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Interdisciplinary Arts
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  3. Undergraduate
  4. Interdisciplinary Arts
  5. Minor

Minor

Minor
  • Stanford Arts Institute opens in a new tab
Program Minimum Units
27 Units
University Minimum Units
18 Units
Interests
Art: Visual & Performing, Writing, Experimentation & Discovery
Academic Areas
Humanities & Arts, Natural Sciences, Engineering & Computer Science

Overview

The Interdisciplinary Arts Minor (“Inter-Arts Minor”) allows students in any major to design a study plan that combines their critical and creative interests as they learn to make meaningful connections across multiple disciplines. Through a small set of core classes, electives, and a senior year capstone, students in the Inter-Arts Minor will learn theories and techniques of creative practice and research and become familiar with a wide array of art, from live performance to creative writing, visual art to multimedia installation, and much in between.

Students interested in pursuing a Minor in Interdisciplinary Arts should contact Associate Director Jessi Pipert (jpipert@stanford.edu) for more information and to begin the planning process.

Inter-Arts Minor and Honors in the Arts

Any student in the Minor in Interdisciplinary Arts who is interested in creating a senior honors thesis is encouraged to apply for Honors in the Arts opens in a new tab in their junior year. Honors in the Arts students are required to develop a symposium presentation in addition to their creative research project. Learn more about Honors in the Arts here opens in a new tab.

Honors in the Arts is an application-based program.

See Interdisciplinary Arts Minor opens in a new tab for more details.

Requirements

To earn a Minor in Interdisciplinary Arts, students must complete at least 27 units of coursework in the program and a senior capstone project. Required coursework includes a foundational class in interdisciplinary methods, an experiential arts course, and 13-15 units of electives that focus on the intersection of two or more disciplines. The minor culminates in an interdisciplinary capstone over the senior year and is supported by a faculty advisor and an accompanying series of workshops.

All core and elective courses should be completed prior to commencing the capstone sequence (ARTSINST 200A, B and C) in senior year. Petitions to complete some elective and/or core courses concurrently with the senior workshop sequence may be approved if the study plan presents adequately robust preparation. However, no minor requirements may be completed after the workshop sequence (e.g. during a co-term year after completion of the workshop sequence).

Students must declare the minor in Axess no later than the Final Study List Deadline of the autumn quarter of their senior year, although they are encouraged to declare sooner. Students are invited to discuss the minor with the Stanford Arts Institute’s Associate Director and prepare a Plan of Study opens in a new tab that includes the focus of the minor study and a list of elective courses planned to fulfill the requirements. Students must also complete a Capstone Proposal opens in a new tab in the spring quarter of their junior year. The Faculty Director must approve the Study Plan and Capstone Proposal.

Inter-Arts Minor and Honors in the Arts

If a declared Inter-Arts Minor is accepted to Honors in the Arts, they have two choices: 

A) the student may drop the minor and declare Honors in the Arts (IHN) instead, or

B) the student may pursue both the Inter-Arts Minor and Honors in the Arts, but must also complete 6 additional units of coursework, to be approved by the Faculty Director, in order to satisfy the requirements of both programs.

In senior year, any Inter-Arts Minors who have been accepted to Honors in the Arts will enroll in the Honors Capstone Workshop series (ARTSINST 201A, B, & C) for up to five units per quarter. For those students completing both the Inter-Arts Minor and Honors in the Arts, this workshop series replaces the Interdisciplinary Arts Capstone Workshop series (ARTSINST 200A, B & C). 

Core Program Requirements

Foundational Course

The foundation requirement (3-4 units) allows students to engage with the theory and/or practice of interdisciplinary art. Courses that meet this requirement will A) build students' competence and curiosity across an array of art forms and mediums through analysis and/or creative practice; B) investigate art-making as a means of exploring and responding to non-art disciplines; and/or C) explore the intersection and multidirectional impact of new technologies and creative practice.

Strong examples of courses to fulfill this requirement include:

Complete any of the following course(s):
ANTHRO 54Q

For Makers and Thinkers: How to Use Art in Research and Vice Versa

3 Units
ARTSINST 101

Interdisciplinary Axes of Art: Tangling the Digital

3-4 Units
ARTSINST 142

Drawing with Code

4 Units
ARTSINST 151C

Ethical STEM: Race, Justice, and Embodied Practice

4-5 Units
ARTSTUDI 165A

Intro to Art & Technology

4 Units
FILMEDIA 6

Media and Mediums

3-5 Units
MUSIC 123I

Undergraduate Seminar in Composition: Music, Art, and Intermedia

2-3 Units
MUSIC 155

Intermedia Workshop

4 Units

Alternative means of fulfilling this requirement may be permitted with approval of the Faculty Director

Experiential Inter-Arts Courses

For a total of 3-4 units, students can choose from the courses listed below (note that ARTSINST 12AX must be taken with ARTSINST 20AX to reach a total of 3 units).

Alternative means of fulfilling this requirement may be permitted with the approval of the Faculty Director. These may include select Arts Intensives, credit-based arts internships, and art-focused BOSP courses.

Complete 1 - 2 courses and earn 3 - 4 units in the following course(s):
ARTSINST 11Q

Art in the Metropolis

3 Units
ARTSINST 12AX

SFxLA Arts Immersion

2 Units
and
ARTSINST 20AX

Arts Immersion Independent Study

1 Units
ITALIC 91

Why Art?

4 Units
ITALIC 93

Art Everywhere

3 Units

Interdisciplinary Arts Electives

13-15 units. The remaining 13-15 units of the 27-unit minor must be satisfied by elective courses from at least two departments that encourage the interdisciplinary/intermedia ambition of the minor. To declare the minor, students must develop a coherent study plan of electives, focusing on one or two disciplinary intersections, so that the student is well-prepared to complete an interdisciplinary creative capstone in their senior year. All electives must be approved by the Faculty Director.

A subset of the 2-unit courses offered as part of Arts Intensives / Sophomore College are pre-approved as electives for the Inter-Arts Minor:

  • TAPS 24AX Beyond the Garment: A Wearable Art Exploration

  • EDUC 15SC: Remix | Writing and Reading the DJ

  • CHEMENG 12SC: An exploration of Art Materials: The Intersection of Art and Science


All electives must be approved by the Faculty Director. In general, electives should be taken for a letter grade, but exceptions may be granted. Please contact artsinstitute@stanford.edu for any questions.

Students are encouraged to develop a coherent plan for their coursework. A successful program of study will focus on one or two disciplinary intersections so that the student is well-prepared to complete an interdisciplinary creative capstone in their senior year.

Capstone Experience

Capstone Proposal

Students must also complete a Capstone Proposal opens in a new tab in Spring Quarter of their junior year. Both the Study Plan and Capstone Proposal must receive approval by the Faculty Director.

Capstone Courses

Complete either option A or option B below.

Complete any of the following requirements:
A. Inter-Arts Capstone Project

Students may design an inter-arts capstone project to be completed within the senior workshop series (ARTSINST 200A, B & C) for two units per quarter, for a total of 6 units.

Complete all of the following course(s):
ARTSINST 200A

Interdisciplinary Arts Capstone Workshop

2 Units
ARTSINST 200B

Interdisciplinary Arts Capstone Workshop

2 Units
ARTSINST 200C

Interdisciplinary Arts Capstone Workshop

2 Units
or
B. Honors in the Arts

Students may apply to complete an Honors in the Arts creative thesis within the senior honors workshop series (ARTSINST 201A, B & C) for a minimum of two units per quarter. Students who pursue this option and wish to receive the IHN "Honors in the Arts" in addition to the Inter-Arts Minor degree must also complete 6 additional units of coursework, to be approved by the faculty director. Please consult with the SAI Associate Director for more information.

Complete all of the following course(s):
ARTSINST 201A

Honors in the Arts Thesis Workshop

2-5 Units
ARTSINST 201B

Honors in the Arts Thesis Workshop

2-5 Units
ARTSINST 201C

Honors in the Arts Thesis Workshop

2-5 Units