Senior Seminar Proposals

Getting Started
To help focus your seminar proposal, it needs to address the following information:

• What type of medium do you work in? Why?
• Are you working on an extended project, or a series of work? What is it?
• Why does this subject matter appeal to you?
• What do you hope to express or learn by working on this project?
• Why are you ready to work independently in seminar?

Format
Statements should be brief—no more than a page—and allow the reader to understand why you made certain choices about your art when they review your work. A good formula to help you get started is the following three-paragraph version:

I. Opening Paragraph—Introduces you

• Why is being an artist important to you?
• An honest assessment of your weaknesses and how you plan to overcome them.
• What are you working on? Describe medium, size, significant details.
• Why is it important to you?

II. Second Paragraph—Introduces your work

• What you learned from the independent series
• How will you carry this knowledge into seminar?
• From where else do you draw inspiration?

III. Third Paragraph—Goals

• How will seminar help you develop as an artist/how do you hope it will help you develop?
• Why is it important to you to work on this project in such a concentrated manner as a seminar class?

By answering these questions, you will be organizing your proposal in a clear and thoughtful manner. This is only a guide—each type of statement you write will have different goals, so keep that in mind.

And remember: Visit the Writing Center or the Career Services Center at any time for more help.