English 398A Writing for the Arts
Caroline Wilkins Spring 2016
Office: 1232 Tawes Hall x53763
Office hours: T, Th 11-12 & by app’t.
Required Texts
Writing for the Visual Arts by Mashey Bernstein & George Yatchisin (ISBN# 0130224587)
Style: Lessons in Clarity & Grace (11th ed.) by Joseph Williams (ISBN#0321898680)
Selected readings (available on ELMS)
Course Objectives
The goal of this class is to give students experience in the types of writing practiced in careers in the arts and to expose them to an array of professional opportunities. As a class, we will work on making our writing clearer and more effective in communicating our ideas and goals, both artistic and professional. To this end, we will work on style and form as well as substance and content. There will be research involved in identifying different careers in the arts, various arts organizations, and putting artistic endeavors in context in the field. Because this course is designed specifically for writing in the arts, students whose interests and majors lie outside the arts may find themselves at a grave disadvantage in this class.
Papers & Grading
There are five major papers, as well as numerous minor ones (the homeworks).
We begin with the Job Materials, a resume and cover letter, in order to face immediately the reality of finding employment in the arts. Next you are asked to write a Manifesto in which you will lay out a philosophical rationale for your art. One of the major works in the course is the Long Review, a substantial work in which you will not only offer a description and criticism of an exhibit, performance, or event, but will also place the piece in a larger critical context. Because publicity is a large part of an artist’s work, we will write a Press Release. The final assignment is the Grant Proposal, which will culminate a semester’s worth of researching a particular arts organization, its needs, and possible sources of funding.
Your grade will be based on the major papers, the written homework, and your participation in class. The breakdown is:
Job Materials 10%
Manifesto 15%
Press Release 15%
Review 20%
Grant Proposal 15%
Homework 10%
Peer Editing/ Draft Workshop 5%
Presentation 5%
Overall Participation 5%
All papers and homework must be typed, double-spaced, with margins, fonts, and headings appropriate for the purpose & intended audience. Each document is due in class on the specified date. Late work will be penalized one third of a letter grade for each calendar day past the due date, so an assignment received one day late that would have been a B+ will receive a B. An assignment is not considered “turned in” until I have it in my possession. In general, I do not accept assignments electronically.
Before each paper is due we will hold a draft workshop in class. Participation in the draft workshop is mandatory. You must bring a draft that meets the requirements of the assignment to the workshop. That means that it is the appropriate length and represents a substantial amount of work. Do not fail to take this requirement seriously. When you hand in your paper, you also hand in the edited draft. You are graded on the advice and feedback that you give as an editor, too. Taking the editing seriously is an important part of the work of the course. Should you fail to include the workshop materials when you hand in the hard copy of your assignment, you will be penalized a third of a letter grade.
Homework, Quizzes, & Conferences
Throughout the semester there will be written homework assigned. The HWs are either preliminary steps toward one of the longer assignments, short reflective essays, or 1-2 page responses to the readings; sometimes they are exercises from the textbook. These are very important not only to the improvement of your writing and thinking, but to your grade as well. HWs are graded on a 3 point scale: check+, check, and check-. A successful reading response begins with careful reading, then having an idea, and then communicating that idea. Do not summarize the readings: not only are summaries dull, but they do not give you the chance to explore your own ideas. Likewise, reflective writing is only effective when it is truly reflective, so give yourself time to do the thinking necessary to do a good job.
We might have quizzes periodically to keep the class on its collective toes. They will be extremely easy if you have done the reading, impossible if you have not.
In addition to the scheduled assignments, you must have a short conference with me the week prior to your presentation; this is non-negotiable.
Class Participation
Your participation is essential to the success of the class. The best way to have a good class is to do the reading, do some thinking, and try to communicate your ideas and questions to the rest of us. You are expected to put some thought and effort into the reading, writing, and class discussion. You are expected to be an active participant in the discussion: talking, asking questions, listening, generally engaging with the community. Other elements of class participation include being prepared and being respectful of other members of the class. As you know, you are also expected to turn off your personal electronics before class begins & to leave them off.
Attendance
I take attendance daily. It is your responsibility to keep caught up in class. This class is not lecture-based. Classroom interaction is important because writing is an essentially social activity. Absences due to illness or your participation in a university sponsored event, although allowable, must be documented. You are allowed three discretionary absences to use as you need them. Beyond three absences, you will be penalized. Any student missing more than two weeks worth of classes, for any reason, should consider dropping the class. Any student who misses more than 25% of the scheduled classes will fail the course. Work missed because of any absence should be made up; this is always your responsibility. Do not rely on me to fill you in.
Tardiness is also unacceptable. Three tardies equals one absence. You are tardy if you come in after class has begun.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is the deliberate presentation of someone else’s work or words as your own. I will refer any suspected violation to the Honor Council. The penalties for plagiarism include a failing grade for the course and possible dismissal from the university. You can borrow from published sources as long as you mention them in the text and give documentation for them. Information that is available over the Internet (whether text or graphics) also needs to be cited. If you have questions about documenting sources, please raise them in class. Please see www.jpo.umd.edu for more information about academic integrity.
Calendar of Assignments
Assignments are to be completed by the date indicated. We will go over some of the chapters in the text in class, but not all of them. You are responsible for all the material assigned even if it is not discussed in class. Bring your texts and other materials to class.
T 1/26: Introductions.
Th 1/28: Read chapters 3, 4 & 5 in WVA and Lessons 1 & 2 in Style. HW#1 due: a reflection about your expectations for the course (prompt on ELMS).
T 2/2: Draft workshop for Job Materials. You don’t need to bring multiple copies, just one hard copy of the resume, application letter, and the job or internship announcement. Be prepared to read carefully for others and to discuss your draft with your classmates.
Th 2/4: Job Materials due. Introduce Manifesto assignment.
T 2/9: Read “On the Rights of Molotov Man” (ELMS) and Lesson 3 in Style. Read chapters 2 & 3 in WVA.
Th 2/11: Read “Death of the Author” (ELMS) and chapter 6 in WVA. HW#2 due: a reading response to either “Molotov Man” or Barthes.
T 2/16: Read “Ways of Seeing” and “The Death of the Artist …” (ELMS). Lesson 4 in Style.
Th 2/18: “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (ELMS). HW#3 due: a response to any of this week’s articles.
T 2/23: Read “Tradition & the Individual Talent” (ELMS). HW#4 due: 1st installment of arts organization research (prompt on ELMS).
Th 2/25: Draft workshop for Manifestos.
T 3/1: Manifestos due.
Th 3/3: Read chapter 7 in WVA and Lesson 5 & 6 in Style.
T 3/8: draft workshop for Press Release
Th 3/10: Press Release due.
T 3/15: SPRING BREAK
Th 3/17: SPRING BREAK
T 3/22: Read “Road Show” (ELMS) and lesson 7 in Style.Reading TBA. HW#6 due: a mid-term reflection on the class and your performance in it so far (prompt on ELMS).
Th 3/24 : Read “Hearts of Darkness” (ELMS). HW#5 due: Long Review topic memo due (prompt on ELMS).
T 3/29: Read “'Disturbing' & 'Misleading'” (ELMS).
Th 3/31: Lesson 9 in Style; read also the Smile review (ELMS). HW#6 due: Long Review audience memo due (prompt on ELMS).
T 4/5: Lesson 10 in Style; other reading TBA.
Th 4/7: Read chapter 8 in WVA and Lessons 11 & 12 in Style. ; HW#7 due: the short review.
T 4/12 : Draft workshop for Reviews.
Th 4/14: Draft workshop for Reviews, pt. II
T 4/19: Long Reviews due.
Th 4/21: Presentations
T 4/26: Presentations.
Th 4/28: Presentations.
T 5/3: Presentations.
Th 5/5: Presentations.
T 5/10: Draft workshop for grant proposals.
*Final grant proposals are due by noon in my office on Thursday, 5/12.
**While we do not have a final exam in our class, the final assignment, HW#8, a reflection on the presentations & your performance in class will be due when our final would be held. The prompt will be on ELMS.