture and architecture as well as drama, poetic and prose literature. They will discover how each artist uses common elements like idea concept, form, line, color, rhythm, the use of sound and movement to create a work of art. Works from various cultures will be explored. Required for Education majors.

Students will study a variety of theatre, dance, music and film performances developed by various cultures and the special meaning these art forms have had through the ages. Field trips to concerts, theatres and cinema.

Survey of the visual arts, including both the development of their many varieties—principally painting, sculpture and architecture—as well as their presentation and their interconnection with their milieu. The time period covered is from the Ancient World through the nineteenth century, with major emphasis on the period from the Renaissance to 1900. Trips to museums are included.

The public receives most of its information through the filter of the media. To make informed decisions, students need to be aware to the forces that operate in the media. An examination of the responsibilities, values, structure, dissemination of information and effectiveness of the media (newspapers, magazines radio, television, film, on-line). Attention to the freedoms of speech and press and potential conflicts with the rights of the individual and public.

In this course, students learn how to draw and paint basic forms and objects, the fundamentals of perspective composition. They gain understanding of how light and shadow affect drawing and painting, and the basic principles of color.

Concepts of visual art; color, value, shape, line, form, composition, perspective, balance. Exploration of materials for personal expression. Advanced techniques in drawing, painting, and planning works of art. Field trips, research, and lectures are part of this course.

Prerequisite: GCA 224

Study of the great operas of the Western world, including their composers, texts, music and contexts. The focus will be on 19th and 20th century operas.

By exploring the rich African-American theatrical literature, students will discover the various arts of playwrighting, acting and production, concentration, rehearsal practice, Stanislavsky acting techniques, scene study and performance. Designed for the serious theatre student, two staged performances are required during the semester.

How modern painters and sculptors, from the impressionists through the postmoderns, respond to a rapidly changing world by visualizing, often in an abstract manner, the technological, mechanical, psychological and metaphysical forces around them. Slides are utilized in lectures; at least two museum visits are required.

Prerequisite: GCA 166 or permission of the department

A music history course tracing the major developments in the history of American music from the country's foundation to the present day. Focus on the 20th century. Trips to concerts and recitals.

This is an art history course tracing the major developments in the visual arts in the United States from the country's beginning to the present day. Focus on the 20th century art. Trips to museums and galleries.

See department Chair. May be repeated for credit

This course is a comparative survey of the styles, structure and functions of Western forms from prehistoric art through the Middle Ages. The art and cultures associated with the development of Western civilization will be examined through lectures, reading, slide presentations and visits to museums and other cultural institutions.

This course is a comparative survey of the styles, structure and functions of Western forms from prehistoric art through the Middle Ages. The art and cultures associated with the development of Western civilization will be examined through lectures, reading, slide presentations and visits to museums and other cultural institutions.