New Student Registration: Art

• ART 101 – Introduction to Drawing I
• ART 102 – Introduction to Drawing II
• ART 115 – Introduction to Design
• ART 125 – Materials and Methods
• ART 145 – Introduction to Colour
• ART 155 – The Scientist's Sketchpad

Art History

• ART 141 – Art & Society I: From Caves to Cathedrals
• ART 142 – Art & Society II: From Renaissance to Revolution
• ART 143 – No It Wasn’t Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in Early World History to 220 CE
• ART 144 – Still Not Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in the Ancient World 220-1300CE

Studio Art

ART 101 and 102 are the foundation course in Studio Art, and a minimum prerequisite for many upper-level studio art courses.

ART 115 is an alternate prerequisite for some upper-level studio art courses.

ART 125 has no prerequisite, but it is recommended that students have previous drawing and/or art experience prior to taking this course.

Students with advanced drawing experience and a portfolio can apply to enrol in advanced drawing and painting courses without the prerequisite of ART 101 and 102. Contact the department chair to discuss this option.

Students intending a Studio Art minor are reminded that ART 101 and 102, as well as ART 141 and 142 are required. Students with advanced drawing experience may, with permission of the chair, be permitted to use 6 credits of advanced studio art in lieu of ART 101 and 102.

Interested students who are unable to register in ART 101, 102, or 115 in first year, due to time conflicts or full sections, should not be concerned, as these courses may be taken in a future year. Such students intending a Studio Art minor should register in ART 141 and 142, and take ART 101 and 102 in second year.

Art History

ART 141 and 142 are required for students intending a minor in Art History or a minor in Studio Art.

Upper-level art history courses do not require 100-level prerequisites.  Typically, 200-level courses require second-year status and 300-level courses require third-year status.  However, first-year students intending to take upper-level art history courses in future years are strongly encouraged to take introductory-level courses.

Art as Pair or Electives

Students who wish to complete an Art pair may complete 12 credits in Art History, 12 credits in Studio Art, or may use a combination of Art History and Studio Art courses to complete the required 12 credits. However, students are reminded that at least 6 credits of a pair must be at the 200-level or above, so should plan their courses accordingly.

Art History courses may be used as electives in any program.

Studio Art courses may be used as electives in any program, other than the Diploma in Engineering.  (Studio Art courses do not fulfill the writing requirements for the Diploma in Engineering.)

Course Descriptions - Studio Art

ART 101 Introduction to Drawing I
This course will introduce students to the art of drawing. Students will become familiar with conventional drawing materials including graphite, charcoal, conté, ink, and pastel. A disciplined daily working practice and routine will develop throughout the course, offering students transferable skills to all their academic pursuits. This course aims to encourage students to engage in further artistic study and life-long learning. Credit will be granted for only one of ART 101 or ART 100. Three credits.

ART 102 Introduction to Drawing II
This course will continue students’ development in drawing based on the foundation of Introduction to Drawing I. Students will explore the use of conventional drawing materials and techniques while learning basic colour theory, advanced study of value and subtractive drawing, figure drawing, and abstract representation. An end-of-term self-directed artwork assignment is a summation of the course’s learning outcomes. Credit will be granted for only one of ART 102 or ART 100. Prerequisite: ART 101, or portfolio demonstrating drawing skills. Three credits.

ART 115  Introduction to Design
This course focuses on design principles and elements such as unity, balance, repetition, line, shape, and colour.  The course provides students with a vocabulary and working knowledge of visual communication.  Students develop their visual problem-solving skills and explore their creativity through studio projects and class discussions.  Three credits.

ART 125  Materials and Methods
This course will afford students the opportunity of working in a variety of art media while exploring techniques, presentations, concept and materials. Projects may include painting, printmaking, sculpture, animation, textiles and more. Students with some prior knowledge of drawing and/or art experience will benefit most from this course. Three credits.

ART 145  Introduction to Colour
This course deals with the vocabulary, nature and physical properties of colour: hue, value and intensity. Studio assignments provide practice in learning colour relationships in unified and contrasting colour schemes. Three credits.

ART 155  The Scientist’s Sketchpad
This interdisciplinary course develops drawing and observational skills alongside a critical awareness of the role of image-making in knowledge production about the natural world. Students will learn drawing techniques from a studio art instructor and apply them to the study of specimens, under the supervision of a biology instructor. An art history instructor will teach slow looking techniques and the history of collaborations between artists and scientists in the last 500 years. Three credits.

Course Descriptions - Art History

ART 141  Art & Society I: From Caves to Cathedrals
Long before human beings developed written language, we were making works of art.  This introductory survey examines art and architecture within the intellectual and social contexts of their historical production.  It provides a working knowledge of the history of art from prehistory through Classical Greece and Rome, to the great cathedrals of the Medieval period.  Students will begin to develop critical tools for studying visual culture and achieve a deeper understanding of cultural history.  Three credits.

ART 142  Art & Society II: From Renaissance to Revolution
This section of the art history survey begins with works of art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance, where new ideas (including the notion of genius) had major repercussions for the cultural and artistic history of subsequent periods, including the Baroque, Romanticism, the 20th century, and our contemporary era.  Students will learn new ways of observing and interpreting art, enrich their appreciation of art and architecture, and further deepen their understanding of cultural and intellectual history.  Three credits.

ART 143  No It Wasn’t Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in Early World History to 220 CE
It may come as a surprise to the history channel, but ancient monuments were not built by aliens. Rather, they stand as evidence of the complex societies that existed throughout the ancient world and the goods, ideas and people that connected them. From the Han Dynasty in China to the Roman Empire in Europe to the early trade networks of the Nok in West Africa, the ingenuity, mobility and interconnectedness of premodern cultures will be explored. Credit will be granted for only one of ART 143, HIST 103, or HIST 116. Cross-listed as HIST 103. Three credits.

ART 144  Still Not Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in the Ancient World 220-1300CE
Scholars now know that the premodern world was more profoundly interconnected by trade, cultural exchange and migration than we had ever realized. Still Not Ancient Aliens examines some of these interconnections, from the roads of the ancient Wari of Peru to the cultural and trade connections of the Polynesian Islanders, to the premodern trade networks operating in the far North and the cultural mosaic of Islamic Spain. Credit will be granted for only one of ART 144, HIST 104, or HIST 116. Cross-listed as HIST 104. Three credits.

Please refer to Section 9.4 Art in the Academic Calendar.

Click here to go to the Art department webpage.