Prescott College’s small class size, nationally-recognized faculty, and commitment to experiential learning create an ideal and nurturing community in which students may learn fundamental skills in Arts and Humanities. Students may pursue the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Arts & Letters by designing a competence that combines two or more areas of the arts, or they may choose a competence in one area, such as Creative Writing or Studio Arts. Some students, working closely with advisors and mentors, design individual competence and breadth tracks in Arts and Humanities that allow them to combine their studies of painting, photography, writing, or dance with their studies in ecology, education, social justice, human development, or adventure education. Student designed competence titles such as Nature Writing, Travel Writing, Photojournalism, Environmental Art, and Nature and Dance are also possible. All students working toward degrees housed in the Arts & Humanities Department engage in courses focused on rigorous, hands-on acquisition and application of skills and theory.
Creative Writing and Literature
In this hands-on, interdisciplinary area of study, students work with published writers to hone their creative and critical writing skills. In creative writing workshops, students generate original poetry and prose, and in addition to learning to give and receive constructive criticism, they learn to use feedback to polish their work. In literature courses, students explore both classic and contemporary American works as well as works from other cultures. All of our writing and literature courses encourage students to become careful readers and informed writers, able to effectively analyze and synthesize material, able to appreciate diversity, and able to engage in discourse with the wider world community.
Studio Arts
We provide an environment within which students transform ideas and concepts into objects and visual experiences. Through a curriculum designed to introduce the importance, impact and influence of visual arts on the individual and society, students receive hands-on instruction in a variety of media, while developing a critical understanding of their art practice within contemporary visual culture. All of our courses cultivate a sense of community through the common experience of the creative process. Our studio courses encourage students to refine creative thought and apply acquired knowledge and skill to the making of images and objects as well as interdisciplinary and experimental works.
