One aspect of furniture design is understanding the history behind a particular style or influence. I enjoy building in the Arts and Crafts style, so when I stumbled upon an online course titled “Arts and Crafts Movement” offered by The New School University (www.newschool.edu ), I signed up. New School is an online university run by the Parsons School of Design located in New York City. I’m told by those with knowledge of design and art schools that Parsons is a very reputable design/Art school.

The syllabus describes the course this way:

“Explore the roots of the Arts and Crafts Movement from the philosophy of John Ruskin and the design of William Morris in England in the mid-19th century England to its flourishing in America at the turn of the century. The work of many notable designers such as Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Greene brothers is analyzed. Learn about the many wonderful homes and communities related to the Arts and Crafts Movement that are preserved today, and the current values of Arts and Crafts furniture and decorative objects.”

The course was taught entirely online over a 5 week period via the course’s website. It was a traditional course in the sense that our learning materials consisted of a text book, lectures, class discussions, and 2 required papers. The structure was also traditional–each week I was required to complete a reading assignment, a lecture, and take part in class discussions. However, it was un-traditional in the sense that all the lectures were online-so I accessed or downloaded lecture notes by logging onto the course website. After reviewing the lecture material I then logged into the class discussion forum (which is very similar to our WWG Forum) to post responses to the professor’s questions and participate in discussions with my classmates. Lecture notes were uploaded on Monday and I had until Saturday to review them and post my discussion points.

The two required papers were only required for students enrolled in a Parson’s degree program. As a continuing education student, I was not required to do the papers. However, neither would have been overtaxing. Both were 3-5 pages on various topics suggested by the students, and approved by the instructor.

The online materials were delivered using an online tool called Blackboard Academic Suite. It was accessed via the school’s website, and relatively intuitive to navigate. The school did an excellent job of getting all the appropriate info (i.e.: URL’s, logins, and passwords) to me in plenty of time. An online orientation course was available 10 days before class began to ensure new students were familiar, and able to operate Blackboard. Technical support was also available from the school, and easily solved the one problem I encountered.

The instructor, Erica Forester was extremely knowledgeable of the Arts and Crafts movement, and I thought the price was a bargain at $300.00. The next offering of this course is in the fall semester. History courses are also available on the Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and Modernism periods. Ms. Forester can be reached via email at Forestee@newschool.edu or via phone at 914-337-7248.