As a drop in the pool of countless art majors here at Edinboro, I’ve noticed a few things about the curriculum requirements.
One is that they exist, and two is that they always seem to get in the way of my enjoyment.
I’m a photography major, which I am sure many people would consider a “fun” major. It beats accounting in my opinion, but it still has its ups and downs.
I have many interests in life, and, as geeky as it sounds, I love learning. If I could stay in college the rest of my life and major in everything under the sun, I might do it.
But since I was not born independently wealthy and have no benefactor, that is not an option. Instead, I try to take as many classes that coincide with my interests.
Immediately after I became aware that the new class list was up on S.C.O.T.S., I gleefully logged on to see what would await me next semester.
I saw a glorious list of classes and was glittering with excitement until I realized that I have a strict set of requirements that I must achieve in a limited amount of time.
My father always tells me to take electives, but what he doesn’t seem to understand is that I don’t have any.
The art curriculum, believe it or not, is one of the most demanding, and there isn’t really any wiggle room.
I would love to take Dr. Solberg’s Capote class next semester. He is an excellent professor, and I adore literature.
But I must send my regrets to Dr. Solberg and my desire to take this course, because it fails to fill any of those spaces left on my requirement sheet.
Sure, I have a section on my little curriculum requirement sheet that is for electives, but those electives must be art electives.
For most art majors, these electives wind up being art histories because they are much less time consuming than the three-hour studios with hours and hours of work outside of class.
For example, I took Wood Furniture 1 this semester for my three-dimensional art requirement. This class is very fulfilling and I love it.
I would love to use one of my art electives to take Wood Furniture 2 next semester, but I know I will not have the time to spend on the very time-demanding and labor-intensive projects.
The fine balance between enjoyment, time, requirements and stress level is something students have to figure out.
I have discovered my balance, but am constantly at odds with it.
What classes I want to take, what classes I have to take and what classes are offered are very, very different categories.
Be the first to comment on this article!