Course Descriptions
Visual Arts: 200 Level Courses
VISA 211-3 (FINA 211) History of Art 3 (3,0,0)
VISA 212-3 (FINA 221) History of Art 4 (3,0,0)
VISA 213-3 (FINA 202) A Survey of Modern Art 1 (3,0,0)
VISA 214-3 (FINA204) A Survey of Modern Art 2 (3,0,0)
VISA 215-3 (FINA 215) A Survey of the History of Canadian Painting (3,0,0)
VISA 221-3 (FINA 213) Drawing 3 (3,1,0)
VISA 222-3 (FINA 223) Drawing 4 (3,1,0)
VISA 231-3 (FINA 271) Sculpture 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 232-3 (FINA 281) Sculpture 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 241-3 (FINA 172) Introductory Ceramics 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 242-3 (FINA 182) Introductory Ceramics 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 251-3 (FINA 174) Printmaking: Screen Printing 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 252-3 (FINA 184) Printmaking: Screen Printing 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 253-3 (FINA 227) Printmaking: Etching and Relief 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 254-3 (FINA 228) Printmaking: Etching and Relief 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 255-3 (FINA 274) Printmaking: Lithography 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 256-3 (FINA 284) Printmaking: Lithography 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 261-3 (FINA 175) Painting 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 262-3 (FINA 185) Painting 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 271-3 (FINA 176) Introduction To Photography 1 (3,1,0)
VISA 272-3 (FINA 186) Introduction To Photography 2 (3,1,0)
VISA 281-3 (FINA 261) Special Topics in Visual Arts (3,1,0)
VISA 2110
VISA 2110
History of Art 3 (3,0,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
Renaissance art and architecture.
Prerequisite: VISA 1120
VISA 2120
VISA 2120
History of Art 4 (3,0,0) 4 credits
17th and 18th Century art and architecture.
Prerequisite: VISA 2110
VISA 2130
VISA 2130
A Survey of Modern Art 1 (3,0,0) 3 credits
This course will identify the origins of Modern Art in the mid-19th Century and trace its development up to World War II. Evidence of those artists who moved European art from the narrative tradition to secularism and the subsequent explosion of change in the first decade of the 20th Century will be marked for special study.
Prerequisite: VISA 1120
VISA 2140
VISA 2140
A Survey of Modern Art 2 (3,0,0) 3 credits
This is the second part of the two semester Survey of Modern Art. This course will pick up the Modern movement after World War 2 and follow its development to Post Modernism.
Prerequisite: VISA 2130
VISA 2150
VISA 2150
A Survey of the History of Canadian Painting (3,0,0) 3 credits
A survey of the art of painting from the colonial periods of the French and English in Canada up to and including recent concerns in Canadian painting.
Prerequisite: None
VISA 2210
VISA 2210
Drawing 3 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
The students will be encouraged to become more individualized in their approach to research and practical work. Through lectures, seminars, critiques and readings, key historical and current issues in contemporary drawing will be investigated. Through these activities the student will establish a basis for developing and addressing the subject, content and form of their artworks in visual, verbal and oral forms. Although studio projects are demonstrated and introduced during class time, students are expected to complete projects in the studios outside of regularly scheduled class hours.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1220
VISA 2220
VISA 2220
Drawing 4 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This course is a continuation of the issues introduced in VISA 221. Independent research and practice will be combined with seminars, group critiques and slide lectures. Students will develop a working knowledge of selected topics related to the history and theory of drawing in order to define and discuss their work in contemporary context. From the studio demonstrations and projects introduced in class, students will develop their works in the studios outside of class time. Students are expected to be self-motivated and prepared for independent practice.
Prerequisite: VISA 2210
VISA 2310
VISA 2310
Sculpture 1 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This is an introductory course to sculptural materials and techniques. Students will gain practical experience in the use of metals, concrete, stone, clay, and casting techniques. Key historical and current issues in contemporary sculpture will be investigated. Through these activities, students will develop a basis for addressing the subject, form and content of their artworks. Students will be expected to complete studio projects outside of scheduled class hours.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1030, VISA 1210
VISA 2320
VISA 2320
Sculpture 2 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This course is a continuation of VISA 2310. Students will be encouraged to develop individual content and to discuss their work in a contemporary context. They will be introduced to aspects of audio and kinetic sculpture. Class demonstrations of further sculptural techniques will be given and students will be required to complete works outside of scheduled class hours. Students are expected to be self-motivated and prepared for independent practice.
Prerequisite: VISA 2310
VISA 2410
VISA 2410
Introductory Ceramics 1 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
Students will study traditional methods of ceramic techniques through the ages and the innovative methods of contemporary ceramic artists. Slide lectures, seminar discussions and group critiques will be used in order to develop an understanding of form, function, and expression as it relates to ceramic art. Technical aspects and techniques related to the properties of clay as an artistic medium will be demonstrated. Students will need to reserve additional time in the studio to put what they learn from class demonstrations into practice.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1030, VISA 1210
VISA 2420
VISA 2420
Introductory Ceramics 2 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
In this semester students will study the chemistry of glazes and other surface finishes for ceramic ware as it is developed through the ages. Through slide lectures, videos, and discussions, students will be introduced to contemporary ceramic artists, their methods and firing techniques. Contemporary approaches for producing ceramic sculptures will be demonstrated and adaptations of traditional production methods for personal expression will be work-shopped. Students will need to reserve additional time in the studio to put what they learn from class demonstrations into practice.
Prerequisite: VISA 2410
VISA 2510
VISA 2510
Printmaking: Silk Screen 1 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This is an introduction to general screen-printing techniques with water based inks, hand-cut film, reduction screen, and hand-drawn positives. As these techniques are demonstrated, slide lectures on historical background will be provided and group critiques/discussions of student work will take place. Students will be allocated additional studio time for completion of assignments introduced and demonstrated in class.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1210
VISA 2520
VISA 2520
Printmaking: Silk Screen 2 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
A continuation of VISA 2510. In this semester the emphasis will be upon photoscreen and darkroom procedures. Students will be allocated additional studio time for completion of practical assignments which will be introduced and demonstrated in class.
Prerequisite: VISA 2510
VISA 2530
VISA 2530
Printmaking: Etching and Relief 1 (3,1,0)(L) 3 credits
This is an introductory course in printmaking which emphasizes basic processes of relief and intaglio printing. It will include a consideration of such mediums as linocut, woodcut, drypoint and metal plate etching. The intention of this course is to introduce printmaking as an artistic practice in contemporary art and, also, to provide an understanding of how such current approaches relate to relief and intaglio prints of Western European masters of the past. Out of class studio work will be required in order to complete projects introduced and demonstrated during the class time.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1210
VISA 2540
VISA 2540
Printmaking: Etching and Relief 2 (3,1,0)(L) 3 credits
This course will serve as a continuation of VISA 2530. In this course a greater emphasis will be placed on intaglio processes. This will involve the furthering of these techniques through such processes as collographs, chine-colle, color printing, and the use of multiple plates. Students will learn these new techniques, while furthering their understanding of the basic processes of intaglio and relief printing. They will do so within an increasing understanding of historical and contemporary approaches to these mediums as well as an ongoing exploration of personal imagery. Out of class studio work will be required in order to complete projects introduced and demonstrated during the class time.
Prerequisite: VISA 2530
VISA 2550
VISA 2550
Printmaking: Lithography 1 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
The students will be encouraged to become more individualized in their approach to research and practical work. Through lectures, seminars, critiques and readings, key historical and current issues in contemporary printmaking will be investigated. Through these activities the student will establish a basis for developing and addressing the subject, content and form of their artworks in visual, verbal and oral forms. This course will introduce students to the printmaking mediums of plate and stone lithography. Course content will include a series of lectures and seminars pertaining to the history of these mediums, technical demonstrations, dedicated to the development and execution of black and white imagery utilizing these processes. Although studio projects are demonstrated and introduced during class time, students are expected to complete projects in the studios outside of regularly scheduled class hours.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1210
VISA 2560
VISA 2560
Printmaking: Lithography 2 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This course is a continuation of the issues introduced in VISA 2550. Independent research and practice will be combined with seminars, group critiques and slide lectures. Students will develop a working knowledge of selected topics related to the history and theory of printmaking in order to define and discuss their work in contemporary context. This course will allow the student to progress further with the medium of lithography introduced in VISA 2550. Some individual specialization in these mediums: photo-lithography, color and plate lithography will be possible. Lectures and seminars will be used to examine the development of personal imagery in the context of existing histories and practices of printmaking as an artistic medium. From the studio demonstrations and projects introduced in class students will develop their works in the studios outside of class time. Students are expected to be self-motivated and prepared for independent practice.
Prerequisite: VISA 2550
VISA 2610
VISA 2610
Painting 1 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
The fall semester centers on gaining a fundamental knowledge of the materials and techniques of painting. An emphasis will be placed on the formal aspects of painting: composition, colour, tonal relationships, and spatial concepts. Discussion will also take place about critical issues in contemporary painting practice. Students will be allocated studio time in which to complete assignments related to technical practices introduced in class.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1210
VISA 2620
VISA 2620
Painting 2 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This winter semester course will be a continuation of VISA 2610 with a development of personal subject matter and content. Students will be allocated studio time in which to complete assignments related to techniques and practices in oil painting demonstrated in class.
Prerequisite: VISA 2610
VISA 2710
VISA 2710
Introduction To Photography 1 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This course is an introduction to technical aspects of black and white photography and the use of photography as an artistic medium. An understanding of these technical and aesthetic aspects of photography will be carried out in the context of an ongoing study of photographic histories. Students will be expected to find further studio time in order to complete assignments related to camera and darkroom techniques introduced in class.
Prerequisite: VISA 1020, VISA 1210
VISA 2720
VISA 2720
Introduction To Photography 2 (3,1,0)(L) Studio - 3 credits
This course is a continuation of VISA 2710. Further explorations of camera, darkroom and studio techniques will be used to produce artworks within the study of contemporary artists working with photo-based media. Students will be expected to find further studio time in order to complete assignments related to techniques introduced and discussed in class.
Prerequisite: VISA 2710
VISA 2810
VISA 2810
Special Topics in Visual Arts (3,1,0) 3 credits
This is a variable content course which will change from semester to semester. Normally, the themes that are addressed in the course will be ones which complement, or otherwise, lie outside our regular departmental offerings. Such topics of study might include: Alternative Processes in Photography, Papermaking, Landscape Studies, etc. This course may be open to students outside the Fine Arts dependent upon the particular offerings in any given semester. Check with the department Chairperson to find out about current offerings as well as any necessary prerequisites. Students should understand that additional studio time will be needed outside of timetabled hours in order to complete practical studies of techniques and processes demonstrated in class.
Prerequisite: Check with the department Chairperson or Co-ordinator to find out about prerequisites as they may vary from offering to offering.