University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
L&S Honors College
Honors 380-001 (47942)
Honors Seminar in the Arts: Art and Ecology (Seminar)
Tu/Th 9:30-10:45
Spring 2016 (January 25, 2016 – May 10, 2016)
Honors House 180
Final Exam/Project: Monday, May 16, 10:00am-noon
Instructor: Nicolas Lampert ()
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:30-12:30, Art 315 (Print office, 3rd floor Art Building) please email to set up meeting
Mailbox: Mitchell Hall 371
Re: Course Syllabus
Course Description
Artists have addressed the environment throughout history, but today’s discussion is more urgent. At a time of climate change, what role do artist and other creative people play in presenting ideas and viable solutions to the public discourse? Many contemporary artists have embraced this task but their innovative work is rarely publicized and put into action, as one might imagine it should be. Contemporary visual artists such as Mel Chin, Betsy Damon and Betty Beaumont have all done successful projects that solve environmental problems at a small scale. Their art has merged with scientific practices and represents a significant departure from the land art of the 1970’s typified by Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, and Michael Heizer. This course seeks to examine this shift in practice and examines the role that artists and others – particularly authors - have played in envisioning a more sustainable environment.
Learning and Performance Objectives
Students who successfully complete Honors 380will be able to do the following:
1. Summarize and explain primary factual material from course readings, discussions and lectures, using accurate terminology;
2. Discuss, orally and in writing, material from course readings, discussions, and lectures;
3. Provide, orally and in writing, insightful interpretation of course material;
4. Analyze, orally and in writing, course material, with emphasis on the student’s ability to understand, formulate and apply critical standards.
Verbal Skill Development
Honors 380is a reading and writing intensive course. Students will be required to complete regular reading assignments, prepare formal and informal writing projects, and contribute regularly to class discussions.
Criteria for Evaluation
The final grade will be determined by the combined achievements in the following categories:
1. Attendance: 30%
2. In-class participation: 20%
3. D2L postings on the lectures: 10%
4. D2L postings on the readings: 30%
5. final project: 10%
note: Attendance will be taken at the start of each class. Excused absences must be accompanied by proper written documentation (example would be a note from a physician or family emergency note.) Please provide the instructor with the notes in person or email notes to Nicolas Lampert as a PDF. Emails without proper written documentation will not be accepted.
Required texts
Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs the Climate, New York: Simon and Schuster, 2014
Lucy R. Lippard, Undermining: A Wild Ride Through Land Use, Politics, and Art in the Changing West, New York: The New Press, 2014
Books are available for purchase at: Woodland Pattern Book Center (in Riverwest) 720 East Locust Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212 | 414.263-5001 | Open Tue-Fri. 11-8 and Sat. & Sun 12- 5, closed Monday. (
Additional readings can be found as PDF’s in the content section of the D2L site. Please check the Course Calendar and the front page of D2L for details.
Required Technology and Equipment
Computer (OS X or Windows) High-speed internet access Media viewer (Quicktime X or comparable program) Digital image viewer/editor (Mac Preview or Pixlr) Digital camera for taking stills and making short video clips (can be a smart phone)
For technical assistance at UWM: call the UWM help desk: 414-229-4040 /
D2L questions: see D2L home page and select: “student help files” or “GetTechHelp.uwm.edu”.
Materials and Supplies
By the second class session, you will need the following materials:
1. A notebook or a laptop for note taking.
Academic Honesty
Academic work that is submitted to an instructor is assumed to be the result of one’s own work, thought, research, or self-examination. Further, when wording, organization, images, music, lyrics, audio sources, or ideas are borrowed from another source, that source is to be adequately acknowledged according to proper academic conventions. Academic dishonesty can exist in visual work as well as in written work. In the interest of avoiding the perception of academic dishonesty, images copied, scanned, collages, or otherwise appropriated from existing sources, must be cited according to proper academic conventions. This will be the case even when the appropriated images are re-configured to make a different organization and/or meaning than the original piece. Projects completed for an assignment in one course cannot be turned in for another course, unless the two courses have assigned a joint project. Collaborative works should acknowledge the contribution of the contribution of each of the collaborators. Plagiarism is the failure to acknowledge the use of words, idea, images, music, and/or organization of another. Plagiarism can be grounds for failing a class.
What is copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17,U.S.Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to use their materials. You must get permission to use copyrighted original works of authorship if you plan to make your project available to the public in any way. For more on gaining permission see:
Expected Workload (hours)
class meetings: 27: @ 35 hours
required Reading @ 3-4 hours each week: 35
writing assignments @ 2 hours each week: 20
1 final project: 24
TOTAL: @ 114
*Please note this is an estimate of the student’s time investment. Students are graded on performance, not the achievement of estimated time investment.
Health Insurance
It is strongly recommended that all students have health insurance that includes emergency room and hospitalization coverage. The UWM Student Association offers a Student Health Insurance Plan:
This plan covers most major medical illnesses or injuries. The University does not provide blanket medical coverage to students. Students are strongly encouraged to secure their own health insurance, either through their parents, the Student Health Insurance Plan or some other program.
Additional Information Regarding Student Expectations for the course
1. Students with special learning needs should speak to the instructor by the second class meeting or at the first office hours session. You are also welcome to email me to set up a time to discuss the issue on campus. Accommodations can be granted to students who have written documentation.
2.Attendance is critical for success in this course. Each week that we meet will include a combination of many of the following: lectures, images, group discussions, video documentaries, etc. A major theme/topic will be explored each week and your knowledge will gradually build based on the previous classes. Many images/artists will not be repeated twice so it is essential that your attendance is outstanding.
3. Email protocol. Please make sure that all emails to the instructor or the PA are written in a professional manner and be sure to include your full name and the name of the class. Please be as specific as possible in your email messages.
PLEASE NOTE: UWM email is now OFFICE 365. UWM no longer uses Panthermail
4. Progress reports. After the midpoint of the semester, a progress report will be posted that informs each student on their midterm grade estimate, their attendance record, D2L reading responses, D2L post’s on lectures and the outside project.
5.Each student is encouraged and expected to actively participate in classroom discussions. Differences of opinions are vital to a vibrant classroom discussion. What we disagree on is more interesting than what we agree upon. In this atmosphere, students should always challenge the views of the instructor and the authors studied. It goes without saying that one should value each other’s opinions and pay respectful attention while others are speaking. Please contribute to the conversation by sharing knowledge, ideas, insights, and questions. Please keep in mind that sexist, racist and homophobic remarks will not be tolerated. A person who makes an insensitive comment of this nature will be asked to leave the classroom for the session. If this pattern repeats itself a second time, the student will be asked to meet with the instructor to discuss the ramifications of the issue. Please also note that the use of profanity or threatening language will not be tolerated on the D2L site or in the classroom. Disrespectful language will result in a lower grade and the potential for the instructor to refer the issue to the Dean of Student Affairs in accords to University procedures and guidelines.
6. Each student is expected to complete the assigned readings. The reading assignments are detailed in the Course Calendar. (As well, the reading assignments will be posted each week on the front page of D2L site.) Weekly reading assignments will average between 100-200 pages. Students will critically engage with the reading by posting writings on the D2L site each week. Your writing should be posted on the D2L site before the start of the following class. Response that are late by the start of Tuesdays or Thursdays class will be downgraded a full grade. Late responses that are not posted by the following weeks class (7 days late) will not be accepted. Reading responses should be posted in the “Discussions” section under the correct category (the assignment and date will prompt you to the right section.) The reading responses constitute 30% of your final grade.
7. The D2L site will also be utilized in this course to comment upon topics raised in class, specific images, discussions, films, and guest speakers. The “discussion” section of the D2L site will have sub-sections to post comments on the lectures for every week of the course. Responses should be at least a solid paragraph in length and should include examples that back up your opinions. Students are required to post a minimum of 5 lecture posts during the semester. This portion of the class represents 10% of your final grade.
8. PDF Reserves. All of the readings in the Course Calendar are located in the “content” section of the class D2L site as PDFs. Please download and print these articles. The readings are short essays and artist interviews.
9. The final project represents 10% of your final grade. This assignment is a hybrid project: research/writing/visual.
University Policies
1. Students with disabilities. Verification of disability, class standards, the policy on the
use of alternate materials and test accommodations can be found at the following:
http://
2. Religious observances. Policies regarding accommodations for absences due to
religious observance are found at the following:
3. Students called to active military duty. Accommodations for absences due to call-up of
reserves to active military duty should be noted.
4. Incompletes. The conditions for awarding an incomplete to graduate and undergraduate
students can be found at the following:
5. Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment). Definitions of discrimination.
Harassment, abuse of power, and the reporting requirements of discriminatory conduct
are found at the following:
6. Academic misconduct. Policies for addressing students cheating on exams or plagiarism
can be found at the following:
7. Complaint procedures. Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic
unit or department in which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a
specific university policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic
unit in which the complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible
for enforcing the policy.
8. Grade appeal procedures. Procedures for student grade appeal appear at the following:
9. Final examination policy. Policies regarding final examinations can be found at the
following:
10. Selected Academic and Administrative Policy 24.5, Firearms and Dangerous Weapons
Policy.
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