Department of Art, Design, and Letters

An introduction to the visual arts. Introduces the student to the major art movements and artists. Lecture and discussion on the materials, forms, and processes of art with the aim of giving insight into the functions and content of art objects. Course content may vary. May not be applied to major in art.

An introduction to the visual arts using lectures, discussions, museum and gallery visits, exhibition reviews, and hands on studio experiences with the materials, concepts, and processes of art with the purpose of providing insight into the functions, content, and making of art objects. Lab fee. May not be applied to major in art.

Prerequisite for all studio and design courses. An introduction to the 2D concepts of visual organization through the study of composition, lines, shape, value, figure-ground relationships, texture, spatial illusion and color theory.

Lab fee.

Major, Minor credit.

Prerequisite for all studio and design courses. An introductory course that investigates the handling of real space through the study of form, structure, texture, and surface. Historical and contemporary issues are explored in various media.

Lab fee.

Major, Minor credit.

Prerequisite for all studio and design courses. An introduction to the discipline of drawing. Development of drawing skills leading to an understanding of the structure of forms on the picture plane, figure-ground relationships, line, value and texture. Studio problems of visualization, composition and analysis in various black and white media.

Lab fee.

Major, Minor credit.

First-Year Seminars (FYS) constitute a common and academically significant experience in a student’s first year at Converse. All incoming first-year students are required to take a 3- or 4-credit hour FYS course in the fall semester, choosing from a variety of discipline specific topics. Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix, but with a common course number.  Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix but with a common course number. Special emphasis is given to cultivating critical thinking, effective speaking, and writing skills. 

May not count as a fine arts GEP requirement if the course is Art 125: 2D Design or Art 125: 3D Design.

A beginning course designed to equip the student with technical skills needed for image capturing, development and the printing of analog photography. Photographic terminology and a broad range of aesthetic styles and approaches are covered during this term. Students learn to present a portfolio of their photographic work as well as the steps to critique their own and their classmates’ images. Lab fee.

There will be 7 major assignments during this term. Oral and written projects are required based upon contemporary and historical issues in photography. On-site field trips are frequent, which help foster creative thinking and seeing as it pertains to current photo trends. This is an all-manual photo class; no auto/digital cameras will be used! An all manual, 35 mm SLR camera is required. Priority will be given to majors. Lab fee.

Major, Minor, Elective credit. 

First-Year Seminars (FYS) constitute a common and academically significant experience in a student’s first year at Converse. All incoming first-year students are required to take a 3- or 4-credit hour FYS course in the fall semester, choosing from a variety of discipline specific topics. Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix, but with a common course number.  Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix but with a common course number. Special emphasis is given to cultivating critical thinking, effective speaking, and writing skills. 

This course will provide a broad introduction to traditional non-western art in various regions of the world, including but not limited to Asian, African, and Pre-Columbian art. The purpose and context as well as the style of the art and architecture will be examined. Non-European and non-Anglophone.

A survey of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the Western world from the Prehistoric through Medieval periods. 

A survey of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the Western world from the Renaissance through the modern era.

As an introduction to the visual arts, this program offers the student the opportunity to travel to significant art and design centers to observe, evaluate, and absorb the culture, art, artists, and major art movements within the environment. Lecture and discussion on the materials, forms, and processes of art will be presented with the aim of giving insight into the functions and content of art objects at home and abroad. Programs are now offered to New York City, New Mexico, Greece and various locations in Europe. Additional travel costs will be incurred by the student. Offered during Jan and Summer Terms.

This is an introductory course that investigates both the historical and contemporary aspects of photography. The lecture material and classroom interaction will equip the students with technical skills needed to develop and create liquid emulsion processes such as Cyanotype and Vandyke Brown prints. Other possible media may include pinhole and solarplate photography. The student will also learn to present a portfolio of matted, finished photoworks, as well as the basic use of Adobe Photoshop and Epson printing output. Lab fee. Offered periodically.

Major, Minor, Elective credit.
 

This course provides students with studio opportunities in advanced research and technology methodologies, personal content and public art. Lab fee.

This is a combination lecture and discussion course that will center around a selected topic in art history. Since the content will vary, this course may be taken more than once for credit. Offered periodically.

This is a combination lecture and discussion course that will center around a selected topic in art therapy. Since the content will vary, this course may be taken more than once for credit. Offered periodically. Lab fee

Explore the cultural identity development of women through a macro lens. Delve into its interdisciplinary construction, including beauty, the heroin's/hero's journey, social justice movements, tattoos, the arts, and a narrative of place. Lab fee

This course provides an in-depth study of the concepts and principles of art education related to the elementary level art classroom. Topics include materials and methods for grades pre-K – 5 art classroom, elementary classroom management, assessment, and teacher evaluation. The Artist/Researcher/Teacher framework is employed to promote positive action and reflection in teaching and learning. Students in initial certification must register for the co-curricular ART 300L Art for the Elementary School Clinical. BA Art Education Program Requirement. Lab fee.

The course provides opportunities for observation, participation and directed teaching experience in K-5 art programs. The course requires 50 hours of on-site clinical experience in addition to the on-campus course participation. It may be the first or second clinical. Pass/Fail grading. BA Art Education Program Requirement.

Covering a period of immense political, social, and technological transformation, this course surveys major art movements in Europe and the United States from the late-18th to the beginning of the 20th century. Topics include the French Revolution, the international Romantic movement, the rise of landscape painting, the advent and impact of early photography, and the intellectual underpinnings of modernism. The focus of the course will alternate between broad artistic developments and case-studies of individual artists/artwork, introducing students to a range of art-historical methodologies from social art history to feminist theory and postcolonial studies. 
 

This survey of twentieth-century artists and movements spans the 1890s to World War II, a period of dynamic technological, political, and social transformation that propelled the emergence of artistic modernism. We will analyze the ways in which art inspired and responded to broad cultural changes across the globe, with predominant focus on Europe and America.  Preference given in scheduling to Art and Design majors if seating capacity is limited.

No prerequisites. This program offers the student the opportunity to travel to major art centers and critically observe and evaluate major works of art and the environments in which they are made, displayed, and sold. Additional travel costs will be incurred by the student. Typically offered during Jan Term.

In this course, we will explore art and theory in the post-war period, from the emergence of Abstract Expressionism in the Unites States to the transnational context of artistic production today. Some of the major of themes will include: the complex legacy of the historical avant-garde, activist strategies, performance and protest art, the use of new media, and artistic responses to globalization. While the course is organized as a survey of important movements, it also engages with case studies of individual artists and practices that lie outside the dominate narrative.  Preference given in scheduling to Art and Design majors if seating capacity is limited.

This survey of art of the United States will explore the ways in which Americans have defined their identity through the production and dissemination of cultural objects from the 17th to the late-19th century. Over the course of the semester, we will explore an enormous diversity of visual materials in addition to painting and sculpture; we will look at maps, currency, lithographs, newspapers, natural history illustrations, and photographs. Taken together, we will explore how this visual culture was bound up with the shifting metaphorical and metaphysical meanings about what it meant to be American.  Preference given in scheduling to Art and Design majors if seating capacity is limited.

The purpose of this course is to examine the basic concepts and principles of art as they relate to a child’s creative and mental growth. Students will study the materials and methods for teaching art to children and strategies for integrating art into other content areas to support creative and critical thinking. This course is not open to Art Education majors who must take the advanced courses Art for the Elementary School and Art for the Elementary School Clinical. Lab Fee.

The purpose of this course is to aid developing and practicing art educators in the development of art curricula, methods of instruction, and assessment in teaching art. Emphasis will be placed on exploring specific areas to better equip the art teacher in meeting the needs of the students in the public school setting to include developmental needs, arts integration, materials and supplies, and organization. Course content will include all applicable SC standards for visual arts classrooms and the SC standards for teacher evaluation. Students should take this course during the Fall Term of the junior or senior year. Requirement for BA Art Education. Lab fee. 

This course selectively studies the art and lives of women artists, investigates theories concerning representations of women, and examines contextual issues that impact women’s lives and their artistic production. GEP Humanities/Women’s Studies. Writing intensive.

This course provides an in-depth study of the concepts and principles of art education related to the secondary level art classroom. Topics include materials and methods for grades 7 - 12 art classroom, secondary classroom management, assessment, and teacher evaluation. The Artist/Researcher/Teacher framework is employed to promote positive action and reflection in teaching and learning. Students in initial certification must register for the co-curricular ART 316L Art for the Secondary School Clinical and the EDU 425: Reading in the Content Area. Program requirement for BA Art Education. Lab fee.

This course provides opportunities for observation, participation and directed teaching experience in secondary middle or high school art programs. The course requires 50 hours of on-site clinical experience in addition to the on-campus course participation. This course may be the first or second clinical. Pass/Fail grading.

This program offers the student the opportunity to travel to major art and design centers to observe, evaluate, and absorb the culture and art within the environment and to produce art as a result of those experiences. Programs are now offered to New York City, New Mexico, Greece and various locations in Europe. Additional travel costs will be incurred by the student. Offered during Jan and Summer Terms. Lab fee.

This course will provide a focus on art from one region (e.g., Africa) outside the European tradition. It will examine the purpose, style, and context of the art, and may include traditional as well as contemporary art objects as well as architecture. The course content will vary. Non-European-non-Anglophone.

This course is a study of the child’s artistic process and the neurodevelopmental process of creativity. There will be an emphasis on the artistic states/sequences of child development, as well as assessments relevant to each age level. The material presented in this course will give students an expanded concept of the needs of children in diverse populations, and the approaches utilized by art therapists in the treatment of children. Lab fee.

A course designed to provide an in-depth study of an art or design process, subject matter, or technique. Since the content will vary, it may be taken more than once for credit. Lab fee varies per class. 3, 4 or 6 credits

An advanced studio art class that allows each student to explore the student's own studio art concentration, as well as experiment with new media. Contemporary art issues will be discussed, along with the exploration of conceptual, research and technological components. This course can be taken up to four times by studio art majors. Lab fee.

A travel study program for course credit wherein participants will spend fourteen days in a selected city or cities for an intensive exploration of culture, art, historical perspectives, international approaches to art therapy and may include service learning opportunities when available. Additional travel expense is expected to be incurred at the responsibility of the participant. This course may be taken twice for credit when destinations differ. Offered Jan Term or Summer Terms only.

This course will prepare students for their senior art therapy internship. Students will participate in an art-based service learning experience with an agency that serves at-risk youth. This course will also include a comprehensive inspection of graduate schools, career opportunities, portfolio presentations, and foundational counseling techniques including ethics and cultural competencies. The material presented will give the students an expanded concept of the field, writing, observation and speaking skills necessary to pursue their future goals. Lab fee.

Major: Prerequisites: A 3.0 average in the major, ART 355, 357, 380, ART 453, and permission of the instructor: A three-credit internship is required for senior art therapy majors. (A three-credit internship consists of 120 hours of experience in a clinical or educational setting.) The goal is for students to achieve experience in facilitating art-making with a specific population. This internship will also offer opportunities to understand the overall structure and dynamics of a social service agency. Student interns will attend a weekly group supervision class to present participants' artwork and explore responses and problems related to their overall field experience. Weekly observation handouts and visual research imagery will support future career skills, including but not limited to time management and excellent communication in the field. Internship placements are available in locations throughout the Upstate region. Students are required to provide their transportation - Lab fee. ($30)

This course is designed to provide the senior Art History major with an opportunity to focus on a particular period in art history and gain experience doing in-depth research and writing on a topic of the student's choosing, with the professor’s approval. It also provides the student with career development and graduate school preparation. This capstone course should ideally be taken during the Fall Term of the senior year. Writing Intensive and capstone course for art history majors.

The internship provides students with the opportunity to develop disciplinary skills and explore a variety of career options. Among potential venues for the internship are museums, galleries, auction houses, historic properties, libraries, and corporate art collections. Students may shadow curators, art critics, art historians in academia, art dealers, museum education specialists, and other arts professionals. Projects may focus on curatorial practice, cataloguing, archival methods, registrar work, preservation, research, art criticism, blogging, grant writing, or other professional activities relevant to the field. Pass/fail grading. 
Notes: Major, Minor, Elective credit.

 This program offers advanced students the opportunity to work with business establishments or studio artists in digital media or fine arts. This includes, but is not limited to, graphic design, illustration, photography, ceramics, and printmaking.

Pass/fail.

This program offers advanced Studio Art students the opportunity to develop pedagogical skills to implement art is in residency programs including planning the residency, marketing the residency, implementing workable student and materials management plans, and promoting visual arts in the school and community. Pass/fail grading. May be repeated.

An independent course of advanced study in an area of studio art or design. May be taken for a total of 6 hours credit. Lab fee, as required by specific area of study.

An independent directed course with faculty supervision, for seniors in preparation for their graduation exhibition. Students are required to produce a series of conceptually motivated artworks, accompanied by pertinent research, a relevant artist statement, and digital presentations and a Spring term oral defense. BFA candidates are required to take this course in the final two semesters of their senior year. Optional studio art elective for BA candidates.

This course is an elective senior thesis for majors who wish to pursue Honors in an area of studio art, art history, art education or art therapy. The Senior Honors Thesis in art demonstrates the student’s ability to do sustained work, conduct systematic research, to organize materials effectively, with the intention of producing an outcome that results in either a series of artworks or research paper as is appropriate to the student's area.

An overview of interior design including its history, the role of interior design in global cultures, pop culture and the profession, the application of art and design theory, and creative problem solving. Studio projects explore issues. Lab fee. May not be applied to the interior design major.

First-Year Seminars (FYS) constitute a common and academically significant experience in a student’s first year at Converse. All incoming first-year students are required to take a 3- or 4-credit hour FYS course in the fall semester, choosing from a variety of discipline specific topics. Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix, but with a common course number.  Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix but with a common course number. Special emphasis is given to cultivating critical thinking, effective speaking, and writing skills. 

The nature, perception and interaction of color. A study of color’s effect on people and how it transforms interior spaces. Research, experimentation and problem solving are integrated into exercises and projects. Principles of design are used in creating interior color solutions and palettes for residential and commercial applications. Lab fee. Offered Spring Term.

Introduction to interior design including design theories, human factors, interior components and contemporary issues explored through sketching, model making, research and design projects. Lab fee. Offered Spring Term only.

Exploration and application of human-centric design requirements in interior environments including design for diverse populations, programming, space planning theories, creative ideation using manual sketching and models, and collaboration to develop solutions using the design process. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term only.

Programming and conceptual design for residential interiors including human factors, behavioral issues, materials, furnishings, fixtures, with the visualization of inquiry and solutions through manual and digital drafting and rendering with integrated verbal presentation. Lab fee. Offered Spring Term only.

Introduction to interior design communication using manual and digital drafting techniques, sketching, design terminology and interior components. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term only.

Continuation of digital drafting per industry standards, with an introduction to digital rendering, to portray scale, line weights, and delineation of form to visualize, document and communicate interior environments. Lab fee. Offered Spring Term only.

Interior environmental systems, materials and construction methods are applied to interior solutions through the development of coordinated contract documents. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term only.

Visualization of interior concepts and solutions through manual and digital sketching, drawing, rendering and presentations. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term.

Students will learn the history of building types and styles within American architecture and the European influences. Students will learn to identify historic architectural styles and examine terminology used in the historic preservation field. In addition, students will develop an understanding and an appreciation of historic integrity, adaptive reuse, and sustainability. Lecture course.  Lab fee.

An international, historic survey of interiors from ancient times to the 1800s including concepts of interior development, furnishings, decorative components, architectural structure, design theories, social context, and relevance to current design practices. Lab fee. Fall Term only.

International, historic survey of interiors from the 1800s to the current decade including design and architectural theories, furnishings, finishes and decoration in their cultural and technological origin and current context. Offered Spring Term. Writing Intensive for interior design majors. Lab fee. Limited to Art, Design, & Letters Students. 

Overview of building codes and regulations including their importance and impact on interior design solutions aligned with health, safety and welfare; and a range of interior materials, fabrics, textiles, and their properties, sustainable attributes, fabrication, performance, value, installation methods, and fire ratings.  Lab Fee. Offered Fall Term.

Programming and design concepts for corporate, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, or institutional environments and their stakeholders. Incorporates sustainability, building systems, lighting, furnishings and finishes to produce creative and functional solutions using research, analysis, manual sketching and digital visualization with integrated presentations. Lab fee. Offered Spring Term.

Characteristics of light and lighting systems, their application to interiors including sources, color rendering, impact, control, regulations and sustainability. Final design project features creative and functional lighting solution in a digital, professional format. Field trips and speakers included. Lab fee. Offered Spring Term.

Space planning and detailing of creative and functional kitchen and bath solutions for residential and commercial interiors including codes, human factors, building systems, sustainability, cabinetry and appliances, precedent, and contextual applications. Design visualization using sketching, digital drafting and rendering. Speakers and field trips included. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term.

Permission of instructor. A course designed to provide an in-depth study of an interior design specialty focus and/or to cover supplemental material studied in the curriculum. Since the content will vary, this course may be taken more than once for credit. Lab fee.

Students identify and define relevant aspects of the DES 482 design project through gathering, evaluation and applying appropriate and necessary information and research findings.

Complex interior planning utilizing problem solving skills through programs research and analysis concept developments, and professional design documentation through digital visualization. Projects align with student design competitions and or/or professional collaborations. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term.

Self-selected, interior design project demonstrating integration of curriculum content and developed through research, problem solving, sketching and digital visualization with a formal written and verbal presentation of the design process and solutions. Capstone. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term.

Professional development and the business of interior design including the legalities, financial considerations, project management, professional organizations, and ethics for a variety of interior design practices and careers. Personal marketing packages refined for career preparation. Speakers included. Lab fee. Offered Fall Term.

A program in which the student obtains practical on-the-job experience working in an interior design or architectural firm. Pass/fail grading.

A travel-study program for course credit wherein participants will spend seven to fourteen days in a selected city or cities for an intensive survey of the culture, art, architecture, and interiors of the city’s visual design resources. Additional travel expense is expected to be incurred at the responsibility of the participant. This course may be taken twice for credit when destinations differ. Offered Jan and Summer Terms only.

An independent course of advanced study in an area of special interest. Lab fee, as required for specific area of study.

This course is an elective senior thesis for majors who wish to pursue Honors in an area of studio art, art history, art education, or art therapy. The Senior Honors Thesis in art demonstrates the student’s ability to do sustained work, conduct systematic research, to organize materials effectively, with the intention of producing an outcome that results in either a series of artworks or research paper as is appropriate to the student's area.