Picking classes every semester can feel like a lottery. But whether you are a first-year student looking to explore your options or a fourth-year wanting to take a fun elective, the good news is that the University offers a myriad of arts courses to take that are engaging and enlightening. No matter your major, arts classes can provide a creative outlet and introduce you to valuable new skills.
We asked three students about their experiences in theater, studio art and poetry classes at the University. They told us about friends they made, skills they developed and the creative lessons they learned. From inexperienced to intermediate, these classes are open to all students, whether you’re looking to major in the arts department, or are simply interested to learn something new in the arts.
DRAM 1010, “How Theatre Works”
Fourth-year College student Maggie Polistina had an enriching experience in DRAM 1010, “How Theatre Works” with Senior Lecturer Cady Garey. The course covers the fundamentals of theater and performing, including theater history, its evolution over time and performance interpretation. Polistina emphasized Garey’s welcoming attitude and her ability to shape the class to bring students of all backgrounds together around a central topic.
“You kick off your year having a professor like Cady Garey,” Polistina said. “She has a great way of finding these niche topics that are also very fundamental to theater, that are able to appeal to a wide range of students.”
Polistina said that the class covered many different topics, but a favorite example of hers was learning about mirror neurons, which play a role in cinematic experience. Mirror neurons respond to what we see others doing, which can create empathy for an audience when they view actors performing.
In addition to interesting course material, Polistina said that she enjoyed the community of her peers and the people she got to know throughout the semester. She noted that a valuable aspect of the class was for students to come out of their shell and find new ways of expressing themselves.
“Especially for new students at U.Va., if you're looking for a way to make friends in a fun and safe environment, I think that drama classes are the way to go,” Polistina said.
From the psychology behind why we enjoy theater to hands-on experiences such as this, Polistina said that one of her main takeaways from the class was how expansive the world of theater is and how many avenues you can pursue within it.
The University’s drama major and minor exemplify the variety of the theater world with classes ranging from video design to costume technology. Furthermore, the department offers a dance minor, giving students the chance to explore jazz, ballet and modern and contemporary dance.
With this range of subjects, there is sure to be a course in the drama department for anyone intrigued by the sound of these classes.
ARTS 2000, “Introduction to Studio Art”
During her first year, fourth-year College student Lucia Dwyer was rewarded for trying something new in ARTS 2000, “Introduction to Studio Art.” As a prerequisite arts course, the class provides a foundation for much of the arts courses offered by the University and covers technical studio art media such as charcoal and pencil drawing and collages, along with digital media, including sound editing, photo editing, animation and stop motion videos.
“I feel like I was going into it thinking we were gonna draw and paint and maybe collage, and that was it. So it definitely opened my mind to the fact that there's a lot more mediums in art,” Dwyer said.
Dwyer highlighted the course’s use of electronics and said that a standout part of the class was learning how to use photoshop and other digital editing tools. She implemented the technical and digital skills that she learned in the class to other areas of her life, using them to work on social media graphics for clubs. Much of the resources the course introduced to students were provided by the Robertson Media Center in Clemons Library, which has digital media materials accessible for all students at the University.
The University art department offers an art history and a studio art major, within which students can choose varying concentrations. The studio art major offers concentrations in filmmaking, digital art and physical mediums such as sculpture, printmaking, photography and painting. While many of the upper level classes are geared for students within the major, there’s an intro class for every concentration, open to all curious minds.
As a math major, Dwyer mentioned that the class allowed her a creative outlet and recommended it for anyone wanting a similar break. She said that the class tested her creatively by pushing her beyond her first ideas to how to build on a vision and added variety to her schedule.
“I liked going to the arts building and putting myself into these projects and working really hard on these projects,” Dwyer said. “It was just a nice way to break up my day.”
ENCW 2300, “Poetry Writing”
The writing classes that the University offers explore creative writing, poetry and nonfiction. In ENCW 2300, “Poetry Writing,” second-year College student Maria Isabel Arostegui explored different forms of modern poetry, where she gained skills in poetry analysis and the poetry workshop process under the instruction of Professor Jack Grimes.
“We would have workshops [for] the poems that we had written,” Arostegui said. “Three people would sign up, they would bring in the poem that they had written … and then we would all just talk about it and give them feedback.”
Arostegui described the class as “creative, collaborative and eye-opening,” noting that it was a welcome break from the rest of her heavy course load. She emphasized that the class was welcoming towards a variety of experience and skill levels when it came to poetry and that everyone seemed to enjoy it regardless of previous poetry knowledge.
The class structure is a see one, do one, teach one style, according to Arostegui. She said the week began with studying forms such as sonnets and free verse in detail. Then, the students would write their own poetry using what they had learned and finally, workshop each other's poems.
Although this may sound daunting to someone who has never shared their work or even written poetry before, Arostegui said that Grimes taught the class how to workshop properly. They were taught how to ask neutral questions in order to keep a comfortable environment, and Arostegui expressed that the workshop was a highlight of the class.
For enjoyers of this class, the English department also offers ENCW 2100, “Introduction to Creative Writing.” The English major has options for concentrations that focus on medieval and renaissance history, and literary prose and poetry, allowing for the exploration of all types of writing.
“It was cool to read what my other classmates were writing, and how they were thinking, and the way that they express what they thought,” Arostegui said.
Read More
A&E Book Club: Queer fiction set in the past, present and future
By Julia Laszakovits | YesterdayThough Pride Month will soon be over, it is never too late to celebrate the Queer community and all who are a part of it.
All work and no play in Celine Song’s “Materialists”
By Caroline Lee | 3 days agoA24’s proverbial second date with Celine Song features the triumvirate of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal in a glossy meditation on the perils and pitfalls of modern dating.
“The Phoenician Scheme” is Wes Anderson’s welcome return to force
By Zachary Geller | June 21, 2025Anderson’s third movie in five years deals with themes of guilt and resentment within traditional family dynamics.
