The Studio Art Major in Honors and Course, and the Honors Minor
Requirements for Admission to the Major
Requirements for Completion of the Major (both Honors and Course)
Studio Art Majors and the 20-Course Rule
Study Abroad
Honors Program
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO THE MAJOR
1) Overall Average of C or better in all courses taken during the two semesters preceding the time of application. For a Double Major the overall Average must be B.
2) Completion of at least one course in art history and one course in studio art at Swarthmore with grades of B or better.
3) A student may be asked to present a portfolio as evidence of ability to see, describe, and analyze visual phenomena critically.
REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE MAJOR
All Art Majors, in both course and honors programs, are required to take 11 courses to fulfill major requirements:
- 1) Seven credits of Studio Art:
-
STUA 001: Foundation Drawing, (Or, STUA 0018: First-Year Seminar: Making Art)
Studio art course in a 2-D medium
Studio art course in a 3-D medium
1 studio art elective
1 studio art advanced credit to be taken in the Spring of your Junior year as the Junior Workshop (STUA 020 or another course designated as an advanced credit)
STUA 030: Senior Workshop 1
STUA 040: Senior Workshop 11
- 2) Four credits of Art History which must include:
- ARTH 002: Western Art
Notes:
• Five credits in studio art, including the distribution in 2D, 3D, and Junior Workshop must be completed before entry to STUA030: Senior Workshop 1.
THE 2D, 3D, AND ADVANCED CREDIT REQUIREMENTS MUST BE TAKEN AT SWARTHMORE.
• Students are encouraged to consult with professors and advisors about art history selections relevant to their interests.
• The Senior Art Major is required to mount a one-person exhibition in the school gallery representing a culmination in their studio work. This exhibition and accompanying artist statement, (of no less than 2500 words), is the comprehensive examination for the art major. Senior exhibitions are scheduled during the last few weeks of the spring semester each year.
• There is no course minor in studio art.
STUDIO ART MAJORS AND THE 20-COURSE RULE
It is a college requirement that 20 of the 32 credits required for graduation must be OUTSIDE the major. This means that one can take no more than 12 courses in the major, unless one graduates with more than 32 credits, in which case the surplus can also be in the major. The major in Art History requires 10 credits of work, while the major in Art requires 11 credits of work. A student could take 2 more credits in art history or one more credit in studio art before the 20 course rule could become a problem.
For Art Majors, both art history and studio art credits count as within the Major. If graduating with 32 credits, an Art Major would take the required 4 art history and 7 studio credits and could take up to 1 more credit in art history and/or studio art (for a total of 12 in the Major). A Studio Art Major graduating with 32 credits could not take more than 8 studio credits.
STUDY ABROAD
The Art Department strongly encourages those with an interest in art and its history to consider incorporating foreign study--either during a summer or a regular academic term--into their Swarthmore program. Important examples of art and architecture are scattered throughout the world, and the encounter with works still imbedded in their original context is vital to an understanding of their historical and contemporary significance. Past experience has shown, however, that art courses in most foreign study programs fall considerably below the academic standards of comparable courses at Swarthmore. Students who are interested in bettering their chances of gaining a full Swarthmore credit for a course taken in a foreign program are advised to meet with either the Studio Art Coordinator and/or the Art History Coordinator, before leaving the campus.
Note: Study abroad for Junior Studio Art Majors should take place prior to the Spring semester of the Junior year.
HONORS IN STUDIO ART:
Requirements for admission to Honors do not differ from those for admission to the Course major.
Major
1. An Honors Major in Art will present 2 preparations in studio art and 1 preparation in art history.
2. Each of the two studio preparations will consist of two paired studio courses. The examiner of each preparation will receive the syllabus for both courses and slides representing the body of work produced in them and will examine the student in an individual oral of 30 minutes.
a) One preparation pair will consist of STUA 030 Senior Workshop 1 and STUA 040 Senior Workshop 11.
b) The second pair might consist of a intermediate and an advanced course in a specific medium, OR two courses with a different approach to the same medium,(ex: Pottery and Ceramic Sculpture, Drawing and Life Drawing). OR, two related courses, (ex: Ceramic Sculpture and Sculpture, Drawing and Photography, Drawing and Works on Paper, Drawing and Painting)
ALL PREPARATIONS FOR HONORS MUST BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY THE DEPARTMENT.
Notes:
- Studio courses taken at an institution outside of Swarthmore cannot count towards an honors studio preparation.
- Only courses taught by regularly teaching faculty in studio art can be applied towards a preparation. Courses taught by regularly returning adjuncts might be applied pending department approval.
- Honors preparations approved in the sophomore year must be adhered to. Any later changes to your program as it relates to preparations, must be approved by the department.
3. The preparation in art history will consist of one 2-credit seminar.
a) The prerequisite for any art history seminar is 2 previous credits in art history, including ARTH 002.
b) All majors in Art, whether Course or Honors, must do 4 credits of art history work. Studio faculty may recommend particular art history courses as most relevant to a student's studio interests.
4. Honors candidates in Art must fulfill the Course Major requirements.
The pre-requisite for all studio work, unless waived, is STUA 001. The distribution requirements for 2-D and 3-D for the Honors Major in Studio Art are the same as those in course.
5. Honors study in Studio Art is comprised of a culminating exhibition of the student's studio work, with an accompanying artist essay of 3750 to 5000 words. Some of this work may figure in the selections of work presented for one or both of the course pairs described above, but the rationale for inclusion in the exhibition will differ. The artist essay will be sent to both examiners of studio preparations. A revision of a paper written previously for the art history preparation, will be sent to the art history examiner.
a) The SHS essay will differ from the artist essay written by course students in that it will integrate the preparations in studio and art history.
b) For Honors Majors, STUA 040 will count outside the Major for purposes of calculating the 20-course rule, since it serves as Senior Honors Study. It will be listed on the transcript not as STUA 040 but as Senior Honors Study.
c) If a student drops out of Honors after the drop/add period in the last semester, the SHS credit will receive a grade of NC. Senior Workshop 11 (STUA 040), assuming it had been successfully completed in the Spring, will then be listed on the transcript with the appropriate grade.
d) WARNING: if a student drops out of Honors, Senior Workshop 11 no longer counts as outside the major, but as within. A student who has taken 12 other credits within the department, and who is graduating with the minimum of 32 credits will then have 13 in the major and only 19 outside. Honors Studio Art Majors should be especially careful to take enough credits outside the department if they contemplate withdrawing from Honors.
Minor
1. An Honors Minor in Studio Art will present to the honors examiners one studio preparation consisting of STUA 030 Senior workshop 1 and STUA 040 Senior Workshop 11.
2. An Art Minor in Studio Art must meet the same course requirements as the course major in studio art (see page 2, Art Major).
3. During the Spring semester of the senior year a minor will write a 2500 word artist essay to be sent to the examiner, along with the relevant syllabi and slides for the two-credit preparation.
For specific questions, contact the Art Department directly.