Students must complete three credits in the Fine Arts category.

Fine Arts Expected Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes

Syllabi for courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Fine Arts requirement must provide course content that enables students to achieve the Expected Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes identified below. Course proposals may identify additional objectives from the list of Expected Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes as appropriate to the course content.

Informed Learners understand nature and society through forms of inquiry fundamental to the sciences, the humanities, and the arts. Learners are informed by knowledge and ways of knowing that extend beyond core concepts enabling them to link theory and practice.

As Informed Learners, students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

  • the ways of modeling the natural, social, and technical worlds.
  • the aesthetic facets of human experience.
  • the human imagination, expression, and traditions of many cultures.

Empowered Learners are critical thinkers who demonstrate intellectual agility and creativity and the ability to manage or create change. They are able to derive meaning from experience and observation. They communicate well in diverse settings and employ various strategies to solve problems. They are empowered through mastery of intellectual and practical skills.

As Empowered Learners, students will demonstrate:

  • the ability to transform information into knowledge and knowledge into judgment and action.
  • critical thinking skills, including analysis, application, and evaluation.

Responsible Learners are engaged citizens of a diverse democratic society who have a deep sense of social responsibility and ethical judgment. They are responsible for their personal actions and civic values.

As Responsible Learners, students will demonstrate:

  • an understanding of themselves and a respect for the identities, histories, and cultures of others.

Fine Arts Required Course Content

Courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Fine Arts requirement must enable students to develop an understanding of the nature of artistic inquiry and to develop a critical and aesthetic appreciation of artworks. Proposals for courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Fine Arts requirement must include:

  • foundational information on the process of creating one or more art forms through artworks that emphasize symbolic, affective, and imaginative ways of knowing in the visual and performing arts (i.e., studies in studio arts, music, dance, and theater arts).
  • readings, listenings, and/or viewing in the artistic discipline(s) of study.
  • close examination and interpretations of representative artworks.
  • an examination of artistic inquiry from a variety of cultural areas.
  • critical perspectives on artworks such as political, social, historical, or gender.
  • an exploration of the human creative process unique to artistic creation.
  • an experience of attending and responding to at least two arts events.
  • foundational information on methods of critical analysis of artwork.

Additionally, individuals proposing courses designed to fulfill the Liberal Studies Fine Arts requirement are encouraged to include:

  • an historical and chronological context for the creation of a particular form of art.
  • foundational information connecting classical art forms and ideas to the art of today.
  • collaborative experiences in a creative process.
  • writing or other forms of articulation for discourse within and among the artistic disciplines.
  • writing or other forms of articulation for discourse linking ideas of artistic creation to the larger topic of human experience.
  • instruction in methods of artistic creation.
  • direct engagement with art-making in the discipline.

Fine Arts Common Learning Objectives

All courses meeting this requirement will establish course objectives stating:

  • At the conclusion of the course, the student should be able to:
    • demonstrate understanding of the process(es) by which art forms are created—traditionally the visual and/or performing arts.
    • examine artistic inquiry amongst a variety of cultural areas.
    • find, access, and critically respond to at least two arts events.
    • demonstrate understanding of primary source material such as readings or works of art.