HONORS SEMINAR 1
MCHC 1001 Section TR11H; Room 2231 Boylan Hall
Fall 2012; T/Th 11-12:15 pm
Professor Frederick Wasser Ph.D
Chair’s office 304 Whitehead
718 951 5555
Office hours W 10:30-11:30AM, 3-4 PM, Th 10-11AM and by app’t.
Instructional Technology Fellow (ITF): Margaret Galvan, Mondays, 10:50am-12:50pm and Tuesdays, 9am-11am inBoylan 2231 O. My office hours and the other ITFs' office hours are listed on this website:http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/brooklynitfs/.
SYLLABUS
Requirements: Quizzes, Examinations, Oral Presentation and Final Written Researched Report
Required Books and Readings:
1) John Berger. (1977). Ways of Seeing. New York: Penguin Press.
2) Course Packet available at Far Better Printing. 43 Hillel Place Brooklyn NY.
3) PDF files available at the course website
4) Additional Readings to be announced.
Course websites:
(1) http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/wasser2012/
Assignments & Academic Integrity
Academic Integrity: The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for implementing that policy can be found at this site: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies.
If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation
Attendance & Lateness Policy
B.C. attendance policy states that students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions of every class. Attendance and punctuality are required. Arrival later than 15 minutes is marked. There is no such thing as an excused absence. You may have to be absent for solid reasons but you must make sure that you are not absent more than 2 times no matter what the reason.
Two late arrivals will be considered one absence. Four absences will earn you an F. Three absences will bring your final grade down by a number of points to be determined. Don’t be late. Don’t be absent.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS WILL BEGIN WITH A TITLE!! (Including all homework and scripts, even blogs and responses).
DO NOT EAT IN CLASS. Drinking is permitted. Your cell phone or PDA must be turned off during class. Points will be deducted from your attendance and participation grade if your phone rings, or if I notice you using your cell phone or PDA during class.
Course Performances and Events
Here is a list of performances and events that the class will attend together. Attendance at these events is a
mandatory part of the course. Because of performance schedules, most events cannot be made up; missed events will be treated the same as missed assignments. Some of the events listed below are not yet confirmed, so there may be last minute changes or additions. Where available, links to event websites (which include travel/subway recommendations) can be found on the course website.
- Monday, August 27 @ 7:00 p.m. – Brooklyn Museum of Art
- Wednesday, October 3 @ 7:30 p.m. – “Paris Commune” a theater performance at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)
- Monday, October 8 @ 7:30 p.m. – “Il Trovatore” Metropolitan Opera Lincoln Center Manhattan
- Tuesday, October 30 @ 3;30 p.m. – Saul Wilentz, Brooklyn College
- In September Weekends only “Art Fair” Governor’s Island Ferry
- In October – “Rituals of Chaos,” Bronx Museum of the Arts 1040 Grand Concourse
- Thursday, Oct. 25@ 10a.m - Walking tour
-In November – Abstract Expressionism (Permanent Collection) and “9 + 1 Ways of Being Political” MoMA
Dance TBA
Recital TBA
Schedule
Aug. 28 Introduction
Aug. 30 Introduction continued: Read Berger Ways of Seeing pp. 7-34
Discussion -Second Level thinking.
Sept. 4 Art and Politics: Read Berger Ways of Seeing pp. 35-64
Discussion -Politics and private spaces
Sept. 6 Blog 1. Discussion
Sept. 11 Art and Politics: Read Berger Ways of Seeing pp. 65-112
Homework is due – a 500-to-750 word (two-to-three page) response to Berger
Sept. 13 Art and Politics: Read Berger Ways of Seeing pp. 113-155 Art and Politics
Discussion – Art, economics and NYC
Sept. 20 Art and New York: Hudson River School 1st Presentation. Kindred Spirits Thomas Cole and William Cullen Byrant 2nd Presentation
Blog 2
Sept. 25 Go to Occuprint.org and select two posters. 3rd Presentation
Sept. 27 Occuprint Blog 3.
Oct. 2 Read “Life Without Father” COURSE PACKET
Oct. 3 7:30 Performance of Paris Commune (see event section above).
Oct. 4
Oct. 8 MET OPERA Il Trovatore
Please read English translation of the libretto before the performance. There is one at http://www.operacarolina.org/content/operas/libretto/235.pdf
Oct. 9 High Art Low Art Read “A Theory of Mass Culture.” by Dwight MacDonald PDF files. Homework is due – a 500 word (two pages) response to “Life Without Father.”
Oct. 11 Blog 4. Discussion of audio presentation.
Oct. 16 Art and the City: Read “An Army of Children” COURSE PACKET.
Oct. 18 Art and the City Public Museums
Discussion – 19th century philanthropy
Oct. 23 Read “Renovating the Modern” COURSE PACKET. Discussion of final project. Submission of audio script in class.
Oct. 25 Walking tour
Oct. 30 Harlem Renaissance: Read “Introduction to a Renaissance in Harlem.” COURSE PACKET. Sean Wilentz History Professor.
Nov. 1 Discussion of WPA and arts through WWII.
Nov. 6 New York becomes Art Capital; “Read Aesthetics and the Artistic Career” COURSE PACKET
Nov. 8 Homework: Response paper to MOMA and Metropolitan
Nov. 13 Read “ Pop Theater PDF files
Nov. 15
Nov. 20 Poetry then and now. Read “The Cube of Potato Soaring Through Vastness” COURSE PACKET
Homework: Response paper to “The Cube of Potato Soaring Through Vastness”
Nov. 27 Read “Up is Up” PDF Files Sparrow
Nov. 29 Presentations
Blog 5
Dec. 4 Advertising Read “Inexpensive and Built to Stay That Way” COURSE PACKET Putney Swope
Dec. 6 Bob Downey
Dec. 11 Presentations
Dec. 16 Individual essays are due.
Assignments and Grading
Blogs
There will be six blogs with questions and formats to be assigned. These will not receive a letter grade but will be rated as either acceptable or unacceptable based on whether the blog fulfilled the assignment. You must complete five acceptable blogs in order to receive full credit.
Homeworks
You must complete four homeworks. These homeworks will receive standard letter grades.
Presentations
You will form partnerships to complete a short presentation on an assigned topic in class. You may begin the research with an online search. But you must also include a regular periodical, print publication and/or academic essay as part of your research. Each member of the partnership will submit a journal summarizing the process of research and citing the actual research. This will receive a pass/fail grade.
Audio
A more ambitious piece will be an audio portrayal of a space that also presents a topic. This piece will also feature collaboration between two partners. This will be graded.
Individual Essay
The most important component of your grade will be your individual essays (five pages not including the bibliography and appendices). We will discuss the format in class but it will be a reasoned argument based on anything that has to do with the wide range of class topics, outings and events. I will explain that an argument is not the same as a description or an opinion although it will contain descriptions and can include opinions. The essay will demonstrate independent research and the ability to formulate an intellectual argument.
Preliminary weight 40% individ. essay. 30% homeworks. 30%Ungraded assignments and attendance.
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