Class participation, responses to readings, and a short paper required. The goal of HPA 101 is to provide a structured environment in which students can both achieve and demonstrate an understanding of the social, political, economic, historic, and scientific factors in the development and organization of health services in the United States. The primary focus is the making, viewing and discussion of digital imagery. The student will not only gain proficiency in the usage of software, but will also gain an understanding of the the broader implications of new technology as they relate to art, artists, and culture as a whole. Cultural, political and aesthetic and ethical issues directly relating to electronic media will be investigated.
Projects are conceptual in nature and build in complexity and sophistication.
Much of the work in this course will be designed to prepare the student for artistic pursuits following college, including professional digital media, photography or graphic design, graduate studies, grant or artists' residency applications, etc. In this course, students will be expected to propose and produce a self-directed project accounting for half of the final grade. The course will be structured to provide as much freedom as possible for discovery and individual artistic development within the context of a close-knit forum for the open exchange of ideas and criticism. It will require a thoughtful examination of work, both one's own and others, as well as an effort to refine one's artistic vocabulary and voice. Likewise, the student will be expected to push the limits of their ability to synthesize technical information and to correlate theory with practice.