Elements of Style Courses: 2012-2013
ART 1. Elements of Style in Art History. Fall, Spring. The Department. 3 meetings weekly. Block G or H. Half credit. This course introduces students to the elements of style in painting, sculpture, and architecture. Students will gain an appreciation of works from diverse cultures and periods, ranging from Japanese teahouses to Bauhaus pavilions, from Sung Dynasty landscapes to contemporary photorealism, from Nigerian bronzes to Bernini fountains. Students will develop the vocabulary of art criticism, learn the tectonic elements of architecture, and explore the concept of the period-style. Through writing approximately eight essays over the course of the semester, students will become increasingly confident in their critical judgment.
ART 2. Elements of Style in Music. Fall, Spring. The Department. 3 meetings weekly. Block G or H. Half credit. This course provides an introduction to perceptive listening, a survey of the history of music, and a chance to make music. The class will begin with a discussion of some elements of music, melody, rhythm, timbre, and a study of musical instruments and the nature of sound production. Students will then create music by spending time singing in a group setting and composing music using Hyperscore software. We will continue with a brief chronological study of the history of Western music from Medieval Gregorian chants and Renaissance madrigals to the Baroque and Classical works of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, through nineteenth-century-romantic piano and orchestral compositions to the neoclassicism of Stravinsky, serialism of Schoenberg, and jazz of Duke Ellington. Students will complete the course having gained a new appreciation of music’s ability to express the soul of its creator and move the heart of its listener. Incoming members of Class III are encouraged to take this course if they wish to pursue upper level electives in music.
ART 3. Elements of Style in Visual Perception. Fall, Spring. The Department. 3 meetings weekly. Block G or H. Half credit. This course is designed to develop a student's ability to see, recognize, and come to terms with various artistic forms. Students will be introduced to drawing, color theory, composition, design, three-dimensional forms, perspective, and collage.
ART 4. Elements of Style in Theatre. Fall, Spring. The Department. 3 meetings weekly. Block G or H. Half credit. This course will serve as an introduction to American realistic theatre. Recognizing that theatre is a study of the human, students will be asked to explore and define human behavior. Much attention will be paid to the motivations behind human language and action. The class will culminate in a public performance of scenes in the theater.
