General Catalog - John F. Kennedy University

School of Holistic StudiesAdmission RequirementsApplicants to the School of Holistic Studies must meet alluniversity admission requirements as outlined in the front ofthis catalog. In addition, applicants must meet the followingschool-based requirements. Finally, programs may have additionalrequirements; see the corresponding section for details or contactan admissions representative.Admissions for individual programs in the School of HolisticStudies varies according to the department. Each program’s entrypoint is indicated in the departmental sections that follow.All applicants to graduate programs in the School of HolisticStudies must possess a bachelor’s degree from an institutionwhose accreditation is recognized by the Council for HigherEducation Accreditation (CHEA). Applicants interested in agraduate program who have not yet received an undergraduatedegree should refer to the description of the linked undergraduate/graduateprograms offered by the School of Education andLiberal Arts.Arts & ConsciousnessApplicants must submit a personal statement: five to ten (threeto five for MFA and MA in Transformative Arts) double-spaced,typewritten pages describing personal or professional growthwork or events that have shaped the applicant’s life (e.g., personality,beliefs, health, values), reasons for applying to the area ofspecialization, any study (academic or otherwise) pursued in thisarea of interest, and future professional and personal goals.Applicants must complete an admissions interview. Upon receiptof the personal statement and application, the applicant will becontacted by the school to schedule an appointment.Letters of recommendation are recommended but not required.Letters should be from professional associates, teachers, supervisors,or others who can comment on emotional, spiritual, artistic,intellectual, or practical development as well as assess capacity forgraduate study in the degree area.The Department of Arts & Consciousness (A&C) offers programsfor artists who are interested in exploring the deepest personal,social, and spiritual dimensions of art. The curriculum encompassesstudio art, academic investigation, personal growth, artsand healing, and the creation of a new multicultural context forart. New methods of artistic expression and community interactionare made possible. The spiritual aspect of art is emphasizedas it relates to the individual, the environment, and the role of theartist in contemporary society.Students bring a diversity of experiences, techniques, and intereststo the classroom and studio. Program alumni are artists, teachers,creative facilitators, and cultural activists with a spiritual base—people who are creating new ways for art to serve society andaffect human growth and consciousness.School ofHolistic StudiesAll courses are designed to encourage the integration of body,mind, and spirit through the exploration of individual creativesources and the cultural and philosophical contexts which giveart meaning. The program stresses the student’s use of directexperience as an artist for the creation of objects, events, andactivities which facilitate growth and wellness in others. Sometimesthis takes the form of professional performances andexhibitions, sometimes it manifests as teaching, healing, or ritual.Students are encouraged to explore a variety of media as part oftheir creative investigation. Media such as painting, drawing,printmaking, digital media, video art, poetry, and “book arts”may be explored in courses offered as part of the degree program.Students also work independently in such diverse media assculpture, ceramics, film, music, and photography.The department of Arts & Consciousness offers three degreeprograms. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts (BFA) offersstudents a strong technical, formal, and philosophical foundationin studio art. Emphasis is placed on the development of art as aspiritual practice. Self-inquiry, skill, social, and cultural relevancyand transcendent connection to greater consciousness are corefeatures of the degree.The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) expands the connections betweenart, culture, and spirituality into a highly intensive use of critiqueand advanced philosophical inquiry. In the MFA program,students learn to contextualize their spiritual and artistic searchwithin the framework of contemporary social-cultural dialectic.Emphasis is placed on technical and conceptual achievement aswell as the development of critical skills based on academic studyand intensive studio critique.The Master of Arts in Transformative Arts (MA) supportsstudents in their development of links between personal creativeexpression and social and cultural change. Strong emphasis isplaced on self-inquiry and development of skills which will enableJohn F. Kennedy UniversitySchool of Holistic Studies 97