School of Art Policy on Course Stacking

Revised and Approved by the School of Art Curriculum Committee, 11.14.16

The Lamar Dodd School of Art advocates the use of “stacked” multi-level class with overlapping course content such as 2000-level and 3000-level courses, or 3000-level and 4000-level courses, as well as 6000-level graduate and 4000-level undergraduate courses, run concurrently within one discipline. In a progressive curricular model in which skills gained in one course are built upon in another, the model of stacking courses allows for students to provide and receive vertical mentorship and peer-to-peer learning in addition to the normal student-instructor relationship. In addition, stacking addresses a critical mass issue, providing the opportunity for students to learn specialized skills that are valuable tools for a smaller group of students which otherwise might not reach enrollment thresholds. This structure also requires collaboration and fosters the development of creative communities that enhance the classroom experience and expand learning outcomes for students. Examples of this structure include the following:

• ARST2550 Ceramics Intro to Pottery and ARST3550 Intermediate Pottery
• ARST3440 Fundamentals of Casting Metal and ARST3450 Intermediate Casting in Metal
• ARST4020 Figure Drawing/Anatomy and ARST6020 Figure Drawing/Anatomy

 
Courses that include these types of skill-building are ideal candidates for stacking. In a studio based pedagogy that relies heavily on the critique format, this stacking strategy can be highly effective, efficient and financially attractive in managing art curricula.

Stacking more than two adjacent levels is discouraged and will only be approved in limited cases where the academic benefits of such stacking are clearly demonstrated and justified.

Undergraduate and graduate stacking is only approved at the 4000-level to 6000-level structure, or 5000-level to 7000-level structure.

School of Art Policy on Credit Hour to Contact Hour Ratios

Revised and Approved by the School of Art Curriculum Committee, 11.14.16

All courses within the School of Art fall under UGA’s General Academic Regulation for Units of Credit as outlined in the UGA Bulletin.

Typically each semester hour of credit represents at least three hours of work each week, on average, for the duration of the semester. 

In lecture/discussion courses, one hour of credit typically represents one contact hour each week in class, and an average of two hours of work outside of class.

In studio courses, one hour of credit represents three hours of studio instruction and practice each week of the semester. Typically studio courses have a minimum of 1.5 contact hours per week for each credit granted, and more often than not, have two contact hours per week for each credit granted. The remaining time is for studio class preparation.

Any variations from these norms require explanations and justifications, substantiated with evidence of student achievement relevant to the purpose of the course. In all cases, faculty contact must be sufficient to ensure the development of knowledge and skills required in each course. Normally faculty contact is greater at the foundation or introductory level.

Faculty offering courses for abbreviated time periods such as summer courses, directed studies, or design charrettes, must ensure that students completing such courses acquire levels of knowledge, competence, and understanding comparable to that expected of students completing work in the standard time period. For example, in order to earn three hours of credit during a summer session, students must attend approximately the same number of class hours and make the same amount of preparation as they would in attending a three-hour course for one semester during the regular academic year.

Graduate Student Curricular Options For Technique Development

Graduate students wanting to learn new techniques that are only taught at the undergraduate level (1000-5000 level) have the following curricular options:

Enroll in a studio course at the Undergraduate Level: Graduate students can enroll in courses at the undergraduate level to learn new techniques. Courses at this level do not have the rigor of graduate courses, and thus will not count in the graduate student’s program of study and will not count towards the enrollment hours required for graduate assistantships. Enrollment in such courses provides graduate students with the opportunity for full engagement in all aspects of the course.

Audit a course at the Undergraduate Level: Graduate students can audit courses at the undergraduate level to learn new techniques. Audited courses will not count in the graduate student’s program of study, and will not count towards the enrollment hours required for graduate assistantships. Enrollment in such courses provides graduate students with the opportunity for full engagement in all aspects of the course, with no expectation of assignment production and no evaluations.

Attend selected class periods of a course at the Undergraduate Level: Graduate students can request permission from an instructor to attend selected class periods of courses at the undergraduate level to learn new techniques. The instructor of the course has the authority to allow or deny graduate student attendance in classes in which the student is not enrolled.

Pursue a Directed Study: Graduate students can request that a member of the graduate faculty mentor the student on an independent research project that includes either individualized instruction or attendance in a course at the undergraduate level as a component of the course. Students can receive graduate level credit for such research through Directed Study course numbers. Directed studies are intended for students to pursue individually mentored research that cannot be suitably achieved through a regularly scheduled course. Such research will have a conceptual idea as its primary focus and a level of rigor equivalent to other graduate-level courses. They may include new technique development, including attending part or all of an undergraduate level course, as a component of the directed research. Students wanting to pursue a directed study will provide a written proposal to a member of the graduate faculty for consideration. Permission for enrollment in a directed study is at the discretion of the faculty member.