Academic Programs / General Education

Arts (GA)

Requirement: One 3-credit or 4-credit hour course.

GenEd Arts courses develop artistic literacy. Courses may be centered on one of the arts (e.g. dance, fine arts, music), may be interdisciplinary in nature (e.g. creative writing and theater, film and dance), or may address larger themes (e.g. creativity, the arts and political statement, technology and the arts), but all Arts courses make some connection to other perspectives, disciplines, or subject areas.

GenEd Arts courses are intended to teach students how to:

• Experience and respond to a work of art or creative process;
• Recognize or interpret a work of art or creative process in its social, historical and cultural context;
• Describe or evaluate a work of art or creative process using appropriate terminology;
• Demonstrate an "appreciation" for the value of art in our lives and in society; and
• Function as a member of an audience.

Arts Courses

Below, you will find the current list of GenEd courses in this area.

Please be advised that GenEd offerings vary from semester to semester and that all GenEd courses will not be offered every semester. For the most current list of GenEd offerings, please consult the Class Schedule.

In addition, a single GenEd course may be offered by more than one department. GenEd courses offered by more than one department will have the same course number and the same course title. A student may not take the same course from multiple departments and earn credit toward graduation. However, if a student wishes to replace her/his grade in a GenEd course, s/he may replace the grade with any course bearing the same course number and the same course title regardless of department.

• Arts of the Western World: The Visual Experience
• Arts in Cultural Context
• Creative Acts
• Dramatic Imagination: The Performing Arts in Society
• Exploring Music
• Greek Theater & Society
• Philadelphia Arts & Culture
• Shakespeare and Music
• Shakespeare in the Movies
• Shall We Dance? Dance as Narrative in American Film
• The Art of Acting
• The Art of Listening
• The Art of Sacred Space
• The Creative Spirit: A Multidisciplinary View
• The Future of Your TV
• The History of Art in Rome
• The Jazz Century in America
• The Meaning of the Arts
• World Musics & Cultures
• Honors Art of Acting
• Honors Art of Sacred Space
• Honors Creative Acts
• Honors Greek Theater & Society
• Honors Shakespeare in the Movies
• Honors Shall We Dance? Dance as Narrative in American Film
• Honors: The Art of Listening
• Honors The Creative Spirit: A Multidisciplinary View
• Honors The Meaning of the Arts
• Honors Transnational Cinema
• Honors World Musics & Cultures

Waiver: Students pursuing undergraduate degrees in the Boyer College of Music and Dance and the Tyler School of Art may be exempted from the GenEd Arts requirement upon completion of collegiate requirements.

A student will be waived from GenEd Arts requirement upon completion of the following four-course sequence:

• Music Studies 1711, Music Studies 1712, Music Studies 2711, and Music Studies 2712.  All courses must be completed to receive waiver.

Waivers are pending approval for students pursuing the following degree programs in the Tyler School of Art: BA in Visual Studies, BS in Art Education and a BFA from the Tyler School of Art.

Waivers are pending approval for students pursuing the BFA in Dance in the Boyer College of Music and Dance.

Consult an academic advisor for more information.