Led by top scholars and practitioners in their fields, these first semester courses connect students to the city of Chicago and encourage reflection on those experiences with a cohort of student peers. Students investigate aspects of Columbia College Chicago's diverse urban and cultural setting. Courses introduce students to different learning environments, issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and deeper ways of engaging the urban contexts and communities of Chicago.
Section 01: Everything is a Photograph
Taught by: Ross Sawyers (Visual Arts)
Mondays 9:00-11:50 am, 618, #207
Since its inception, photography has and continues to change our understanding of the world around us and it is estimated that 3.2 billion photographs are uploaded to various online platforms every day. Using the city of Chicago as a backdrop, we will explore some of the most photographed locations in the city such as Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean”) as well as more obscure locations in Chicago. Through making photographs with our cell phone cameras, and reading about and looking at photographs, we will investigate how photography reshapes our understanding of reality and reshapes our understanding of place, ourselves, and each other.
Section 02: Creative Energy in the City
Taught by: Derick D. Jones, Jr. (Design)
Tuesdays 9:00-11:50am, 618, #207
From the city’s vibrant/muted hues of color to its melodic/dissonant tones of sound and dynamic movements in nature, we will explore and investigate how energy interplays with creativity to manifest itself in our unique creative endeavors. Utilizing the city as our laboratory, together, we will embark on a multifaceted journey to understand the diverse roles and effects of energy on creative expression. Drawing from scientific principles, particularly those governing energy conservation and transfer, scholars will delve into theoretical frameworks elucidating the fundamental nature of energy transformation as a creative. Through rigorous investigation, participants will examine how these principles intersect with and catalyze creative endeavors within Chicago's diverse cultural setting. Field trips to nearby parks and natural settings (Grant Park and Lake Michigan, for example) will provide firsthand encounters with energy dynamics, from seeing the kinetic energy of water bodies to experiencing the vibrant soundscape of the urban environment. Additionally, collaborative engagements with fellow students, faculty, and staff will facilitate experiential learning opportunities, fostering a supportive environment for creative exploration and expression. Moreover, scholars will actively engage with the Columbia College Chicago community, attending student organization meetings and accessing institutional resources to sustain and amplify their creative energy. By integrating scientific inquiry with artistic inquiry, this course aims to deepen our understanding of the synergetic relationship between energy and creativity while fostering interdisciplinary perspectives essential for innovative thinking and problem-solving in the contemporary world as a creative.
Section 03: Free Expression and the Arts
Taught by: Suzanne McBride (Communication, Culture, and Society)
Tuesdays 12:30-3:20 pm, 618, #207
Artistic freedom is a fundamental democratic right. Creative expression, ranging from literature and music to theatre and art, is often at the heart of political resistance and change. The right to express oneself is uniquely protected by the U.S. Constitution. This course will explore what it means to be an artist, performer and/or creator in society today and how that has changed over time. Students will explore the role the Chicago art and media community has played in free expression. Students will consider what authority government has to dictate what we may or may not see, read, hear and watch; and they will reflect on how their work in the creative arts will be impacted.
Section 04: Art & Design in Chicago
Taught by: Greg Foster-Rice (Visual Arts)
Thursdays 12:30-3:20 pm, 600, #101
This course will orient you to Chicago and get you started as a young creative through field trips to museums, galleries, and cultural centers across the whole city. Most of our weeks we will travel across the city to explore, understand, and engage with historic and contemporary art and design objects in a process of hands-on inquiry and experiential learning. In the classroom we will use visits from guest speakers across campus, small group discussions, and group/individual projects to address your general orientation to Chicago and transition to college, as well as topics like the role of cities as cultural incubators, the importance of images in understanding cities, the role of art and design as a tool for empowering diverse communities, and your role in Chicago’s current art and design culture. Whatever your major, we promise to incorporate and engage your interests and their intersection with art, design, and visual culture.
Section 06: Mindfulness for Creatives
Taught by: Kristin Pichaske (Film and Television)
Thursdays 12:30-3:30 pm, 618, #207
In a world awash in stress and distractions, this course invites you to find inner calm and creativity through mindfulness techniques. Suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators, the course provides an overview of the scientific underpinnings of mindfulness as well as practical tools for integrating mindfulness into daily life and applying it to your creative work. You’ll discover new ways to manage stress, sharpen your concentration, tame your inner self-critic, and nurture a creative mindset characterized by curiosity, openness, and flow. Together we’ll explore quiet corners of Chicago where you can find tranquility, inspiration, and a supportive community in which mindfulness and creativity can thrive. This course involves some gentle yoga that is adaptable to all abilities and levels of experience.