Academic Bulletin 2022-2023 
    
    Nov 21, 2024  
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Academic Bulletin 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Art, Science, and Innovation Major

ART, SCIENCE, AND INNOVATION Major

Art, Science, and Innovation is an interdisciplinary major that prepares students to become cultural innovators and critical makers prepared to produce works of visual art that can transcend disciplinary boundaries and promote greater cultural and technological awareness, while creatively contributing to STEM fields. Students work at the intersections of art, science, culture, and technology to develop the technical skills and critical capacities required to lead, create and innovate in their artistic practice and in any number of commercial applications.

 

Students who graduate with an Art, Science, and Innovation MAJOR will be able to:

  • Identify the cultural influences of science and technology.
  • Engage with scientific practices and technological development from a humanistic and aesthetic point of view.
  • Communicate the ethics, politics, and cultural implications of scientific, technological and artistic developments in diverse contexts.
  • Produce innovative works of visual art that critically contribute to scientific, technological and cultural development.

 

The major in Art, Science, and Innovation leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree and requires the successful completion of a minimum of 52 credits. The major is comprised of an Introductory Core of three required courses and an option from among Theoretical Approaches, an Art Practices module, a Science Electives grouping of 16 credits, and an Advanced Core of an integrative seminar, Junior Seminar, and a one-semester senior project. Art, Science, and Innovation majors are required to have a GPA of at least 2.0 at graduation. All courses taken at Allegheny on a letter grade basis are included in the calculation with the exception of repeated courses for which only the most recent grade counts. All courses for the major must be taken on the letter grade basis. Under exceptional circumstances, one additional course taken Credit/No Credit may be presented for the major with permission of the chair of the department. Typically, this exception is made when a student has taken a course CR/NC before declaring a major in the department.

Students who major in Art, Science, and Innovation may not double-major in Studio Art or minor in Studio Art.

Not all courses are offered each year, and the College reserves the right to cancel or reschedule courses for enrollment, staffing, or other reasons.

 

Core Courses (52 Credits)

Core A: Introductory

Must complete 12 Credits.

Core B: Theoretical Approaches

Must complete ONE of the following (4 credits)

Core C: Art Practices

(Pick one module - Art or Media Production)

Core D: Science Electives

Must complete 16 additional credits from the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science (not including ), Geology, Mathematics ( or  or above), Neuroscience ( and ), Psychology, or Physics.

Core E: Advanced

Must complete ALL of the following (12 credits)

Sample Pathways

Sample Pathways

In selecting Science Electives, students might consider the examples of the following pathways through a focus area. Students should consult with their advisors to construct a pathway most relevant to their areas of interest.

 

  1. Optics -Different from the OpArt movement, an optics pathway would guide the understanding of the physics behind perception.
    1. MATH 140 - Calculus I with Precalculus, Part I
    2. PHYS 102 - Fundamentals of Physics II (prereq: MATH 140)
    3. PHYS 350 - Physical Optics
    4. PSYCH 150 - Sensation & Perception

 

  1. Generative Art - Generative art is produced by developing an autonomous system that independently determines its own features.
    1. CMPSC 101 - Data Abstraction
    2. CMPSC 301 - Data Analytics
    3. CMPSC 310 - Artificial Intelligence (prereq: CMPSC 101)
    4. CMPSC 311 - Robotic Agents (prereq: CMPSC 101)

 

  1. Mathematical Art - Art is often based in geometry and mathematical principles. In 3 courses, students establish the foundation of mathematical concepts
    1. MATH 151 - Calculus I
    2. MATH 152 - Calculus II (prereq: MATH 151)
    3. MATH 205 - Foundations of Mathematics (prereq: MATH 152)
    4. Option: MATH 320 Linear Algebra (prereq: MATH 205), which can provide an approach toward the basics of computer animation, or MATH 350 Geometry (prereq: MATH 205).

 

  1. Bio Art - Bioart is concerned with the ethics of established and emerging biological science principles and how they are culturally understood and used.
    1. CHEM 120 - Chemical Concepts I
    2. BIO 220 - Organismal Physiology and Ecology
    3. BIO 221 - Genetics, Development and Evolution
    4. FSBIO 201 - Investigative Approaches in Biology

 

  1. Integrated Sustainability - Evolving out of environmental art, Integrated Sustainability is an example of a solutions-based art practice geared towards finding practical applications for environmental challenges that engage with the imagination of the public.
    1. ENVSC 110 - Introduction to Environmental Science
    2. ENVSC 250 - Environmental Education
    3. ENVSC 352 - Environmental Justice
    4. ENVSC 380 - Climate Energy Policy (prereq: ENVSC 110)

 

  1. Visualization/Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality - Artists working with AR/VR and visualization are established leaders in the computer science field working on developing new potential uses and aesthetics for the technology, from public engagement of data, to wellness applications for VR and AR.
    1. CMPSC 100 - Computational Expression
    2. CMPSC 101 - Data Abstraction
    3. CMPSC 301 - Data Analytics (prereq: FS 102 or FS 200, or permission) OR PSYCH 150 - Sensation & Perception
    4. CMPSC 310 - Artificial Intelligence (prereq: CMPSC 101)

 

  1. Computer Art - Artists working within computer art work as web developers, graphic designers, UX/UI (User Experience/ User Interface) designers, and technologists.
    1. CMPSC 100 - Computational Expression
    2. CMPSC 101 - Data Abstraction
    3. CMPSC 102 - Discrete Structures
    4. CMPSC 302 - Web Development (prereq: FS 102 or FS 200, or permission)

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