Computing and the Arts
Computing and the Arts is an interdepartmental major for students who wish to integrate computing with work in Art, History of Art, Music, or Theater Studies. Majors explore topics from these arts disciplines in the context of mathematics, computer science, and information technology. For students with a computing perspective, issues in these disciplines present interesting and substantive problems. For students with an artistic perspective, computing methods offer a systematic approach to achieving their vision. In addition to prerequisites, the major requires six term courses in Computer Science, six in the arts, and a senior project. Students choose a track in one of the arts disciplines and satisfy the corresponding requirements. The capstone of the program is a two-term senior project advised by faculty from Computer Science and from the chosen art. During freshman year, prospective majors with little or no programming experience should take cpsc 112a or b, Introduction to Programming, which is a prerequisite for all tracks. Students with sufficient programming experience may enroll in cpsc 201a or b, Introduction to Computer Science, instead; this course is a requirement of the major for all tracks. |
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Students considering the music track should take the music theory placement test during orientation. Those who place into musi 110a or b, Introduction to the Elements of Music, or musi 205a or b, Tonal Harmony and Form, should complete these courses by the end of freshman year.
Prospective majors should also consider the following courses during freshman year, depending on their track of interest:
- ART 111a or b, Visual Thinking
- ART 114a or b, Basic Drawing
- HSAR 112a, Introduction to the History of Art: Prehistory to the Renaissance
- HSAR 115b, History of Western Art from the Renaissance to the Present
- MUSI 210a or b, Elementary Studies in Analysis and Model Composition I
- THST 110a and 111b, Survey of Theater and Drama
Students interested in the major are encouraged to discuss their programs with the dus as early as possible.
