Syllabus

 

PDF of syllabus: Art_in_Society_2015syl

Jump to daily course schedule here…

AAD 450 / 550: ART AND SOCIETY (Fall 2015)

Thursdays 2pm-4:50pm, LA 249

Instructor:

John Fenn (jfenn@uoregon.edu)

Office: LA 211; Hours: 10am–noon T and 1:30–2:30pm W (or by appointment); 346-1774

Course Description:

This course examines the arts as expressive practice that manifest through material culture in society, with specific attention to the concepts of participatory culture, transmedia, and the values embedded in arts programming. We will explore the relationships of art to society and individual experience using folkloristic, anthropological, sociological, philosophical and art education literature, and we will do so in a transmedia environment. Drawing on concepts derived from various resources, we will examine the ways in which material culture functions to maintain, transmit, and dynamically engage cultural and social change. Fine, functional, popular, folk, multimedia, and environmental forms of art constitute the range of subject matter, and we will specifically seek the implications for arts managers that these various critical perspectives entail for work in the arts and culture sectors.

Assignments and activities associated with this course are designed, in part, to take advantage of the Arts & Administration Program ePortfolio project and the UO Blogs/Wordpress platform. The UO Blogs site provides the course with a central digital repository for the variety of transmedia forms that we will use in responding to course questions; organizing our individual and collective contributions to course content; expressing our personal opinions about issues raised in the course; documenting, reflecting and critiquing our learning experiences; and enhancing our technology and media literacy skills. As the instructor for this course I seek to encourage the widest possible range of comfort and participation, yet understand and respect the desire by some students to maintain a level of personal privacy. While the course instruction site is openly viewable by the public at large, and I invite your public contributions to the dialog I intend this course to generate, I am willing to work with you on finding solutions to any privacy concerns you may have. In reading assignment guidelines, take note of questions you have and bring them to my attention as soon as possible.

The site URL is: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/artinsociety/

Objectives:

1. We will analyze assigned readings/materials for concepts useful in understanding ways in which art functions in various cultures and contemporary society, specifically in transmedia contexts or ways.

2. We will analyze material culture(s) connected with arts programming to assess and interpret social value(s), drawing on information and methods derived from lectures, readings, and transmedia course materials.

3. Students will present analyses of readings and observations, in class and in papers, demonstrating their ability to: analyze cultural assumptions, consider aesthetic principles in culture-based contexts, analyze artifacts and events in cultural context through a transmedia orientation, and imagine implications for arts and cultural management.

Shared Responsibilities in a Learning Community:

All members of a learning community (i.e. our class) willingly share the responsibilities of gathering, synthesizing and building meaning.

As your instructor I am responsible for giving you as much control as possible over your own learning experience within the boundaries of the course purpose and expected outcomes. I am responsible for clarifying expectations and helping you establish quality criteria for your work, and helping you achieve success in this course, demonstrating the value of this course, helping you access quality resources and clarifying concepts, and guiding you in the completion of tasks to demonstrate your achievement.

At the same time, I expect you to take responsibility for your own learning by openly sharing your work and asking for feedback, relating concepts and skills to your real world experiences, gathering and synthesizing information from a variety of sources, making me aware of your individual learning needs, and being prepared and on time for all of our sessions

Method of Instruction:

My method for teaching this class is to encourage the understanding and appreciation of course content by facilitating critical thinking and written/verbal dialogue. Emphasis is placed on thought rather than memorization. My intent is to encourage the following:

Critical understanding of a topic and the controversies/issues associated with it.

Generation of multiple responses and perspectives on issues of common concern.

Consideration of taken-for-granted assumptions in new ways.

Concentration on discovery.

A desire to know more.

Provocative and well argued discussion.

Course Conduct:

Material presented in this course can be controversial and involve contentious discussion. A variety of opinions and ideas are encouraged and appreciated.

Participation in this class assumes that:

The dignity and essential worth of all participants is respected

The privacy, property, and freedom of participants will be respected

Bigotry, discrimination, or intimidation will not be tolerated

Personal and academic integrity is expected.

Attendance:

Full attendance and participation each week is expected. Beginning at two (2) unexcused absences, final grade will drop by 1 letter grade for each unexcused absence.

Readings:

Each week we will do in-class work that requires you to have completed the assigned readings or engaged with transmedia materials. All students are expected to sign up for the course Diigo group for the purpose of accessing shared web content relevant to the course goals. Required materials/readings are noted on course calendar.

Documented Disabilities:

The University of Oregon is working to create inclusive learning environments. Please notify me if there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in disability-related barriers to your participation. You are also encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Center (formerly Disability Services) in 164 Oregon Hall at 541-346-1155 or uoaec@uoregon.edu .

Assignments and Grading (100 pts. Possible):

***For details on these assignments, see the Assignments Guidelines page***

1. Student Learning Portfolio assignments (learning goals & reflections) = 10pts

2. Course Text co-creation = 40pts

3. Transmedia Field Guide: Creation of a field guide to an art world = 50pts

 

Course Schedule – Fall 2015

Students will be grouped for some course assignments! We will go over grouping during the first meeting…

Introduction/ Week 1

Transmedia Resources for this week

October 1: What are things? What are art things for? What is an art world? How does thinking about these issues manifest in a transmedia environment?

Module 1

Transmedia Resources for this module

October 8: What participatory practices constitute ‘art’, art worlds, or art experiences?

What counts: curating, collecting, critiquing, teaching, doing, attending, etc.?

How do we engage with concepts of diversity across practices and backgrounds?

How do transmedia contexts interact with these practices?

October 15: week 2 of Module 1

Essay presentations by “A” groups.

Bring examples of field guides to share with each other…

Module 2

Transmedia Resources for this module

October 22: What are current politics of participation in arts—in making, curating, collecting, critiquing, programming art?

How do power and social practice intersect, esp. in transmedia environments?

What are parameters of diversity or diversifying participation?

 

October 29: week 2 of Module 2

Essay presentation by “B” groups.

Module 3

Transmedia Resources for this module

November 5: What drives current aesthetics of art and arts participation?

What cultural institutions and structures are involved? What social forces/issues?

In what ways do practices, ideas, narratives, or ideologies associated with this aesthetic depend on transmediations?

 

November 12: week 2 of Module 3

Essay presentations by “C” groups.

Module 4

Transmedia Resources for this module

November 19: What do you imagine the future of art and culture to be?

How can art and culture participation sustain society in this future?

How might transmedia experience/materials figure into this future?

 

November 26: NO CLASS for Thanksgiving holiday…

 

Module 4 (con’t)

December 3: week 2 of Module 4

Essay presentations by “D” groups

Outro

December 8: officially scheduled final exam period (12:30-2:30)

Art in Society Fieldguide Symposium