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This course will introduce students to basic techniques of working with sound as an artistic material. As a prerequisite for many of the department's upper level offerings, the class is designed to familiarize the student with both the technology and the historical and aesthetic background relevant to our facilities and courses, to the field of 'sound art' and experimental music in general, and to the application of sound in other disciplines (video, film, performance, installations, etc.)
This offering of Introduction to Sound Practices will focus on digital ways of working with sound - editing and mixing in Logic Pro, Modular Synthesis with VCV Rack, and sampling using the visual programming language Max/MSP. The physics of sound will be a recurring subject.
Examples of music and sound art, created using similar technology to that in our studios, will be played or performed and discussed in class. We will listen to artists such as Ryoji Ikeda, George Lewis, and Eliane Radigue, and read short texts by Jennifer Stoever, Bob Ostertag, and Luigi Russolo.
Students are expected to use studio time to complete weekly assignments, which are designed to hone technical skills and, in most cases, foster artistic innovation. These projects will include compositions exploring synthesis, sampling, and field recording.

Artists' Books is a beginning/intermediate level course that focuses on the fundamental techniques of bookbinding so as to be able to design and produce one or an edition of artists' books and boxes. The class begins by learning a range of traditional binding techniques, discussing material choices, and learning about the history of artists' books. Later on breaking out of the box to take risks, explore concepts and unconventional materials will be strongly encouraged for individual projects. In addition, the intention of this class is to meld your own studio work and personal expression with the form of artists' books.

Through this course, students will learn techniques traditionally used in working with fur to reimagine materials from faux fur and upcycled materials, to felt, leather, suede and woven fabrics. Focused in the introduction and use of specialized industrial sewing machines specifically designed to stitch fur like materials, students will learn designing, pattern cutting, and construction for garments and accessories, and will explore the history and future of fur and fur like fabrics both as a material and an embellishment. Students will design and create one full garment.

This drawing studio serves as a broad introduction to historical and contemporary drawing practices. This course presents drawing as an organizer of thought, experience, and image.

Students will investigate a full range of drawing materials and supports. Lectures and exercises introduce various concepts of drawing, possibly including illusionistic form and space, gesture and expressive mark-making, or collage and found imagery, depending on the instructor?s emphasis.

Designed to accommodate many skill levels, students can explore various creative strategies through technical drawing exercises, material explorations, and individual projects. Structured classroom critiques will bring drawing concepts into personal student work.

This course introduces students to digital pattern-making for fashion. Students learn to use the CAD hardware and software, designing and modifying patterns virtually. This includes digitizing/converting hard patterns to digital files, modifying existing stock patterns, textile printing, 3-D visualization, and plotting sample patterns. Students receive a hands-on approach to developing virtual patterns through fabric testing, using body measurements, and assembling prototypes for final design approval. Other industry skills are developed, such as creating pattern cards, cutter's musts, grading, and marker making.

Join our trip to Peru to discover a unique experience while gaining insight into South America's large tradition of textile crafts as well as other artistic practices. In addition to our in-depth study of textiles, we will also concentrate on art as a catalyst for intercultural exchange, focusing on the rich vibrant indigenous Quechuan communities of the Peruvian Highlands. During the course students will have a series of practicums focusing on backstrap weaving, service projects, ritualistic ceremonies, and interactions with local indigenous communities, as we will embrace cultural tourism as a means of inter-cultural exchange through our social interactions. Another focus is the pre-Hispanic archaeological sites located in the Sacred Valley, with a visit to Machu Picchu as a highlight.

Join our trip to Peru to discover a unique experience while gaining insight into South America's large tradition of textile crafts as well as other artistic practices. In addition to our in-depth study of textiles, we will also concentrate on art as a catalyst for intercultural exchange, focusing on the rich vibrant indigenous Quechuan communities of the Peruvian Highlands. During the course students will have a series of practicums focusing on backstrap weaving, service projects, ritualistic ceremonies, and interactions with local indigenous communities, as we will embrace cultural tourism as a means of inter-cultural exchange through our social interactions. Another focus is the pre-Hispanic archaeological sites located in the Sacred Valley, with a visit to Machu Picchu as a highlight.

Siena is a hill town in Tuscany that was first settled by the Etruscans in 900 ¿ 400 BC. It reached its peak as a political, economic and artistic center in the Medieval period from 1150 ¿ 1350 AD. During those years it prospered, enjoying a ¿golden¿ era as an independent republic with a representative government, where enlightened trade and economic philosophies fostered modern banking practices and distinctive styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture developed in the service of aesthetic pleasure and civic pride. Today, Siena's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city's art, medieval architecture, museums, archives, university and cuisine are internationally renowned.
Living the Past in the Present will use the archival and cultural resources there to give young artists greater insight into how historical interests and study can serve as a catalyst for their own growth and work as contemporary artists and thinkers. We will be interacting with artists, historians, archivists, art and architecture conservators, scientists and ordinary Sienese to understand how the experience of growing up, living, working and creating in a place with hundreds of years of vibrant historical and cultural traditions affects contemporary identity and expression.
Our time on the study trip will primarily be used for visiting and learning about sites, collections, and the people who study and live amongst them. We will also be gathering reference information to document what we are looking at and learning about: sketches, drawings, lists, diagrams, photographs, research notes, and reflective writing. There will be two assignments (one studio, one academic) that we will work on in Siena.

Siena is a hill town in Tuscany that was first settled by the Etruscans in 900 ¿ 400 BC. It reached its peak as a political, economic and artistic center in the Medieval period from 1150 ¿ 1350 AD. During those years it prospered, enjoying a ¿golden¿ era as an independent republic with a representative government, where enlightened trade and economic philosophies fostered modern banking practices and distinctive styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture developed in the service of aesthetic pleasure and civic pride. Today, Siena's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the city's art, medieval architecture, museums, archives, university and cuisine are internationally renowned.
Living the Past in the Present will use the archival and cultural resources there to give young artists greater insight into how historical interests and study can serve as a catalyst for their own growth and work as contemporary artists and thinkers. We will be interacting with artists, historians, archivists, art and architecture conservators, scientists and ordinary Sienese to understand how the experience of growing up, living, working and creating in a place with hundreds of years of vibrant historical and cultural traditions affects contemporary identity and expression.
Our time on the study trip will primarily be used for visiting and learning about sites, collections, and the people who study and live amongst them. We will also be gathering reference information to document what we are looking at and learning about: sketches, drawings, lists, diagrams, photographs, research notes, and reflective writing. There will be two assignments (one studio, one academic) that we will work on in Siena.

In this Study Trip Intensive, students will learn about the dynamic art histories of Mexican American/Chicanx, Black American and other contemporary artists living and working in Los Angeles. Students will visit museums, galleries, and community centers dedicated to nurturing, showcasing, and archiving the art of people of color, including Black- and Latinx-founded art institutions. Students will meet curators, artists and other art professionals, be given private tours to view historical sites and modern and contemporary art, including MOCA, the Brick, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture; LACMA, The Hammer Museum. The Watts Towers, Human Resources and the Performance Art Museum. The class will participate in at least one artist-led art-making workshop and visit the studios of a wide range of Los Angeles based artists including Rafa Esparza, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Charles Gaines, Patty Chang, Laura Owens, Nakita Gale, Rebecca Morris, Mark Bradford, Cauleen Smith, Anna Sew Hoy, Anna Betbeze, Brooklin A. Soumahoro, and Carolyn Castaño.

In this Study Trip Intensive, students will learn about the dynamic art histories of Mexican American/Chicanx, Black American and other contemporary artists living and working in Los Angeles. Students will visit museums, galleries, and community centers dedicated to nurturing, showcasing, and archiving the art of people of color, including Black- and Latinx-founded art institutions. Students will meet curators, artists and other art professionals, be given private tours to view historical sites and modern and contemporary art, including MOCA, the Brick, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture; LACMA, The Hammer Museum. The Watts Towers, Human Resources and the Performance Art Museum. The class will participate in at least one artist-led art-making workshop and visit the studios of a wide range of Los Angeles based artists including Rafa Esparza, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Charles Gaines, Patty Chang, Laura Owens, Nakita Gale, Rebecca Morris, Mark Bradford, Cauleen Smith, Anna Sew Hoy, Anna Betbeze, Brooklin A. Soumahoro, and Carolyn Castaño.

This seminar explores the politics and practices of a countersexual society, drawing on the framework developed by trans studies scholar Paul B. Preciado. This framework challenges the heteronormative social order and reimagines the body as a space for freedom and expression. The course critically engages with traditional narratives of gender, race, and sexuality, examining the oppressive conventions that sustain them. We will investigate countersexual practices¿such as casual pleasure, pain, race play, drug use, and BDSM¿as sites of political action and resistance, reframing them as alternatives to normative structures. Our inquiry will begin with an examination of sexuality in early 20th-century sexology and feminism, extending to more recent trends in queer of color critique, Black feminism, and trans studies. Additionally, we will explore contemporary case studies in performance and body art to understand the role of the body¿s materiality in pursuing a countersexual revolution.

Symbiosis describes the relationships that bind organisms in a life together. Symbioses can be between species or within species¿bee to flower, mother to child, and even parasite to host. Drawing from ecological, evolutionary, and behavioral research, we will carefully consider the dynamics of cooperation and dependency across cells, food webs, and even urban neighborhood. Studying symbiosis is not only a window into a myriad of extraordinary biological relations, it is also fundamental to systems thinking in the context of sustainability. Weekly readings, in-class exercises, small collaborative projects will be integral to our study, leading to an understanding of how observation and experiment can help us unpack the many complexities of living together.
We will consider the work by Lynn Margulis, Robin Wall-Kimmerer, Charles Darwin,Suzanne Simard, Harry Harlow, Thomas Schelling, Vi Hart, and many others.
Weekly readings, in-class and out-of-class exercises, small collaborative projects.

Artists of all walks of life have made the plunge over the last two decades to create work digitally with a tablet. This skills-based intensive will investigate a wide range of digital drawing techniques, best practices, and formal concerns as they relate to comics specifically utilizing ProCreate and Adobe Illustrator software.
Examples will vary but typically include vertical scroll webcomics, editorial cartoons, caricature, and publication asset design.
Students can expect short technical assignments to make up the majority of this course. Students are expected to provide their own iPad and laptop for this course.

This course is an introduction to the User Interface (UI) / User Experience (UX) principles, issues, and methods of user-centered responsive web design (mobile, tablet, and laptop).
Students design a website of their choice, in two ways. The first way is making the website with Figma (2 weeks), and the second way translates the Figma website into a simplified HTML/ CSS website made with Dreamweaver (1 week).
Principles, issues and methods explored include: problem-solving processes, content organization / wireframes, navigation strategies, usability principles, interface look and feel, interface design elements, user requirements /specifications, audience analysis, and professional best practices.
This course is for students from all departments who may have no previous web design experience, as well as those with some experience who want to explore web design in new ways. There are no prerequisites for this course, and all necessary software skills will be taught in class.

Come to Peru and encounter a unique experience while gaining insight into South America's large tradition of textile crafts as well as other artistic practices. In addition to our in-depth study of textiles, we will also concentrate on art as a catalyst for intercultural exchange, focusing on the rich vibrant indigenous Quechuan communities of the Peruvian Highlands. A series of practicums focusing on backstrap weaving, service projects, ritualistic ceremonies, and interactions with local indigenous communities, we will embrace cultural tourism as a means of inter-cultural exchange through our social interactions. Another focus is the pre-Hispanic archaeological sites located in the Sacred Valley, with a visit to Machu Picchu as a highlight.

Come to Peru and encounter a unique experience while gaining insight into South America's large tradition of textile crafts as well as other artistic practices. In addition to our in-depth study of textiles, we will also concentrate on art as a catalyst for intercultural exchange, focusing on the rich vibrant indigenous Quechuan communities of the Peruvian Highlands. A series of practicums focusing on backstrap weaving, service projects, ritualistic ceremonies, and interactions with local indigenous communities, we will embrace cultural tourism as a means of inter-cultural exchange through our social interactions. Another focus is the pre-Hispanic archaeological sites located in the Sacred Valley, with a visit to Machu Picchu as a highlight.

Siena is a hill town in Tuscany that was first settled by the Etruscans in 900 - 400 BC. It reached its peak as a political, economic, and artistic center in the Medieval period from 1150 to 1350 AD. During those years, it prospered, enjoying a ¿golden¿ era as an independent republic with a representative government, where enlightened trade and economic philosophies fostered modern banking practices and distinctive styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture developed in the service of aesthetic pleasure and civic pride. Today, Siena¿s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city¿s art, medieval architecture, museums, archives, university, and cuisine are internationally renowned.

This course will use the archival and cultural resources there to give artists greater insight into how historical interests and study can serve as a catalyst for their own growth and work as contemporary artists and thinkers. We will be interacting with historians, curators, art and architecture conservators, scientists, and ordinary Sienese to understand how the experience of living, working, and creating in a place with hundreds of years of vibrant historical and cultural traditions affects contemporary identity and expression.

Siena is a hill town in Tuscany that was first settled by the Etruscans in 900 - 400 BC. It reached its peak as a political, economic, and artistic center in the Medieval period from 1150 to 1350 AD. During those years, it prospered, enjoying a ¿golden¿ era as an independent republic with a representative government, where enlightened trade and economic philosophies fostered modern banking practices and distinctive styles of painting, sculpture, and architecture developed in the service of aesthetic pleasure and civic pride. Today, Siena¿s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city¿s art, medieval architecture, museums, archives, university, and cuisine are internationally renowned.

This course will use the archival and cultural resources there to give artists greater insight into how historical interests and study can serve as a catalyst for their own growth and work as contemporary artists and thinkers. We will be interacting with historians, curators, art and architecture conservators, scientists, and ordinary Sienese to understand how the experience of living, working, and creating in a place with hundreds of years of vibrant historical and cultural traditions affects contemporary identity and expression.

This course explores the theme of estrangement in literature, examining how characters, narrators, and societies experience alienation, dislocation, and otherness. We will analyze texts that depict estrangement through social, racial and philosophical lenses, considering how literary form and narrative structure contribute to feelings of displacement. Through close reading, discussion, and critical writing, students will engage with questions such as: How do literary techniques heighten feelings of estrangement? In what ways does estrangement function as a political or existential condition? And how does literature both reflect and resist social alienation? Readings will include theoretical works such as Mikhail Bakhtin¿s The Dialogic Imagination, which introduces concepts of heteroglossia and the carnival as spaces of subversion, and Ralph Ellison¿s Invisible Man, a novel that powerfully illustrates racial and existential alienation in 20th-century America. Additional readings may include works by Franz Kafka, Samuel Beckett, and Toni Morrison, among others.