About the School
The School of Contemporary Arts provides an
understanding of the established traditions in the Fine Arts
and Communication Arts while simultaneously preparing students
to embrace new means of expression. The School, which is inherently
interdisciplinary in its structure and its goals, recognizes
the interconnectedness of the arts in contemporary society,
and encourages students to develop and communicate ideas in
multiple media. Excellent instruction in the visual, communication,
theatrical, and musical arts takes place in small studio, lab,
seminar, and discussion settings, as well as through activities
outside the classroom environment. Practical experience, public
presentation, and reflection are integrated into the educational
process in many ways, such as through Internships and Cooperative
learning assignments, play production, musical performance and
recording, visual arts production and exhibition, and the production
and viewing of video, film, and design.
The School’s faculty are dedicated teachers, nationally
known for their artistic and professional achievements and scholarly
work. Some have won awards from such major art funding sources
as the National Endowment for the Arts, John Simon Guggenheim
Memorial Foundation, and the Kellogg Foundation. In addition
to the full-time faculty, the school has attracted many working
artists and media professionals to teach as adjunct faculty,
serve as guest directors and designers, or to inspire our students
as artists in residence.
The School of Contemporary Arts offers five majors: Communication
Arts, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, and the Contemporary Arts
Contract Major (an interdisciplinary major that enables students
to develop individualized programs that emphasize such special
interests and career goals as arts management, music industry,
and art therapy). These programs lead to the Bachelor of Arts
degree. Minors are available in Music and Theater.
Contemporary Arts students are actively involved with "The
Ramapo News," the college newspaper, WRPR (90.3 FM), the
college radio station, and RCTV, the student club for television/video
production. Others participate in "The Peanut Gallery,"
a student comedy/improvisation group, The Ramapo Chorale, The
Gospel Chorus, or Various Visual Artists, a student club dedicated
to nurturing the artistic process and presenting visual work.
Many students hold paid positions that support the work of the
School, such as Art Gallery monitors, computer lab technicians
and monitors, film/video studio and equipment check-out staff,
and costume shop and scenery shop technicians. In addition,
many students are hired each year to support professional performing
arts events as theater technicians, box office staff and ushers.
The School is housed in the Angelica and Russ Berrie Center
for Performing and Visual Arts, featuring state-of-the-art theater,
music, and visual arts spaces, and in newly renovated facilities
in C and H buildings, which provide a professional quality television
studio and audio studio, radio studios, digital imaging and
writing labs, a Final Cut Pro editing lab, a field production
classroom, and private editing suites. Additionally, the School
occupies a free-standing sculpture studio complex. Students
benefit from the professional performing arts programming on
campus which include music, dance, and theater performances
in the Sharp Theater, and from the visual arts exhibitions in
the college Art Galleries, which focus on contemporary art in
changing exhibitions, and which feature one of the foremost
collections of works from the Americas and the Caribbean in
the permanent collection
The School of Contemporary Arts encourages students to engage
in Internships and Cooperative Education experiences. External
placements are facilitated in sales, public relations, graphic
and Web design, print journalism, radio, television, professional
theater, art galleries and museums, etc. Organizations where
our students have been placed include Minolta, Sharp Electronics,
Sony, WNET-TV, WABC-TV, WWOR-TV, Cablevision, The Bergen Record,
American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
the Roundabout Theater Company, the Joseph Papp Public Theater,
and others. In addition to hands-on training, students receive
degree credits for their experiences.
CA SCHOOL CORE REQUIREMENTS:
| Lower
Level Distribution: |
9-12
crs. |
| |
Each
major requires a 100/200 level course in each of the other
three other disciplines in the school. See major requirements
for specific lower level distribution requirements for
each major and a list of lower level distribution courses
on the Web) |
|
| |
Lower
Level Course Listings |
|
Upper Level Core: |
|
| Two
upper-level (300/400) Contemporary Arts courses designated
CA Upper Level Core |
6-8
crs. |
| |
Courses
taken to fulfill the upper level core cannot be counted
in the major. |
|
| |
Upper
Level Course Listings |
|
|
| Core
Credits: |
15-20
crs. |
|
