Visual and Environmental Studies

Robb Moss, Director of Undergraduate Studies
J.D. Connor, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Film Studies, on leave fall term

The Department of Visual and Environmental Studies aims to foster a dialogue among makers, critics, and theorists and, accordingly, its faculty comprises individuals representing all of these areas. The courses they offer fall into several areas, including the studio arts, photography, filmmaking, film studies, environmental studies, and critical theory.

The principal educational goal of the Visual and Environmental Studies Department is to provide students in a liberal arts college with an opportunity to gain an understanding of visual art and expression through both study and practice. The department's symbolic and functional home is the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, 1963, the only building designed by Le Cor-busier in North America. The Carpenter Center is situated along the "arts corridor," which also includes the Fogg Art Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, the Sackler Museum, and the Graduate School of Design.

The curriculum engages both practical and theoretical aspects of digital media, drawing, film, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, sound, video, and writing. All areas of the concentration begin with an introductory program, then moves to more advanced courses and may culminate in a thesis or senior-year tutorial. A course of study can be tailored to accommodate the demands of any visual or theoretical approach to art practice.

Each course of study has slightly different requirements, and these have been selected so that students will encounter several broad areas of concern. The requirements in film and studio arts are designed to expose students to a variety of practices, including related history and theory, and to encourage comprehensive accomplishment in a chosen area. The requirements in film studies encourage students to explore ways of understanding the theory and history of the moving image. All concentrators are required to do some course work outside their area of primary interest.

Upon graduation, concentrators in VES enter a wide variety of fields. Some pursue careers as artists or filmmakers while others go into publishing and communications. Among the graduate schools to which VES students are admitted are schools of architecture, art, film, and photography, as well as programs in liberal arts, medicine, and business.

Admission into the department is through an application process which consists of a Plan of Study and previous academic record of honors-level grades. Additionally, for those wishing to apply to the studio and filmmaking areas, an introductory studio or production course is required in advance of the application. For assistance in choosing an appropriate first course, students may consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Film Studies, or the Academic Services Coordinator.

In matters such as transfers from other colleges, leaves of absence and credit for work done out of residence, as well as for those interested in a joint concentration, please consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies or Academic Services Coordinator.

REQUIREMENTS
14 half-courses

1.    Required courses (vary by track):

STUDIO ARTS AND FILM / VIDEO

1. Introductory Studios:
   Studio: Four introductory studio half-courses should be completed by the end of the sophomore year.
   Film/Video: Three introductory film, video, or photography half-courses should be completed by the end of the sophomore year.
2. Intermediate/Advanced Studios:
   Studio: At least three studio half-courses beyond the introductory level. It is strongly recommended that students focusing on studio take at least one course with a visiting artist in the senior year. Most intermediate and advanced courses taught by visiting artists may be taken again if taught by different faculty. Students proposing theses in the studio area must submit a portfolio for review by the studio faculty before a thesis will be approved. Note: See further information under Thesis (item 3, below).
   Film/Video: At least two film/video half-courses beyond the introductory level. A film/ video thesis will be allowed only if it represents the third year, or fifth and sixth half-courses in the medium of the thesis. Note: See further information under Thesis (item 3, below).
3. Breadth Studio Course: Students are encouraged to take at least one half-course in a medium outside of their primary area of focus in the concentration.
4. Historical and Theoretical Courses: At least three half-courses are required. Students must take at least two historical or theoretical half-courses related to their area of focus in VES and at least one historical or theoretical half-course outside of their area of focus (for example, a course on the history or theory of film for students focusing on studio, or a course on the history of art, architecture, or the built environment for students focusing on film/video).
5. Additional Courses (Electives): Additional half-courses in VES or related fields to reach a total of 14. A senior thesis or senior project (VES 99) is an elective and constitutes two half-courses. A senior thesis or project is not a requirement in Visual and Environmental Studies, nor is it a requirement to be recommended for an honors degree.

FILM STUDIES

The film studies track provides rigorous and comprehensive training in film and visual studies. Coursework blends theory, analysis, and historical coverage. The program also draws on the unique interdisciplinary strengths of the course offerings elsewhere in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Film Archive's vast holdings of films and documents, and the rich resources of Harvard's museums, galleries, and libraries.

1. Introductory Courses: Three half-courses including Literature & Arts B-11, Visual and Environmental Studies 71 and 72.
2. Advanced Courses: Six (or seven) half-courses directly related to film and visual studies. Offerings under this heading will include both film studies classes offered in VES by regular and visiting faculty as well as pertinent film studies classes offered in departments outside of VES. At least two of these half-courses must be advanced Film Studies seminars.
3. Interdisciplinary Courses: Two (or three) half-courses in other departments that provide pertinent interdisciplinary perspectives to Film Studies but are not courses whose main emphasis is film related. These choices are subject to the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Film Studies upon application to the department.
4. Electives: Students who choose not to write a thesis will instead take two additional advanced film studies courses (these choices are subject to the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies). A thesis or senior project is an elective and constitutes two half-courses.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Students interested in focusing on Environmental Studies should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to construct a Plan of Study reflecting these interests. The department offers courses in environmental studies, the history and theory of space, and the moving image. Additionally, students should consult the course listings of both the Graduate School of Design and M.I.T. for related courses which may be taken for credit. Students must consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to have courses outside of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences count for concentration credit.

INFORMATION FOR ALL TRACKS

2.    Tutorials and Supervised Study:

1. VES 97r and VES 98r: Sophomore and Junior Tutorials. Preparation for the thesis is begun in studios and seminars and is carried to completion in a VES 99 tutorial during senior year. In rare instances, students needing special preparation not available in regularly offered courses can enroll in an optional junior, or even sophomore tutorial.
2. VES 99: Tutorial-Senior Year. Senior Projects/Theses (presumed to be a full-course, but may be divided). Optional. Letter graded only. (See information on Thesis, item 3, below).
3. VES 91r: Special Projects. Open to advanced students who wish to carry out a special project under supervision. Professional specialization is not the aim of this course. It is intended for specially qualified students who wish to extend work begun in a regular department course. Students wishing to enroll in VES 91r must find a member of the faculty to advise the project and submit an application to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
   
   Note: All tutorials and special projects courses in Visual and Environmental Studies. (VES 91r, 97r, 98r, and 99) are letter-graded only. The mid-year grade for VES 99 may be given as SAT or UNS.
   
   Application forms for all Visual and Environmental Studies tutorials are available in the Department Office or from the department's website.

4.    General Examination: None.

5.    Other information:

1. Related courses for concentration credit: Courses in history of art and architecture, theater design, and some courses in the domain of cultural studies may be counted for concentration credit, subject to the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies when the Plan of Study is filed. Ordinarily, not more than two half-courses taken outside Visual and Environmental Studies or History of Art and Architecture may be so counted. It is strongly recommended that concentrators with little background in the history of art take introductory courses in history of art and architecture as soon as possible. Students seeking to take additional courses for concentration credit should consult cross-listed courses in Courses of Instruction or to consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
2. Pass/Fail: Courses counting for concentration credit may not be taken Pass/Fail, except that one Freshman Seminar may be counted for concentration credit if taught by a Department faculty member and consistent with VES Department offerings, and the student has received a positive evaluation.
3. Work done out of residence: A student wishing to count work to be done out of residence toward concentration requirements must have the plan for such work approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Office of International Programs prior to undertaking it. No credit will be given for work done out of residence until this work, when completed, is evaluated by the faculty of the department. Ordinarily not more than three half-courses taken out of residence will be counted for honors in the concentration, but if the maximum of four half-courses is allowed, then the concentration requirements for graduation will be increased from 14 to 15 half-courses. For information on recommended programs by the VES faculty, please visit the Office of International Programs website at www.fas.harvard.edu/~oip.
4. Planning ahead for graduate work: Students planning to pursue graduate work are strongly advised to acquaint themselves with the necessary prerequisites for admission to graduate school. Students are also encouraged to seek advice of the faculty and of visiting artists and filmmakers.
5. Honors: Ordinarily, no student whose overall grade average in the concentration falls below B will be recommended for honors. No concentrator in Visual and Environmental Studies is required to do a thesis to be recommended for honors.

ADVISING

Departmental academic advising is provided by the faculty and by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (or Director of Undergraduate Studies for Film Studies for Film Studies concentrators), who meets individually with concentrators to discuss course selection. Information and advice is also available throughout the year in the Department Office from Michael Lawrence, Academic Services Coordinator, who is available on a walk-in basis during most regular office hours. Each new concentrator is assigned a faculty adviser and is required to meet with the adviser at least once at the start of each term to go through the Plan of Study. Students are reminded that they are each ultimately responsible for the fulfillment of concentration requirements, and should check regularly on the current status of their progress. The department has no graduate students.

RESOURCES

Aside from providing the space in which the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies holds many of its classes, the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, designed by world-renowned architect Le Corbusier, is an important landmark in the recent history of architecture and is the setting in which Harvard evidences its concern for contemporary expression in the visual arts. During the academic year exhibitions, performances, events, film screenings, and lectures are offered. In addition, the Harvard Film Archive, housed in the Carpenter Center, mounts an ongoing program of film screenings.

The Carpenter Center contains studios for the practice of the studio arts. The department also holds classes in Sever Hall, where most of the film, video, and animation studio courses are conducted. Studios at 6-8 Linden Street are used by practicing artists and photographers, including members of the faculty and senior concentrators doing thesis work.

Visual and Environmental Studies concentrators benefit from the unusually rich University collections of Harvard's five museums: The Fogg, Sackler, Busch-Reisinger, Semitic and Peabody museums containing Western, Asian, and ethnographic art. Harvard's library holdings in art and archaeology include more than 250,000 books and more than 1,500,000 photographs and slides.

The Museum of Fine Arts is one of Boston's great cultural resources. Other resources are the ICA Boston, the MIT List Visual Arts Center, and the commercial and non-profit galleries of the greater Boston area.

HOW TO FIND OUT MORE

Further information about the concentration may be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Robb Moss (617-496-6614); the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Film Studies, J.D. Connor (617-496-6799); or the Academic Services Coordinator, Michael Lawrence (617-496-4469). The department has an extensive website at www.ves.fas.harvard.edu providing a range of information on the faculty, courses, the Carpenter Center lecture series as well as exhibition schedule. The department holds an Open House at the Carpenter Center each year during Freshman Week. Please check the daily listings from the Freshman Dean's Office for exact dates and times.

ENROLLMENT STATISTICS

Number of Concentrators as of November