Foundation

Foundation courses are required of all first year students.

• FA-100.1, FA-100.2

  Introduction to Techniques

  An introduction to the physical aspects of working with wood, metal, plaster - and plastics, as well as an introduction to on-campus computer facilities and resources. A basic introduction to the Adobe interface, specifically Photoshop and Illustrator will be provided.

  Required for first year students. 1/2 credit per semester. One-year course. Pass/Fail.

• FA-101

  Color

  A study of the physical, perceptual, art historical and cultural aspects of color. The phenomenon of color and principles of light are explored in various media towards an understanding of color application in all of the fine art disciplines and architecture.

  Required for first year students. 2 credits.

• FA-102.1

  Two-Dimensional Design

  Exploration of the visual and intellectual aspects of form on the two-dimensional surface, in a variety of media. Investigations into the relationships of perception, process and presentation.

  Required for first year students. 3 credits.

• FA-104.1

  Basic Drawing (Analytical and Descriptive)

  A course in freehand drawing designed to emphasize perceptual and inventive skills in all drawing media.

  Required for first year students. 3 credits per semester.

• FA-105

  Four-Dimensional Design

  This course investigates the properties of time and movement and the fundamentals of four-dimensional design. Students explore duration, condensation, expansion, interruption, simultaneity, stillness, action and situation through a wide range of materials.

  Required for first-year students. 2 credits.

• FA-108

  Foundation Studio

  ---

  A studio methods and theories course for foundation students with a focus on the development of multiple lines of visual competency helping to prepare students for advanced study. This course works in conjunction with technical labs through a set of offerings in shorter lab/studio seminars. In this sense, the technical or craft learning necessary for visual practice, and the beginning of a personal conceptual or research methodology, merge.

  Required for first year students. 3 credits.

• FA-109.1

  Three-Dimensional Design

  Students work on projects that explore the fundamentals of forms and space and investigate the properties of materials, structure, mass, scale, light and motion.

  Required for first year students. 3 credits.

• SE-101

  Foundation Orientation

  Foundation Orientation brings together all first-year students as an introduction to the academic life of the School of Art, as part of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. The course is designed to give students a working overview of opportunities and resources available to them.

  Required for first-year students. 1 credit. Pass/Fail.

• SE-150

  Foundation Project

  This course brings together all first-year students within a seminar. This course consists of a series of presentations that introduce various artistic practices, critical languages, and criticism. This aspect of the course indents to present contrasting historical and contemporary models of creating, seeing, speaking, and thinking about art.

  Required for first year students. 1/2 credit. Pass/Fail.

Calligraphy

• FA-419

  Independent Study in Calligraphy

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

• TE-216

  Calligraphy

  Geometry, optical balance and the stroke of the broad-edge pen are primary influences that shape the Roman alphabet. Students learn the fundamentals of “beautiful writing” through the study of historical models and the principles that are the basis of classical and modern letterforms. Exercises in ink train the hand kinaesthetically to write letters with graceful movement. Exercises in pencil train the eye to see and analyze the subtle geometry and skeletal “ideal” form of letters. Precise rhythm in letterspacing and careful line-spacing create the color and texture of the page. The class will have an emphasis on page design involving hand written compositions. Roman and Italic capitals and small letters will be the focus of first semester students.

  2 credits. One-semester course. May be repeated once. Free elective credit.

Computer Techniques

• TE-304

  Techniques in After Effects

  This course explores techniques and projects in Adobe After Effects. Students will complete projects that demonstrate their skill and understanding of visual effects and motion graphics. Projects will be faculty and student generated.

  2 credits. One-semester course. Cannot be repeated. Free elective credit.

• TE-305

  Techniques in Website Programming: HTML/CSS/JavaScript

  This course explores programming techniques using HTML, CSS, Javascript and other data formats. Students will complete projects that demonstrate their skill and understanding of building web sites and basic programming. The purpose of this course is for the student to develop the skills necessary to utilize the many and varied web technologies for their artistic and professional practices.

  2 credits. One-semester course. Cannot be repeated. Free elective credit.

Audiovisual

• FA-272

  AV: Film Workshop

  Independent projects workshop in Super 8 and 16mm film. As well as working in depth with film, students are encouraged to explore all possibilities of the moving image from expanded projection techniques to kinetic constructions.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-275 Audiovisual I.

• FA-275

  Audiovisual I

  An introduction to concepts, production techniques, and histories of artists moving image work. Over two semesters, students will investigate the origins and evolution of animation, film, video, and sound recording for cinema, with classroom instruction and experimentation in the techniques and production of each. Alongside a historical and theoretical framework, a wide range of practical tools will be introduced, including precinematic image capture, 16mm film and digital cinema production, stop action animation, sound recording, and lighting.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all Advanced Audiovisual Projects courses.

• FA-276

  Audiovisual II

  Semester two of the yearlong AV sequence, this course continues with greater depth and more individualized student projects, the introduction to concepts, production techniques, and histories of artists’ moving image work. Students will investigate the origins and evolution of animation, film, video, and sound recording for cinema, with classroom instruction and experimentation in the techniques and production of each. Alongside a historical and theoretical framework, a wide range of practical tools will be introduced, including pre-cinematic image capture, 16mm film and digital cinema production, stop action animation, sound recording, and lighting.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all Advanced Audiovisual Projects courses. Prerequisite: FA-275 Audiovisual I.

• FA-376

  Animation Workshop

  An advanced course in frame by frame film making. An examination of existing work in the field will accompany the development of independent projects, ranging from traditional cartoon animation to fine art-based experimentation. Films begun in Animation I can be carried to completion in this course. Techniques can vary from simple index card animation to elaborate combinations of cel and rotoscope. The relationship of sound to image will be explored and sound tracks produced. Individual projects will be completed on 16mm film with the option to transfer final work to video

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-276 Audiovisual I.

• FA-385B

  AV Projects: Installation

  This advanced course investigates video installation as an evolving contemporary art form that extends the conversation of video art beyond the frame and into hybrid media, site-specific, and multiple channel environments. Presentations, screenings, and readings augment critical thinking about temporal and spatial relationships, narrative structure, viewer perception and the challenges of presenting time-based work in a gallery or museum setting. Students will develop research interests and apply their unique skill sets to short turnaround exercise and more expanded self-directed projects for gallery and non-theatrical contexts.

  3 credits. Pre-requisite: Audiovisual II.

• FA-386A, FA-386B

  AV Projects

  Fall Semester: FA-386A-1: AV Projects: The Film Essay: A Form That Thinks

  The film essay is sometimes called "A Form that Thinks." Many influential and highly imaginative film and video makers have created works that blend fiction and non-fiction to reflect on happenings in the world and offer alternative visions of the past and future. These works often take the form of stylistic collages, incorporating a variety of source material, such as film clips, photographs, newsreel footage, animations, and drawings that are woven together, reflected upon, and interpreted through narration. They are considered critical because they question the relationship between images and our perception or reality.

  In this course we will watch and discuss films by Alain Resnais, Chris Marker, Jean Luc Godard, Trinh T. MinhHa, John Akomfrah, Harun Faroki, Kidlat Tahimik, Chantal Akerman, Jorge Furtado, and New Red Order.

  Students will also develop their own videos and films throughout the semester and will engage in group critiques of their works in progress.

  Spring Semester: FA-386B-1: AV Projects: The Imagination of Disaster

  As Susan Sontag argues in her 1965 essay whose title this course is borrowed from, "Science fiction films are not about science. They are about disaster, which is one of the oldest subjects in art." She goes on to argue that such films present a dispassionate, aestheticized, technological view of disaster, removed from ethical values. As a provocation, this advanced AV course will examine how these ideas connect to and complicate our distinction between images and imagination. Individual student work will be proposed, workshopped, and presented throughout the semester, alongside collective screenings, discussion of readings, one-on-one visits, and group critiques.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-276. Audiovisual II. 

• FA-387A, FA-387B

  AV Projects: Beyond Sight: Haptics and Opacity in Moving Image Arts

  What does it mean to feel sound? What does it mean to hear an image? How can theories touch and opacity help us think through the materiality of film, video, and sound? In this course we will explore artworks that work against the preconditions of the moving image. Students will be asked to consider site, spectatorship and accessibility in their own practices. Critiques, discussions, and screenings will be framed by readings in Black studies, disability studies, and queer theory. This course welcomes students working in a wide range of genres and media.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-276. Audiovisual II. 

• FA-479A, FA-479B

  Independent Study in Film

  Independent Study in Film.

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art. 

• FA-489A, FA-489B

  Independent Study in Video

  Independent Study in Video.

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

Drawing

• FA-240A, FA-240B

  Drawing I

  The course is designed to explore the phenomena of drawing as basic to the visual language of all disciplines. The fundamental notion of observation and analysis in drawing is investigated. As preparation for work in an advanced level, the course involves further development of drawing skills and techniques, as well as an emphasis on individual aesthetic development. Assignments and group critiques are central to the course.

  3 credits. May be repeated once. Prerequisite to all Advanced Drawing courses.

• FA-341A, FA-341B

  Advanced Drawing

  Advanced studies in drawing emphasizing the student’s conceptual independence from traditional draftsmanship. This course is for students who have an established direction in drawing.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-240. Drawing I.

• FA-342A, FA-342B

  Advanced Drawing

  Offered to students working independently in any medium. Must be self-motivated. There will be group and individual critiques.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-240. Drawing I.

• FA-343A, FA-343B

  Advanced Drawing

  Offered to students working independently in any medium. Must be self-motivated. There will be group and individual critiques.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-240. Drawing I.

• FA-345A, FA-345B

  Advanced Drawing

  Offered to students working independently in any medium. Must be self-motivated. There will be group and individual critiques.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-240. Drawing I.

• FA-499

  Independent Study in Drawing

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

Contemporary Art Issues

• SE-401A

  Contemporary Art Issues Seminar. Topic varies

  Theories of the Subject Critical Theory is a school of thought that emerged in the 1930s that interprets society and culture through the lens of philosophy, sociology, psychology and linguistics. It does not offer a theory of art or aesthetics, but its proponents do engage in critique of cultural texts and focus frequently on the workings of visual culture. In this seminar, we will review some of the foundational texts of critical theory and consider multiple theories of the subject. We will read texts by Sigmund Freud, Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Stuart Hall and Judith Butler, among others. We will concentrate on the relationship between Critical Theory, aesthetic experience and artistic production. We will also study foundational texts for theoretical analysis of images. The goal of these discussions is to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of who we are and how we see when we imagine, when we create and when we interact with art.

  2 credits. May be repeated once for Art History credit.

Electives

• FA-327-1

  Computational Studio

  Spring Semester: FA-327-1

  Computational Studio: Simulated

  Human collectivism is set to look dramatically different in the coming decades, in a world where the lines between physical and digital become increasingly blurred. Every asset, process, or person within or related to a collective will be replicated virtually — connected, traced, and analyzed. As a result, concepts like Play, Agency, and Worldmaking are rapidly redefined by a control-oriented, computationally simulated virtual environment. Free, open-source game design and development platforms offer thinkers and makers a new way to reflect on the question, “If I can make a conceptually meaningful world, executed by computer algorithms, rendered by graphics engines, what would it be like, and where would I begin?” This computational studio course will include a gentle introduction to basic modeling, object-oriented programming, video game development, and VFX with Unity, and related production tools such as Blender. Projects may address agency, emergence, generative(parametric) design, artificial intelligence/learning, critical computing, and more.

  3 credits.

• SE-403A, SE-403B

  IntraDisciplinary Seminar

  This course is a hybrid between a lecture series and discussion seminar. It is intended to provide a stimulating and rigorous forum between students’ artistic concerns and those of twelve visiting speakers in a public lecture series of the School of Art. Class discussions will center on diverse presentations by artists, theorists, activists, designers, writers, curators, gallerists and other practitioners involved in the arts from positions that embody an interdisciplinary approach or that imply new uses for disciplinary traditions. Accordingly, the course is designed to introduce students to some of the debates currently driving contemporary art and the larger social context it embodies. Members of the class are expected to be active partici­pants and will therefore be asked to respond with some intellectual invention to a variety of topics with weekly discussions, readings, and written or oral presentations.

  2 credits. Free elective credit.

• TE-217-1

  Painting Techniques and Materials

  This course provides training in the safe handling of painting materials, contemporary applications and techniques in oil- and acrylic-based media. Practices in color mixing, color matching, glazing, uses of supplementary media, creating textures, effects, surfaces and customizing paint from dry pigments will be covered through instructor lead demonstrations and assignments. Students will receive hands-on practice with various techniques by producing original works. In addition, students will be introduced to the origins, history and contemporary evolution of paint as a material. Relevant examples will be presented through various media and field visits.

  2 credits.

Graphic Design

• FA-211

  Graphic Design I

  An introduction to the techniques and visual language of graphic design. Weekly projects explore fundamental concepts in form, composition, and typography. Presentations and readings in graphic design history will complement weekly assignments. Students will explore basic imagemaking processes as well as be instructed in digital production techniques.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all Advanced Design courses.

• FA-212

  Graphic Design II

  The complex relationship between word and image is explored. The study of semiotics, emphasizing the philosophy of communication, provides a rich historical and intellectual base for experimental projects combining verbal and pictorial information. Weekly projects reflect a broad range of disciplines within the field of design. Computer instruction will be provided as it relates to specific projects.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all Advanced Design courses. Prerequisite: FA-211. Graphic Design I.

• FA-215

  Typography

  Empirical explorations of typographic messages through placement, massing, weight, size and color are analyzed to develop an understanding of aesthetic composition of typographic form and meaning. Legibility, unpredictability and sequencing, as well as the use of grid structures, are investigated. The development of critical judgment about typography is emphasized.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all Advanced Design courses. Prerequisite: FA-211 Graphic Design I. Pre- or corequisite: FA-212 Graphic Design II.

• FA-315A, FA-315B

  Advanced Design

  Fall Semester: FA-315A Advanced Design: Type Design

  This course will establish a fundamental understanding of how typefaces work, both technically and aesthetically, and provide experience in the techniques used to create them. After a basic introduction to the design space shaped by the different kinds of contrast and construction the students will acquire manual drawing skills and the digital drafting techniques which will lead them to their own, original design. The class will focus on developing a concept into a structurally sound typeface. This practical in-depth project will help develop an analytical grasp of the design space.

  Spring Semester:

  FA-315B-1 Advanced Design: Book Design

  The complex issues unique to book design are explored through studio projects and presentations that emphasize the grid, effective sequencing and typographic form. Computer instruction will be provided as it relates to specific projects.

  FA-315B-2 Advanced Design: Advocacy Through Type and Symbols

  This course leverages the power of TYPOGRAPHY and symbol inform and persuade viewers. An investigation into the history, scale, and diversity of publishing formats - from print through digital - from book through social media - offers students an opportunity to consider the most effective means of transmitting messages that they deem timely and relevant. The theme of ADVOCACY, in CONTEXT to how specific typography, symbolic, and aesthetic formats are chosen, will then be supported by considerations of touchpoint: how the intended recipient is exposed to the message. A full range of communication will be considered - from working for clients to creating a powerful, personal voice. Traditional and contemporary research protocols will also be investigated.

  FA-315B-3 Advanced Design: Product Design

  Digital products are embedded in all aspects of our lives. Every detail in the products we use today - including the software you're using to read this course description - has been meticulously designed to solve a specific need. Product design is the process of defining a user problem, finding creative solutions for that problem, and validating those solutions with real users. This course explores the essential aspects of the product design process. Students will imagine, create, and iterate on projects that address a specific need in a given market and demonstrate their understanding of core skills like product thinking, interatction design and prototyping, as well as user research and usability testing.

  FA-315B-4 Data Science and Design Projects for Social Good

  Applications of data visualizations, machine learning, and software engineering to projects in the areas of education, equality, justice, health, public safety, economic development or other areas. Projects will be done in collaboration with external partners and will be focused on solving problems with an emphasis on the greater New York City area. Students will work with the external partners to specify problems and investigate possible solutions. Students will work between disciplines to develop new machine learning based on solutions and work collaboratively to visually convey the insights and results generated.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: FA-212 Graphic Design II and FA-215 Typography.

• FA-317A, FA-317B

  Advanced Design

  Fall Semester: FA-317A Advanced Design: Icons, Marks and Emojis

  From the thumbs up in a text message to the power-off button on an appliance, the swoosh on a sneaker to the cloud on a weather report, we rely on icons, marks, and emojis to help us communicate. In this course, students will be exposed to a wide range of systems that use non-verbal forms to communicate function, define categories, reflect identity, or display emotion and will develop and apply their own through a series of assignments.

  Spring Semester: FA-317B Advanced Design: Open Studio

  Students will develop a series of personal and unconventional narratives through writing prompts and mix-media studio exercises. The goal is to expand methods and visual techniques when designing or expressing an idea/story. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary graphic design/art practices and developing a personal voice and aesthetic. Visiting lecturers, readings, and individual meetings with the with the instructor will complement group critiques.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: FA-212 Graphic Design II and FA-215 Typography.

• FA-327

  Computational Studio

  Fall Semester: Art and Blockchain

  This course will explore practical and theoretical uses for art and cryptocurrency. The development of Bitcoin cryptocurrency and decentralized computing on public blockchains have created the template for what is slated to become the next iteration of the internet - Web3. The rapid growth of this dynamic technological infrastructure over the last decade has reshaped fields such as economics, philosophy, and art.

  3 credits.

• FA-328

  Motion Graphics

  Students will explore the conceptual and technical challenges of design for the television screen. All aspects of industry video/ broadcast production are introduced and integrated into a design core focused on strong communication. Projects include identity design, combining kinetic typography, animation, sound and video. The course includes workshops in After Effects, Final Cut Pro and Protools.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: FA-212 Graphic Design II and FA-215 Typography. 

• FA-429A, FA-429B

  Independent Study in Graphic Design

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art

Painting

• FA-130A, FA-130B

  Painting

  A studio experience with the physical, compositional and conceptual components of pictorial invention and image-making. Readings, assignments and critiques will enhance the development and articulation of an inventive individual approach to the painting discipline in preparation for advanced level work.

  3 credits. One-year course. Prerequisite to all Advanced Painting courses. Prerequisite of FA-130A and B to all Advanced Painting Courses. 

• FA-331A, FA-331B

  Advanced Painting

  This course will work with students in individual and group settings to discuss their work and personal development as an artist, as well as engage students with relevant practical, historical and contemporary discussions around painting. Discussions, critical feedback, suggestions, and prescriptions given to students are sounding boards and/or opportunities for students to further locate their practice and voice as an artist. Students will rely more on their individual studio spaces as sites from creation, research, presentations and meetings with faculty and visitors. In this way, the course might reflect the professional space of the artist studio. Debate around ideas, process and material should be expected as well as respect for each student's personal journey. Lectures, field trips and the presentation of various media and demonstrations can be expected.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: FA-130A and B Painting.

• FA-336A, FA-336B

  Advanced Painting

  Fall Semester: FA-336A Advanced Painting

  This course focuses on individual development through one-on-one critique. Ideas will be presented for group discussion through readings and viewings of current museum and gallery shows. Group critiques will encourage students to develop and voice strong opinions.

  Spring Semester: FA-336B-1 Advanced Painting: Everything is Painting

  What is painting? What qualifies as, constitutes, and defines a painting? Can everything be painting? In this advanced painting course, students will negotiate these questions as they investigate individual and personal concerns within their studio practices. An expanded understanding of both the medium and discipline of painting will be explored through class readings and discussions, lecture presentations, individual project critiques, guest artists and technicians, and class trips. Artists discussed will range in age, background, discipline, materiality, and ability. Students will develop and strengthen conceptual frameworks underpinning their work alongside expanding their processes, techniques, and methodologies. This is a rigorous, studio-intensive course requiring participants to maintain active working hours outside of class.

  3 credits. FA-130A and B Painting.

• FA-339A, FA- 339B

  Advanced Painting/ Katz Guest Artist Series

  This course will support students' individually determined painting projects with emphasis on building sustainable studio practices and generating research strategies. We will focus on personal artistic tool-building, through visual theory and material processes, considering each artist's studio as an adaptive instrument for experimentation. Individual and Group critiques will dictate the assignment of readings, projects, and exhibition visits.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: FA-130A and B Painting.

• FA-439A, FA- 339B

  Independent Study in Painting

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

Performance

• FA-290

  Elements of Performance

  This course examines the elements that unify the diverse set of practices gathered as “performance art.” Engaging concepts of time, movement, voice, text and body in performance based work, the course addresses both the historical development of performance practices within the field of contemporary art, as well as their current manifestations. Lectures, screenings, readings and discussions support the development of individual and collaborative studio work.

  3 credits. May not be repeated.

• FA-395

  Performance

  Performance or the live event has been a continuous element of art practice throughout most of the 20th century. The changing technologies of sound and digital recording devices and their increasing availability have enhanced the possibilities of documentation and allowed artists to consider the mediation and documentation of a live event as an integral part of the work itself. In this course, students will examine the interaction between performance and its documentation through practical, historical and theoretical interrogation. The class proposes to address documentation, not as an inadequate representation nor as a nostalgic marker but as something that operates within a distinct system that can become a vital site of art production. This class takes an interdisciplinary approach to making performance work. The medium of performance and its utilization of photography, video and sound will be explored. Students will read and discuss texts, looking at the work of other artists and making their own work.

  3 credits.

Photography

• FA-206

  Lens/Screen/Print I

  LSP I Lens/Screen/Print I is the first section of a two-semester trajectory. This is an immersive foundation course in the practice of photography focusing on a critical engagement with lens technology, color theory/management and combined analog/digital workflows. Topics include: exploratory and technical knowledge of 35mm and medium-format analog cameras, DSLR cameras, lenses and lighting conditions, fluid movement through digital black-and-white and color processes, such as digital imaging editing software, scanning analog color, and digital printing in black-and-white and color. Exposure to critical theory and major philosophical arguments central to lens, screen and print based practices will be explored. This is an assignment driven class.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all advanced Photography courses. 

• FA-207

  Lens/Screen/Print II

  Lens/Screen/Print II is the second half of a two-semester trajectory. This course builds upon the foundations of LSP I with an emphasis on post-production and a critical engagement with lens technology, color theory/management and combined analog/digital workflows. Technical knowledge of the tensions and possibilities found between "digital" and "analog" spaces in relation to critical theory and major philosophical arguments central to lens, screen and print based practices will contribute to student development. Topics include advanced digital editing and printing techniques, analog black-and-white production methods, such as shooting with black-and-white film and darkroom printing, advanced medium-format cameras and scanners, as well as introduction to new technologies and modes of display. A distinction in LSP II is a focus on experimentation, articulation and acumen. Students are encouraged to begin to develop semi-autonomous ways of working over the course of the semester, this includes supervised independent or collaborative projects. This course will afford students the opportunity to build a coherent body of work in preparation for advanced study.

  3 credits. Prerequisite to all advanced Photography courses. Prerequisite: FA-206 Lens/Screen/Print I. 

• FA-362B

  Photography: Lighting

  This critique-based studio course explores the use of light on location in photography. Topics explored by this course will include the use and modification of available light as well as the use of portable light sources such as flash (both single and multiple), portable battery powered strobes, remote light triggers and other tools.

  The emphasis of this course will be on using lighting techniques outside the studio in order to gain an understanding of how light effects the way we interpret our world.

  3 credits. Prerequisite: L/S/P II, or Photo I.

• FA-364A, FA-364B

  Photography

  Henry Wolf Chair in Photography

  Fall Semester: FA-364A:

  This course aims to advance students' own work in photography, film, installation, and sculpture, through group and individual critiques, classroom presentations and discussions with the instructor.

  Our frameworks for discussion will focus on research and archival methodology and include the ideas of micro- histories; memory, narrative and community building; and ways to create dialogue between various narrative modes, performative strategies and image regimes. We will also look into examples of experimental art practices and decolonial histories (Jumana Manna, Uriel Orlow, Bouchra, Khalili, Kader Attia...).

  Spring Semester: FA-364B: Photography: Material Histories

  This course will be a deep dive into the materials of each student's practice. You will work in plaster. Where does that gypsum come from? How is it mined? Who mines it? What are the otherwise invisible histories of this material from how it came into being as a material for art to how it ends up in your sculpture? How does that contribute to the meaning of artworks that emerge from this material? We will look at texts and artworks from artists spanning material practices and generations, from Diamond Stingily to Christopher WIlliams.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: FA-207 Lens/ Print/ Screen II. 

• FA-366

  Advanced Photography: Alternate Processes

  This course breaks down barriers between digital and analog photography, transforming meaning and content through various forms of manipulation. Its fast-paced, hands-on demos include hand-applied photographic emulsions (such as cyanotype, Van Dyke, palladium, and liquid light) and digital printing/transferring options (beyond emulating the traditional print, on surfaces such as paper, wood, metal, fabric, etc.). The production of large-format analog and digital negatives will also be explored.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: FA-207 Lens/ Print/ Screen II.

• FA-469A, FA-469B

  Independent Study in Photography

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

Printmaking

• FA-250

  Silkscreen I

  This course explores screen printing as a means of communication with emphasis on the execution of these images. Students visit museums to learn to appreciate posters from various historical periods. The actual screen printing will be taught with the use of images, type and color. The goal of the course is to combine the components of art, printing and communication.

  3 credits.

• FA-251

  Lithography I

  An introduction to traditional and contemporary image-making on lithographic stones and commercial aluminum plates, with emphasis on the technical aspect of the medium. The various areas to be examined include stone graining, crayon and tusche drawing, processing, proofing and edition printing procedures, etc.

  3 credits.

• FA-252

  Etching I

  This course's objective is to introduce and familiarize students with the fundamental techniques and concepts of intaglio printmaking: drypoint, hard ground, soft ground, aquatint, and scraping/burnishing, among others. Historical and contemporary references will be utilized throughout the semester to underscore the importance of combining technique with individual ideas. Students will learn the proper use of materials, and through critiques, discussions, and demonstrations develop a knowledge and skill level necessary to create effective works in intaglio print.

  Over the course of the semester students will complete a series of projects crafted to introduce and then expand upon techniques, as well as to explore different approaches to generating imagery. Throughout, students will be challenged to use etching to relate to, expand upon and dialogue with other areas of their work. We will periodically take time during class to hang and discuss work. Through critiques students will share what they have made and how they have solved problems. Student development of a visual vocabulary, technical skills, critical thinking, and an aesthetic understanding integral to this course.

  3 credits.

• FA-253

  Paper: Materiality and Sustainability

  This studio course explores making paper from traditional to contemporary approaches. The course incorporates specified instruction and experimentation driven by student independent projects. The exploration of the structural and historical uses of Western and Eastern methods including contemporary issues of recycled and alternative fibers will frame an understanding of the potential uses and appearances of handmade paper. From a basis in sheet forming, pigmenting, sizing, and the use of additives, the class will move into an emphasis on paper as a visual and sculptural object, covering paper casting and other three-dimensional approaches. 3 credits. 4 contact hours.

  3 credits.

• FA-354A, FA-354B

  Experimental Printmaking

  In this course we will explore techniques and concepts that compliment and augment traditional modes of printmaking Students will develop self-directed projects as they work to understand printmaking within an expanded field of visual inquiry. We will explore the potential of the multiple to create unique pieces and further develop our aesthetic understanding of print. Traditional, yet somewhat alternative, processes such as trace monotype, pochoir, and white line woodcut will be explored as well as multiple color printing. Work in series and book formats may also be discussed as possibilities in developing student projects. Contemporary methods such as laser engraving and digital printing will also offer possibilities for developing projects.

  3 credits. Prerequisites: 2 Printmaking classes.

• FA-355A, FA-355B

  Relief

  Students will be instructed in various relief printing techniques, including traditional Japanese water-based woodblock and Western techniques with oil-based inks on wood and linoleum. Use of the hydraulic press will allow large format works to be produced. Hand-printing techniques will be taught as well. Small edition printing in multiple colors will be emphasized.

  3 credits.

• FA-459A, FA-459B

  Independent Study in Printmaking

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

Projects

• FA-384A, FA-384B

  Projects

  Fall Semester:

  FA-384A-1 Projects: Exhibition: Design and Practice

  This practical studio course will design and produce exhibitions. We will explore critical theory and histories only to the extent that they enable this practice. The function and habits of the contemporary museum and its supporting partner, the commercial gallery, are under tremendous critical and social pressure. Vital interventions by artists into the appearance and function of these institutions have proved to be explosively important to what art can and could do.

  The course proposes that architectural space, catalogs, signage, and archives are opportunities for the public presentation of artistic invention. Students will be encouraged to approach public display beyond the containment of single practices, authors, or disciplines. Transfigured by formal arrangement, the conditions of an exhibition's ability to address consciousness, community, education, and social reality will be our subject. Students will use the exhibition spaces, archives, and histories of the Cooper Union as well as sites and contexts beyond campus, when possible.

  Open for Juniors and Seniors.

  FA-384A-2 Projects

  This course is open to all third- and fourth- year students who intend to initiate or pursue a longer term (longer than a semester) art project. Students are expected to present their work-in progress weekly, to research the works of other artists, writers, and thinkers, and to participate actively in class discussions.

  Open for Juniors and Seniors.

  FA-384A-3 Projects: Art as Institutional Therapy

  Do institutions need therapy? Yes, many probably do. This class explores the concept and legacy of institutional therapy in relation to art making through field trips, visitors, discussions, presentations, readings, class critiques, and a collaborative assignment. We will approach institutional therapy as a creative, nonhierarchical practice for transforming systems within institutions in order to generate change from within. Originally a term used in alternative psychiatry, we will consider its use in relation to broader institutions such as settler colonialism, capitalism, and the art system. This class will ask questions such as: Which institutions are in need of remediation and what might an art practice that can do that look like? How does institutional therapy compare to institutional critique as an art practice? Can art ‘heal’ or even shift systemic issues, and if so, how could desire be an important component of that practice?

  Spring Semester:

  FA-384B-1 Projects; FA-384B-2 Projects: Open Studio

  Formerly titled "Sculpture," this course proposed a shared context to pursue each individual participant's ongoing art or design studio practice in any area, media, or method. Students are expected to be able to present their work-in-progress consistently, to help research the works of other students in the class, and to participate actively in class discussions. Prerequisite: Juniors/ Seniors.

Science

• RS-201g

  Astronomy

  The course starts with how to measure things, such as units of time, length and mass. We introduce the celestial sphere, which will help us to understand such things as days as measured by the Sun and by a star. This will also help to understand seasons. We then introduce a short history of western astronomy. We look at the universe, starting at home (Earth and Moon) and move out---solar system (Sun and planets), stars, galaxies and cosmos. Along the way, we look at how we look (light and telescopes), and how we measure things (distance, brightness and color).

  3 credits.

• RS-201H

  Science

  Fall Semester: Science: The Foundations of Physics

  The course is the survey of major concepts, methods, and application of physics. It will chart the history of the discipline, tracing the development of ideas about motion, time, space, and the structure of matter from the early Greek philosophy to the present day. The main topics will include Newton’s mechanics, conservation principles, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and modern physics. Special attention will be given to the radical changes in our understanding of reality brought about by the advances in the main branches of modern physics: special and general relativity, particle physics and quantum mechanics. The course will introduce essential concepts from these fields, such as spacetime, spacetime curvature, uncertainty principle, complementarity, entanglement, dark matter and energy, etc., and discuss their scientific and philosophical implications.

  Spring Semester: Science: Laws of Nature

  The course will look into the history and significance of major physical laws, such as mass and energy conservation, Newton's laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics etc., and explore their applications in biological and environmental sciences. The topics covered in the course will include the origins and the physical basis of life; the mechanisms of heredity, genes and the DNA; the evolution of species; Earth's systems and climate change.

  3 credits. 

Sculpture

• FA-391A, FA-391B

  Sculpture

  Fall Semester: FA-391A-1 Sculpture

  This course takes a concrete approach to the development of critical discourse about works of art. It exercises the student's ability to analyze the activity of making sculpture in particular and advances the student's understanding of how to proceed in the studio. Problems of structure, materials, meaning, intention, and context are the subject of class discussion.

  Spring Semester:

  FA-391B-1 Sculpture

  This is a sculpture studio course. While all media are welcome, we will approach the course with sculptural concerns. The theme of the class is Narrative and Sculpture with a focus on Relationships to Systems. This class is loosely defining in a system as a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. The class is broken into three ways of exploring this theme: Artists intervening within existing systems; Artists reinventing or creating their own systems; Artists displacing or circulating material from one system to another. Together we will look at examples of artists practice which fall within these themes, visit related exhibitions, and host visiting artists. Throughout the class, students will make their own works or projects with these themes in mind.

  FA-391B-2 Sculpture: Retroactive Reasoning

  This course will explore institution and personal reasoning as research toward the production of sculptural projects. It will consist of several prompts posed to students as catalysts for making multi-dimensional artworks. The prompts will be sourced from key theoretical texts, yet initially presented to students with no explanation or historicization. Students will make their works responding to these fragmented topics, drawing most importantly from their own conjectures and interpretations. Prior to each session of critique students will be presented with the theoretical texts that the prompt references. During critique, what will be realized is the relevance of one's own position, elucidated relationships between discourse and media, and the expansiveness of contemporary sculpture.

  3 credits.

• FA-392A, FA-392B

  Sculpture

  This course takes a concrete approach to the development of critical discourse about works of art. It exercises the student's ability to analyze the activity of making sculpture in particular and advances the student's understanding of how to proceed in the studio. Problems of structure, materials, meaning, intention, and context are the subject of class discussion.

  3 credits.

• FA-393A, FA-393B

  Sculpture

  Class is structured around the student’s projects. There is freedom in mediums to be used by each student, with a minimum requirement of showing three times during the semester, more times is encouraged. Critiques will be thorough, and there is an expectation of each student being able to think with, and through, the work in critique. Nothing is final, projects can be re-shown and altered, re-presented, and re-considered. The goal of the class is to be able to identify how the pieces work, in which discursive space they exist, how they can be read and experienced, and how much they embody the goals of each student. Open dialogue with respect to the work being shown, and to each other, is required.

  3 credits. 

  Credits: 3.00

• FA-394A, FA-394B

  Sculpture

  This course takes a concrete approach to the development of critical discourse about works of art. It exercises the student’s ability to analyze the activity of making sculpture in particular and advances the student’s understanding of how to proceed in the studio. Problems of structure, materials, meaning, intention and context are the subject of class discussion.

  3 credits.

• FA-397A-2

  Sculpture

  "Sculpture" will be understood as open to an expansive and morphing definition of its limits. Students may draw from its historical traditions or choose more experimental modes of production. Given the limitations created by the pandemic, the course will be structured as an open studio, where students can work in a variety of media. Students are expected to work independently in initiating their research, concepts, choice of mediums, and the installation/context for their projects.

  3 credits.

• FA-397A, FA-397B

  Sculpture

  This course takes a concrete approach to the development of critical discourse about works of art. It exercises the student’s ability to analyze the activity of making sculpture in particular and advances the student’s understanding of how to proceed in the studio. Problems of structure, materials, meaning, intention and context are the subject of class discussion.

  3 credits.

• FA-499A, FA-499B

  Independent Study in Sculpture

  1-3 credits. Requires approval of instructor and the Dean of the School of Art.

• TE-390

  Casting Techniques

  Casting Techniques is a process intensive course covering the methods of translating a wax positive into bronze or other non-ferrous metals. All associated techniques from beginning a plaster or rubber mold to casting, chasing, finishing and patination of metal sculptures will be covered. Students will explore a variety of approaches to casting, as well as engage in discussions involving the history of bronze casting, and its place in contemporary art.

  2 credits. May not be repeated. Free elective credit. 

Sound Art

• FA-281

  Projects in Sound Art

  This class will introduce strategies for understanding and participating in the aural world. The course is divided into specific weekly topics, including acoustic ecology, circuit-bending, radio transmission, synaesthesia and others. Screenings, readings and discussion are supported by hands-on workshops in capturing, manipulating and reproducing sound in unconventional ways. Grading is based on three student projects and participation in class discussions.

  3 credits. May not be repeated.

Practicum

• FA-301

  Teaching as Collaborative Social Practice

  As a practicum, this course invites students to actively explore the evolving role of the artist engaged in teaching as an art practice. The aim is to help the undergraduate who is currently teaching or who has interest in teaching in The Saturday Program. Through the course students will begin to frame pointed questions, such as: What is art? What is architecture? What constitutes community? What kind of societal questions can art/architecture raise while still being art/architecture? How can human interaction be seen and understood as a work of art or as architecture? Introductions to artists, art collectives and institutions that hold varied approaches to the notion of community, education, social discourse and positionality will also be essential to the learning environment.

  3 credits.