Fall 2026 ART 580: First Year Seminar (Units: 3)

Course Overview

The graduate seminar meets weekly, serving as a forum for active investigation of contemporary art practices as they pertain to student and faculty research areas. The seminar also serves as an occasional forum for visiting artists and critics. Students are expected to make presentations based on their work and research, to participate actively in discussion and to demonstrate their critical and analytical abilities in dealing with the material presented.

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Seminar is the formal meeting space for the MFA program. It is structured as a space to consider, discuss, and present individual research in relation to our current society and in dialogue with other artistic practitioners. It is an open environment, where students should feel safe to express their views and actively listen to the views of others. 

It is anticipated that after two years in the graduate program the graduating students will be able to produce an exhibition of high quality and that the students be able to discuss at length their work, to contextualize it and to articulate the ideas and concerns central to their practice. Graduate students in the Visual Arts program will also be prepared to defend their thesis work in an oral examination in the final semester of their studies. The graduate seminar aims to support the articulation of this work.

Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of methodology and research.

• Acquire language and a collection of strategies to participate in contemporary discourse.

• Craft critical thinking, research and oratory skills for the analysis and interpretation of

   culture as it pertains to the student’s practice.

• Stage high quality exhibitions of their work and fully articulate both the intentions of the

   exhibitions and the wider context within which the work sits.

Course Structure

Seminar will involve the following activities:

• Round table discussions with visiting artists and curators
  • 3 – 6 visiting artists will be participating in seminar per semester. The visiting artist will normally do a public presentation on their work on Wednesday evening, then attend the first hour of seminar on the following Thursday. Each visiting artist is different and will engage in seminar in their own unique way. Seminar activities will be specified prior to the artist’s arrival.

• Critiques
  •  The year will begin with the 2nd year MFA students holding exhibitions of their

 summer work in the Audain gallery. Later in the semester, the 1st year

  students will present work in a group exhibition. 1–2 hour critiques will be held

  during these exhibition times.

• Student Presentations
  • Students will be assigned oral presentations that provide practice on discussing

their artistic research. 1st year presentations will involve language building in

relation to their artistic practice, 2nd year presentations will center on using

research to assist with contextualizing their art practice.

• Fieldtrips

  • In the fall, I would like to facilitate a fieldtrip up island or to Vancouver. The trip will require carpooling.  The trip will be planned as a group.

     

• Reading discussions

Readings will be assigned 

• Pedagogy Workshops
  • Learning to teach is part of the experience of the MFA program at UVic. In-house

workshops will be facilitated to intersect the topic readings with teaching

activities and philosophies.

Brightspace:

 This Brightspace page is a merged site for both 1st and 2nd year registrants. The site will be used

for all readings, handouts, and written assignments.

Assignments

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Throughout the year, students will be expected to maintain an annotated bibliography of their research, to be updated weekly and posted to our Brightspace discussion forum, making them available for the Graduate Advisor and the MFA cohort to engage with. 

Your annotated bibliography provides an insight into the ideas and perspectives that you are bringing to your research and will no doubt have a cross over to others’ research. The full annotated bibliography is due at the end of each semester and should contain a minimum of 10 essay/article/book or book passages and 10 creative works each with an accompanying short description. Examples and details will be outlined on Brightspace.

There will be four submission deadlines: 

Oct 15 - 5 written sources and 5 material/creative sources

Dec 8  - additional 5 written sources and 5 material/creative sources for a total of 10

Feb 11 - additional 5 written sources and 5 material/creative sources

April 14th - FInal annotated bibliography with 20 written and 20 material/creative sources

TEACHING SHADOWING ASSIGNMENT:

In the second semester of the first year, will be assigned to shadow a faculty member on a course similar to what you might teach in your second year.  You will attend a minimum of three classes, and write a reflection on your experience.

PRESENTATIONS:

1st year students will give short, 10-minute presentations on their work to date at the beginning of the term, and 20 minute of their first term’s in progress research toward the end of the term. 

Studio visits will occur the second semester, where you will be asked to share a portion of your process with the group. 

Visiting Artists

Visiting Artists:

The visiting artist program is central to the grad program in the Department of Visual Arts. All grad students are expected to attend the visiting artist presentations. In some cases, the seminar will consist of follow up presentations by the visiting artists and a roundtable discussion with the grad students. This is a unique and valuable opportunity to discuss topics firsthand with practicing artists. Please come to the roundtable with questions based upon the previous night’s presentations. 

Critiques

Critiques:

Critiques are scheduled for both 1st and 2nd years in each term, including the defense

exhibitions. Participation and professionalism, including respectful feedback and dialogue is expected of everyone.

Grading

Evaluation:

I determine grades in consultation with students, based on principles or respect and self-determination. There will be several opportunities to discuss goals one-on-one.

Assignments are a part of the seminar; however, the majority of the evaluation is dependent on

engagement and participation in the seminar and during discussion with visiting speakers.

Participation & Engagement                                                                  40%

Critiques and feedback during studio visits                                          20%

Annotated Bibliography                                                                         20%

Presentations                                                                                        20%

Total      100%

Important:

Failure to complete any of the assigned coursework will result in an INC.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 7 (80%) to continue to receive funding. See UVic’s

grading system towards the end of this syllabus.

Health and Safety Policies for the Department of Visual Arts

 To protect the integrity of the Visual Arts building and guarantee the safety of students, staff and faculty, the following guidelines must be followed:

• There will be no alteration of the physical building (temporary or otherwise), without the written approval of the Chair. All proposals for special projects should be first submitted to The Visual Arts Facilities and Production Manager for consideration.

• All temporary installations of art that may occur outside the regularly sanctioned locations (i.e., the gallery and classrooms) must be pre-authorized.

• At no time will the use of hazardous materials either inside or outside the vicinity of the Visual Arts Building, be permitted without the department’s prior approval.

• There shall be no disposal of toxic materials down sinks: all solvents, acids and other substances used in the routine course of art making must be handled in a safe and acceptable manner. 

• Artworks that include an element of self-harm must be authorized in writing by the Chair and will include strict pre-determined conditions depending on the proposal. In most cases the artist/ student will be responsible for ensuring all safety precautions are taken with regard to their safety and the safety of others. This includes having first aid equipment at the performance or during the creation of the work where the action takes place, and consider any health risks your actions may pose to others. At the discretion of the Department Chair, a first responder may be required to be present

• Art that includes elements of violence, self-harm, and or other subject matter that may be traumatic or pose a trigger risk should be clearly identified to students, faculty, and staff, allowing them to choose if they want to witness your work. These types of warnings are typical if one were to do such a performance in a gallery or other public space.

• Art that includes excessive volume is dangerous to the hearing of students, faculty, and staff. These artworks can also be disruptive to other classes and activities within the Visual Arts Building. Artworks and or actions that contain sound at or above 98dB need to be pre-approved by the Department and clearly labeled. During critique situations hearing protection should be made available anyone required to experience the piece. Free decibel metering apps are available for most smart phones to determine the level or risk.

FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE DEPARTMENT SAFETY GUIDELINES MAY RESULT IN ACADEMIC PENALTIES, FINANCIAL CHARGES, AND/ OR, THE LOSS OF SHOP, LAB, STUDIO, AND EQUIPMENT USE PRIVILEGES.