THA 125A: “Acting for the Camera” 

Prof. Maura Tighe (THA)

“Acting for the Camera” looks in-depth at the technique behind acting for film and television instead of acting for the stage. According to the syllabus, the course will look closely at the critical acting skills of listening, impulse/instinct, character objective, relationship and environment and focus on how to manipulate them specifically for the camera instead of the stage. 

The class emphasizes learning how to be comfortable and believable in front of a camera. Every class will be recorded, and students will need to look back on their and their classmates› work and reflect. 

The class will touch on audition technique, particularly on how to take risks in acting choices while auditioning. The critical understanding of the business of acting and what tools are needed will also be discussed. Students will also learn the intricacies of critiquing others› work, including how to be specific rather than vague. Tighe warns that previous experience in acting or in film is critical to have before taking the course. 

FA 18A: “Digital Documentary Photography” 

Prof. Pablo Delano (LALS)

“Digital Documentary Photography” is an introduction to digital photography with a special emphasis placed on documentation and personal expression. Work in the class will be of documentary nature, and Delano advises that students research documentary photography before joining the class. Although some photographic experience may be helpful, there are no prerequisites for the course. Some of the earlier assignments will be geared toward helping students become familiar with the technique behind documentary photography as well as with the photography equipment, which students are required to purchase for the course. Throughout the course, students are expected to shoot several images per week. During class time, students will present their images to their peers. Delano encourages his students to seek out interesting subject matter and to experiment. Delano says in the syllabus that the class is based on the premise that photography is a tool to examine the world and investigate that which we find interesting. 

FA 5B: “Sculpture: Blurring the Boundaries”

Prof. Tory Fair (FA)

“Sculpture: Blurring the Boundaries” is a Fine Arts Course focused on the art of sculpture. The course examines the processes behind creating images and objects from a variety of materials and mediums. According to the syllabus, students will have the unique opportunity to work with several different mediums, including relief, collage, mold-making, shaped canvases, monotype and mixed media installations. The class focuses on the intricate connection between two-dimensional art and three-dimensional art. Artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Xu Bing, Martin Puryear, James Turrell, Tony Cragg,  Felix Gonzalaz-Torres, Yinka Shonibare, Zhang Huan and Cai Guo-Qiang will be explored. 

Students are encouraged to work outside of class in the studio whenever it is available. However, using the table saw, advanced tools or welding needs special permission. A requirement for the course is to attend one artist lecture on campus; either one that is sponsored by the Fine Arts Department or one that is hosted by the Rose Art Museum. The course has five major projects, each one exploring a different challenge of sculpture. 

CLAS 133A: “The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece”

Dr. Andrew Koh (CLAS)

This course explores the art and archaeology of Ancient Greece, looking closely into the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period (ca. 3000-31 BCE). “The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece” looks into the beginnings of civilization in the European continent and the importance of the contact made with the Near East. According to the syllabus, the class will examine the rise and fall of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, the Renaissance and classical Greece — the period during which Greek colonies spread over the Mediterranean. The class will also “cover the hazy period that produced the legends of the Trojan War and a reimagining of old cultural traditions that manifested itself cogently in the material landscape. After we cover the wonders of classical Greece, which are so emblematic of Greece to this day, we will conclude with an underappreciated period of multiculturalism and internationalism inaugurated by the exploits of Alexander the Great in the East, a period which ends with the defeat of Cleopatra at the hands of the Romans.” Koh writes that a goal of the class is for students to not only learn about the material monuments and objects  but to understand the circumstances under which they were all produced.