Studies in Arts and Culture Brock University

Program Description

The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, is concerned with the cultural production, reception and interpretation of the fine and performing arts. From the classics to popular culture, from ancient drawings and rituals to the avant-garde, from the modern to the postmodern, the program examines the products of, and our readings of, individual or collaborative artistic endeavours from the perspective of both the cultural producer and the audience. Through the critical analysis of works of art, dance, film, video, music, theatre or digital media, students will gain an awareness of the ways artistic media have functioned in the past or the new ways in which the arts continue to grow. Our aim is to contribute to the vitality of the arts by developing informed audiences, consumers or critics who are engaged by interdisciplinary practice as well as the theories by which we interpret creative work, whether dance, video, music, theatre or the visual arts. Ultimately, the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture is dedicated to developing a context in which the contemporary artist, performer or art critic can examine pragmatic and theoretical approaches to understanding the creative process. The Studies in Arts and Culture program is designed for students who wish to gain a critical view of contemporary culture from the perspectives of observer, creator and performer. A student's program may be organized with a view to one of three emphases: arts and cultural management, intermedia and interdisciplinarity, and cultural critique and agency. Courses should be selected in consideration of these organizing principles. Students are required to discuss their program with the Director.

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