Program Mission Statement
The nationally accredited Department of Art, Art History, and Design provides undergraduate degree programs in Art History, Painting/Drawing/Printmaking, Graphic Design, Photography, Ceramics, and Sculpture. Our nationally and internationally accomplished faculty participate in exhibitions and commissions, engage in ground-breaking scholarly research, and as experts in their fields, provide outstanding undergraduate instruction through a broad and diverse curriculum.
The Department’s dynamic and innovative programs go beyond curriculum and classroom walls to foster experiential and transformational learning through internships, community engagement, undergraduate research and exhibition, study abroad, and gallery practice and museum study opportunities in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville, a cultural institute of 成人AV视频.
The Department of Art, Art History, and Design prepares its students to excel as creative thinkers, makers, and cultural entrepreneurs, to excel in their disciplines, and to be successful in a broad range of graduate programs and professions in the arts and beyond.
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates will be able to:
Content/Discipline-Specific Knowledge/Skills
- Demonstrate mastery or competence in a variety of technical skills, basic processes and compositional approaches specific to the discipline.
- Demonstrate understanding of common elements and vocabulary of art and knowledge of the historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts of art.
Communication Skills
- Produce works of art that effectively communicate creative, symbolic, aesthetic, or other artistic ideas.
- Articulate in writing a critical and aesthetic perspective as the creator of a coherent body of works.
Critical Thinking Skills
- Make and respond productively to critical judgments and reflections about works of art/design in the process of critique.
- Produce a coherent body of works of art/design that communicates an original critical and aesthetic perspective.
Assessment Approaches
Student learning in the Studio Art program is assessed in three areas: 1) discipline specific knowledge and skills; 2) communication skills; 3) critical thinking skills.
Disciplinary Knowledge 1,2,and 3 can be assessed in 2000, 3000, and 4000 level courses through direct assessment of students’ mastery of the concepts and applications of specific artistic techniques and processes. Techniques are taught using learning objects encompassing readings, discussion of relevant artworks, and practical demonstrations. Students then produce work designed to demonstrate conceptual and practical understanding of the relevant technique.
Communication I, visual communication, is assessed in 2000, 3000 and 4000 level courses through direct assessment of the student’s ability to express or convey an idea in a work or body of works of art.
Communication II, written communication, is assessed in 2000, 3000 and 4000 level courses through direct assessment of the student’s ability to express in writing an aesthetic perspective as the creator of a work or body of works of art. The degree of mastery is measured using appropriate rubrics.
The assessment will be drawn from the 60 credit hour review. This review is required by our programmatic accreditor The National Associate of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). This review is advisory and completed by a team of fine arts faculty who will assist in the capture of assessment data through the review process. This data can then be synthesized for assessment reporting. The review consists of a portfolio of works that cover several disciplines along with a written artist statement. The review can be tailored with rubrics to capture assessment data.
Alternatively, assessment can also occur later in the program through a capstone course Professional Practices. All BFA Fine Art students must complete the Professional Practices course for graduation and the course includes writing assignments, portfolio presentation through a website, and a public artist talk- each assignment can be evaluated by the instructor of record, or by a panel of faculty to generate assessment data and reporting.
The selection of these moments are purposeful and can allow for assessment at different levels of the program- one earlier, one later. Both the 60 credit hour review and the Professional Practices class are required for all majors allowing assessment to follow students from across the program.
