Art 305: Art Today

ART 305: ART & MASS CULTURE

FALL 2015

Class Syllabus

Professor Betty Ann Brown, Ph.D.

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Office Hours: Via Email

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Prerequisite: Completion of the Lower Division Writing Requirement. An introduction for the non-art major to the relationships between art and mass culture. Illustrated lectures explore the development, techniques, and ideas underlying the contemporary visual environment, including the media arts of photography and advertising, as well as painting, sculpture and architecture. Art majors may take this course for university elective credit. (Available for General Education, Arts & Humanities).

This is a class in which we survey the history of Western art to chronicle the development of our mass media society, examining both those art monuments generally studied in art history classes (painting, sculpture, architecture), as well as photography, film,television, advertising and computer arts. The purpose of this class is to help you develop what is often called "visual literacy." This means the ability to "read" the images that surround you in our information society.

After taking this class, you will have a much greater appreciation for the importance of art to Western culture. You will also have the skills to become critically aware of the visual messages you receive every time you turn on your television, page through a magazine, or scroll down a computer screen.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS: Students must read the entire Art & Mass Media text (the eBook available on Moodle),become familiar with all of the online Powerpoints, take fourteen online quizzes, participate in at least ten (10) online discussions, and take the online final exam. Museum Writing Projects are optional (i.e., "Extra Credit") reports on designated museum visits. The overall course grade will be calculated from the following:

Fourteen Online Quizzes, each worth up to 10 points, for a total of 140 possible points.The quizzes are short answer: multiple-choice, matching, or true-false. Each one coversa textbook chapter & related Powerpoint lecture(s). The deadlines for the quizzes are on Moodle, not on this syllabus. If you miss points on the quizzes, the only way to make up those points is by doing a Museum Writing Project.This means even if your dog eats your computer, or the Internet goes down, or you have to work late—whatever the reason—you will have to make up missed points by writing a paper. NO ONE will be allowed to take any quiz a second time!
Online Discussions, each one worth up to 3 points, for a total possible 30 points. Every week, there is a topic for class discussion. Your response can be worth up to three (3) points per topic. To earn the full three points, you must write three (3) complete sentences that are relevant to the topic. Responses are to be written in traditional English NOT as text messages.Many of the discussions require visuals as part of your answer.Be aware that Moodle cannot accept large images, so you have to use medium or small images to illustrate your discussions. (Yes, you can do more than 10 discussions in order to earn more points.)
Online Final Exam, worth 50 points. (Please note that the questions for this exam are NOT taken directly from the chapter quizzes.) The deadline for the final exam is not flexible. If you miss it, you miss the 50 points.
Museum Writing Projects, worth up to 25 points.The ONLY way to make up missed points on the quizzes or final exam is by doing aMuseum Writing Project. You can write only ONE Museum Project, not both of them.The projects involve going to a local art museum IN PERSON and answering a series of questions in a fill-in-the-blank format. The papers are to be emailed to me, NOT posted on Moodle. See “Museum Writing Projects” on Moodle for more information.
GRADING SCALE: Fourteen online quizzes: 140; Ten online discussions: 30; Final exam: 50; TOTAL: 220. A: 190-220; B: 160-189; C: 130-159; D: 100-129.

TEXT:Brown & Pelfrey, Art & Mass Media, an e-book available online at Moodle. Most students download the book, chapter by chapter, onto their computer desktops. Printed versions of the text run over 500 pages.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Note: This is a tentative schedule, which is subject to change. Weekly reading assignments, quizzes and exams are listed here, with further specifics posted on Moodle. Most weeks, both the online quizzes and the discussions are due Sunday night before 10 p.m. The quizzes cover the chaptersassigned that week as well as the online Powerpoints.

It is your responsibility to stay current with assignments and due dates as well as any modifications.

Week 1.August 24. Introduction to the class. Read Media 00.

Week 2.August 31. Why Visual Literacy. Read Media 01.

Week 3. September 7. The Roots of Western Culture. Read Media 02.

Week 4. September 14. The Renaissance. Read Media 03.

Week 5. September 21. The Baroque. Read Media 04. Getty Villa Museum Paper, Option #1 due this week.

Week 6. September 28. Photography. Read Media 05.

Week 7. October 5. 19th Century Avant Garde. Read Media 06.

Week 8. October 12.Film. Read Media 07.

Week 9. October 19. Early 20th Century Avant Garde. Read Media 08.

Week 10.October 26.Advertising. Read Media 09.

Week 11. November 2.Television Programs. Read Media 10.Norton Simon Museum Paper, Option #2, due this week.

Week 12.November 9. Television Commercials. Read Media 11.

Week 13. November 16.Late 20th Century Avant Garde. Media 12.

Week 14.November 23. Brave New World of the Computer. Media 13. Thanksgiving Vacation.

Week 15.November 30. Time to review for Final Exam: List of Terms.

Week 16. December 7. ONLINE FINAL EXAM: Must be taken before 10 p.m. on Sunday, December 13.