Art Education (AE) major

What you will study

You will study art education from multiple perspectives, including the content of art and media, art history, art in society, learners as artists, and educators as teachers and artists. You will explore what should be taught in a curriculum.  Who chooses? Who is represented? You will consider topics of social justice, art as a social construction of reality, the need for art education in society and community. Your courses will give you opportunities to analyze the unique needs of the learners—considering experiences, abilities, and universal approaches to learning in the art setting, while considering what is meaningful to your learners along with the pedagogical strategies that support learning in the art setting.  You will explore how to integrate curriculum, develop meaningful units and lessons, and communicate and interact professionally with your art education community. And you will investigate your own values and approaches to art and strategies to remain your own artist in the midst of educating others. Our approach to art education is a hands-on implementation of contemporary theoretical approaches to art education, based in your own ongoing reflection of what you are learning while teaching in a variety of settings.

In order to teach art effectively, you first need to develop a solid base in studio art. Your studies focus on both the meaning and form of art. By actively creating works of your own, you are able to engage fully with aesthetic experience. By working with various media, you expand your ability to invent and experiment. Your program of studies includes an introduction to drawing and 2D and 3D design and color theories. You learn the processes of ceramics, painting, metals, fibers, photography, computer graphics, printmaking, sculpture, and digital media to support your ability to create effective lessons and develop your own knowledge, skills, and abilities while making art.

You also study art history and art from other cultures. By studying the legacy of the past you come to better understand yourself and the work of contemporary artists. You analyze art in historical context, considering how factors such as politics, economics, religion, education, and technology impact the arts. You learn to make informed artistic judgments and to recognize the artistic relationships necessary to produce art. In addition, you learn about the cultural and artistic influences of historically underrepresented and disenfranchised groups.

In order to develop and refine your teaching ability, you take courses in psychology and art education, integrated with the liberal arts curriculum. You learn to analyze the general and specific needs of particular age groups, and to relate these needs to artistic forms, manipulation of materials, and behavioral characteristics. Your art education fieldwork includes classroom observations and practice. 

The culmination of the art education major lies in successful completion of two nine-week student teaching experiences in PreK-12th grade art education. These experiences are required by the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for licensure. Upon graduation, you can be licensed as a PK-12 art educator (550).  Students are confident and highly qualified art educators who can flexibly and creatively meet the needs of all of their students after completing this comprehensive art education program.

Beginning Requirements
A-100Community Art/Design Midsemester0
A-121Analytic Drawing3
A-122Expressive Drawing3
AE-130Aesthetic Engagement Ext Assessmnt Lev 10
A-1342-D Design3
A-189SForm and Space4
A-193CArt in the Professions2
AHS-210Ancient to Byzantine Art2
A-221Beginning Figure Drawing3
AE-230Aesthetic Engagement Ext Assessmnt Lev 20
A-2343-D Design3
AHS-252Medieval to Modern Art4
AE-222Principles of Art Education3
AE-330Aesthetic Engagement Ext Assessmnt Lev 30
PSY-110Life Span Development4
Intermediate Requirements
A-100Community Art/Design Midsemester (Take in semesters 3 & 4) 10
ED-116Relational Competence Workshop3
A-147Grant Writing for Artists & Educators1
A-262Graphic Design & Illustration3
A-399Formal Introduction to Advanced Work0
A ElectiveArt (A) Electives, 300 or 400 level18
AE-386Media & Methods in Art Therapy3
AE-387Adaptive Field Experience1
AE-392Art in Early Childhood & Elementary Sch4
AE-393Art in the Secondary School4
AE-395Ext Assessmnt Aesthetic Engagement Lev 40
DA/TA/MU ElectiveDance (DA), Theater Arts (TA) or Music (MU) Elective2
ED-220Interview Assessment0
HS-312Lives of First People2
PST 329 Praxis II Prep
PST 406 Praxis II
Advanced Requirements
A-100Community Art/Design Midsemester (take in semesters 6 & 7)0
AHS ElectiveArt History (AHS) Elective3
AHS-409Modern & Contemporary Art3
A-491Senior Art Seminar1
AE-482Ext Assessmnt Effective Citizenship Lev40
AE-400Ext Assessmnt Aesthetic Engagement Lev 50
AE-450Ext Assessmnt Aesthetic Engagement Lev 60
ED-475Student Teaching Seminar0
AE-480L
AE-480S
Direct Observ & Teaching Art/Elem Sch
and Direct Obs & Teaching Art/Secondary Sch
12
1

Take this mid-semester assessment for each semester 3, 4, 5.

2

3 credits must be at 400 level

This major does not require a minor and follows the general education requirements for mega majors-not science related.