Can’t find your question here? Check out the Liberal Arts Core Advising page for more information.
Why am I required to take 3.0 credits of Arts classes?
The Arts requirement is central to the Liberal Arts Core (LAC) Program, and to the philosophy of liberal education. In support of the university mission, the Arts courses assist in developing students of broad perspective who think critically and creatively, providing an intellectual engagement with the arts. LAC Arts courses examine the significance of the arts in the human experience, the cultural context of creative composition and performance, the foundations of aesthetic values, and the communicative function of the arts.
Will any art class fulfill this requirement?
No. Only approved Arts and Ideas courses will satisfy this requirement. Any approved Arts course will be marked on the class schedule with an ARTS prefix before the course title to identify it as an approved Arts & Ideas class. You can also find a list of all approved Arts and Ideas courses on the Arts & Ideas web site. Go to the Arts web site, Current Class Offerings, for further examples of how these courses are identified in the class schedule.
Since the goal of the Arts requirement is to do more than teach about the process of artistic production and performance, all approved Arts courses must also consider such issues as communication through the arts, aesthetic values, the political, cultural, and historical context of the arts. Not all art courses provide this contextual component. Instructors of the approved Arts courses have gone through an application process to the Arts & Ideas Director and provided evidence of how their course will provide this valuable contextual component.
Can a requirement for my major also fulfill my Arts requirement?
Yes. Some departments with students who are studying the arts extensively have applied for some of their required classes to be approved as applied studio courses. Many of these courses have received approval and are listed on the Arts & Ideas web site, as well as marked in the class schedule as ARTS approved courses. If you have taken at least 3.0 credits of these approved applied arts classes, you have completed your Arts requirement.
Is there a prerequisite for Arts 310?
Yes. There is a 30 credit prerequisite requirement before taking Arts 310. The Arts 310 class is meant for students of the Sophomore level or higher standing.
Can an Arts 310 instructor sign a prerequisite waiver?
No. Only the Arts & Ideas Director can sign that waiver.
If I take 3.0 credits of various ARTS approved courses like singing with the University Singers for two semesters (2.0) and performing in the Jazz Band (1.0) have I completed my ARTS requirement?
Yes. If these courses are on the list of ARTS approved courses you can take any combination of them that accumulates at least 3.0 credits, and you would have completed your ARTS requirement.
Can I have the ARTS requirement waived if I prove that I have been active in the arts outside of my academic classes?
No. The Arts requirement is an academic course requirement similar to your writing, math, and science requirements. They cannot be substituted simply by life experience, since they are university approved course requirements.
Can I fulfill my Arts requirement while studying abroad?
If the course provides all the required components of an approved Arts course, this is certainly possible. You will need to fill out the Google form at this link to have the course reviewed by the Arts & Ideas Director. If the course description matches an Arts course, or the Arts course requirements, this study abroad course could be approved. It is highly advisable to go through this process of course approval before you study abroad.
I am a transfer student. Can a course I have already taken at my previous institution fulfill my Arts requirement?
This is certainly possible. Fill out the Google Form at this link to request review of a course for Arts credit. The Arts & Ideas Director will go over your submission of the course description and how you believe it satisfies the Arts requirements. Please attach a course description or a course syllabus that provides information proving that the course you took does indeed either match an Arts course currently offered in the Arts program or the class from the other institution clearly satisfies all the Arts course requirements. If the course is approved, you will need to process paper work provided by the Registrar’s office for final approval and documentation that your Arts requirement is completed.
I am a transfer student and I have taken a course at another institution that transferred in to UNC Asheville as a class that is identified as an LAC course. Have I fulfilled my Arts requirement with this transferred course?
Yes. Any course that transfers in and is indicated in your transcript as the direct equivalent to an ARTS identified course (ie. ARTS 310 course, or Approved Arts Studio/Workshop course) is automatically marked towards your Arts course requirement.
Can I take Arts 310 more than once and use the second Arts 310 as an elective?
Yes. As of Fall 2016, you may take up to three Arts 310 courses total.
I am taking a course at UNC Asheville that is not on the Arts & Ideas web site list as an Approved Arts Studio/Workshop course or listed as an ARTS course, but I think it should be. Can I get this course approved to count as my Arts requirement?
No. All UNC Asheville Arts course applications must come from the instructor teaching the course. You can certainly bring this observation to the attention of the instructor, but it is the instructor who must apply for course approval, not the student.