SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION STUDENT REGISTRATION
FALL SEMESTER 2011

Please read the following Questions + Answers carefully before pre-registering for your Fall Semester classes. While this process can be complex for the first-timer, the following suggestions will help answer most of your questions. To get started, assemble and read the information sent to you from the Alfred University Registrar’s Office. This includes Undergraduate Class Schedule, Custom-printed registration Planning Form with Name, ID#, and Alternate PIN, Instructions for a first-time login to BannerWeb, and Web Registration Guide (Web Registration Guide).

Psst…(Check back here later this summer for the AU Catalog and the Student Handbook, they are being updated currently!)

Questions + Answers__________________________________________________

How do I register and use BannerWeb?
All students register online on the BannerWeb site. Refer to the instructions for a first-time login to BannerWeb that was part of your information packet from the Registrar. You will also need the other information from that mailing to fully register (especially your ID and Pin Number and the BannerWeb Registration Guide.) If you did not receive an Information packet please contact the Registrar’s office at 607-871-2123 or e-mail registrar@alfred.edu.

What is a typical Program for Freshman Year?
Foundation Art (101 & 102) 16 credits (8 per semester)
Art History (3 two credit courses ARTH 120, 130, 140) 6 credits
English (101 or 102) 4 credits
Humanities (2, 100 or 200 level only) 8 credits

What are the BFA Requirements?
A minimum of 128 credits are required for graduation from Alfred University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art and Design. You are encouraged to track your own progress toward graduation by keeping records based on successful completion of course work. You can review your progress toward graduation on the Banner system.

The total of 128 credits must be distributed as follows:
Studio 72
Writing 4
Humanities 8
Other academics 13
Art History 17
Electives 14
Senior project 0
Total 128
PHED 4 (additional PHED credits may not be used toward elective requirement.)
Total 132

So how many credits should I take?
A minimum of 30 credits should be completed by the end of the first year so that you can go on to sophomore year. A normal load is 16 credits, but students have the option to take as little as 12 or up to 18 credits depending on their abilities, schedule and outside activities. If a student chooses to take 14 credits in the Fall they will be required to complete at least 16 in the Spring for a total of 30 to register as a sophomore. Additional tuition is charged for more than 18 credits and must be approved by the Dean, unless the student is in the Honors Program.

How do I pre-register for the Foundation Program?
All students accepted into the BFA Foundation Program must pre-register for 8 credits of Foundation l (10676-ART101-001). Go to BannerWeb, follow the instructions and begin by adding this course! Students will be assigned specific sections once they arrive on campus. After you add this course you will have registered for a total of 8 credits.

What’s the Foundation Schedule?
The Foundation Program meets every morning, five days per week. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday studio classes start at 8:00 until 11:00 am. On Wednesday mornings, the entire freshman class gets together for group activities, films, field trips, lectures and discussions from 9:00 until 11:15 am. This is also when we hold the live lecture and talk show called STUDIO Visits. (See who visited last year at http://austudiovisits.wordpress.com/) When you are planning your schedule keep in mind that your Academic and other courses will need to be scheduled around these time slots.

What about Art History?
Refer to either your paper copy or the Alfred website for the Class Schedule Listing for Fall. You will notice that the Art History course numbers start with ARTH 12_, ARTH13_ or ARTH14_. Each of these courses are worth 2 credits. To complete the Art History requirement for the first year you must take one class beginning with each of those prefixes for a total of 6 credits. You will take one course one semester and the other two during the other semester. All course numbers are offered each of the two semesters and do not need to be taken in numerical sequence. It is very important that you complete all three of these courses before the end of your freshman year, since you will not be able to take them again until you are a Junior.

The Art History courses meet for only 7 weeks or one half semester, so two may be taken in one semester. The Class Schedule Listing indicates which half of the semester each course meets. It is not recommended that you take two of these courses at one time. Please be aware of this when scheduling.

What about my English and Humanities Requirements?
With few exceptions, all students should take one English course and one Humanities course in their first year. Both courses are assigned 4 credits and should not be taken in the same semester. It makes no difference which semester you choose to take one or the other, although if writing has not been your strength you may want to consider taking it first as it will help your success in other classes.

Can you tell me more about the Writing Requirement?
Students should register for the appropriate level course depending upon their scores on college entrance exams. School of Art and Design students will adhere to criteria utilized by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for placement in ENGL 101, 102 or exempt.

                 SAT Writing                  SAT                          ACT

ENGL 101       499 or below                 539 or below           25 or below

ENGL 102       500 – 699                      540 – 739                  26 – 29

Exempt            700 or above                740 or above            30 or above

Can you explain the Humanities Requirement with a little more detail?  Over the course of your studies you will be required to take 8 credits (2 courses) of Humanities. These courses are organized into areas or groups. You will be choosing one course from B or D, and one from the Other Humanities or A areas. Below I’ve listed the requirements and course names, but the best way to make sure that you are taking a course that fulfills the BFA humanities requirement is to go to BannerWeb. Once there, go to Class Schedule, scroll down to Attribute type and select either .BFA:Humanties (Area B or D) or BFA: Other Humanities. Only courses that fulfill the requirement will be listed for that semester. Keep in mind that topics change each semester.  So you may want to plan ahead if there is a specific course you’d like to take in the future!

You will need to take one 4-credit course from among 100-200 level offerings listed under:
.BFA: Humanities (area B or D course attribute)
The World in the 20th Century-13626 HIST 107-01
The World in the 20th Century-13042 HIST 107-02
The Making of Europe 13617 HIST 110-01
The Rise and Fall of Iberia, 1450-1950-11657 HIST 151-01
American History 12465 HIST 211-01
American History 10208 HIST 211-02
Introduction to Philosophy 10302 PHIL 101-01
Introduction to Philosophy 13609 PHIL 101-02
Ethics 12651 PHIL 281-02
Philosophy of the Arts I 10304 PHIL 282-01
Introduction to World Religions 13242 RLGS 105-02
Birth of the Christian Tradition 13621 RLGS 254-01

The second humanities must be a 4-credit 100-200 level course from (area B or D) or from the
BFA Other Humanities (course attribute)
Cultural Anthropology 10001 ANTH 110-01
Mass Media and American Life 10033 COMM 110-01
20th Century Poetry 13700 ENGL 216-01
Tales of King Arthur 13743 ENGL 221-01
Shakespeare in Cinema 12516 ENGL 225-01
American Politics 10351 POLS 110-01
American Politics 10352 POLS 110-02
World Politics 12825 POLS 271-01
Introduction to Sociology 10404 SOCI 110-01
Introduction to Theatre 13792 THEA 110-01

What if I am interested in the Art Education Program? Students interested in Art Education will not need to register for any special classes at this time. You will learn more about the program and it’s requirements once here.

What if I am a Transfer or Honors student? Transfer and Honor students may wish to make adjustments or additions to their schedule. Advice is available by calling Billie Burns. She can be reached at burns@alfred.edu or at 607-871-2441.

Are there other options that I might consider?
The University has many 2 credit offerings that are popular with students. Many Foundations students take courses in the Performing Arts including Music, Dance, and Theater. Spend some time looking over the course offerings for Fall 2011. Sign up for something that really interests you! This is the time to explore new things or build on skills that you have already started to develop. If you are thinking about study abroad, then you might want to learn more about a specific country or take a language. And remember, you don’t have to do it all in the first semester, you have four years!

I have a question that you haven’t answered, who can I talk to?
For questions related to the on-line registration system and BannerWeb contact the Registrar’s office at 607-871-2123 or e-mail registrar@alfred.edu. For questions related to School of Art advising contact Billie Burns at burns@alfred.edu or at 607-871-2441.

You may also take a moment and visit the Alfred University, School of Art and Design website at http://art.alfred.edu. There you can access lots of information about your school!