1. Global Arts - The VPA Department celebrates the arts of the world with the Indonesian Gamelan, African, Andean and jazz ensembles, Caribbean carnival performances, theater in Spanish, and many survey courses in global arts.
2. Commitment to the latest technology - The
VPA Department offers cutting edge courses
in digital art and music, web design, video, and interactive multimedia.
3. Interdisciplinary approach - The VPA includes tracks in music,
theatre, visual arts, arts and technology,
and arts and education. Collaboration across disciplines is
encouraged among our students and faculty to provide a more expansive
arts education.
4. Building community through the arts - the VPA department
builds community through
outreach to schools, art research and exhibits, theatre, dance, music performances
and video productions.
5. Support of teaching through the arts - the SUAVE Program, a partnership between
Cal State San Marcos, the VPA Department and several school districts and
the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, teaches primary and secondary
school teachers to use the arts as part of an innovative new paradigm for
teaching students in the 21st century.
The Goals of the Visual and Performing Arts Department are:
1. To help students develop a multi-disciplinary and global perspective
in the arts.
2. To provide a curriculum that teaches the skills of critical analysis
using works of
art from a broad range of
cultures and styles.
3. To assist students to become fluent in the theory and practice of
new digital technologies.
4. To provide the tools for students to create their own art as composers,
visual artists or performers.
5. To help students discover their own cultural histories and
ethnic identities.
Career Opportunities
Career opportunities for a graduate of the Visual and Performing Arts Department
area as diverse as the interests of VPA majors. Graduates pursue careers
as actors, artists, composers, dancers, directors, filmmakers, and musicians.
The Department provides an excellent preparation for careers in performance,
multimedia design, video and/or music production, web design and
support, art history, arts management and publishing. Many students go
on to graduate school in the arts, or to
complete a credential program in education and
assume teaching positions in primary and secondary schools.
Capstone Project
An important component of the VPA degree is the Senior Capstone Project which
represents a culmination of work done while in the program. Capstone Projects
take many forms and are designed with the input of the student's advisor.
Possible Capstone Projects are: a multimedia CD-ROM, a full length video,
an art exhibit, a collection of music compositions, a recital, directing,
writing, or taking a lead role in a theatre production. Students should begin
planning for the capstone in the fall of their senior year; public presentation
of their work may be anytime during the semester.