Gap Year Discovery Program
Discover the intersection of your creative journey and the related design fields that translate to a professional practice. Pratt Institute’s Gap Year Discovery program will help you decide which path is right for you and provide you with the experience, knowledge, skills and courage to advance in college and professional life.
Combine college credits, certificates, and professional development classes, or choose just one. Work with an advisor to determine what's best for you. Pratt provides you with the options and support to make the most of your gap year.
All Gap Year Discovery classes will be held online for the spring 2021 semester. Join our Zoom Info Session on January 12, 2021 at 7pm EST for further information and have all your questions answered!
For advisement, please contact Chris Ferrara, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs: cferrara@pratt.edu
Or contact us to request further information at: gap-year-discovery@pratt.edu
Credit Courses: 15 Weeks
Art & Politics of Public Writing (3 Credits)
HMS 431S
Everyone has a “hot take”—a piece of commentary that responds quickly to the latest political, cultural, or social event. It competes for public attention in a 24-hour news cycle where journalists, bloggers, and other commentators (amateur and professional) are vying for the public’s increasingly divided attention. As a result, “hot takes” are often disparaged (sometimes deservedly) for substituting a personal opinion and shallow moralizing for thoughtful, deliberate criticism.
Focus on “the cool take”—commentary that is timely but not hastily produced, based on individual perspectives as well as research and data. Learn to identify what constitutes compelling arts writing and criticism, and employ those same standards while producing your own cultural criticism. Choose a medium and/or media, and practice writing/performing pieces of criticism that put an exhibition, concert, television episode/series, theatrical production, fashion collection, food trend, or some other cultural production in greater historical, social, political, and/or cultural context. Receive constructive feedback on your work. In addition, you will read, watch, and listen to professional cultural commentators and discuss the ways in which a written review, a podcast, or a vlog is, or isn’t, successful. Improve your writing, research, and thinking skills through the necessary art of rewriting.
I Heart/Break New York: Gentrification & Urban Change (3 credits)
SS 339
Gentrification is the talk of the town. But what exactly is gentrification? What produces it? And where do you fit in? Focus on gentrification as a process of urban change, considering its contemporary manifestations in cities around the world. Course topics include an overview of the history of urban development and housing policy, structural racism, community development, "the Right to the City," and grassroots social movements. Explore New York as a case study, documenting the stories that shape people's everyday struggles living in one of the world's "global cities" through readings, discussion, film, multimedia, archival research, oral histories, and new digital technologies.
Sustainable Core (3 Credits)
SS 201T
Explore definitions, applications, and debates of sustainability across fields and relevant disciplines (offered by Pratt and beyond) with an emphasis on environmental quality, social equity, and economic activity. In addition to Pratt Institute faculty, experts on specific topics will provide guest lectures.
Digital Cinema I (3 Credits)
FVID-101
Learn the fundamentals of digital cinema production. Produce short video works with an equal emphasis on concept, content, and equipment use. Experimentation is encouraged. Work collaboratively and individually on video assignments. Advance your ability as a maker, viewer, and reader of digital cinematic productions.
Stress Reduction: Mindfulness (1 Credit, or Non-credit)
CP-100W
Cultivate mindfulness practices to facilitate greater engagement with life and coping with stress. Mindfulness involves bringing intentional non-judgment awareness to what is happening in the present moment. Based on the highly successful Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, this course is highly experiential and uses a seminar-like format designed for college students to explore application of mindfulness in mind-body awareness, mindful eating, communication skills and stress management.
Certificate Programs: 12 Weeks
BRANDING AND DIGITAL MARKETING
Professional Development Courses: 4 Weeks
Tuition:
Credit Courses: $1670 (1 credit), $5010 (3 credits)
Certificate Programs: $1950-$3950
Professional Development Courses: $295-$1250
Contact:
Chris Ferrara, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs
cferrara@pratt.edu
Or contact us to request further information at: gap-year-discovery@pratt.edu