Undergraduate courses

Foundation course in two-dimensional art making. Creative exploration of pictorial space, composition and design will occur via learning fundamentals of perspective, colour, shape, balance and unity. Approaches may include wet and dry media, digital technologies, printmaking, and collage. These will be addressed in the context of research, problem solving, visual fluency and conceptual development.

Foundation course in three-dimensional art making. Creative exploration may include media such as plaster, clay, wood, and found objects. Technical approaches may include mold-making, casting, additive and subtractive processes. Form, mass, volume and materials will be addressed in the context of research, problem solving, visual fluency and conceptual development.

An introductory course in current photographic methods, including digital photography, digital image processing and the presentation of photographs.

Introductory course in observational and representational drawing. Creative exploration includes mark-making, hand-eye co-ordination, proportions, perspective, line, texture, figure-ground relationships and pictorial composition. Approaches may include pencil, conté, charcoal, pastel, pen and ink. These will be addressed in the context of research, problem-solving, visual fluency and conceptual development.

History of and basic theory on the subject of video games, gaming, and games as art.

This course offers introductory perspectives on the history, purpose and practice of art therapy. It aims to acquaint students with the use of symbolic visual imagery and the creative process in relation to various aspects of clinical practice as well as through experiential exercises. This course will be of particular interest to students in fine arts, psychology, social work, education, nursing and medicine.

Further work in photography, using film and silver-based photographic materials including intensive use of the variables of exposure, film development and silver-based printing of photographic materials.

A critical exploration of the development of and discussions about different art movements in relation to Modern Art and the avant-garde, addressing the historical circumstances that enabled the creation of selected art movements, which may include Impressionism, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Cubism, Surrealism, Pop Art, Fluxus, and Situationist.

An introduction to the socio-political approaches and critical theories that have informed art-making in the contemporary period. Examines artworks and their production, circulation, and reception through a variety of positions including gender, race, sexuality, and post-coloniality.

An introductory course in current photographic methods, including digital photography, digital image processing and the presentation of photographs.

This course explores the techniques, structures, and possibilities of storytelling in which the reader / viewer can make decisions which impact the story itself. The course focuses on interactive storytelling as implemented in digital platforms such as video games, the internet, interactive fiction and film, and augmented / virtual reality. We will also discuss some examples of interactive storytelling in non-digital media. Students will learn concepts relevant to interactive storytelling, consider examples in a variety of genres, and complete assignments leading to the generation of an interactive story using tools appropriate for beginners.

An examination of art and architecture c. 400- 1400.

Generative art is the use of automation and algorithms to create artworks. We will discuss computer representations of images, graphics primitives, algorithms for describing visual artworks, the process of design in a generative context, and existing systems including artificial intelligence. 

Since the invention of photography, documentary images have played a powerful role in shaping contemporary art, journalism, and social, environmental and political activism. In this intermediate class, students will create documentary photographs using film or digital cameras. Students will explore the world they inhabit from diverse perspectives. Assignments will teach students to use manual camera settings (focus, aperture, shutter speed, ISO) and the importance of photo editing/selection and sequencing to investigate how ethics and aesthetics shape the way we document complex personal, local, national or global issues

This is an experiential, project-based course designed to increase the creativity capacity and innovation potential of each participant in their chosen field from across the discipline spectrum. Creativity theory and practice, design thinking and practice, communication, true collaboration, and entrepreneurial thinking are all components of study for meaningful , participant- driven, real-world projects for real-world audiences.

A critical investigation of a particular subject related to the advanced study of Art History and Visual Culture.

This course will introduce students to the practices of AI tools in digital art. Students will create work with the help of artificial intelligence and confront the literature and controversy surrounding its use in the modern art world.

Advanced studio inquiry into painting developing students’ foundational, technical and conceptual skills. Deeper exploration of painting will enable research creation directed toward self-generated practice. Activities will include workshops, studio practice and critique. 

Advanced studio inquiry into printmaking developing students’ technical and conceptual skills. The course will explore advanced practices in areas such as lithography,  screenprinting, intaglio, and photomechanical print processes.