Art & Media Studies
Art & Media Studies at Fulbright
The Art and Media Studies major is an interdisciplinary program that teaches students to combine theory and practice in their study and production of the arts. By emphasizing a theoretically rigorous and socially engaged approach to the examination of aesthetic expression, students learn how the arts serve as an important tool for inquiry into the human condition, and as a lever to transform the contemporary world. Students are also encouraged to integrate methods from a range of related disciplines (including computer sciences, economics, psychology, and anthropology) to historicize, analyze, and produce works of art in a variety of media. This approach equips future scholars and practitioners with the skills to critique and create works addressing social, cultural, and ethical issues on local and global levels. A common introductory course emphasizes the importance of studying visual culture as a key means of understanding the world in which we live. Other foundational, intermediate, and advanced courses lead, with increasingly specialized study, to deepening knowledge in one or more disciplinary or creative areas, such as art history and curating, film and media studies, and visual and performing arts. Course offerings draw widely from the creative energy of Vietnam, a growing cultural and artistic hub in Southeast Asia.
*Top photo by Richard Streitmatter-Tran
Welcome to the Art & Media Studies major at Fulbright!
“As a former student of both studio art and art history, I strongly believe the transdisciplinary nature of the BA Art and Media Studies provides a unique, relevant, and even life-changing approach to studying the interconnected worlds of art, media, and visual culture. Students will discover exciting connections between theater and photography, cinema and video art, painting and performance, media studies and ethnography, and we encourage them to continue such explorations within the major curriculum and beyond. Given the liberal arts context in which Art and Media Studies is embedded, and the program’s approach to combining rigorous historical, theoretical, and practical study, we challenge our students to gain vital skills in thinking and making, whether the ultimate product is a work of academic writing, a series of paintings, a documentary film, or other ambitious creative project. As such, the broad perspective and versatility that the Art and Media Studies degree provides will enable our graduates to be innovators in Vietnam or to continue their studies in the most competitive programs abroad.”
For more information about the Art & Media Studies major, please contact our Major coordinator at pamela.corey@fulbright.edu.vn
Academic spotlight
Degree Requirements
A Bachelor of Arts in Art and Media Studies is awarded following the successful completion of:
General education:
- 5 Core courses (20 credits) and 8 Exploratory courses (32 credits), of which up to two Exploratory courses (8 credits) can be counted towards the major.
- Experiential Learning (4 – 12 credits).
Regular Major Requirements:
- Introduction to Visual Studies (4 credits).
- 3 foundational (100-level) courses, two of which must be chosen from: Introduction to Art History and Theory; Introduction to Film History and Theory; or Introduction to Photography History and Theory (12 credits).
- 3 intermediate (200-level) courses (12 credits).
- 3 advanced (300-level) courses (12 credits).
- Capstone I OR an additional Art & Media Studies course at any level (4 credits).
- Capstone II OR an additional Art & Media Studies course at 300-level (4 credits).
Sample Student Journey:
- Core Courses
- Exploratory Courses
- Introduction to Visual Studies*
- Introduction to Film History & Theory*
- Core Courses
- Exploratory Courses
- Introduction to Art History and Theory
- Foundational Course
- Intermediate Course
- Experiential Learning
- Intermediate Courses
- Advanced Course
- Electives
- Advanced Courses
- Capstone I
- Capstone II
- Electives
Minor Requirements
The minor in Art and Media Studies provides a foundation in creative analytical inquiry and production through a selection of courses in visual and performing arts, art history and curating, film, photography, and media studies. The minor is ideal for students who seek to enrich their primary field of study by better understanding how image-making and artistic creation fuel our understanding and experience of the world. The Art and Media Studies minor is an ideal complement to majors focusing on design and technology, anthropology and cultural studies, economics and business, psychology and counselling, among others. The minor requires students to take a total of six courses: Introduction to Visual Studies; two Foundational (100-level) courses (one of which must be chosen from Introduction to Art History and Theory; Introduction to Film History and Theory; and Introduction to Photography History and Theory); two Intermediate (200-level) courses; and one Advanced (300-level) course.
Requirements for Declaring the Art and Media Studies Major and Minor
To formally declare Art and Media Studies as your major, you must complete Introduction to Visual Studies and two Foundational courses. To formally declare the Art and Media Studies minor, you must complete at least one course in the Art and Media Studies program.
Graduation with Honors Requirements
- Student must complete Capstone I and Capstone II
- The Capstone must be graded Honors
Sample course list
Introduction to Visual Studies: This course introduces students from a variety of backgrounds and interests to interdisciplinary approaches to visual studies, culture, and theory. The course focuses on building skills specific to the study of the visual realm and providing a sound foundation in relevant theories such as technologies of vision, surveillance, the gaze, agency, semiology, the exhibitionary order, and cinema and spectatorship. This skill set is crucial to analyzing, interpreting, and historicizing various forms of art, including the fine arts (such as painting and sculpture), and popular art and media (such as advertising, television, and social media). This introductory course is a prerequisite to all intermediate and advanced courses in the major.
Foundational (100-level) Courses:
Foundational courses provide students with a sound basis of knowledge in the history, theory, and practice of art, film, photography, and other media-based and performing arts. Assessments may comprise a combination of quizzes and tests, oral presentations, shorter pieces of written work or practice-based exercises, in combination with a larger individual or group project. In addition to a 100-level course of their choice, students must take two of the following options, for which Introduction to Visual Studies is a prerequisite:
- Introduction to Art History and Theory
- Introduction to Film History and Theory
- Introduction to Photography History and Theory
- Other Sample Introductory Courses:
- Introduction to Video and Film Production
- Introduction to Theater and Performance
- Dance and Performance Production
- 2D/3D Foundations
- Basic Drawing
Intermediate (200-level) Courses:
Intermediate courses build on the foundational curriculum to strengthen students’ competencies across theory and practice. As they delve into more specific topical areas, they develop their skills in critical analysis and interpretation while gaining further technical aptitude needed for production-based creative work. Students begin to independently shape their directions of inquiry through written and practice-based coursework alongside diverse and more ambitious creative assessments, e.g., video essays, curatorial proposals. In these courses, students begin to narrow their areas of study.
- Global Modern Art
- Arts of Southeast Asia
- Visualizing Vietnam
- Issues in Contemporary Photography
- Interdisciplinary Drawing
- Uncanny, Alien, and Strange: Themes in East Asian Film and Media
- Narrative
- Principles of Acting
- Digital Media Arts
Advanced (300-level) Courses:
Advanced courses are usually seminar-style, allowing for in-depth discussion of specialized historical and theoretical topics, and close instruction in more challenging levels of creative practice. Students take initiative in leading and structuring class discussion or in giving substantial oral presentations. Assessments include longer essays and more sophisticated artistic projects, e.g., a sound art installation, a short documentary film, or a small-scale exhibition. Advanced courses can also be independent studies co-designed by the student and their advisor. Students now demonstrate a stronger sense of self-direction and command of their chosen specialization within the Art and Media Studies curriculum.
- Contemporary Asian Artists
- Advanced Readings in Art Criticism and Theory
- Gender and Sexuality in East Asian Film and Fiction
- Curating in Context
- Sound Art
- Advanced Painting
- Animation and Graphic Media in East Asia
- Ethnographic Film: History, Theory, Practice
- Documentary Filmmaking and Video Journalism
- Capstone Project: The capstone is developed in close consultation with the student’s prospective primary project advisor. The Art and Media Studies capstone may take a variety of forms, such as a thesis, an exhibition project, an artwork, or a film. Practice-based projects may require a significant written component. Capstone projects should demonstrate the student’s specialization in their area of study as a culmination of their curriculum, but may also reflect the interdisciplinary and experimental spirit of the Art and Media Studies major.
- Eligibility criteria for enrollment in Capstone I includes a minimum major GPA of 3.6 and approval of a successful application.
-
Introduction to Visual Studies Introduction to Visual Studies
This course introduces students from a variety of backgrounds and interests to interdisciplinary approaches to visual studies, culture, and theory. The course focuses on building skills specific to the study of the visual realm and providing a sound foundation in relevant theories such as technologies of vision, surveillance, the gaze, agency, semiology, the exhibitionary order, and cinema and spectatorship. This skill set is crucial to analyzing, interpreting, and historicizing various forms of art, including the fine arts (such as painting and sculpture), and popular art and media (such as advertising, television, and social media). This introductory course is a prerequisite to all intermediate and advanced courses in the major.
-
Foundational Courses (3 required)
Foundational Courses (100-level)
- Introduction to Art History and Theory
- Introduction to Film History and Theory
- Introduction to Photography History and Theory
Other Sample Introductory Courses:
- Introduction to Video and Film Production
- Introduction to Theater and Performance
- Dance and Performance Production
- 2D/3D Foundations
- Basic Drawing
-
Intermediate Courses (3 required)
Intermediate Courses (200-level)
- Global Modern Art
- Arts of Southeast Asia
- Visualizing Vietnam
- Issues in Contemporary Photography
- Interdisciplinary Drawing
- Uncanny, Alien, and Strange: Themes in East Asian Film and Media
- Narrative
- Principles of Acting
- Digital Media Arts
-
Advanced Courses (3 required)
Advanced Courses (300-level)
- Contemporary Asian Artists
- Advanced Readings in Art Criticism and Theory
- Gender and Sexuality in East Asian Film and Fiction
- Curating in Context
- Sound Art
- Advanced Painting
- Animation and Graphic Media in East Asia
- Ethnographic Film: History, Theory, Practice
- Documentary Filmmaking and Video Journalism
-
Capstone I OR Arts & Media Studies Course (any level) (1 required)
-
Capstone II OR Arts & Media Studies Course(300-level) (1 required)
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Faculty publications
The City in Time: Contemporary Art and Urban Form in Vietnam and Cambodia, Seattle: University of Washington Press
2021 “Something in the Water: Towards a Symbolic History of Otherness in Chrouy Changvar, Cambodia.” In Zucker, Eve Monique, and Ben Kiernan, eds. Political Violence in Southeast Asia since 1945: Case Studies from Six Countries. 1st edition. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.
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