Studies in Arts and Culture

Director

Duncan MacDonald

Assistant Professor

Sharilyn J. Ingram

Co-operating faculty from:

Canadian Studies, Communication, Popular Culture and Film, Dramatic Arts, Geography, Kinesiology, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Music, and Visual Arts

Academic Adviser

Alisa Cunnington

General Information

Administrative Assistant

Clara Suba

The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, is concerned with the cultural production, reception and interpretation of the fine and performing arts. From the classics to popular culture, from ancient drawings and rituals to the avant-garde, from the modern to the postmodern, the program examines the products of, and our readings of, individual or collaborative artistic endeavours from the perspective of both the cultural producer and the audience. Through the critical analysis of works of art, dance, film, video, music, theatre or digital media, students will gain an awareness of the ways artistic media have functioned in the past or the new ways in which the arts continue to grow.

Our aim is to contribute to the vitality of the arts by developing informed audiences, consumers or critics who are engaged by interdisciplinary practice as well as the theories by which we interpret creative work, whether dance, video, music, theatre or the visual arts.

Ultimately, the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture is dedicated to developing a context in which the contemporary artist, performer or art critic can examine pragmatic and theoretical approaches to understanding the creative process.

The Studies in Arts and Culture program is designed for students who wish to gain a critical view of contemporary culture from the perspectives of observer, creator and performer. A student's program may be organized with a view to one of three emphases: arts and cultural management, intermedia and interdisciplinarity, and cultural critique and agency. Courses should be selected in consideration of these organizing principles. Students are required to discuss their program with the Director.

Students may complete a Concentration in Cultural Management, offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Business, or a Concentration in Curatorial Studies, offered by the Department of Visual Arts, as part of their Studies in Arts and Culture Honours degree program.

Students intending to work in the public sector for Culture in Canada should have a working facility in the other official language.

Program Notes

Honours Program

Year 1

	Three credits from STAC 1P95, 1P99, CANA 1F91, DART 1F93, 1F95, IASC 1P02, MUSI 1F00, 1F10, VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99
	COMM 1F90 or FILM 1F94 (see program note 3)
	one Sciences context credit or one Social Sciences context credit

Year 2

	STAC 2P93 and 2P94
	two credits from STAC 2P61, CANA 2P91, 2P92, DART 2F94, 2P96 and 2P97, IASC 2P60, PEKN 2P06, VISA 2F05, 2P26, 2P27, 2P50, 2P51, 2P53, 2P88, 2P90, 2Q98, 3P52 (see program note 4)
	one credit from FILM 2P54, 2P56, 2P94, GEOG 2P03, 2P06, PCUL 2P20, 2P21, 2P93 (see program note 2)
	the Sciences context credit or Social Sciences context credit not taken in year 1

Year 3

	Two credits from STAC 3F91, 3P01, 3P14, 3P92, 3P93, 3P95, 3P96, 3P97, 3P98, 3P99, 3V90-3V99, 4P01, 4P72, CANA 3P15, DART 3F94, MUSI 3P95, PEKN 3P06, VISA 3P05, 3P06, 3P08, VISA 3P41 and 3P42, VISA 3P50
	one credit from STAC 3M00-3M09, FILM 2P91, 2P94, 3P20, 3P21, GEOG 2P03, 2P06, 3P41, 3P51, 3P99, SCLC 3P20
	two elective credits (see program note 1)

Year 4

	STAC 4F40 and 4P68
	two and one-half credits from STAC 3P92, 3P93, 3P95, 3P96, 3P97, 3P98, 3P99, 3Q91, 3V90-3V99, 4F41, 4F99, 4P01, 4P72, 4P90, 4V70-4V79, DART 4F90, HIST 3F90, MUSI 3P95, VISA 3P90, 3P91, 3V95-3V99, 4V70-4V79 (see program note 5)
	one credit from STAC 3M00-3M09, COMM 3P92, FILM 3P91, 3P93, 3P95, FILM 3P97 and 3P98, FILM 4P30, 4P31, 4P34, GEOG 3P51, 3P99, 4P84, PCUL 3P96 (see program note 6)

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the honours program entitles students to apply for a Pass degree.

Concentration Program

Concentration in Cultural Management

Students may earn a Concentration in Cultural Management by successfully completing the following courses as part of the academic work leading to a BA (Honours) in Studies in Arts and Culture:

Year 1

MGMT 1P93

Year 2

	ENTR 2P51 or FNCE 2P50
	MKTG 2P51 and 2P52

Year 3

	ENTR 2P51 or FNCE 2P50 (not taken in year 2)
	OBHR 2P51 and 2P52
	one-half credit from ENTR, MKTG, OBHR

Year 4

	STAC 4F40 and 4P68
	STAC 3P93 or 4P01
	one credit from ENTR, MKTG, OBHR

Concentration in Curatorial Studies

Consult the Visual Arts entry for a listing of program requirements.

Minor in Studies in Arts and Culture

Students in other disciplines can obtain a minor in Studies in Arts and Culture within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:

	One of DART 1F93, 1F95, MUSI 1F00, 1F10, VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99
	STAC 2P93 and 2P94
	one credit from STAC 3P01, 3P14, DART 2F94, 2P96, 2P97, PEKN 2P06, 3P06, VISA 2P50, 2P51, 2P53, 2P90, 3P08, 3P52
	one credit from STAC 3M00-3M09, 3P92, 3P93, 3P97, 3P98, 3P99, 3V90-3V99, 4F40, 4P01, 4P68, 4P72, DART 3F94, MUSI 3P95, VISA 3P05, 3P06, 3P50, 3P90, 3P91

Description of Courses

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course

* Indicates primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

#STAC 1P02

Web Media Production

(also offered as IASC 1P02)

Principles of website creation and design. Formatting, lists, images, links and tables with HTML. Web colour and graphics formats with Photoshop, Typography and layout with CSS. Button, rollovers and forms with JavaScript. Introduction to animation and sound with Flash. Usability, accessibility and interactivity. Creation of public interactive web based projects.

Lab, tutorial, 4 hours per week.

#STAC 1P95

Introduction to Digital Images, Methods and Concepts

(also offered as IASC 1P95 and VISA 1P95)

Technical foundations of digital images, media methods and concepts including web-based, digital photography, image processing software and printing; foundations of digital media in video, audio and computational production and post-production. Contemporary digital practices within the broader history of visual and media arts.

Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.

Restriction: open to VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to STAC, COSC (single or combined), IASC (single or combined), MCMN, VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours) BEd (intermediate/senior) majors.

Note: enrolment limited to 24 students. Materials fee required. Students might need additional materials which they must supply. A prerequisite for all digital media courses.

#STAC 1P99

The Culture of Noise

(also offered as IASC 1P99 and VISA 1P99)

Role of Noise in music, social space and art. Exploration of discursive issues concerning the value of sound studies.

Lectures/seminar, 3 hours, online, 3 hours, alternate weeks.

Note: enrolment limited to 50 students. Materials fee is required. Offered online and face-to-face during Spring session.

STAC 2M90-2M99

Special Studies in the Fine and Performing Arts

Studies of a particular artform (dance) or of a selected area across a range of forms (arts administration).

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Note: topics to be announced by the Centre of Studies in Arts and Culture.

#STAC 2P61

Website Creation

(also offered as APCO 2P61 and VISA 2P61)

Creative approaches to basic technical and design foundations of website design and development. Processing and management of images and other media assets, structuring websites, development tools and applications, web hosting and dissemination strategies. Contemporary web-based art practices within the broader history of cultural production.

Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.

Restriction: open to STAC, VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors.

Prerequisite(s): one credit from VISA 1P95 (minimum 60 percent), 1P96 (minimum 60 percent), 1P97 (minimum 60 percent) or permission of the instructor.

Note: enrolment limited to 24 students. Materials fee required. Students might need additional materials and equipment, which they must supply. VISA 1P95 recommended.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in STAC (APCO/COMM/IASC/VISA) 2P95.

*STAC 2P93

Critical Practice in the Fine and Performing Arts

(also offered as IASC 2P93)

Interdisciplinary approach to key ideas about music, art, dance and drama through critical readings and guided exposure to selected public fine and performing art events. Exploration of issues in aesthetics and criticism using varied theoretical approaches.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): one of CANA 1F91, DART 1F93, IASC 1F00, MUSI 1F10, VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99 or permission of the instructor.

Note: event attendance is required; events fees required.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in STAC 2F90.

*STAC 2P94

Embodied Text: Art Beyond the Artifact

(also offered as IASC 2P94)

How art functions outside the conventions associated with words, texts, paintings and scores. Experiencing musical, visual, movement, and theatre vocabularies through exploration of spatial/temporal/aesthetic/embodied forms of art in performance.

Seminar, workshop, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): STAC 2P93 (2F90) or permission of the instructor.

#STAC 2Q95

Introduction to Interactive Media

(also offered as IASC 2Q95 and VISA 2Q95)

Concepts and creation in electronic media enabled by physical interaction between a user/viewer and a sculpture, installation, sound and video environment or wearable media. Fundamental concepts of voltage, current and resistance. Use of simple circuits, sensors and switches, software interfaces and basic microprocessors.

Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.

Restriction: open to STAC, VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to STAC, IASC (single or combined), VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors.

Prerequisite(s): one of four COSC credits, two IASC credits, one credit from VISA 1P93 (minimum 60 percent), 1P94 (minimum 60 percent), 1P95 (minimum 60 percent), 1P96 (minimum 60 percent, 1P97 (minimum 60 percent) or permission of the instructor.

Note: enrolment limited to 20 students. No previous experience in electronics is required. Materials fee required. Students might need additional materials and equipment, which they must supply. VISA 1P95 recommended.

#STAC 3F91

Innovations in Advanced Digital Media

(also offered as IASC 3F91 and VISA 3F91)

Introduction to advanced interactvie media concepts and visualization technologies. Design and workflow issues and integration of visual effects and 3D animations with live action media. May include motion capture, 3D and 2D animation, HD, 2K anf 4K live action video and 3D graphics software.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): VISA 2P96.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit in STAC (IASC/VISA) 3Q90.

STAC 3M00-3M09

Arts and Culture Studies Abroad

Unique cultural, architectural or regional setting examined through the eye of the visual and/or performing artist, critic or art historian utilizing the host country's/city's institutional resources, museums and galleries.

Restriction: permission of the Director.

Prerequisite(s): one STAC credit; one credit from DART, VISA or permission of the instructor.

for students with an interest in studio and performance and arts histories (including dramatic arts, music, visual arts).

*STAC 3P01

Media Transformations in The Creative Arts

(also offered as IASC 3P01 and VISA 3P01)

The trajectory and influences of new media on the development of and discourses in 20th Century and contemporary creative production including the arts, broadcast, film, video, and electronic arenas such as the internet, games and interactive media. Overview of fundamental concepts, practices and language. Consideration of aesthetics, production, script and story, direction, authorship, collaborative process and distribution.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): two STAC, COMM, ENGL, IASC, VISA, WRIT credits or permission of the instructor.

*STAC 3P14

Dramatic Creation for Contemporary Cultural Practice

(also offered as DART 3P14, IASC 3P14 and VISA 3P14)

Components of dramatic story. Understanding character, dramatic action, structure, direction, improvisation, tempo, rhythm, voice and body potential. Theory and practical application in projects for creators in the arts, media and film.

Seminar, workshop 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): two STAC, COMM, DART, IASC, VISA credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: enrolment limited to 18 students. Materials fee required. Students might need additional materials, which they must supply.

Students will not receive earned credit for STAC 3P14 if DART 3F50, 3P53 or 3P92 have been successfully completed.

*STAC 3P92

Imitation in Art and Culture

(also offered as LART 3P92 and VISA 3P92)

Imitation in Western visual art and culture form Plato to postmodernism focusing on the Renaissance and the modern period.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in STAC (LART/VISA) 3V96.

*STAC 3P93

Producing a Performance Event

(also offered as DART 3P93)

Functions of management: planning, organizing, leading and controlling in creation of a performance-based cultural event. Budget development, site selection and development, co-ordination of creative and production priorities, marketing, publicity and fund-raising, and analysis of measurement tools.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum of 10.0 overall credits and permission of the instructor.

STAC 3P95

Advanced Tutorial in Studies in Arts and Culture

Advanced study in any area of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.

Restriction: permission of a faculty supervisor.

Note: a written proposal must be approved by the Centre before registration. Materials fee may be required. May occur off campus. Students are expected to pay their own expenses.

STAC 3P96

Interstices of Art and Nature

Intersections of art and nature framed through artistic intent. Historical practice and emphasizing contemporary expression. Landscape theory, environmental psychology (including 'deep ecology' and 'biophilia'), garden history, environmental art, public art and artist's gardens. Hybridization of methodologies: conceptual, horticultural, landscape design and landscape architecture.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum of 10.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: event attendace and event fees may be required.

#STAC 3P97

Appropriation in Art and Culture

(also offered as LART 3P97 and VISA 3P97)

Authorship and appropriation in visual and literary culture. Topics include the historical development of the notions of the artist, copyright and plagiarism, quotation, parody and intertextuality, the role of found objects, collage and montage, and the significance of digital technologies. Historical and contemporary examples from a wide range of media.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in STAC (LART/VISA) 3V97.

#STAC 3P98

Reporting Arts and Culture

(also offered as WRIT 3P98)

Contexts, genres, conventions and practices of arts journalism in Canada; critical reading of selected texts in arts journalism; practical experience researching and writing arts news, reviews, features, and publicity for print and electronic media.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite(s): two credits numbered 2(alpha)00 or above in STAC, COMM, ENGL, PCUL, WRIT or permission of the instructor.

*STAC 3P99

Interpretive and Critical Writing in the Arts

(also offered as VISA 3P99 and WRIT 3P99)

Principles and methodologies for the written presentation and representation of works of art, artists' practice and events within general and specific disciplinary contexts, discourses and frameworks. Examples from across the arts; practice based projects from real world events and performances. Orientation to specialized publics in print and other media.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum 10.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: event attendance is required; events fees required.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in STAC (VISA/WRIT) 3V99.

#STAC 3Q91

Research Seminar in Visual Art

(also offered as VISA 3Q91)

Critical knowledge of contemporary practices in cultural production, their historical trajectories and major practitioners.

Restriction: open to STAC, VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours) BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum 75 percent major average and a minimum 9.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite(s): two credits from VISA 2P41 (minimum 60 percent), 2P50 (minimum 60 percent), 2P51 (minimum 60 percent), 2P53 (minimum 60 percent), 2P88 (minimum 60 percent), 2P90 (minimum 60 percent), 2P92 (minimum 60 percent), 2P97 (minimum 60 percent), 2P98 (minimum 60 percent), 2P99 (minimum 60 percent), 2Q98 (minimum 60 percent), 3P01 (minimum 60 percent), 3P05 (minimum 60 percent), 3P06 (minimum 60 percent) or permission of the instructor.

Note: enrolment limited to 18 students. Offered as a blended format. Students might need additional materials which they must supply. Art studio practitioners and visual culture researchers may register. Contact Department of Visual Arts.

STAC 3V90-3V99

Special Studies in the Fine and Performing Arts

Interdisciplinary study of specific issues within the fine and performing arts.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum of 10.0 overall credits.

Note: topics to be announced; materials fee may be required.

*STAC 4F40

Arts Management

(also offered as DART 4F40 and VISA 4F40)

Effective management of arts organizations to fulfill social and artistic mandates.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to STAC, CANA, DART (single or combined), DART (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: materials fee may be required.

#STAC 4F41

Curatorial Studies Practicum

(also offered as VISA 4F41)

Practical application of the critical and theoretical aspects of curating. Research and organization of an exhibition from proposal, thesis, work-plan, budget, marketing and program plan to dissemination and presentation of works of art within a professional gallery.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 6 hours per week

Restriction: open to STAC, VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 10.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite(s): VISA 3P42.

STAC 4F99

Honours Thesis

Critical, historical or creative project in the fine or performing arts of mutual interest to the student and the instructor.

Restriction: permission of the Director.

Note: students are urged to arrange and plan their projects in the spring for the following year.

*STAC 4P01

Creating Social Value from Material Culture

(also offered as IASC 4P01)

Theory and practice of creating social value from material culture. Curatorial and interpretive practice in public institutions focusing on art, human and natural history, and science and technology. Informal learning theory, authority structures and community engagement, audience segmentation and selection, exhibit design, and collections development within social and political contexts.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week

Restriction: students must have a minimum 10.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: event attendance may be required. Events fees may be required.

*STAC 4P68

Arts, Heritage and Culture: Public Policy and Governance

(also offered as DART 4P68 and VISA 4P68)

Examination of federal, provincial and municipal intervention in and support for the fine and performing arts and their cultural production. Strategies for effective engagement of policy through governance and philanthropy.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to STAC, CANA, DART (single or combined), DART (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 14.0 overall credits.

Note: materials fee may be required.

*STAC 4P72

High and Low Art: Intersections, Exchanges and Flows

(also offered as IASC 4P72 and VISA 4P72)

The exchange between high art and entertainment, considering intertextuality and cultural appropriation; the changing role of museums and community-based arts; and the migration of values and tastes between market-driven and not-for-profit cultural outcomes.

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum 14.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

Note: event attendance is required; event fees required.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in STAC 4V72.

#STAC 4P90

Forbidden Knowledge, Dangerous Art

(also offered as LART 4P90 and VISA 4P90)

Works of art, literature, philosophy and science that were banned for religious, moral or political reasons.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

STAC 4V70-4V79

Advanced Studies in Arts and Culture