Students can choose from three new interdisciplinary minors with an arts emphasis this fall

By Kim Catley

Virginia Commonwealth University students will have three new interdisciplinary minors to choose from this fall, expanding options for those interested in using innovative media in art education, leveraging creative expression as a powerful tool to improve community health, and crafting stories for the screen.

Creative technology instruction

In an increasingly digital professional landscape, the ability to develop and teach innovative media skills is essential. However, current teacher training requirements do not sufficiently address the many ways to create digital media or equip K-12 students and informal education spaces with the pedagogical or technical expertise needed to teach digital media production.

The creative technology instruction minor, offered by the Department of Art Education in the School of the Arts, aims to fill that gap by examining critical approaches to teaching digital media making. It was developed in collaboration with departments across VCUarts, as well as VCU programs in the Robertson School of Communication, the College of Engineering and the School of Education, and is designed to be applicable and accessible to students of all majors.

The creative technology instruction minor merges digital/media arts history with practical skills in visual, sonic and interactive media creation. Students complete hands-on projects while critically engaging with pedagogical techniques. This dual focus equips students to teach digital media creation, applying a critical lens to how these tools are instructed and utilized. The minor also provides opportunities for other digital media making and education majors to utilize and expand their skills in educational settings.

“The minor in creative technology instruction meets the growing need for certified educators and the increasing use of different types of technology increases,” said James Wiznerowicz, associate dean for academic affairs in the School of the Arts. “This minor could reach any student who engages with technology instruction or someone preparing to be in the classroom with digital instruction support.”

Public health and the arts

Offered by the School of Public Health in collaboration with VCUarts, the minor in public health and the arts is designed for students with an interest in careers at the intersection of health, nonprofits, public agencies and creative organizations.

The minor takes a creative approach to confronting real-world challenges and making an impact on community health. Students will build a foundation in the principles that shape community well-being, from history and policy to public health and health promotion. They will also explore how visual art, performance, sound, moving image and design can communicate health information in ways that data and policy alone cannot. The minor also includes hands-on experience working directly in the Richmond community through internships and applied projects with real-world outcomes.

Wiznerowicz said the minor is the result of growing research in public health and the arts led by faculty from different fields at VCU.

“Coursework reveals the complex nature of services and policies around health,” Wiznerowicz said. “Students will also have an opportunity to connect their creative practices and develop work related to advocacy, visual elements of health communication, design principles and other means of connection and messaging around wellness and well-being.”

Screenwriting

Students from across a range of disciplines have consistently expressed an interest in screenwriting. The minor in screenwriting, offered by the Cinema Program in the School of the Arts, provides students with the knowledge and skills to develop professional-level scripts. It also equips them to become better storytellers and filmmakers.

Courses establish a foundation in writing for cinema, playwriting and the mechanics of screenwriting, while a senior writing portfolio provides a hands-on capstone to the minor.

“The screenwriting minor is the first to focus on visual narration that is used in films, plays, video game design, content creation and many other forms of media-based presentation,” Wiznerowicz said.

A version of this story was originally published on the School of the Arts website.