Sophomore Seminar Overview

Background

Sophomore Seminar (SOPHSEM 29XX) is an interdisciplinary studio seminar course that is focused on mentoring by core SAIC faculty, cultivating conceptual focus in the developing portfolio, expanding critique skills, and visualizing a unique curricular pathway. Each section of Sophomore Seminar is intended to be interdisciplinary in that students with various conceptual and material interests may take any sections offered and be fully engaged by the class conversation and critique. Students will engage in activities such as extensive interdisciplinary critiques, self-reflective writing about their practice, individual and small-group advising sessions with their faculty, development of a self-designed curricular plan, and documentation of a project from sketch to advanced stage, thinking about creative decision-making and process.

Sophomore Seminar is the first course in the three-course sequence of Academic Spine courses (Sophomore Seminar, Junior Professional Practice, and Senior Capstone), which is required for all freshmen who began their undergraduate degrees at SAIC in fall 2015 and after (transfer students must take Research Studio for Transfer Students, Junior Professional Practice, and Senior Capstone).

Sophomore Seminar courses are offered in the spring semester each year. Students should enroll in Sophomore Seminar during the spring semester in which they have 30-60 credits completed. For most full-time students, this will typically be their fourth semester at SAIC, the spring of their second year. This course is a prerequisite for all Junior Professional Practice and Senior Capstone courses, to ensure the Spine courses are completed in sequential order. 

At the conclusion of the Sophomore Seminar course, students will be able to:

1. Present self-motivated work of an iterative nature that demonstrates conceptual focus and technical ability as well as the beginning of a personal direction (student learning outcomes demonstrated by: Documentation of Practice Project).
2. Imagine, visualize, and communicate a self-directed course of study at SAIC that integrates curricular and extracurricular plans with life aspirations (student learning outcomes demonstrated by: DIY Futures Project).
3. Participate in a rigorous critique process in the art and design context that integrates peer-to-peer analysis and faculty to student feedback (student learning outcomes demonstrated by: At least three critiques, including at least two large group critiques).
4. Demonstrate the ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively especially in regards to the developing body of creative work (student learning outcomes demonstrated by: Self-reflection assignment, Documentation of Practice Written Contextualization, participation in critiques).
5. Display an empathetic capacity to respect, understand, and evaluate work made by a wide variety of artists pursuing creative expression in a broad array of disciplines (student learning outcomes demonstrated by: Self-reflection assignment, participation in critiques).

The information below updates twice a week—it is possible that changes may occur between updates. Up-to-the-minute information for enrolled students can always be found at PeopleSoft Self-Service.

Contact Us

For all questions about the undergraduate Academic Spine curriculum, please email saic-academicspine@saic.edu.