| Top: Musicking |
Visual and Critical Studies |
3001 (001) |
Fall 2026 |
|
Description
Musicking is an analytical methodology developed by musicologist Christopher Small which redefines music as a verb and a performance of social relations wherein producer and audience reciprocally participate. This course uses this approach as a starting point towards broader definitions of participatory culture and investigations of other sensorial media that intersect or compliment musical participation. We examine music's unique position in 'Visual' Studies, fluidly situated between so-called 'high' and 'low' artforms, between pop-culture and creative practice.
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Class Number
2191
Credits
3
|
| Tutorial in Visual and Critical Studies |
Visual and Critical Studies |
3010 (001) |
Spring 2026 |
|
Description
This course will provide a link between Issues in Visual and Critical Studies, required of all first-year B.A. students, and the Thesis Seminar required in their final year. Typically, students will take this course at the end of their second year of full-time study. Building on the Issues course, early in the course students will read material that suggests the range of possibilities for visual and critical studies. Then each student will undertake a project that focuses on some aspect of visual and critical studies of particular interest to them. The project must include a substantial written component, although it might also make use of other media. Student presentation of their projects, as works in progress and then completed work, will provide opportunity for discussion of how they might give coherence to their final semesters of study. This will include suggestions for connections they might make among different aspects of their education, and will serve as an early stage in the process of developing a senior thesis project.
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Class Number
1806
Credits
3
|
| Top: Musicking |
Liberal Arts |
3252 (005) |
Fall 2026 |
|
Description
Musicking is an analytical methodology developed by musicologist Christopher Small which redefines music as a verb and a performance of social relations wherein producer and audience reciprocally participate. This course uses this approach as a starting point towards broader definitions of participatory culture and investigations of other sensorial media that intersect or compliment musical participation. We examine music's unique position in 'Visual' Studies, fluidly situated between so-called 'high' and 'low' artforms, between pop-culture and creative practice.
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Class Number
1674
Credits
3
|
| CAPX Internship |
Career and Professional Experience |
4001 (002) |
Fall 2026 |
|
Description
This course is designed to provide students an opportunity to gain experience as interns in professional arts and design environments and prepare for professional life after SAIC. During the semester, faculty provide in-depth mentorship and act as liaison with the internship site supporting students meet their learning goals as outlined for the semester. Through group meetings and online discussions, students engage with a peer cohort of students participating in a variety of internships. Students work on-site at internships for a total of 140 hours (approx 14 hours per week) for the term. In addition to successfully completing the internship, students will conduct an informational interview with their employer, attend 4 class meetings and an onsite meeting with the faculty and supervisor, complete an internship supervisor evaluation, revise their resume, and update their online portfolio, website, or professional profile.
Students are required to secure an internship prior to the start of the semester. Internships must be approved by the Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) office. Students are encouraged to meet with a CAPX advisor for assistance with researching and applying for internships. In order to begin the internship approval process students should go to https://bit.ly/35vmTTM. Upon approval, course registration is managed by CAPX.
Note that international students must receive CPT authorization prior to participating in an off-campus internship.
Internships may be in-person, hybrid, or virtual; however all four class meetings are virtual. Class meeting day and time are determined by the faculty.
|
Class Number
1344
Credits
1.5 - 3
|
| CAPX Internship |
Career and Professional Experience |
4001 (004) |
Summer 2026 |
|
Description
This course is designed to provide students an opportunity to gain experience as interns in professional arts and design environments and prepare for professional life after SAIC. During the semester, faculty provide in-depth mentorship and act as liaison with the internship site supporting students meet their learning goals as outlined for the semester. Through group meetings and online discussions, students engage with a peer cohort of students participating in a variety of internships. Students work on-site at internships for a total of 140 hours (approx 14 hours per week) for the term. In addition to successfully completing the internship, students will conduct an informational interview with their employer, attend 4 class meetings and an onsite meeting with the faculty and supervisor, complete an internship supervisor evaluation, revise their resume, and update their online portfolio, website, or professional profile.
Students are required to secure an internship prior to the start of the semester. Internships must be approved by the Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) office. Students are encouraged to meet with a CAPX advisor for assistance with researching and applying for internships. In order to begin the internship approval process students should go to https://bit.ly/35vmTTM. Upon approval, course registration is managed by CAPX.
Note that international students must receive CPT authorization prior to participating in an off-campus internship.
Internships may be in-person, hybrid, or virtual; however all four class meetings are virtual. Class meeting day and time are determined by the faculty.
|
Class Number
1155
Credits
1.5 - 3
|
| UGRD: Senior Exhibition (Fall) |
Undergraduate Studies |
4921 (003) |
Fall 2026 |
|
Description
Students who enroll in Capstone: Senior Exhibition (Fall) will participate in the fall exhibition at SAIC Galleries and will be ineligible to participate in the spring exhibition. Students enrolling in this course must have senior status--90 credits or more completed--when the Fall semester begins.
This interdisciplinary capstone class is designed to help students recognize patterns of inquiry within their practice and to help contextualize their work in preparation for their Senior Exhibition. An assessment of previous work will be the starting point for ongoing critical inquiry into your creative professional practice, and how you might position and locate your own work in the art-worlds of the 21st Century.
Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary. Class visits by local artists will provide the opportunity to have a conversation about their lived experience sustaining a creative practice.
With an emphasis on faculty mentorship, class meetings will support the development of a body of work or project for the Senior Exhibition, building a strong portfolio, and planning for post-SAIC life.
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Class Number
1331
Credits
3
|
| UGRD: Senior Exhibition (Spring) |
Undergraduate Studies |
4922 (001) |
Spring 2026 |
|
Description
Students who enroll in Capstone: Senior Exhibition must have been assigned the Spring exhibition at SAIC Galleries. The Spring exhibition assignment takes place in the preceding term (Fall). Enrollment in this course will only be permitted for students eligible for the Spring exhibition. Students who fail to subsequently complete the Spring exhibition registration process may not ultimately participate in this exhibition-focused course.
This interdisciplinary capstone class is designed to help students recognize patterns of inquiry within their practice and to help contextualize their work in preparation for their Senior Exhibition. The class will collaboratively organize a group curated section of the exhibition. Students will tackle both critical and practical aspects of exhibition planning from writing conceptual supporting texts to the nuts-and-bolts methods of installation and preparator work. An assessment of previous work will be the starting point for ongoing critical inquiry into your creative professional practice, and how you might position and locate your own work in the art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary. Class visits by local artists will provide the opportunity to have a conversation about their lived experience sustaining a creative practice. With an emphasis on faculty mentorship, class meetings will support the development of a body of work or project for the Senior Exhibition, building a strong portfolio, and planning for post-SAIC life.
Prerequisite: To enroll, students must be assigned to the Spring exhibition at SAIC Galleries. Assignments take place in the preceding term (Fall). Students who fail to complete the registration process may not ultimately take this course.
|
Class Number
1147
Credits
3
|
| Spine Intensive |
Undergraduate Studies |
4999 (001) |
Winter 2026 |
|
Description
How do you shape your creative or scholarly practice while leveraging transferrable skills to support your future career plans? Spine Intensive is a multi-level course for BFA Studio students who need to fulfill any one of their required Academic Spine classes: Sophomore Seminar, the Junior Professional Practice, or the Senior Capstone. This course offers students interdisciplinary approaches to critically evaluating and effectively communicating their creative practice or research interests in relation to their academic or career aspirations. Through essential readings, assignments, studio projects, and writing, students will develop the ability to articulate clear narratives that not only explain the purpose and process of their art making or research driven practice, but also translate these narratives into actionable plans to advance their work and post graduation interests. Students will receive individualized assignments aligned specifically with the level of course requirement being fulfilled as well as one on one advising with faculty as they develop documentation of their work, a statement of purpose, resumes and other applicable materials to support their academic development and career readiness. Spine Intensive can only be taken once to for credit.
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Class Number
1047
Credits
3
|
| CAPX Internship - GR |
Career and Professional Experience |
5001 (002) |
Fall 2026 |
|
Description
This course is designed to provide students an opportunity to gain experience as interns in professional arts and design environments and prepare for professional life after SAIC. During the semester, faculty provide in-depth mentorship and act as liaison with the internship site supporting students meet their learning goals as outlined for the semester. Through group meetings and online discussions, students engage with a peer cohort of students participating in a variety of internships. Students work on-site at internships for a total of 140 hours (approx 14 hours per week) for the term. In addition to successfully completing the internship, students will conduct an informational interview with their employer, attend 4 class meetings and an onsite meeting with the faculty and supervisor, complete an internship supervisor evaluation, revise their resume, and update their online portfolio, website, or professional profile.
Students are required to secure an internship prior to the start of the semester. Internships must be approved by the Career and Professional Experience (CAPX) office. Students are encouraged to meet with a CAPX advisor for assistance with researching and applying for internships. In order to begin the internship approval process students should go to https://bit.ly/35vmTTM. Upon approval, course registration is managed by CAPX.
Note that international students must receive CPT authorization prior to participating in an off-campus internship.
Internships may be in-person, hybrid, or virtual; however all four class meetings are virtual. Class meeting day and time are determined by the faculty.
|
Class Number
2061
Credits
1.5 - 3
|
