College of Arts and Media

“In the beginning, God created…” is the starting point of the Bible and the starting point for our students as they embark on building a life centered on creativity. When Exodus 35 speaks of the value of artisans creating beauty to represent and to honor God, our students can learn to see their creative choices as valuable and important to God. He has called these students to GCU and our creative programs to develop their own authentic expressions of their craft in a faith-based missional environment based on the GCU Christian identity and mission. Our classes feature hands-on, practical problem-solving scenarios where ethical choices, behavior and worldviews are expressed via storytelling.

The Scriptures identify the components of God’s actions which we align to our student’s learning (Jeremiah 10:12). Power, wisdom and understanding are important keys to our curriculum.

• Power is learning the tactical skills with which to create
• Wisdom comes from research about the project, what is needed and how the audience will receive it
• Understanding is learning about our society and world from an historical, current and future perspective, that allows students to use their creative life effectively

By employing these concepts in a prayerful ask that God directs the project, students can plug into that creative power of our Lord.

Our faculty members use the Word of God as a foundation for why they are here and what they will accomplish in the world. They guide our students as role models with knowledge, skills and examples of service and professionalism through activities that are both written into the curriculum as well as offered from their own unique experiences. We demonstrate by doing. Students are directly mentored and learn alongside faculty that demonstrate their faith as working professionals on and off stage.

We believe that by empowering students with an understanding of how art, music, dance, design, film, storytelling, theater and technology are central to the expression of Gospel messages in the 21st century, they can graduate with a firm foundation on which to stand throughout their lives.

As GCU adapts this new language of human flourishing, our college is actively working to embed the concepts into our internal missions, written materials, courses and conversations. Our new mission: The College of Arts and Media promotes flourishing through creativity, authentic storytelling and a missional spirit – that is intentionally centered on flourishing.

GCU’s College of Arts and Media is positioned to promote human flourishing, defined by Aristotle as the ability to live a good life. Our students tell stories and reflect the human condition. Our students create beauty and enrichment for themselves and others. Our students make beauty from chaos and find solutions from disparate parts. In the conversation of left vs. right brain strengths, the imagination and creativity of the art and media students’ primary right brain thought patterns offer an innovative reflection within an often analytics-driven world.

Questions that begin with “What if?” and “What else?” are key components in our teaching, and our new mission lights a fire under all of our activities. We are reclaiming the sacred roots of the arts — music, theatre, dance, visual — which were largely started, grown and widely sponsored by the church to spread God’s word. We encourage our students to move from a passion for the arts to a Christ-centered professional calling.

Scripture serves as a core principle for students entering the creative workforce (Matthew 5:10-16). Our students arrive with big dreams and aspirations. We encourage them to lead from where they are — to be salt and light in every environment. Students who embrace this walk with confidence honed over their time in the GCU classroom. The opportunity to learn inside organizations managed through a Christian worldview allows them to understand what it means to let their light shine in the workforce.

Arts and media students contribute to the GCU mission by challenging students, faculty and staff that may not know about or understand the arts (in the broad term). They engage in creative collaborations where workplace interaction, communication, leadership and entrepreneurship is played out in functional environments. Our education encourages students to be responsible leaders and innovative thinkers.

Theatrical, dance and music performances engage students to:

• See the world through others’ eyes
• Think critically
• Understand themes, stories and ideals portrayed on the stage

The Thundering Herd Pep Band is a leader in positive expression, especially in the competitive world. Students may find great joy in being part of the powerful, musical expression of GCU. Students in the design, social media and film programs are telling stories of our world to our world. They serve the GCU community with beauty in the realm of commerce and community engagement through their skills.

For students pursuing degrees in arts and media, such as graphic design, dance, music, film or photography, a theology minor can offer a profound understanding of cultural and religious influences that shape artistic expression. The integration of theology can deepen an artist’s ability to explore and express themes of spirituality, morality and the human condition in their work. It can also provide a historical context that can be essential in the arts, enriching the depth and breadth of creative projects.

The student experience is given a single foundation of faith that enlightens the multiple and often confusing messages swirling in our culture. When students know that there is solid ground for what they believe, they are more likely to succeed.

Students take the Christian worldview course where they are challenged to better understand who they are in Christ, how those with other views may perceive Christ and gives them language and tools to live and communicate from that perspective.

Throughout our curriculum we reinforce those concepts as students seek deeper understandings of themselves and the communities in which they live and create. This is of particular importance for our storytelling students who greatly benefit from understanding populations other than their own. Empathetic understanding and action, the kind modeled by Jesus, pushes our students outside their comfortable boundaries and can set their life into a direction with a missional attitude for all. This time of change during the college years is highly valued within the College of Arts and Media, and we work intentionally to support this growth in our students with curricular and co-curricular activities.

Students are provided many opportunities to grow in their faith. For example, our dance program includes prayer before all performances, monthly Bible studies with the department, creating art inspired by students’ Christian faith and performing in the night of worship and dance.