Colleges & Divisions 
Office of the Dean     Credit Hour Ratio     First Year Writing Program     Liberal Arts Mission Statement     Liberal Arts Division Objectives    University Writing Standards
 

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   Bachelor of Fine Arts
   Creative Writing    
   Writing for Film + Television  

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Office of the Dean

Jay Baker \ jbaker@uarts.edu \ 215.717.6262
Dean

Connie Michael \ cmichael@uarts.edu \ 215.717.6260
Associate Dean

Sara Allen \ sallen@uarts.edu \ 215.717.6261
Assistant to the Dean

Emily Mattingly \ emattingly@uarts.edu \ 215.717.6512
Director of First Year Writing

Office of the Dean
Terra Building Room 801 | 215.717.6261 | liberalarts@uarts.edu | Liberal Arts Website
 

In addition to the major requirements for earning a bachelor’s degree at the University of the Arts, all undergraduate students must complete approximately one-third of their studies (42 credits) in the liberal arts. This requirement reflects the University’s conviction that the liberal arts are essential for the education of artists, designers, performers, and authors.

Credit-hour Ratio

The Division of Liberal Arts adheres to the standard University credit-hour ratio .

Liberal Arts Mission Statement

The Division of Liberal Arts offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and in Writing for Film and Television. These degree programs forward the overall educational mission of the University of the Arts by emphasizing the importance of writing as an art form and by leading students to recognize and explore the links between analytic and creative work.

Through its university-wide core curriculum, the Division aims to develop students’ powers of critical thinking and their awareness of the history and criticism of the arts and design by acquainting them with philosophic and scientific modes of thought and introducing them to the study of human cultures and societies. Through their studies in Liberal Arts, students become more intellectually responsible and more creative. By providing a common ground in the curriculum where students from the visual, performing, and literary arts and design meet, the Liberal Arts Division offers a unique forum for artistic and academic exchange.

Liberal Arts Division Objectives

Students who successfully complete the Liberal Arts core curriculum will demonstrate mastery of:

• Critical thinking skills, including: analysis, synthesis, evaluation, problem solving, cross-disciplinary learning;
• Communication and literacy skills, including:  interpretive reading, written communication, oral communication, information literacy;
• Cultural literacy, including:  knowledge of cultural history, the relationships among liberal arts and studio arts disciplines, knowledge of disciplines and significant works in the humanities and the natural and social sciences.

University Writing Standards

The faculty of the University have established a standard of competence for all formal papers written for liberal arts and studio courses. All textual citations must be appropriately documented. The MLA style, as detailed in Diane Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference, is taught in the First Year Writing program. Lack of knowledge of citation procedures is not an acceptable excuse for citational errors. The Student Handbook establishes standards and procedures for maintaining academic integrity in all courses at the University of the Arts, including Liberal Arts courses.

First Year Writing Program

The First Year Writing Program is designed to meet the individual needs of students mastering their chosen fields in the visual or performing arts. Each student’s path through the writing program is tailored to suit specific reading and writing aims, providing opportunities to strengthen academic and artistic processes. All students must successfully complete COMP 101 or COMP 111 and COMP 102 or COMP 112. Some students may need to complete additional developmental coursework. Initial course assignment is made for each student on the basis of SAT or ACT scores and/or performance on an English placement examination.