Claire Trevor School of the Arts - Arts and Humanities

Arts and Humanities

101 Mesa Arts Building: (949) 824-6646
Jennifer Fisher, Co-Director (Arts)
Frank B. Wilderson III, Co-Director (Humanities)

Undergraduate Program / Courses

Core Faculty

Stephen Barker, Ph.D. University of Arizona, Associate Dean of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Professor of Drama, and Head of Doctoral Studies (post-modern theatre, Beckett, critical theory)

David Brodbeck, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, Department Chair and Professor of Music, and The Robert and Marjorie Rawlins Chair in Music (nineteenth- and twentieth-century music, popular music studies)

Bridget R. Cooks, Ph.D. University of Rochester, Associate Professor of African American Studies and Art History (African American art and culture, Black visual culture, museum criticism, film, feminist theory and postcolonial theory)

Jennifer Fisher, Ph.D. University of California, Riverside, Co-Director of the Arts and Humanities Major, Graduate Advisor, and Associate Professor of Dance (dance history and theory, ethnography, performance studies)

Anthony Kubiak, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Professor of Drama (American and modern drama, modern poetry, critical theory, philosophy)

Mark A. LeVine, Ph.D. New York University, Professor of History (modern Middle Eastern history, Islamic studies, histories of empire and globalization)

Simon Leung, B.A. University of California, Los Angeles, Professor of Studio Art (new genres, critical theory, contemporary art history)

Catherine Liu, Ph.D. City University of New York Graduate School and Center, Director of the Humanities Center and Professor of Film and Media Studies and of Comparative Literature (critical theory, Frankfurt School, surveillance, privacy, intellectual history of psychoanalysis, transnational New Waves, cultural revolutions)

Carrie J. Noland, Ph.D. Harvard University, Professor of French (twentieth-century poetry, literature of the avant-garde, and performance studies)

Frank B. Wilderson III, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Co-Director of the Humanities and Arts Major and Associate Professor of African American Studies and Drama (film theory, Marxism, dramaturgy, black political theory)

The major in Arts and Humanities allows motivated students to create their own interdisciplinary major with one focus in the School of the Arts and the other in the School of Humanities. Students work toward a critical and historical mastery of aesthetic theories and practices while learning about the process of making creative work. This humanist background will equip students to participate more effectively as artists, citizens, and critics in a world where critical thinking and creativity are vital to success in a variety of work environments.

Arts and Humanities students investigate the symbolic dimension of human behavior and identity, an interest shared by many critics and artists alike. Often, this interest is expressed in the context of interdisciplinary programs designed to facilitate contact among faculty and students from a wide range of different academic disciplines. This major's focus on the connection between practice and analysis distinguishes it from the broader and more diverse scope of more general interdisciplinary programs. The scholarly work of many UCI faculty in the Arts and Humanities lies at an intersection between the two academic units, and the major translates this intellectual and creative activity into a coherent curriculum and projects current forms of scholarship and artistic practice into the classroom.

CAREERS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES MAJOR

There is a steadily growing market in private industry for students whose training combines skills sharpened by both the Arts and Humanities. Business demands graduates with strong writing and analytic skills, talents stressed in the Humanities. They also desire people with creativity and visual skills who have experience putting their original ideas into practice, something emphasized in the Arts. Graduates of this program will be very attractive to teacher-training programs, law schools, as well as academic Ph.D. programs. Additionally, graduates may find work in professional fields directly allied with the Arts, including museum work, art foundations, art criticism, journalism, theatre, and the entertainment industry.

The UCI Career Center provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career Center section for additional information.

Application Process for the Arts and Humanities Major

New students are not admitted directly to the Arts and Humanities major. Continuing students apply to change their major to Arts and Humanities no earlier than the fall quarter of their sophomore year. Complete information about changing majors to Arts and Humanities is available at http://www.changeofmajor.uci.edu. Students must submit a transcript and meet the change-of-major criteria for each of the two departments they propose to combine. In addition, a program of study, approved by the designated faculty member in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and in the School of Humanities, is required for admission to the Arts and Humanities major. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with the Arts Student Affairs Office early in their decision to apply to Arts and Humanities.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE B.A. DEGREE IN ARTS AND HUMANITIES

University Requirements: See pages 54-61.

School Requirements: None.

Requirements for the Major

Humanities 1A-B-C; a language other than English through 2C; one lower-division survey in a specialization in the Arts, chosen from Dance 90A-B-C, Drama 40A, B, C, Music 14A, B, C, Studio Art 9A, B, C; six units of "studio courses" in Dance, Drama, or Studio Art or six units of "ensemble courses" in Music; Arts and Humanities 100 (taken to satisfy upper-division writing), 101; 16 additional units of upper-division Arts courses focusing on a specific medium (e.g., photography) or practice (e.g., modern dance), and 16 additional units of upper-division Humanities courses focusing on a specific theme, region, or period, chosen with the approval of the Arts and Humanities faculty advisors. (Students must have their proposed program of study approved by their advisors each year.)

It is expected that students will choose their courses from one major in the Arts and one major in the Humanities. Students with well-developed interests can shape their curriculum more precisely to their needs.

Residence Requirement for the Major: At least five upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.

Courses in Arts and Humanities

(Schedule of Classes designation: ArtsHum)

100 The Arts in Theory and Practice (4). Writing seminar explores writings on art from different times and cultures. How have artists and critics in different cultural contexts tried to explain the principles and theories that guide their work? How can students use their concepts to assess art works? Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of the lower-division writing requirement. Same as Humanities and Arts 100.

101 Topics in Arts and Humanities (4). This interdisciplinary course examines themes relevant to both the Arts and the Humanities. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Same as Humanities and Arts 101.

199 Independent Study (1 to 4). Directed reading and research in consultation with a faculty member. Substantial written work required. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.