Gannon University

FACULTY: Associate Professors: Michael E. DeSanctis, Sister Lucille De Stefano, SSJ, Annmarie George, Instructor: Bruce Morton Wright.

Aims and Objectives:
American education at all levels is giving increasing recognition to the importance of Art and Music in the educational process. As technology makes more and more leisure time available to people, it is imperative that they be prepared to use this time in a way that truly enriches them; for leisure, if not used constructively for personal growth and enrichment, can become enervating rather than re-creative. Throughout history it has been acknowledged that communion with works of art and music has promoted such personal growth.

Each historical period has its own formal language, called style, by which the artists or composer expresses himself. Courses in Art History are designed to help the student comprehend the various period styles – including those of today – in architecture, sculpture, painting and the so-called minor arts, in a personally satisfying way. Courses in Music provide similar opportunities for growth through that medium. In all course the works of art and music are set against the social and cultural background of their time.

It is commonplace to say that the professional person must be a person of culture, not merely a technician. Art and music form an integral part of the western culture which shapes our lives. Moreover, career opportunities in musicology, art history, museum curatorships and similar professions are beckoning more and more men and women who specialize in the knowledge to which the Fine Arts Program provides an introduction.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

Art
FINA 221: Renaissance Art
The arts of the so-called “rebirth” of western culture, from the International Style of ca. 1400 A.D. and “Late Gothic” style in Northern Europe, through the early and high Renaissance in Italy and their spread northward.
3 credits

FINA 224: Baroque Art
The development of art and architecture from the change in style ca. 1520 known as Mannerism, through the Baroque and Rococo phases in Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
3 credits

FINA 232: Erie Architecture
A close-up study of the built environment in Erie, Pennsylvania. The course examines the various ways in which architecture shapes the places, in which Erie residents live, work, pray, and recreate. Class sessions are almost entirely outside the classroom and will include tours of important buildings and local architectural firms.
3 credits

FINA 235: Christian Art and Architecture
A broad survey of the various ways in which Christian faith has been expressed in the pictorial and building arts. Special attention is devoted to the evolution of the Christian place of worship, from the earliest house-church and basilica settings to the high-tech, televangelization centers of today.
3 credits

FINA 281: Problems in Contemporary Art and Architecture
The role of modern art criticism, the desacralization of modern art, and the demise of the art object. One seminar meeting per week.
3 credits

FINA 282: Modern Art
A survey of the leading movements in painting, sculpture, and architecture during the 19th and 20 centuries.
3 credits

FINA 284: American Art
The development of American painting, sculpture and architecture from their provincial status in colonial times to their preeminence on the world scene after World War II.
3 credits

FINA 380: Art and the Sacred
This course invites students to explore the historic relationship between aesthetic and spiritual experience. While the course focuses primarily on artistic expression in the Judeo- Christian tradition, students are encouraged to examine the ways in which other world religions give rise to sacred image-making, music, dance, drama, sculpture and architecture. A fundamental premise of the course is that the arts are, in the Christian sense, both "incarnational" and "sacramental" in that they mimic Jesus Christ's own enfleshment as "the visible image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), and serve as means by which people of faith make contact with the sacred, the transcendent, the divine. The course relies heavily on group discussion of ideas and images related to the topic. As often as possible, students are introduced to the work of local artists, theologians and persons involved in religious ministries and receive firsthand experience of sacred artworks.
3 credits

FINA 390: American Architecture
A broad survey of the American architectural tradition. The entire range of American building practices is examined, from the earliest colonial experiments to the latest Postmodern skyscrapers.
3 credits

FINA 391-394: Special Topics in Art History/Theory
1-3 credits

FINA 395-99: Independent Study
1-3 credits

FINA 400: Senior Seminar
3 credits

Music
MUSC 111 and 112: Piano 1 & 2
Private study of piano with one weekly lesson and a minimum of four hours practice weekly. Includes basic music fundamentals together with the development of piano keyboard techniques. Pass/Fail.
1 credit

MUSC 100-105: Mixed Chorus 1-6
Reading, rehearsal and performance of sacred and secular choral literature. Open to all qualified students. One hour rehearsal weekly. May be taken on a non-credit basis.
1 credit

MUSC 113: Piano 3
Continued private study of piano with one weekly lesson and a minimum of four hours of practice weekly. Includes intermediate music theory with the further development of piano keyboard techniques.
1 credit

MUSC 115-180: Instrumental Ensemble 1-8
Opportunity for students with instrumental background to perform in small ensembles (string, wind, etc.)
1 credit

MUSC 200-208: Band 1-9
Opportunity for qualified students to perform in the Concert Band. Two-hour rehearsal weekly with performances at the end of each semester. May be taken on a non-credit basis.
1 credit

MUSC 231: Beethoven and His Influence
The music of the Classical Era, centering on the personality and works of Beethoven. Several of the artist’s compositions are studied in depth, with special emphasis on the socio-political context of their creation and the influence of musical antecedents.
3 credits

MUSC 238: Expansive Sounds of the 19th Century
A course treating the various sounds developed by the Romantic composers and their social/psychological effects. Topics include the works of contemporaneous composers and artists, the influence of the Industrial Revolution, the expansion of the musical audience, and the “spontaneous overflow” of music in 19th-century society.
3 credits

MUSC 246: The Music of Our Century
A study of the music of our time and the forces shaping it, especially technology, the intellectual climate of the 20th century, and relations between humanity and its environment. In addition to art music, popular and experi-music and their role in our society will be examined.
3 credits

MUSC 250: Music and Psychology
An exploration of the impact of music on the human psyche and reasons for our responses to various types of musical stimuli. Such areas in music as consonance/dissonance, rhythmic patterns, volume and density, melodic and harmonic structure will be examined in detail.
3 credits

MUSC 251: Music in Advertising and Marketing
Explores the contribution of music to modern advertising and marketing. The course devotes particular attention to the relationship between audio and visual effects in radio and television advertising. Rhythmic patterns, voice timbre, consonance/dissonance, and melodic devices will be examined.
3 credits

MUSC 252: Music in the Theatre
Examines the role of music as an inherent element of drama. The course surveys various forms of musical and dramatic expression and their application in theatrical productions. Prerequisite: Theatre/H5 111
3 credits

MUSC 390-394: Special Topics in Music
1-3 credits

MUSC 395-399: Independent Study
1-3 credits

MUSC 400: Senior Seminar
3 credits

Fine Arts Minor
The Fine Arts Minor is intended to serve those students who, while not necessarily choosing to pursue professional involvement in the fine arts, nevertheless wish to learn more about the history, theory and practice of the various modes of human creativity. The minor is conceived as a broad, interdisciplinary survey of the expressive arts that places heavy emphasis on the creative act as a way of shaping thought. Guiding students through the minor are faculty members from various academic departments whose own interests lie in the area of creative expression. Students pursuing the minor are encouraged to make use of the University's urban campus and close proximity to such local art resources as the Fine Art Museum, Erie Playhouse, and the Erie Philharmonic.

The minor offers two options or 'tracks' students may take to suit their particular, academic interests:

Track 1: Theoretical
This track consists exclusively of theoretical courses offering participants a broad view of various modes of creative expression and their interrelatedness.

Track 2: Applied
This track requires participants to complete no fewer than two studio-type courses (e.g., Introduction to Photography, Fiction Writing) that challenge them to apply their acquired knowledge of arts theory and history to some creative act. Students opting for Track 2 will be required to present for faculty review a formal portfolio or performance demonstrating growth in their chosen art form.

Course Requirements:

Track 1: Theoretical: 6 credits from Level One, Foundation Course Selection, plus 12 credits from Level Two, Elective Course Selection.

Track 2: Applied: 6 credits from Level One, Foundation Course Selection, plus 12 credits from Level Two, Elective Course Selection (of which 6 must be applied arts.) A non-credit, synthesizing portfolio or performance is also required for successful completion of this track.

Level One – Foundation Course Selection (6 credits)

Level Two – Elective Course Selection (12 credits)

*denotes applied course

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