Urban Arts
Where we choose to live, or where we must live, can say a lot about the resources we have access to. The pace of development in cities and urban areas can lead to destruction of green spaces, neglect of buildings from bygone eras, or even overcrowding due to lack of resources. In contrast, suburban areas promote plentiful clean air spaces, cultural amenities and activities that may not be available to urbanized populations.
Politics and policies have taught us that all neighborhoods and communities are not created equal. We know this discrepancy exists, but what can we do? Urban arts is the study of how to use art, as well as other humanities and social science disciplines to transform urban communities, neighborhoods, and the lives of people who live there. Urban artists use research, policy, and the creative process to affect economic and community change by reshaping and rebuilding the physical spaces around us.
Choose one of 3 urban arts concentrations:
Arts administration
Theater
Visual arts
Regardless of your chosen concentration, our urban arts degree empowers students to use the creative process in building and improving communities through the arts.
Create, Inspire, and Engage Communities
With exposure to an interdisciplinary curriculum, you’ll learn how to create, present, respond, and connect your ideas to communities across visual and performing arts mediums. You’ll learn how to:
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Research, organize, and develop artistic ideas and work
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Create and refine artistic works with relevance to audience and/or location
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Analyze, interpret, and curate artistic selections for public presentation and community engagement
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Develop and refine artistic presentations to align with relevant urban issues
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Perceive, analyze, and interpret meaning of artistic work
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Identify and use environmental resources to create masterworks
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Inform the creative process with personal knowledge and experience
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Make meaningful connections between ideas and works with other contexts
In addition to those learning outcomes listed above, students pursuing the arts administration concentration, also learn how to:
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Communicate and engage in groups, as team member and manager
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Connect and communicate value of artistic ideas and works to other industries, like business
This interdisciplinary program pulls from visual and performing arts, communication, economics, and urban sociology to prepare students to meaningfully engage in planning and redevelopment of urban areas. We lay the foundation for students to join community organizations that sponsor, create, exhibit, perform, and share visual and performing arts programming to improve urban environments, as well as inspire their residents.
750+ Course Options
The Coppin State University Academic Catalog has a wide variety of skill-building courses designed to inspire and prepare you to be in-demand professionals and transformational leaders.
Program Requirements
To graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Urban Arts, students must complete 120 credit hours. These credit hours split among:
General Education Requirements (GERs)
General electives
Major courses
Concentration requirements
Core Courses (6 credits)
Urban arts majors must take 6 core courses. The remaining requirements may vary by concentration.
| Course | credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| IDIS 103 | 3 | Visual Art and Theatre |
| SPCH 205 | 3 | Intercultural Communication |
| IDIS 270 | 3 | Introduction to Urban Arts |
| IDIS 300 | 3 | Fundraising for the Arts |
| IDIS 470 | 3 | Senior Seminar in Urban Arts* |
| SOCI 406 | 3 | Sociology of the City |
*Capstone course for all Urban Arts majors
Remember! You must complete all major and prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher.
How to Choose a Concentration
All Urban Arts majors are welcome to choose a concentration. We recommend you tell the department as soon as possible, so we can assign an advisor to help you design your course schedule based on your different concentration requirements.
Remember, you must earn a grade of C or higher in any courses required for the Urban Arts major—that includes your concentration courses as well.
Each section below details the specific concentration requirements.
Arts Administration Concentration Courses
This concentration requires 33 credits.
| Course | credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Any Studio Course in Visual Arts | |
| 3 | Any Studio Course in Dance, Music, and Theatre | |
| 3 | Any Studio Course in Discipline Not Yet Taken | |
ART 312 or THEA 380 | 3
3 | Museum/Collections Management or Theatre Management |
| ENGL 305 | 3 | Advanced Expository Writing |
| THEA 302 | 3 | Stagecraft I |
| ECON 212 | 3 | Microeconomics |
| ENMGT 355 | 3 | Entertainment Law |
| MGMT 320 | 3 | Principles of Management |
| MKTG 310 | 3 | Marketing for Managers |
| Internship | 3 | DANCE or MUSC or ART or THEA 420 |
Theatre Concentration Courses
This 33-credit concentration prepares students for careers in the theater arts and related performing arts spaces.
Learn more about the Theatre concentration
| Course | credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| THEA 215 | 3 | Acting I for Majors |
| THEA 301 | 3 | History of the Black Performer |
| THEA 302 | 3 | Stagecraft I |
| THEA 303 | 3 | Stagecraft II |
| THEA 315 | 3 | Acting II: Scene Study |
| THEA 320 | 3 | Principles of Play Direction |
| THEA 351 | 3 | Theatre History I |
| THEA 352 | 3 | Theatre History II |
| THEA 370 | 3 | Playwriting I |
| THEA 380 | 3 | Theatre Management |
| THEA 415 | 3 | Acting III: Periods and Styles |
Required Concentration Courses
This concentration requires 27 credits.
| Course | credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| ART 103 | 3 | Basic Design |
| ART 105 | 3 | Introduction to Ceramic Sculpture |
| ART 208 | 3 | Basic Drawing |
| ART 210 | 3 | Life Drawing |
| ART 312 | 3 | Museum and Collection Management |
| ART 401 | 3 | Survey of Art History |
| ART 40x | 3 | African American Art or Arts of Africa |
| ART 3xx | 3 | Painting I or Ceramics II or Photojournalism or Special Project Design or Digital Photography or Ceramics Workshop |
| ART 3xx | 3 | Painting I or Ceramics II or Photojournalism or Special Project Design or Digital Photography or Ceramics Workshop |
Urban Arts lives in the Department of Humanities in the School of Arts & Sciences within the College of Arts & Sciences, and Education.