STAC courses offer students the opportunity to develop interdisciplinary experience in:

• arts and cultural management: students learn how to combine arts, culture and heritage with business, communication, and management skills; and/or
• curatorial and editorial studies: students learn how to select and prepare written, photographic, visual, sound or video material in consultation with an artist/author for an exhibition/event/publication.

STAC is a truly interdisciplinary experience, including courses from five faculties at the university.  Check out the list of first year courses you may select!
In consultation with the Director and the academic advisor, students are encouraged to organize their program of study around one of the following emphases: arts and cultural management, intermedia and interdisciplinarity and cultural critique and agency.

Programs offered

BA Honours (four-year program) and BA Pass (three-year program)

See the detailed description for this flexible program in the undergraduate academic calendar

BA (Combined Major Honours) and BA (Combined Major Pass)

Students may take a combined major in Studies in Arts and Culture and a second discipline. This is flexible program determined in consultation with the academic advisor. For requirements in the other discipline, the student should consult the relevant department/centre.

Honours program: 7 credits from recommended courses in STAC, PLUS the courses required for the other Major subject, for a total of 20 credits.

Pass program: 5 credits from recommended courses in STAC, PLUS the courses required for the other Major subject, for a total of 15 credits.

Minor in Studies in Arts and Culture

The addition of a Minor in Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) to a Major program provides a unique opportunity for those students who have a genuine interest in learning more about the fine and performing arts. The four credit Minor is designed to provide an introduction to one or two art forms, be it dramatic arts, music or visual arts and the historical or theoretical readings they are given within the wide pedagogical range of the School of the Fine and Performing Arts. Whether you have a passion for the arts or a curiosity about the culture that defines us, and are majoring in programs as diverse as Linguistics, English, Business, Communications, Mathematics, or Physical Education and Kinesiology (to name a few), STAC will have courses that complement your program and area of interest.

Core courses in these programs include:

Critical Practice in the Fine and Performing Arts, Embodied Text: Art Beyond the Artifact, Arts Management, and Arts, Heritage and Culture: Public Policy and Governance. Other STAC courses include: Media Transformations in The Creative Arts, Landscape Culture, Interpretive and Critical Writing in the Arts, and Creating Social Value from Material Culture. Students also take a selection of courses from participating departments and programs such as Visual Arts, Dramatic Arts, Music, Communications Popular Culture and Film (CPCF), the Goodman School of Business, and others.

Concentrations

Students may earn a Concentration by successfully completing the required courses as part of the academic work leading to a BA (Honours) degree. For more information see the Academic Calendar.

Concentration in Cultural Management

This program brings together learning opportunities from two leading faculties at Brock University: the Faculty of Humanities — through the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts — and the Goodman School of Business. This is the ideal program for students who seek to graduate with employable skills as cultural managers in music, visual arts and dramatic arts. Students may pursue service learning or practicum experiences with professionals and organizations in the Niagara region.

Concentration in Languages, Arts and Culture

This concentration combines language acquisition (French, German, Italian or Spanish) in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures with interdisciplinary work in arts and culture. It attracts future teachers who wish to add experiential experience in arts and culture to their language skills, as well as future artists, arts managers and curators who wish to develop their career in a bilingual environment.

Concentration in Cultural Transmission and Heritage Studies

The Concentration in Cultural Transmission and Heritage Studies offers students the opportunity to engage in cross-disciplinary curatorial projects as well as gain insight and knowledge in intersecting fields exploring arts and cultural heritage. This concentration is a cooperation between STAC, History and Geography/Tourism Studies.

Students enrolled in STAC courses develop crucial skills for a successful career, among them creative problem-solving, effective communication, cultural perceptiveness, team spirit, resiliency, and adaptability.

Our students aspire to be educators, curators, journalists, critics, managers or administrators for cultural institutions like museums, art centres, galleries or cultural associations. They work in the public sector on arts policy, programming for cultural agencies or for municipal, provincial or federal governments. They run, or contribute to, theatre companies, arts festivals, exhibitions or presentation centres. Others become involved in arts businesses, such as galleries, magazines or consultancies.

The STAC program is also an excellent foundation for further study in Masters of Arts programs in digital communities, art history, curatorial and heritage studies, and in the comparative arts.

Learn more about STAC

The STAC program has allowed me to further develop my critical writing skills, explore new outlets for creative expression, and has provided me with opportunities for valuable, hands-on experiential learning. The skills and knowledge that I have acquired through taking STAC courses are extremely relevant to my job working at a museum, and I hope that I will continue to be able to apply the skills and concepts I have learned as I pursue a career in the arts and culture.

Abigail Schonewille,
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Studies in Arts and Culture
4th year student in 2024

The opportunities I enjoyed the most in this program were when I got to do a combination of hands-on and theoretical work. The courses that stood out the most was getting to work with darkroom photography and film production. Although I was most surprised by how much I enjoyed my courses on arts management and a course on public policy and the arts.

Christy Mitchell
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Studies in Arts and Culture
Concentration in Curatorial Studies
Minor in Studio Art, 2024

Certificate Programs

These are a great way to try out university-level studies as a part-time student and complete a program in less than two years. University admission standards apply.

Certificate in Arts and Culture Studies

The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture offers a Certificate in Arts and Culture for non-degree students who wish to acquire an interdisciplinary background in arts and culture, and are interested in applying such knowledge to their initial field of study or in their career.

Certificate in Arts Management

The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture offers a Certificate in Arts Management for non-degree seeking students who wish to acquire an interdisciplinary background in arts management; and are interested in applying such knowledge to their initial field of study or in their career. The certificate includes courses from the Centre, the Departments of Dramatic Arts, Music and Visual Arts, the Faculty of Social Science, and the Goodman School of Business.

How to apply

High school students: Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent
Expected entrance average: an overall average of 70 per cent in a minimum of six 4U (including English 4U) or 4M courses, or equivalent
Recommended courses: 4U courses in history, philosophy, classical studies and international languages

• Students whose first language is not English must present scores from an English language proficiency test (TOEFL or IELTS).
• Mature and transfer students are welcome to inquire about learning opportunities at STAC.