FACULTY OF AUDIO-VISUAL MEDIA ART
VISUAL COMMUNICATION 
      BA 2        
code subject name ECTS type of class type of examination lecturer additional info
      THE DEPARTMENT'S SPECIALTY SUBJECTS        
      Specialty subjects in the student's chosen subfield. These subjects account for a significant part of the total semester or study year program percentage.        
MākZ4588 Composition in Electronic Art 3 The goal of the course is to master the creative process of contemporary art; to understand and apply the language of contemporary art. To master and learn to use digital media professionally in one's creative practice. At the end of this course, the student has mastered a process that results in a self-sufficient work of contemporary art. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Raitis Šmits  
MākZ2687 Interactive Technologies 1,5 This course focuses on an in-depth exploration of digital culture and the use of interactive technology in creative work. Students are introduced to the necessary software (Arduino). Students work on developing their own interactive creative work. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Kristaps Biters  
MākZ2234 Work in Material 3 The course acquaints students with different screen printing principles: from simplest to technical and more sophisticated. The process of photosensitive exposure. Different kinds of screen printing stencil preparation. Types of printing surfaces and materials. Experiments (deviations from the norm) in the screen printing process. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Jānis Murovskis  
MākZ1501 Communication Graphic 1,5 The course incorporates theoretical lectures, study discussions, and workshops. The theoretical lectures and seminars in the first semester introduce the basic principles of design graphics.
 Lecture, practical work Assessment show Armands Zelčs  
MākZ2623 Typography 3 During the first semester special attention is given to text layout and font selection, as well as their role in graphic design. Fonts and their stylistics are examined. Students are introduced to the basic principles of graphic composition. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Mārtiņš Ratniks  
MākZ2607 Digital Video Editing 1,5 During this semester students become acquainted with the history of analog and digital film editing and the specifics of digital editing software, and they edit their own video footage (30—120 sec). Lecture, practical work Assessment show Aldis Kopštāls  
MākZ2236 3D Computer Studies 1,5 During this semester students become acquainted with the environment of 3D programs and can model objects; they know the possibilities of corporeity representation, creation of lights and darks, and acquisition of still images. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Aldis Kopštāls  
      GENERAL ART SUBJECTS        
      Students of all disciplines take general art subjects to gain skills and understanding of academic drawing, painting, and sculpture. Study assignments are designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn about proportions, scale, and relationships between light and dark, and creatively interpret the given setting and assignment at the same time.
      The department teaching the subject assesses the students' skill level and individually adjusts the assignments.
MākZ2053 Painting 3 The goal of the course is to develop painting as a complementary skill to those acquired in other programs. The course content consists of assignments set by the lecturer, which may be related to the subject of still life or any other task, which students complete individually. Painting from nature is not primary.
 Practical work Assessment show    
MākZ2051 Drawing 3 Standing nude figure. Composition. Understanding the proportions of the figure. Dimensional drawing. Pencil, A2 paper. Practical and individual work Assessment show    
MākZ2051 Sketching There are no separate credits for sketching; students are marked for the Drawing course Sketching the human figure for 5, 10, 15 minutes.
Objective: the act of drawing using various materials (charcoal pencil, pencil, felt-tip pen, sepia, acrylic, ink, etc.), developing visual perception, transferring it to the sketch.
Results to be achieved: a developed ability to understand proportion and to create individual handwriting in drawing using a variety of materials, taking a step back from the classical academic drawing.		 Individual work Assessment show An individual class without a lecturer  
      HUMANITIES SUBJECTS        
      As theoretical lectures are delivered to the students of the Art Academy of Latvia in Latvian, some theoretical subjects in English are offered separately to the visiting students.        
MākZ2961 Art History of Latvia 6 The lecture course "Art History of Latvia" is taught to Erasmus+ students, and its purpose is to give an insight into and a general idea of the development of Latvian art history in a cultural and historical context. Alongside art history, the course provides basic knowledge of Latvian history, ethnography, and architectural history. The lecture course chronologically covers the period from prehistory to the 20th century. Visits to exhibitions and museums are organized as part of the course to broaden and improve students' knowledge and to promote connection with contemporary cultural progress. Lecture, visits to exhibitions and cultural sites Written course paper Ieva Rosne Students who study at the Academy for a full study year during the 2nd semester individually coordinate with the lecturer their interests within the subject theme. 
MākZ2960 History of Contemporary Art  3 The academic course deals with all the significant events in recent art history, starting from the international conceptual tendencies in the 60s, like land art, minimalism, Art Povera, Nouveaux Réalisme, Fluxus, and others, the postmodern narratives in the 80s and the 90s. The final part will be dedicated to the actual debates in the global contemporary art scene. Each lecture will be accompanied by rich visual materials, including films originating from museums. After finishing the course, the students will be able to recognize the most prominent personalities and their most iconic artworks. Lecture, discussion Presentation Raimonds Kalējs  
MākZ1261 Anatomy 1,5 Digitalized and interactive anatomy for art and design students to improve their drawing, painting, and sketching skills in anatomy. Based on Anatomy Next — anatomy learning tools for students and teachers. Anatomy Next is a very successful, world-known educational technology start-up to help students learn anatomy faster and more efficiently. Lecture Test Uldis Zariņš  
MākZ5125 Creative Methods in Art Pedagogy 3 The course "Creative Methods in Art Pedagogy" prepares students for planning and conducting art-based visual arts lectures. Such an experience can be useful in teaching non-formal education. Graduates will gain theoretical knowledge and practical experience in transforming an idea based on creative practice (art or design) into a contemporary art lecture, and preparing, conducting, and evaluating classroom practice. Practical work, seminar or discussion Presentation Ilze Vītola  
MākZ208 History of Culture: From the Renaissance to the Holocaust 3 The course is designed as a journey through Europe's cultural history, from the Renaissance to the end of World War II. The central idea of the course is to offer a debate on the European identities in cultural products, such as arts, book printing, debates on various concepts of artistic activities. The course unites the history of material culture and discourses. Politics is included in the debates with students (via seminars). Lecture, seminar or discussion Exam or creative work Deniss Hanovs  
MākZ2934  World Contemporary Art History Since 1945: Art Trends, Ideas, Personalities. 3 The course aims to provide knowledge on the development of contemporary art since 1945, not only in the West but also in Japan and China, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Side by side with the most apparent art trends, individual personalities are highlighted. The course also looks at the major art phenomena of the late 20th and 21st centuries. Lectures present a wealth of visuals, including professionally-produced DVDs copyrighted by museums, the ARTE channel, or other authoritative institutions. Lecure Exam Helēna Demakova Subject for students of the AAL which is taught in English if the course is attended by Erasmus+ students 
      ELECTIVE SUBJECTS OFFERED TO ERASMUS+ VISITING STUDENTS        
      Elective subjects for Erasmus+ visiting students offered by different departments in different specialties. The list of available elective subjects will be published shortly before the start of the semester with online registration. The number of elective subjects depends on the number of remaining ECTS required for the student after the student's basic curriculum of the department's specialty subjects, general art subjects, and humanities subjects has been approved by the department.        
      BA 3        
code subject name ECTS type of class type of examination lecturer  
      THE DEPARTMENT'S SPECIALTY SUBJECTS        
      Specialty subjects in the student's chosen subfield. These subjects account for a significant part of the total semester or study year program percentage.        
MākZ4512 Media Composition 4,5 Development of the creative task using different audiovisual composition elements. Work in groups. During the course students take the necessary steps to create video work. Starting with sound composition, video filming and editing, making image adjustments and adding a layer of motion graphics. During the course students learn the basic principles of sound editing and composition, acquire knowledge of various video formats and develop creativity and skills in video composition. Lecture, seminar, practical work Assessment show Mārtiņš Ratniks  
MākZ6772 Interactive Technologies 3 This course focuses on an in-depth exploration of digital culture and the use of interactive technology in creative work. Students are introduced to the necessary software (Arduino, Unity). Students work on developing their own interactive creative work. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Kristaps Biters  
MākZ3224 Work in Material 3 The course acquaints students with different screen printing principles: from simplest to technical and more sophisticated. The process of photosensitive exposure. Different kinds of screen printing stencil preparation. Types of printing surfaces and materials. Experiments (deviations from the norm) in the screen printing process. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Jānis Murovskis  
MākZ4527 Typography 3 This course introduces typography as an important component of visual communication — its creative, functional and aesthetic significance. Students explore the anatomy of a typeface and the history of the development of Latin writing, learn terms, constructive components, aesthetic and emotional aspects. In the practical part of the course students use the acquired knowledge and skills and apply the principles of Latin writing. The result is a new visual language based on the Latin script. Lecture, individual work, discussion Assessment show Ivs Zenne  
MākZ3051 Introduction to WEB Design 1,5 This is a project-based course that teaches students to plan, design and build a simple website. Students learn how to select and adapt the content (text, images, multimedia) for the website and how to design and structure key elements (header, navigation, content area, footer). During the first semester students create the website's layout and graphic design.  Lecture, practical work Assessment show Raitis Šmits  
MākZ6727 3D Computer Studies 3 During this semester students learn to combine footage with 3D models using a 3D program environment; motion tracking, object tracking (MotionTracker, ObjectTracker). Finally, students create a video (30–120 sec). Lecture, practical work Assessment show Aldis Kopštāls  
      HUMANITIES SUBJECTS        
      As theoretical lectures are delivered to the students of the Art Academy of Latvia in Latvian, some theoretical subjects in English are offered separately to the visiting students.        
MākZ2961 Art History of Latvia 6 The lecture course "Art History of Latvia" is taught to Erasmus+ students, and its purpose is to give an insight into and a general idea of the development of Latvian art history in a cultural and historical context. Alongside art history, the course provides basic knowledge of Latvian history, ethnography, and architectural history. The lecture course chronologically covers the period from prehistory to the 20th century. Visits to exhibitions and museums are organized as part of the course to broaden and improve students' knowledge and to promote connection with contemporary cultural progress. Lecture, visits to exhibitions and cultural sites Written course paper Ieva Rosne Students who study at the Academy for a full study year during the 2nd semester individually coordinate with the lecturer their interests within the subject theme. 
MākZ2960 History of Contemporary Art  3 The academic course deals with all the significant events in recent art history, starting from the international conceptual tendencies in the 60s, like land art, minimalism, Art Povera, Nouveaux Réalisme, Fluxus, and others, the postmodern narratives in the 80s and the 90s. The final part will be dedicated to the actual debates in the global contemporary art scene. Each lecture will be accompanied by rich visual materials, including films originating from museums. After finishing the course, the students will be able to recognize the most prominent personalities and their most iconic artworks. Lecture, discussion Presentation Raimonds Kalējs  
MākZ1261 Anatomy 1,5 Digitalized and interactive anatomy for art and design students to improve their drawing, painting, and sketching skills in anatomy. Based on Anatomy Next — anatomy learning tools for students and teachers. Anatomy Next is a very successful, world-known educational technology start-up to help students learn anatomy faster and more efficiently. Lecture Test Uldis Zariņš  
MākZ5125 Creative Methods in Art Pedagogy 3 The course "Creative Methods in Art Pedagogy" prepares students for planning and conducting art-based visual arts lectures. Such an experience can be useful in teaching non-formal education. Graduates will gain theoretical knowledge and practical experience in transforming an idea based on creative practice (art or design) into a contemporary art lecture, and preparing, conducting, and evaluating classroom practice. Practical work, seminar or discussion Presentation Ilze Vītola  
MākZ208 History of Culture: From the Renaissance to the Holocaust 3 The course is designed as a journey through Europe's cultural history, from the Renaissance to the end of World War II. The central idea of the course is to offer a debate on the European identities in cultural products, such as arts, book printing, debates on various concepts of artistic activities. The course unites the history of material culture and discourses. Politics is included in the debates with students (via seminars). Lecture, seminar or discussion Exam or creative work Deniss Hanovs  
MākZ2934  World Contemporary Art History Since 1945: Art Trends, Ideas, Personalities. 3 The course aims to provide knowledge on the development of contemporary art since 1945, not only in the West but also in Japan and China, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Russia. Side by side with the most apparent art trends, individual personalities are highlighted. The course also looks at the major art phenomena of the late 20th and 21st centuries. Lectures present a wealth of visuals, including professionally-produced DVDs copyrighted by museums, the ARTE channel, or other authoritative institutions. Lecure Exam Helēna Demakova Subject for students of the AAL which is taught in English if the course is attended by Erasmus+ students 
      ELECTIVE SUBJECTS OFFERED TO ERASMUS+ VISITING STUDENTS        
      Elective subjects for Erasmus+ visiting students offered by different departments in different specialties. The list of available elective subjects will be published shortly before the start of the semester with online registration. The number of elective subjects depends on the number of remaining ECTS required for the student after the student's basic curriculum of the department's specialty subjects, general art subjects, and humanities subjects has been approved by the department.        
      MA1        
code subject name ECTS type of class type of examination lecturer additional info
      THE DEPARTMENT'S SPECIALTY SUBJECTS        
      Specialty subjects in the student's chosen subfield. These subjects account for a significant part of the total semester or study year program percentage.        
MākZ6338 Composition 3 This course offers students the opportunity to explore and develop their abilities outside of a specific discipline. The course focuses on creativity and individuality. Development of the creative task using different audiovisual composition elements. The goal of the course is to understand and apply the language of contemporary art in own artistic practice. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Ojārs Pētersons  
MākZ6A26 Mixed Media Composition 4,5 This course offers students the opportunity to explore and develop their abilities outside of a specific discipline. The course focuses on creativity and individuality. Critical discussions and theoretical debates are an opportunity to develop one's own, individual perspective. The students' technical knowledge is improved by complementary lectures, which allow them to acquire skills for working with different types of devices. Contextual studies of selected topics, based on experimentation with ideas, are examined in interactive discussions in the lecturer's presence. Lecture, individual work, discussion Assessment show Armands Zelčs  
MākZ6997 Composition / Interactive Media 4,5 During this semester students study the creative research process through interactive communication. They create an interactive composition assignment that focuses on the combination of idea and form. The final work, whether virtual or real, has interaction elements between the work itself and the viewer. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Aldis Kopštāls  
      THE DEPARTMENT'S ELECTIVE SUBJECTS        
      Specialty subjects that can be taken in addition to the basic study programme.        
MākZ6435 Composition / Silkscreen 3 The course acquaints students with different screen printing principles: from simplest to technical and more sophisticated. The process of photosensitive exposure. Different kinds of screen printing stencil preparation. Types of printing surfaces and materials. Experiments (deviations from the norm) in the screen printing process. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Jānis Murovskis  
MākZ6437 Media Composition 3 Development of the creative assignment using different audiovisual composition methods. The expected result is a video composition or video installation project. Preliminary knowledge of video production technology is required. Seminar, discussion, individual work Assessment show Mārtiņš Ratniks  
MākZ6442 Composition in Electronic Art 3 Thoroughly master the process of creating electronic media art, its specifics and context. To master and know how to use different means and technologies of electronic contemporary art expression. (360° video and audio, photogrammetry, 3D printing, data visualization). Learning and applying art research methods. Additionally, to become acquainted with current electronic media art ideas and theories. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Raitis Šmits Bachelor's degree in visual arts or design. Basic knowledge of two-dimensional computer graphics, digital photo, video and audio technologies. Basic knowledge of network technologies (HTML, CSS).
MākZ6A01 Interactive Media / Technology 3 This course focuses on an in-depth exploration of digital culture and the use of interactive technology in creative work. Students are introduced to the necessary software (Arduino, Unity). Students work on developing their own interactive creative work. Lecture, practical work Assessment show Kristaps Biters  
      HUMANITIES SUBJECTS        
      As theoretical lectures are delivered to the students of the Art Academy of Latvia in Latvian, some theoretical subjects in English are offered separately to the visiting students.        
MākZ1687 Art History of Latvia 6 The course is taught to Erasmus+ students, and its purpose is to give an insight into and a general idea of the development of Latvian art history in a cultural and historical context. Alongside art history, the course provides basic knowledge of Latvian history, ethnography, and architectural history. The lecture course chronologically covers the period from prehistory to the 20th century. Visits to exhibitions and museums are organized as part of the course to broaden and improve students' knowledge and to promote connection with contemporary cultural progress. Lecture, visits to exhibitions and cultural sites Written course paper Ieva Rosne Students who study at the Academy for a full study year during the 2nd semester individually coordinate with the lecturer their interests within the subject theme. 
MākZ1686 Theory of Contemporary Art  3 The academic course deals with all the significant events in recent art history, starting from the international conceptual tendencies in the 60s, like land art, minimalism, Art Povera, Nouveaux Réalisme, Fluxus, and others, the postmodern narratives in the 80s and the 90s. The final part will be dedicated to the actual debates in the global contemporary art scene. Each lecture will be accompanied by rich visual materials, including films originating from museums. After finishing the course, the students will be able to recognize the most prominent personalities and their most iconic artworks. Lecture, discussion Presentation Raimonds Kalējs  
MākZ1677 Anatomy 1,5 Digitalized and interactive anatomy for art and design students to improve their drawing, painting, and sketching skills in anatomy. Based on Anatomy Next — anatomy learning tools for students and teachers. Anatomy Next is a very successful, world-known educational technology start-up to help students learn anatomy faster and more efficiently. Lecture Test Uldis Zariņš  
MākZ6753 Critical Design 3 The course provides a general insight into design progress, starting from the '90s, introduces major developments in design thinking and approach, and provides an in-depth look at the "Critical Design" trend that emerged during this period. Throughout the course, students are introduced to the concept of critical design, its goals and techniques, and discuss the specifics of design as an information medium. The course covers the theoretical foundations of critical design and illustrates it by numerous examples. It also deals with the problems of design terminology and the point of contact between design and conceptual art. This course aims to encourage designers and artists to think critically and to offer new tools for their artistic and design practices. Lecture Test Liene Jākobsone  
MākZ6271 Art in Public Space 3 The course aims to introduce the diverse manifestations of contemporary art in the public domain, exploring it in depth. The main goal of the course is to broaden the academic horizon by presenting and analyzing contemporary art events and highlighting their interdisciplinary nature, socio-political critical information, and exploration of alternative forms (lasting monuments, temporary art installations, art festivals, biennials, various interventions in a public contemporary art environment, value criteria in the contemporary art environment, etc.). The objective of the course is not only to inform and describe but to develop students' critical thinking, ability to think independently, analyze and evaluate contemporary art events in public space both in Latvia and worldwide. The course looks at the major artistic activities of the late 20th and 21st centuries in the public domain. Lectures present a wealth of visuals, as well as publicly available professional video materials (tate.org.uk, channel.louisiana.dk, royalacademy.org, moma.org, etc.), and DVD movie fragments. Lecture Test Inese Baranovska If the course is attended by Erasmus+ students, it is taught bilingually (in Latvian and English).
      ELECTIVE SUBJECTS OFFERED TO ERASMUS+ VISITING STUDENTS        
      Elective subjects for Erasmus+ visiting students offered by different departments in different specialties. The list of available elective subjects will be published shortly before the start of the semester with online registration. The number of elective subjects depends on the number of remaining ECTS required for the student after the student's basic curriculum of the department's specialty subjects, general art subjects, and humanities subjects has been approved by the department.