Page 92 - 2019-2020 Academic Catalog - Providence Christian College

Media, Culture, and the Arts (MCA) – Four Tracks
The Media, Culture and Arts concentration is designed to equip students with the ability to understand and evaluate contemporary culture by providing a sound overview of what culture is, how it is part of God’s redemptive providential plan, how it is best interpreted, and how it relates to the central events, issues and ideas that have shaped our world. Students selecting Media, Culture and the Arts have the opportunity to select from one of four tracks (Music, Arts, Drama, and Film/Media) to develop specific competencies in their understanding, performance, and production of culture.
The MCA concentration begins in the first year by laying the essential groundwork for critical thinking with a core focused upon economics, mathematics, philosophy, political theory, religion, and Western Civilization. Additional courses on composition and presentation require students to not only learn material but communicate information cogently and persuasively—essential skills in culture creation. MCA students are also introduced to entrepreneurial thinking that shapes the concentration in enrolling their first year in “Principles and Practice of Innovation.”
Second-year students complete additional studies in the liberal arts core, while enrolling in two foundational classes, Visual Storytelling and Principles of Cultural Interpretation in the Fall and Spring semesters.
Upper-class MCA students enroll in classes on New Media and Aesthetics, while continuing to work through their track-specific courses. Electives and other core course requirements round out a student’s academic preparation, before their program culminates in their participation in their Capstone project, the goal of which is for students to employ all of the elements of their Providence Christian education in independent research and exposition.
Mission Statement:
Concentration Learning Outcomes:
After active participation and completion of this program, students will be able to:
1. Develop the critical thinking skills requisite to interpret cultural artifacts.
2. Recognize and consider the employment of new media in the development to visual and
performing arts.
3. Demonstrate proficiency of skills required for the practice and performance of visual and
performing arts.
4. Acquire knowledge and understanding of the history, culture, and stylistic context of one area of
visual or performing arts.
5. Articulate central issues in the philosophy of visual and performing arts and discuss the role of
Christian faith and creativity in the visual and performing arts from a Reformed perspective.
The Media, Culture, and the Arts (MCA) concentration at Providence Christian College seeks
to develop the understanding and practice of fine art by providing an atmosphere of experiential learning and artistic integrity. Our curriculum seeks to empower students to be artists of character and competence in and environment of support, creativity, and personal expression. Students are encouraged to appreciate and critically examine the history and philosophy of the fine arts from a
Reformed Christian perspective.
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