The Department of Art offers three majors: Art History and Criticism, Studio Art and Media/Art/Culture. The courses of study, while allowing students a considerable degree of choice, will also usually fulfill requirements for admission to graduate study or preparation for professional work in the field.
The department also offers three minors: Art History, Studio Art, and Digital Arts (see separate listing for DIA minor in this Bulletin).
Art History and Criticism looks at images, objects, and spaces throughout history and across geographic regions. Majors and minors acquire a broad foundation in art history at the introductory level. Majors may then choose whether to specialize in a certain area, or continue to explore more broadly across different fields and perspectives, from ancient to modern and contemporary, and across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, including traditional fields of painting, sculpture and architecture, as well as digital technologies, photography and film. We also provide exposure to museum, gallery and curatorial studies through coursework and internships.
Media/Art/Culture is a specialized interdisciplinary curriculum that brings together art history, film and media history, and photography, film and digital media studio practice. The program offers courses informed by histories of media, technology, and art, explored through specific social and cultural formations. Students engage critically with diverse topics and issues at the intersection of digital art, media, technology, and culture. Students acquire the practical skills to create innovative work in digital media, including writing, photography, video, sound, interactive, computational and internet based media. Coursework emphasizes cross-disciplinary, project- based, and collaborative learning; students practice working on their own and in teams using theory and practice in ways that will help prepare them to contribute in a wide range of contemporary workplaces. We prepare students to be socially aware global citizens who think critically about how to make positive change in a society that is ever increasingly shaped by new and emerging technologies.
Studio Art majors concentrate on the creative, technical, and practical aspects of the Fine Arts. They acquire a foundation in drawing, digital media and 2-dimensional/ 3-dimensional design, and select one of three areas of concentration to specialize in. The areas of concentration include: painting, drawing, and printmaking; photography, digital and electronic media; and sculpture and ceramics. Beyond their areas of specialization, students have the opportunity to take elective courses in all of the disciplines. Studio Art majors are expected to acquire a sound foundation in art history and criticism to inform and inspire their own creative work. Students have on and off-campus internship and exhibition opportunities, as well as faculty mentors to guide them in preparing for graduate studies, and professional work and creative opportunities.
Department of Art graduates who go on to work in the discipline usually acquire some postgraduate training, that may include anything from a few additional courses to such advanced graduate degrees as the M.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D. Studio Art graduates hold teaching positions up to and including the college, university, and professional school level; others work as independent artists, printers, photographers, and designers. Art History and Criticism graduates hold teaching positions in colleges and universities; others work as gallery or museum administrators, or as art critics, among other career paths.
Requirements for the Major in Studio Art (ARS)
The major in Studio Art leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the major requires 57 credits. Studio Art transfer students must take at least 18 upper division ARS credits for the major at Stony Brook.
1. Choose two of the following foundation courses:
2. Area of Concentration (18 credits) including a minimum of four upper-division studio classes in one of the following (may include ARS 420, ARS 487, ARS 491, ARS 492, ARS 495 when appropriate):
3. Electives: Seven additional studio classes
4. Art History and Criticism courses including:
5. Upper-Division Writing/WRTD Requirement:
Note: Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.
Art Department Residency Requirement
Studio Art transfer students must take at least 18 upper division ARS credits for the major at Stony Brook.
Honors Program in Art
The honors program is open to seniors majoring in Art History and Criticism or Studio Art who have maintained a grade point average of at least 3.00 overall and 3.50 in the major. The student should apply for the honors program before the beginning of the senior year. The student must find a faculty member of the Department to act as sponsor. The student, with the approval of the sponsor, must submit a proposal of a project, in writing, to the Department. Acceptance into the honors program depends on the approval of the proposal by the Department. Selected students for the program must enroll in ARH 495 or ARS 495 for the semester in which they pursue their project.
In the art history/criticism field, the student’s research project is supervised by the honors advisor. In the studio art field, the student is expected to prepare a small one-person show or similar project (i.e., one large, more ambitious work) in lieu of a thesis, under the supervision of the honors advisor. The student’s project is judged by a jury composed of at least two members of the Department of Art. This pertains to students in both the Art History and Criticism and Studio Art majors. If the honors program is completed with distinction, and the student achieves a 3.50 grade point average in all art courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.
Requirements for the Minor in Studio Art (ARS)
All courses offered for the minor must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the minor in Studio Art requires 21 credits.
1. ARS 154 Foundations of Drawing
2. Eighteen additional studio credits, of which at least nine must be upper division
| FRESHMAN |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
| WRT 101 | 3 |
| ARS 154 | 3 |
| ARH 202 or ARH 204 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
| WRT 102 | 3 |
| ARS 225 | 3 |
| ARH 206 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SOPHOMORE |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 322 | 3 |
| ARH 324 | 3 |
| ARS 255 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARS 350 | 3 |
| ARS 351 | 3 |
| ARS 352 | 3 |
| CDT 317 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| JUNIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARS 364 | 3 |
| ARS 366 | 3 |
| ARS 381 | 3 |
| ARS 326 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARS 318 | 3 |
| ARS 325 | 3 |
| ARS 327 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SENIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| Upper-division ARS | 6 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| Upper-division ARS | 6 |
| Electives in other department or internship | 6 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Major and Minor in Studio Art
Department of Art, College of Arts and Sciences
Chair: Margaret Schedel
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Lorena Salcedo-Watson
Assistant to the Chair: Laura Sisti
Office: 2224 Staller Center for the Arts
Phone: (631) 632-7250
Website: http://art.stonybrook.edu/undergraduate/ug-ars/
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Studio Art: Digital Arts (DIA), Art History (ARH), Media Arts (MDA)