AVT 307, 395, and ARTH 374. What are these courses and why do you have to take them?

Many of you have asked, "What exactly is Aesthetics and why am I required to take it?" or "I'm studying studio art, why do I have to take more writing courses?" Well my friends, courses like AVT 307 Aesthetics, AVT 395 Writing for Artists, and ARTH 374 Art Now are vital elements of your artistic training. Not only do these three courses meet institutional and accreditation requirements, they also provide necessary information to students who are studying art and design. The following blurbs, written by Associate Chair Lynne Constantine, explain what these courses are all about and why they are essential to your studies as an AVT major.

o AVT 307, Aesthetics, explores historical and contemporary answers to questions such as “What is art?” and “Why do some artists make art that is difficult to look at or understand?” and “What is beauty?” and “How do standards for evaluating art change over time?” Its goal is to broaden students’ options for their personal practice by exploring contemporary ways of making art and of thinking about art practice. Most sections focus on artmaking from the early 20th century on, when art began exploring media, subject matter, and styles of presentation that were outside the bounds of traditional materials and techniques. The approach in the class is NOT historical-it’s based on experiencing a broad range of challenging artworks (including some that seem tame to us now, but cause a firestorm in their own day) and drawing on readings and discussion to learn how to move with a sense of confidence among contemporary artworks.
o AVT 395, Writing for Artists (which has a customized version for design students—same course number but specialized content and instruction), teaches students how to improve their writing by having them practice the kinds of writing that artists and designers must do. Most of the assignments are practical—artist’s statements, proposals, resumes, etc. The designers’ version includes all kinds of typical communications with clients. The artist’s version sometimes includes such new media as blogs, websites, and podcasts. The goal is to equip students to communicate in writing—whether they remain in the art and design worlds, or go on to do something else with their lives.
o ARTH 374, Art Now, surveys works of art, artists and trends in art since 1964 (approximately). Art and design do not occur in a vacuum—they participate in movements within the general culture and within the worlds of art and design. Seeing what artists have been doing over the last 50 years gives students contexts, exemplars, and models for their own explorations. Even design students benefit from Art Now because design and art are historically quite porous—the same trends can be seen in both, and people move quite seamlessly from art to design to art.