ART690: Capstone Intensive Studio

Moving beyond ART500, Capstone Intensive Studio is a unique opportunity for in-depth studio work dedicated to concept development and supported by the required investigation of working artists. This investigation will inform students' creative thinking and impact their independent studio practice. Increased individualized study provides students the opportunity to steer their work in fresh directions with serious focus. Through the purposeful research of art historical movements and contemporary artists, students will create a strong foundation for their capstone projects. This effort is supported by art readings, self-assigned The primary goal of the Department of Classical Languages is to develop in our students the ability to read and appreciate significant works of Greek and Latin literature in the original language. The Greeks and the Romans asked fundamental questions about what it means to be human: What is goodness? What is knowledge? These are not questions that afford easy or definite answers, but people like Plato and Vergil got the ball rolling and their voices still speak to us two thousand years later. To hear these voices is to reflect on how they have been received, resisted, used and misused by many cultures that followed. More importantly, their intrinsic brilliance and originality make them worth studying for their own sake. Translations are but a pale shadow of the real thing, so by learning Greek and Latin, students gain direct access to the thoughts and feelings of the authors themselves. Many of their works are as daring now as they were millennia ago, which may surprise those who equate "classical" with "oldfashioned." Some will provoke dissent, but rather than place Greco-Roman culture on a pedestal, we want our students to engage critically with it, which in turn encourages them to question systems of value and meaning in their own culture. To implement this goal, we have written our own introductory Latin textbook titled Ludus and our own introductory Greek textbook titled ????. Both follow the same set of principles: . We explicitly teach Latin and Greek grammar in a way that is student-centered and discussion-based. . We treat Latin and Greek not as puzzles to be decoded but as languages used to express meaning. . We ask students to read connected stories of historical and cultural interest. In addition, we believe that speaking, hearing and writing Latin and Greek will help them become better readers. prompts, concept proposals, class critiques, a studio journal, increased self-reflection and written responses to contemporary art issues. Each student will produce a capstone project that will be documented and published in a professionally printed artist book. By working collectively on this publication, students will learn how to professionally document their artwork, craft an effective artist statement, and understand their work within the greater context of the art world. This course culminates in an exhibition of capstone projects in the Mayer Art Center. The accompanying publication serves as an exhibition-in-print and visual anthology of the class capstones. Prerequisite: ART500. Open to all students.