Course Descriptions

Courses taken in the undergraduate Art Education program provide graduates with a broad foundation in all of the fine arts and design areas, as well as in teaching and learning in visual arts. All students begin by taking content courses in the Foundations Program which provides a strong background in preparation for taking advanced courses within the various studio arts. Art Education students also explore historical periods, styles, and genres in the history of art.

They build their knowledge of teaching by taking professional preparation courses that introduce them to instruction and learning, child development in art, and curriculum development and assessment. They complete their education with liberal arts courses that provide a broad understanding of the human condition and the social, historical, and cultural development of all people around the world.

A&D 10500 – Design I

Two-dimensional design fundamentals: concepts and processes. Studio problems are used to introduce concepts, vocabulary, and skills applicable to continued study in a variety of visual disciplines. Includes introduction to a variety of two-dimensional media and computer applications. 

A&D 10600 – Design II

Three-dimensional fundamentals: concepts and processes. Studio problems introduce design concepts, vocabulary, and construction skills applicable to continued study in  a variety of visual disciplines. Includes introduction to a variety of 3-D media and 3-D computer graphics concepts. 

A&D 11300 – Basic Drawing

An introduction to drawing and sketching as a means of communication of ideas. 

A&D 11400 – Drawing II

Continuation of A&D 11300; emphasis is given to the exploration of a variety of media, the structuring of pictorial space, and figure drawing.

A&D 11700 – Photography I: Black and White Process & Aesthetics

An introductory course in silver-based photographic processes and creative image making. Emphasis is on the development of camera and darkroom techniques, and fostering critical thinking skills related to the traditions and aesthetics of black and white photographic practice. 

A&D 12500 – Introduction to Interior Design

Introductory survey of interior spaces and their impact upon the physical, social, psychological, and aesthetic needs of people. Critical evaluation of concepts in the interior design profession and related fields will be emphasized.

A&D 13000 – Design Process and Communication

Process of problem solving, design analysis, spatial studies, conceptual ideation, and methods of communicating in various two- and three-dimensional media.

A&D 14600 – Design Drawing I

Problems, skills, and methods of professional design drawing. Emphasis on drawing as a conceptual tool and as part of the design process. Concentration on the media and techniques used in contemporary design drawing. 

A&D 20000 – Drawing & Painting

This course is an introduction to painting, emphasizing fundamental painting techniques, and materials in conjunction with varied subject matter. Traditional and nontraditional approaches and their historical meanings will be examined and applied.

A&D 20200 – Introduction to Art Education

Lectures, readings, and discussions covering the history, theory, and professional literature of art education.

A&D 20500 – Design III

Problems in two- and three-dimensional design, utilizing a variety of tools, materials, and processes. Study is made of the interaction between designer and society, involving concepts of art, psychology, technology, anthropology, and history.

A&D 20600 – Studio in VCD

Investigation of visual communications design theory, history, skills, and methodology, as well as preparation of art and mechanicals for graphic arts reproduction.

A&D 21300 – Life Drawing

Introduction to drawing the human figure with emphasis upon structure and gesture.

A&D 21500 – Materials and Processes

An introductory course in the selection of materials and processes as relevant to design, along with laboratory experiences learning the safe and proper use of tools and equipment. Required of students wanting extensive access to A&D tools and equipment.

A&D 22600 – History of Art to 1400

Review of painting, sculpture, and architecture from their beginnings to the end of the Middle Ages.

A&D 22700 – History of Art Since 1400

Review of painting, sculpture, and architecture from 1400 to present.

A&D 23000 – Interior Design I

Study of behavioral patterns, perceptions, needs, and usage of three-dimensional space through conceptual solutions to human environments. Interior design theory and application of design process through analysis, research, and synthesis will be explored.

A&D 23500 – Materials and Processes II

Problems in three-dimensional design, incorporating materials, production processes, and applications of current technology. An introduction to complete industrial design problems, including problem definition, concepts, resource information, design development, final proposals, and presentation techniques. 

A&D 24200 – Ceramics I

An introduction to ceramics, materials, and processes used in creating wheel-thrown and hand-formed pottery and sculpture. Emphasis on contemporary interpretations of traditional forms.

A&D 26200 Jewelry Design & Metalwork I

An introduction to the design and execution of hand-wrought jewelry and metalwork.

A&D 26500 – Relief Printmaking

An introduction to the techniques of woodcut, linocut, collagraph, and related media. Emphasis on fine art conceptual issues, creativity, matting and framing art, and professional practices.

A&D 26600 – Silkscreen Printmaking

An introduction to the techniques of silkscreen printmaking on paper, including the uses of handmade and light-sensitive stencils. Emphasis on fine art conceptual issues, creativity, matting and framing art, and professional practices.

A&D 27000 – Constructed Textiles

A beginning course in non-loom constructed textile techniques such as macramé and card weaving. Emphasis on three-dimensional design in fiber using historical textile structures as the basis for contemporary interpretations.

A&D 27100 – Dyed Textiles

Beginning course in non-screen fabric dyeing techniques such as tie-dye and batik. Survey of historical surface design for contemporary interpretations in both two- and three-dimensions.

A&D 27500 – Beginning Sculpture

An introductory course in sculpture, exploring basic concepts, techniques, and materials. Problems in class will emphasize individual student’s aesthetic understanding of techniques and inventive use of materials.

A&D 36800 – Etching & Intaglio

An introduction to the techniques of etching, engraving, aquatint, drypoint, collagraph, monoprint, and related processes. Emphasis on fine art conceptual issues, creativity, matting and framing  art, and professional practices. 

A&D 3700 Woven Textiles

A beginning course in loom-woven textiles and pattern drafting. Emphasis on two- and three-dimensional design in fiber, using historical textile structures as a basis for contemporary interpretations. 

A&D 38300 – Modern Art: The Twentieth Century

A study of major trends and major figures in recent and contemporary European and American painting, sculpture, and architecture. 

A&D 38400 – Postmodernism

Critical study of the development of postmodernist art, art history, and theory. Post-minimalism, Earthworks, Feminist Art, Site-specific Art, and Performance and Video art are considered in their art-historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts.

A&D 39500 History of Design

A history of the development of design ideas, structures, and the influence of technology upon their directions. The course will cover a cross section of the ideas developed from the late nineteenth century to the present.

Education Professional Preparation

A&D 20200 – Introduction to Art Education

Lectures, readings, and discussions covering the history, theory, and professional literature of art education.

 A&D 30200 – Theory and Practice of Elementary School Art

Study of art in elementary schools, including development of curriculum materials and practicum in teaching.

A&D 30300 – Art in Middle/Junior High Schools

Study of art education theory and practice for middle/junior high schools.

A&D 40200 – Art in Secondary School

Theory and practice of art education for adolescent students in the secondary school.

EDCI 20500 - Exploring Teaching As A Career

Credit Hours: 2.00 to 3.00.  Students will become familiar with the work of teachers and begin to develop their educational philosophies through examining what it means to teach and to learn and the nature and purpose of schools. Students will critically evaluate teaching as their chosen profession. This course includes a required weekly field-based experience in an elementary, middle, or high school classroom.  Credits: 2.00 to 3.00

EDCI 27000 - Introduction To Educational Technology And Computing

Credit Hours: 1.00 to 3.00.  Addresses fundamentals of educational technology, including the integration of instructional design, media, computers and related technologies within the classroom setting.  Credits: 1.00 to 3.00

EDCI 28500 - Multiculturalism And Education

Credit Hours: 2.00 to 3.00.  This course integrates an understanding of multiculturalism with principles of democratic education. Historical, sociological, cultural, political, philosophical, and pedagogical foundations of multiculturalism are explored and related to issues of pedagogy in a pluralistic society. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer. Credits: 2.00 to 3.00

EDCI 30900 - Reading In Middle And Secondary Schools: Methods And Problems

Credit Hours: 1.00 to 3.00.  For prospective teachers at junior and senior high schools. An overview of reading processes, fundamentals of reading instruction, factors that influence the ability to read text materials, strategies and materials for identifying and reducing reading problems, school resources, and programs for normal and deficient readers. Concurrent enrollment with program-specified methods course.Credits: 1.00 to 3.00

EDCI 35000 - Community Issues & Applications For Educators

Credit Hours: 1.00 to 3.00.  This course is an examination of diverse individual, family, and community characteristics and issues, and potential impacts on teaching and learning processes. Includes service learning with human service agencies and personnel in the school and community. As part of this course, students complete certification to meet the Indiana Department of Education suicide prevention training requirement for teacher licensure. Credits: 1.00 to 3.00

EDCI 37001 - Teaching And Learning English As A New Language

Credit Hours: 2.00 or 3.00.  This course builds foundational knowledge on the theories and practices related to the English language development of English language learners in the P-12 contexts. Particular attention is given to the current issues as well as on techniques for instructing and assessing students at different stages of English language development in the school context. Students will learn to identify students’ strengths and current needs in English, to design classroom experiences across the curriculum, and to assess student performance using current WIDA standards. Credits: 2.00 or 3.00

EDPS 20001 - Special Populations Seminar: Focus On Students With Disabilities And Differentiation Approaches

Credit Hours: 1.00.  (EDCI 2001) This seminar is focused on special populations of learners for teacher education majors with an emphasis on exceptional students and approaches to curricular differentiation. Students will engage in mentoring activities and ongoing support in their development as a professional. The goal of the seminar is to connect theory to practice by engaging in an immersive field experience that connects to content and courses taken concurrently. The seminar provides an environment conducive to fostering rich relationships with schools and communities, pursuing common inquiry, thinking critically about theory, content and practice and advocating for equitable schooling. This seminar includes a field experience targeting schools and classrooms including exceptional students. This seminar is intended to be taken concurrently with EDPS 24800 and EDPS 26501. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer. Credits: 1.00

EDPS 20002 - Special Populations Seminar: English Language Learners And Students With Gifts And Talents

Credit Hours: 1.00.  This seminar is focused on special populations of learners for teacher education majors with an emphasis on students who are English learners and students with gifts, talents, and creativity.  Students will engage in mentoring activities and ongoing support in their development as a professional. The goal of the seminar is to connect theory to practice by engaging in an immersive field experience that connects to content and courses taken concurrently. The seminar provides an environment conducive to fostering rich relationships with schools and communities, pursuing common inquiry, thinking critically about theory, content and practice and advocating for equitable schooling. This seminar includes a field experience targeting schools and classrooms with ELLs and students with gifts, creativity, and talents. This seminar is intended to be taken concurrently with EDPS 24000 and EDCI 37001. Typically offered Fall Spring Summer. Credits: 1.00

EDPS 23500 - Learning And Motivation

Credit Hours: 2.00 or 3.00.  Introduction to concepts of learning and motivation in educational contexts (i.e., Educational Psychology). Influence of development, culture, and individual differences on learning and motivation. Uses of assessment and technology in promoting learning and motivation. A field-based experiential component is included. Credits: 2.00 or 3.00

EDPS 24000 - Children With Gifts, Creativity, And Talents

Credit Hours: 1.00.  This course is an introduction to the intellectual, social, and emotional characteristics of gifted children youth; philosophies of gifted education; and programmatic and classroom approaches for supporting gifted students generally and within different domains (e.g., intellectual, academic, creative, artistic, leadership). Cannot be taken concurrently with EDPS 24800. Typically offered Fall Spring. Credits: 1.00

EDPS 24800 - Differentiating Curriculum And Instruction

Credit Hours: 1.00.  This course provides a solid foundation and set of principles for differentiating curriculum and instruction in any classroom at any grade level. Students will explore a variety of evidence-based strategies, tools, and curriculum models that effectively meet the diverse needs of all learners. Through readings, online class meetings and discussions, case studies, differentiated instruction examples, direct application, and reflection, students will deepen their understanding and need to differentiate. With an overarching goal of increasing achievement and developing student talents, this course includes the following major components:

• creating positive learning environments that support a) high-quality curriculum; b) diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments to inform instructional decision-making; and c) flexible grouping
• addressing student differences in readiness, interest, and learning profile (including learning preference, intelligence preference, gender, culture, language preference, locale, and opportunities to learn) and appreciating how these differences influence the ways in which students learn
• understanding that the process of differentiation involves modifying content, process, product, learning environment, and/or affect
• incorporating higher-order thinking skills, creative problem solving, project-based learning, authentic/respectful tasks, collaborative learning, and other evidence-based strategies to promote student achievement and talent development
• understanding how differentiation of curriculum and instruction fits within specific educational interventions and models, such as scaffolding, flexible grouping, Response to Intervention (RtI), and Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

 Effective teachers do more than teach content; they teach unique individuals who enter classrooms with various levels of expertise, skills, abilities, social-emotional needs, and learning expectations. Effective teachers differentiate curriculum by personalizing content based on the particular needs and interests of their students. Effective teachers differentiate instruction by applying various grouping strategies, technology applications, and thinking skills. The goal of every effective teacher is that every child learns something new every day. Cannot be taken concurrently with EDPS 24000. Typically offered Fall Spring. Credits: 1.00

EDPS 26501 - The Inclusive Classroom

Credit Hours: 2.00. This course is designed to provide an overview of the characteristics of children (birth through age 21) with disabilities, causes of disability, assessment techniques, and instructional strategies. Emphasis is placed upon the development of an inclusive lesson plan based on student needs in the field experience classroom. Characteristics addressed include learning, behavioral, social-emotional, and communicative abilities and needs for students with mild and intense support needs. Issues related to cultural differences and family impact will also be addressed. A field-based component is included. Typically offered Spring Summer Fall. Credits: 2.00

EDPS 32700 - Classroom Assessment

Credit Hours: 1.00 to 3.00.  Evaluating the impact of instruction on student performance is one of the most important skills for an educator. Effective teachers ask themselves, “How do I know if students are truly learning? Are they meeting educational objectives in the content area?” Using well-chosen assessment approaches, teachers can address these questions. In this course, students will acquire assessment literacy: the ability to gather accurate information about student achievement and use that information to make instructional decisions that will improve learning. Course activities will focus on assessment tasks relevant to P- 12 classroom settings. Credits: 1.00 to 3.00

EDPS 36201 - Positive Behavioral Supports

Credit Hours: 2.00 or 3.00.  This course provides an overview of the theory, principles, and application of applied behavior analysis within positive behavior interventions and support. The course focuses on pre-service teacher preparation in designing and implementing group and individual behavior supports. Emphasis is on universal supports, targeted interventions, and data-driven decision-making. Credits: 2.00 or 3.00

EDPS 43010 - Secondary Creating And Managing Learning Environments

Credit Hours: 1.00 to 3.00.  This course is designed to develop advanced pre-service teachers’ skills in recognizing classroom processes and understanding how teachers’ beliefs and practices affect secondary students’ engagement, learning, and motivation. It focuses on Effective Teaching - what it is, what it looks like, and different ways to enact it in the classroom. Typically offered Fall Spring. Credits: 1.00 to 3.00

EDST 20010 - Educational Policies And Laws

Credit Hours: 1.00 to 3.00. The interactive course will provide an understanding of the history of schooling in the United States. A special emphasis will be placed on reviewing historical and contemporary educational policies and educational laws as each subject is critical to understanding social, historical, and cultural issues in the United States. Focus will also be on contemporary applications of historical ideas in the classroom and in school systems. Typically offered Fall Spring. Credits: 1.00 to 3.00

EDCI 49800 - Supervised Teaching

Credit Hours: 8.00 to 16.00.  Teaching full time in a school classroom under the supervision of the teacher in charge of the class and a University supervisor. Completion of education methods courses and other Gate requirements for the major area and admittance to teacher education required.  Credits: 8.00 to 16.00

Internship 

Art Education Internship

In order to qualify for certification and teaching licenses, students in Art Education are required to complete student teaching experiences at both the elementary and secondary levels. Student teaching provides ample opportunity for students to apply and refine their knowledge and skills as art educators by working closely with art students in art classrooms and professional art educators.

EDCI 49800 - Supervised Teaching

Credit Hours: 8.00 to 16.00.  Teaching full time in a school classroom under the supervision of the teacher in charge of the class and a University supervisor. Completion of education methods courses and other Gate requirements for the major area and admittance to teacher education required.  Credits: 8.00 to 16.00

Cross-Disciplinary Learning

All Visual and Performing Arts students are encouraged to take advantage of courses outside of their specific major to enrich their creative experiences at Purdue. For a comprehensive course list in Art and Design click here. Also, visit the Theatre Department, Dance, and Music Divisions for their course offerings.

The Patti and Rueff School of Visual and Performing Arts is conveniently located at Pao Hall, which serves as an artistic hub for students across campus and specifically all visual and performing arts divisions and departments. Purdue students have the unique opportunity to develop collaborative relationships with other creative disciplines, students, and faculty members inside a single creative arts facility equipped with art galleries, theatres, art and design studios, and classrooms. 

CURRENT STUDENT: Please refer to the Course Catalog or Schedule of Classes on My Purdue for updates, registration restrictions, prerequisite, co-requisite and special fee information.