SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION STUDENT REGISTRATION
FALL SEMESTER 2020
By this point you have participated in one of Alfred University’s virtual summer orientation sessions with School of Art and Design Foundations faculty and your Academic Success Coaches: Kassie McCarn and Mariah Evans. They will have already worked with you to set up a basic schedule for the upcoming fall semester. The information provided below is meant to help you understand what those requirements are and now to navigate the first year in terms of what are studio classes, humanities and art history. ** You will not to need to re-register for classes. You are encouraged to reach out to the School of Art and Design’s Assistant Dean Dan Napolitano (napolitano@alfred.ed) or to Kassie (mccarn@alred.edu) and Mariah (evansml@alfred.edu) if you have questions or would like to change your course registration before the start of the semester.
Questions + Answers__________________________________________________
What is a typical Program for First Year Students
Foundation Art (101 & 102) 16 credits (8 per semester)
Art History (3 two credit courses ARTH 120, 130, 140) 6 credits
English (101 or 102) 4 credits
Humanities (1, 100 or 200 level only) 4 credits
What are the BFA Requirements?
A minimum of 128 credits are required for graduation from Alfred University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design. You are encouraged to track your own progress toward graduation by keeping records based on successful completion of course work. You can review your progress toward graduation on the Banner system.
The total of 131 credits must be distributed as follows:
Studio 72 credit hours
Writing 4 credit hours
Humanities 8 credit hours
Other academics 13 credit hours
Art History 17 credit hours
Electives 14 credit hours PHED 2 (additional PHED credits may not be used toward elective requirement.)
Senior Project 0 credit hours
Common Ground 1credit hours
Total of 131credit hours
So how many credits should I take?
A minimum of 30 credits should be completed by the end of the first year so that you can go on to Sophomore year. A normal load is 16 credits per/semester, but students have the option to take as little as 12 or up to 18 credits depending on their abilities, schedule and outside activities. The Common Ground (see description below) class is required and is a “free overload” class, which may put your schedule at 19 credits. If a student chooses to take 14 credits in the Fall they will be required to complete at least 16 in the Spring for a total of 30 to register as a sophomore. Additional tuition is charged for more than 18 credits and must be approved by the Dean unless the student is in the Honors Program.
How do I register for the Foundation Program?
All students accepted into the BFA Foundation Program will register for 8 credits of Foundation l (10676-ART101-001). During a summer orientation or during welcome week. Students will be assigned specific sections once they arrive on campus. After you add this course you will have registered for a total of 8 credits.
What’s the Foundation Schedule?
The Foundation Program meets every morning, five days per week. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday studio classes start from 8:20 until 11:10 am. On Wednesday mornings, the entire freshman class gets together for group activities, films, field trips, lectures and discussions from 8:20 until 11:10 am. When you are planning your schedule keep in mind that your Academic and other courses will need to be scheduled around these time slots.
What about Art History?
Refer to either your paper copy or the Alfred website for the Class Schedule Listing for Fall. You will notice that the Art History course numbers start with ARTH 12_, ARTH13_ or ARTH14_. Each of these courses are worth 2 credits. To complete the Art History requirement for the first year you must take one class beginning with each of those prefixes for a total of 6 credits. You will take one course one semester and the other two during the other semester. All course numbers are offered each of the two semesters and do not need to be taken in numerical sequence. It is very important that you complete all three of these courses before the end of your first year since you will not be able to take them again until you are a Junior.
The Art History courses meet for only 7 weeks or one half semester, so two may be taken in one semester. We refer to these half semesters as A Block (first 7 weeks) and B Block (second 7 weeks). The Class Schedule Listing on Banner indicates which half of the semester each course meets. It is not recommended that you take two of these courses during the same 1/2 semester block. Please be aware of this when scheduling. In addition, each art history course is to be taken concurrently with a 0 credit discussion class which meets once a week on Wednesday evenings. These plenary courses are meant to enhance the art history classes through the presentation of films, lesson review and an introduction to the library and research methods. ** During registration students must register for art history courses and the discussion section at the same time.
What is Common Ground?
Common Ground is a one-credit discussion group moderated by faculty and staff and comprised students from all four schools. It will meet Thursdays at 3:20pm-5:10pm for the Spring 2021 semester only. Homework consists of short readings and videos, designed to require minimal time outside of the class. Think of this as community-building and a safe dialogue space for you to hear a new perspective and challenge your own preconceived notions. This is a rare opportunity to share in a common experience for all first-year students. Transfer and new international students are also expected to attend but if the class time conflicts, the Assistant Dean would discuss a waiver.
What about my English and Humanities Requirements?
With few exceptions, all students should take one English course and one Humanities course in their first year. Both courses are assigned 4 credits and should not be taken in the same semester. It makes no difference which semester you choose to take one or the other, although if writing has not been your strength you may want to consider taking your writing requirement first as it will help your success in other classes.
Can you tell me more about the Writing Requirement?
Students should register for the appropriate level course depending upon their scores on college entrance exams. School of Art and Design students will adhere to criteria utilized by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for placement in ENGL 101, 102 or exempt. These courses may be limited, so if you do not get in the first semester, you certainly will in the Spring.
SAT Writing SAT ACT
ENGL 101 499 or below 539 or below 25 or below
ENGL 102 500 – 699 540 – 739 26 – 29
Exempt 700 or above 740 or above 30 or above
Can you explain the Humanities Requirement with a little more detail? Over the course of your 4 years of studies, you will be required to take 8 credits (2 courses) of Humanities. ** We recommend that students take at least 1, 4 credit course in the first year of study. These courses are organized into areas or groups. You will be choosing one course from B or D, and one from the Other Humanities or A areas. Below I’ve listed the requirements and course names, but the best way to make sure that you are taking a course that fulfills the BFA humanities requirement is to go to BannerWeb. Once there, go to Class Schedule, scroll down to Attribute type and select either BFA: Humanities (Area B or D) or BFA: Other Humanities. Only courses that fulfill the requirement will be listed for that semester. Keep in mind that topics change each semester. So you may want to plan ahead if there is a specific course you’d like to take in the future!
You will need to take one 4-credit course from among 100-200 level offerings listed under:
BFA: Humanities (area B or D course attribute) Here are a few examples, there are many more, so refer to the online registration lists or the check sheet!
The World in the 20th Century-13626 HIST 107-01
The World in the 20th Century-13042 HIST 107-02
The Making of Europe 13617 HIST 110-01
The Rise and Fall of Iberia, 1450-1950-11657 HIST 151-01
American History 12465 HIST 211-01
American History 10208 HIST 211-02
Introduction to Philosophy 10302 PHIL 101-01
Introduction to Philosophy 13609 PHIL 101-02
Ethics 12651 PHIL 281-02
Philosophy of the Arts I 10304 PHIL 282-01
Introduction to World Religions 13242 RLGS 105-02
Birth of the Christian Tradition 13621 RLGS 254-01
The second humanities must be a 4-credit 100-200 level course from (area B or D) or from the BFA Other Humanities (course attribute) Here are a few examples, there are many more, so refer to the online registration lists or the check sheet!
Cultural Anthropology 10001 ANTH 110-01
Mass Media and American Life 10033 COMM 110-01
20th Century Poetry 13700 ENGL 216-01
Tales of King Arthur 13743 ENGL 221-01
Shakespeare in Cinema 12516 ENGL 225-01
American Politics 10351 POLS 110-01
American Politics 10352 POLS 110-02
World Politics 12825 POLS 271-01
Introduction to Sociology 10404 SOCI 110-01
Introduction to Theatre 13792 THEA 110-01
What is the check sheet? The BFA Check sheet and other check sheets are templates for what you need to graduate with a given degree. There is one for each Art History, Bachelor of Fine Art and Art Education. For up-to-date sheets, stop by the School of Art and Design Office and ask the undergraduate secretary for a copy.
What if I am interested in the Art Education Program? Students interested in Art Education will not need to register for any special classes at this time. You will learn more about the program and its requirements once here.
What if I am a Transfer or Honors student? Transfer and Honor students may wish to make adjustments or additions to their schedule. Help is available by calling Betsy Kent at kent@alfred.edu or at 607-871-2441.
Are there other options that I might consider?
The University has many 2 credit offerings that are popular with students. Many Foundations students take courses in the Performing Arts including Music, Dance, and Theater. Spend some time looking over the course offerings for Fall. Sign up for something that really interests you! This is the time to explore new things or build on skills that you have already started to develop. If you are thinking about study abroad, then you might want to learn more about a specific country or take a language. And remember, you don’t have to do it all in the first semester, you have four years!
I have a question that you haven’t answered, who can I talk to?
Please contact Assistant Dean Dan Napolitano: napolitano@alfred.edu or your Academic Success Coaches, Kassie McCarn: mccarn@alfred.edu and Mariah Evans: evansml@alfred.edu
You may also take a moment and visit the Alfred University, School of Art and Design website at http://art.alfred.edu. There you can access lots of information about your school!
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