Even though there has always seemed to be a focus on the Egan School of Nursing and Health studies and the Dolan School of Business at Fairfield, the University is still a Jesuit school and thus the push for students to graduate as “holistically educated” people is threaded throughout the mandated core classes. But, even if it’s not part of your mandated core, I recommend that students utilize the multitude of more creative classes offered at the University. Especially for the more quantitatively based majors like Biochemistry or Nursing, creative classes in the College of Arts and Sciences provide a welcomed break and a diversity of skills your major classes won’t give you.
Since registration for the Spring 2022 semester at Fairfield is coming up, I want to recommend a variety of creative classes for you to take. However, as a guiding principle for this article, it is important first to lay down a definition of ‘creativity,’ specifically the ‘creativity’ of the Dionysiac influence. Creativity is any construction born from a preceding destruction. When seen through this focus, creativity escapes the restricting realm of painters, poets, and writers and instead encompasses all academics in every field. This definition would presumably, then, lead us to think that all courses are intrinsically creative because they teach of previous constructions in that subject; however, what separates this group of classes is that each of these deals with destruction, using old ideas in your service to create new ones inside the classroom, not only to be experimented with after college.
Introduction to Drawing – SART 1012
Introduction to drawing is a perfect first introduction to the world of art creation for students whose last lesson was from a High School or even Middle School level instruction. The course guide states that “Students explore the formal elements of drawing, such as line, value, composition and form, and how they can be used to express an awareness of one’s self and the world around one.”
Furthermore, students will then critique their projects and others and thus “develop a language of aesthetic awareness and a sense of artistic quality.”
The class will be held in two sections on Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Creative Writing: Fiction I – ENGL 1805
For many students who haven’t written creatively before, it can seem like an impossible task. Especially for students who may be used to writing analytically or more plainly, throwing out nearly all constructs to think ‘outside of the box’ can seem challenging. But, “Creative Writing: Fiction I” is a great place to start.
In the course description, it states, “This course for the student who seeks an intensive workshop approach to fiction composition emphasizes the short story and focuses on the analysis of student manuscripts. It includes some discussion of the work of significant authors (past and present) as a way of sharpening student awareness of technique and the literary marketplace for fiction.”
It will be taught by lecturer Jill Bodach and will be held Monday 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Film Editing and Media Construction – FTMA 1130
Knowing how a story is constructed in pieces can be incredibly helpful in all different walks of life. If you’re an English major, this can aid in your writing or a Non-English-Major student’s essay creation, or if you’re just a student who loves filmmaking. The course description states, “This course explores how filmmakers create meaning through the assembly of images and sound, ranging from the classical-Hollywood narrative film to more experimental modes of time-based storytelling.”
“Film Editing and Media Construction” will be held Wednesday 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Digital Marketing – MK 2241 & Social Media Marketing – MK 2251
For students already in a creative field in the College of Arts and Sciences, classes to further explore your imagination may lead you to trying out a course outside your discipline and trying something completely new. Further, if you want to have a career that sells your creative work, classes involving marketing may be helpful post-graduation as you may have to do your own marketing if you do any freelance work.
The course description for “Digital Marketing” states that, “In this course, students will undertake an applied perspective towards marketing on current digital platforms (company’s website, social media platforms, etc) and will learn how to adapt the traditional marketing strategies onto the digital space… The course is designed to get students to think like a digital marketing professional, and to give them experience with industry-relevant hands-on assignments and exercises.”
It’s noted that the class will also cover topics in website design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), online advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing, and web analytics.
The course description for “Social Media Marketing” states that “The primary focus of this course will be on understanding social media as part of a brand’s marketing communications, how to build strategies and tactics to help brands differentiate and rise above the noise on the social web, and how to track their effectiveness.”
This class will cover topics like constructing a brand strategy on social media, engaging influencers, content development, social media analytics and measurement, as well as social media platforms.
It’s important to note that both of these classes involve a prerequisite of the “Principles of Marketing” – 1101.
“Digital Marketing” will be taught Tuesday 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. “Social Media Marketing” will be taught Tuesday and Friday 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. and 2 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Whether you’re a creative-leaning major or just looking for some creative inspiration or fun and useful electives, I hope these help in your decision-making process and I wish you the best of luck on course selection!
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