Curriculum

This course assists graduate art education students in developing an understanding of various theories and approaches to structuring art curricula. Emphasis is on identifying the basic elements of curriculum construction as well as linking contemporary theories and curricular practices in art education with their historical antecedents. Upon successful course completion, students are able to demonstrate understanding of:

• The basic elements of curriculum construction (i.e., intent, content, organization, and management)
• State learning standards in the visual arts and the various art competencies required
• Contemporary approaches to art curriculum development and their historical antecedents
• Various theories of learning and conceptions of knowledge, and how they relate to curricular development in art
• Approaches to assessing the knowledge and competencies required in an art curriculum
• Print and online resources that support art curriculum development and implementation

This is an art theory/museology course that engages students with issues in contemporary art in relation to physical context, meaning, and audience participation. Students analyze, critique, and apply current concepts in art, methodology, and criticism within the context of global diversity. These student outcomes are assessed by weekly written reviews of scholarly literature, weekly video conference seminar discussions, and one final project.

This course assists graduate art education students in developing an understanding of the philosophical foundations of art education. The emphasis is on linking personal and cultural belief systems about the nature of art education to their historical antecedents and roots. Upon successful course completion, students are able to explain:

• Their own personal belief systems upon which their art teaching practices are based
• The historical bases for their own beliefs as well as other contemporary art education theories and practices
• How certain persons, events, and issues have shaped the field of art education over the years

In this course, students explore ways in which contemporary issues in art, education, and society influence theories and practices in art education. Through weekly reading assignments, discussions, and individual research projects, students examine scholarly writings, creative practices, and contemporary issues as they shape art education. Topics covered in the course include (but are not limited to) contemporary issues in art education, postmodern and critical social theory, multicultural/intercultural education, visual culture theory, new media/technology, and creativity. As an issues-oriented course, topics for consideration in ARE6641 are grounded in practices that foster the personal creative potential for every human being and that envision art and education as a form of critical public engagement based on democratic values.

This course is intended for graduate students who are interested in teaching art outside of traditional K-12 school settings. It is also useful for art educators interested in connecting their classrooms with their communities. Through study and observation, you explore the role art educators play serving various interest groups including but not limited to people with disabilities, the elderly, LGBTQ youth, hospital patients, prisoners, homeschoolers as well as those with general interest in the arts at museums, libraries, summer camps, community centers, artists’ studios, and online. The field is truly limitless with new doors, literally, opening every day. Field observations at sites in your own communities complements course readings and online research to inform critically reflective discussion and writing.

This course focuses on exploring the psychology of creativity and how to foster critical, creative, and practical thinking skills and dispositions in the art education practice when engaging with learners of all ages. Emphasis is on understanding how learning in and through art and design supports new paradigms of intelligence and creativity theory.

This course examines current research about artistic learning and development, identifying connections between artistic/aesthetic behaviors and other domains of human development. We consider perspectives derived from varied disciplinary lenses as they inform our own understandings about ways in which artistic learning takes place in the 21st century. Disciplinary perspectives include sociocultural learning theory, complemented by studies from psychology, anthropology, art education, and art criticism. Art, in this context, is an expansive term that refers to a diverse array of creative visual, aesthetic, and symbolic expressions and cultural productions. Course activities and assignments are set forth in a fast-paced but thoughtful examination of the nature and relevance of artistic learning today.

Students explore connections between globalization, art, and education in this course. Themes and questions examined include ideas about the nature of creative cultural expressions (aka “art”) in diverse global contexts; the dramatic impact of transcultural and transglobal interaction on local peoples and communities; and how all of this impacts personal, cultural, professional, and public policies, practices, and institutions. We read scholarly texts, examine contemporary art, discuss texts and art, conduct independent research, create original art, share our research and art, play with digital media, explore and utilize online social networking sites, establish our own online presence, and self-assess our work.

This course facilitates the development and writing of the Capstone Research Proposal. In conversation and consultation with peers and the instructor, students select and focus their capstone research topics, goals, and questions; identify and read scholarly texts that inform their topics of inquiry; learn and apply appropriate research methodologies; and write their Capstone Research Proposal. Students complete a significant amount of the required work independently. This includes making decisions, identifying, retrieving, and examining texts that inform their research projects, and writing in a scholarly and professional way. Through a series of graded and ungraded weekly assignments, students shape their capstone research projects and, at the end of this course, turn in their written Capstone Research Proposal for evaluation. Student enrollment in this course is based on the assumptions that: (a) students are ready to select and focus their capstone research projects; (b) students have adequate writing skills to complete the Capstone Research Proposal in accordance with University of Florida Graduate College Standards; and (c) students have adequate time to complete the work required in this course.

This course enables students to study and gain knowledge of a topic that is not part of a regularly-offered course — for the purpose of preparing for the Capstone Project. Students identify and refine a proposal topic related to art education and provide a written/oral proposal to the supervisory committee for approval. Following approval, the student conducts a review of research/proposal goals and consults with the committee chair on a regular basis to discuss the status of the research project.

The Capstone Project is the culminating experience of the MAAE degree. Students integrate the knowledge acquired from the program and their Independent Study course, in a curricular document that shows the findings, methodology, research, and implications of their project.

Students may choose to prepare a Thesis instead of a Capstone Project. We recommend the Thesis option for those who are considering or actively pursuing Ph.D. studies.

The difference between a Capstone project and Thesis can be summarized as follows:

• A Capstone is a practice-based research project focusing on a specific issue in art education or a related field and how it can be understood, solved or otherwise addressed, typically in the context of a practice setting such as a school or community.
• A Thesis seeks to create or add new knowledge to the field of art education. It has a theoretical base, but may include practical components.

Advanced Studio Methods is an opportunity to build upon prior studio elective encounters through self-directed and more ambitious art making opportunities. Pursuing individual, advanced outcomes often requires disappearing into the studio to explore or experiment for a directed period. Permutations and small moves permit an investigation beyond a solid starting point for an accumulation of visual evidence to support studio concepts. Studio strategies, documentation and interactive encounters with faculty and peers permits regular advanced critique opportunities. Outcomes will be expected to engage contemporary art making issues.

This interdisciplinary studio course explores narrative and storytelling as inspiration and material for artmaking. Students will examine how to perceive and communicate stories, making works rooted in narrative with an emphasis on experimentation.

This class introduces installation as an art form, creating connections between contemporary art, your art practice, interior and exterior space, site / location, the everyday, the ephemeral, and critical theory.

Self Image + Metaphor investigates identity in a contemporary context. By exploring the self-portrait throughout historical and contemporary art practices, students will draw from their own image and identity to create original works of art. Utilizing traditional and metaphorical ways to express the self, this course will explore a variety of drawing and painting techniques, including mixed and alternative media.

The course will focus on small scale figurative elements in both vessel and sculpture, surface decoration and design, and basic kiln process and maintenance. Projects will focus heavily on the illustrative and narrative qualities that can be produced in ceramic medium. Previous use of clay is highly recommended, and a basic understanding of plaster and electric kilns is suggested, but not necessary.

Big Color Monotypes involves the study of color theories in conjunction with print studio problems. This approach allows the student to investigate the physical, perceptual, psychological, and organizational properties of color via collagraph, monotypes, and relief print outcomes.
Printmaking provides a forum where new ideas and devices for mark making are discovered and explored; where learning is experienced through discussions, site visits, experiments, demonstrations, collaborative techniques, and sharing. Individual print experiments will yield common vernaculars for group collaborations and large installations.

In this course, students will learn various sculptural process and construction techniques utilizing common materials including polymer clays, cardboard, and plaster. We will explore personal ideas and concept progression through research, sketchbooks, discussions, and critique.