St. John International University (SJIU) is a new American free-standing university in Vinovo-Torino (Turin), Italy. SJIU offers study abroad, undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the areas of art history, business administration, environmental architecture, environmental studies and film studies. As an American liberal arts college, SJIU provides students from across the globe the skills and tools necessary to be successful and competitive in today's job market. SJIU is dedicated to promoting humanism, fostering respect for the fundamental rights of the individual, emphasizing research, and instilling awareness of our physical and cultural surroundings. Through its high quality academic curriculum, SJIU prepares graduates to share the responsibility that each of us has towards our natural and social worlds.
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MASTERS IN ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL ARTS ADMINISTRATION COURSE DESCRIPTIONS


Admittance in to the MA program is for Fall only and follows a specific course sequence designed by the professors.  These courses are reserved for students of Graduate standing. The MA courses are 3 credits each if not otherwise indicated. 

Core Courses

MIAA/6000 - Introduction to Managing Arts Organizations
In this introduction to management for arts administrators, students will explore management techniques for both profit and non-profit cultural institutions. Students will compare and contrast organizational structure and modes of operation, examine how to work with a Board of Directors, and take an in-depth look at several case studies.

MIAA/6010 - Policies, Law, and Politics: A Global Perspective on Arts Management
This course will provide students with an understanding of the legal system and the political process as they relate to the arts. The first part of the course will explore the legal systems and law affecting arts organizations in the United States as well as Italy and other countries as determined by the professor. In the second part of the course students will explore the role of the government and the political process in relationship to the arts.

MIAA/6020 - Technology and Arts Institutions
This course explores topics relating to cultural institutions, the Internet, and digital technology. Students gain familiarity and competence with Web site evaluation, planning, and creation; artists’ on-line projects; collection management; and educational use in order to inform their future personal and institutional decision making and communication with technical staff.

MIAA/6100 - Project Management 
This course explores the expanding opportunities for project management in art and cultural institutions. It provides an opportunity to explore project management processes, from the very initial stages through the all the planning phases of various cultural projects, which could include an art exhibition, film festival, or music festival. This course focuses on team building and collaboration. Various case studies are used to demonstrate and reinforce the critical elements of project management in art institutions.

MIAA/6200, MBA/6400 - Organizational Behavior
This course addresses the basic issues of work behavior such as leadership, the management of change, motivation and individual differences. The theme of work behavior will be seen from the point of view of behavioral research and managerial practice. Students will lay the foundations for the management of performance, operations and quality.

MIAA/6250 - Cognitive Economics and Decision-Making
The evolution of economics, in particular the interdisciplinary meeting of science and cognition, is generating a significant transformation in the study of behavior and decision-making in contexts of uncertainty. There have also been recent developments on the interdependence between the rational behavior and emotional behavior of both individuals and groups. All of these findings are particularly relevant to understanding the methods, orientation, and praxis of management in the immaterial economy that characterizes contemporary society. Intra-institutional and inter-institutional behaviors as well decision-making with relationship to arts organizations and the environment, require innovative and updated management techniques based on the evolution of these economical disciplines. The objective of this course is to develop the learning concepts, methodologies, and cognitive economics as applied to arts organizations.

MIAA/6300 - MBA/6600 Managerial Accounting
This course analyzes and discusses what information gathered, accumulated and presented is helpful in managerial decision making. Students learn how cost systems are designed and how to measure the cost of the resources in running a business. The course also covers basic concepts of planning, directing and controlling organization’s operations. Students will be introduced to budget preparation and analysis of variance.

MIAA/6400 - Marketing, Communication, and Publications for Arts Organizations
This course examines theories and practices for marketing and approaches to effective written and oral communication for administrators. Marketing topics include: consumer behavior: definition of art consumers; market segmentation; market research; planning and distribution of the art ‘product’. Students will learn about descriptive, analytical, and critical writing styles that include: writing annual reports, proposals, press releases, and writing for arts publications. Effective public speaking skills will also be discussed and practiced.

MIAA/6500 - Cultural Policy and the Arts
This course is designed to introduce the subject of cultural policy to students whose interests concern the areas of public policy in the arts, culture and society. This course will provide an overview of the critical factors which affect the development of cultural policy. It will investigate the nature of cultural policy by looking at the history of cultural policies in different countries under varied political regimes and analyze the structure of institutions which have been put in place to promote policies.

MIAA/6550 - Urban Development, Economics, and Visual Arts
This course examines the role of the arts and humanities in the urban setting as well as in city growth and development. Students will explore the role of public arts, arts programming, city planning for aesthetic, cultural and historic reasons, and amenities for artists in promoting community well-being.


Electives

MIAA/7000 - The Exhibition Process
This course will explore the process of developing an exhibition from a curatorial, educational, technical, and logistical perspective. Course work may include the design of an actual exhibition. Areas of focus include: layout/visitor flow, lighting/color, wall text, climate control, art handling, security, registrarial procedures and condition reports, preparation of art transport, the art-loan process and art insurance, installation project management.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7100 - Collections Management
This course explores the various aspects of art collection policies and the role of the registrar in arts organization. Focus areas include: documentation of collections; preservations records; collections access and storage; packing, shipping, and handling of artworks; inventory control; loan procedures; traveling exhibition and customs; insurance; and museum security and disaster preparedness.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7110 - The Art Market and Art Collecting
Physical works of art, in addition to being some of the most significant cultural manifestations produced by man, are also an important commercial product. This course offers an introduction to the practice and strategies of art as a tradable commodity. Topics to be discussed include the ethics of collecting, investment strategies, the conservation and preservation of art, and art-related crime with its impact on the art market. Student visits may include artist studios, museums, and commercial galleries.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7200 - The Function and Structure of Museums
This course explores the nature, function, and structure of museums and how that has changed over time. Students examine the collection, presentation, and interpretation of objects and culture by comparing museums to other institutions. Using several case studies, students will investigate the role of the museum in society today and the museum’s place in society for the future.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7210 - Museum Education
This course examines both American and European methodologies in museum education. Themes explored include audience analysis, evaluation methods, and the use of media, exhibition concept and design, and teaching methods. Community outreach, collaborations between museums and other institutions, and the way artists interact with museums are also examined. Participants gain a detailed understanding of museum education practices.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7300 - Fundraising and Proposal Writing
This course provides an overview of fundraising, public funding, proposal and presentation preparation, and emphasizes the development of a funding plan for arts organizations. Students will examine the various financial resources available to the arts including corporate, individual, and public funding. The course also examines communication and the use of technology in fundraising.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7400, MBA/6100 - Decision Analysis
See MBA 6100 for course description
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7500 - Art Theory and Criticism
Students will examine the significant themes and issues in contemporary theory and criticism as they relate to the production and reception of art.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7600 - Management of Protection of Cultural Heritage
This course examines the various threats to art and culture (thefts, vandalism, terrorist attacks, war) and the role of arts managers in the protection of cultural heritage. This course focuses on four main areas that include: the major threats and solutions of cultural heritage; fake and counterfeit works of art; the protection of huge and frequently visited cultural sites; human threats to art – the protection of cultural heritage in areas of conflict.
Prerequisite: Core Courses 

MIAA/7700 - Special Topics: The World of Art and Culture in Torino
This course is aimed to familiarize students with the world of art and culture in Torino, which is one of the most active and successful in Italy. The course will examine various arts organizations and events with visits to local organizations as well as guest speakers. 
Prerequisite: Core Courses 


Workshops

MIAA/5100 - Building Leadership Skills
This workshop will address the leadership skills and career develop strategies relative for a career in the arts. Topics may include negotiation and presentation skills, decision making, management styles, self-assessments, mock-interviews, resume and cover letter strategies, and networking skills. 
Credits: 2 Credits

MIAA/5200 - Arts Advocacy
This workshop will familiarize students with the relationship between the arts and local communities, focusing on the resources available and skills necessary to promote the arts in various contexts.
Credits: 2 Credits

MIAA/5300 - Working with Non-Profit Boards
Understanding how non-profit boards operate is essential to successfully managing an arts organization. This workshop explores the structure and governance of non-profit boards and offer tips on how to negotiate and work with boards.
Credits: 2 Credits

MIAA/5400 - Desktop Publishing
Students will be introduced to desktop publishing software that are used to design and produce high resolution publications such as flyers, brochures, business forms, and newsletters. This workshop will cover basic design techniques, type and graphics layout, and related terminology.
Credits: 2 Credits

MIAA/5500 - Visual Communication for Culture 
This workshop introduces the ways in which we use and understand images across the realms of art, advertising, mass media, and science, with examples drawn from painting, photography, film, television, and new media. Students will learn about recent approaches to visual analysis and key theories of visual culture.
Credits: 2 Credits

Research and Professional Practice

MIAA /8900 - Internship
An internship serves as practical and professional experience and serves as a springboard for the development of a research project. Students will apply knowledge acquired during the program and will learn to work in teams. The host company and a faculty member will decide which project to develop.
Prerequisite: Core Courses

MIAA/9000, MIAA/9050 - Thesis
A project developed by a group of students in collaboration with a company and supervised by an instructor. This project will represent the culmination of the knowledge students have acquired throughout the course.
Prerequisite: Core Courses
Credits: 6 Credits total