Syllabus

 

 

 
Art 1 - Contemporary Art 1945 to Present
Spring 2012
Monday & Wednesday 2 - 3:20 pm
section 69959
Instructor: Denise Johnson
Student Consultation Hours: By appointment in CAA 302
Mailbox: CAA 302
Voice mail: 909-652-7867


Course Description

This course will explore the history of contemporary art from WWII to the present day. We will trace modernism's provocative experiments with form and examine the collapse of this discourse art historians now identify as postmodernism. Visual language and art terminology will be used to examine artworks from a wide assortment of historic, social, political and personal contexts. Students will develop a critical perspective that is meaningfully articulated through writing along with a general level of knowledge and appreciation for modern and postmodern art and its practice.

 
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, you should be able to demonstrate:
    • Knowledge of key artworks and architecture in their historical context
    • Comprehension of relevant art historical writing and analysis
    • Understanding and appreciation for individual, social, and cultural diversity through the visual arts

 

 

 

 

 

Required Text
Arnason, H.H. and Elizabeth C. Mansfield eds. History of Modern Art. Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2010. (On reserve at the Chaffey College Library RES 700 JOH6)

 

 

Recommended Texts
Atkins, Robert. ArtSpeak: A Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords, 1945 to the Present. Second edition. New York: Abbeville Press, 1997.
   
Osborne, Richard and Dan Sturgis. Art Theory for Beginners. Hanover, New Hampshire: Steerforth Press, 2009.
   
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Seventh ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. (Chaffey Library 808.02 G43)
   
College Dictionary & Thesaurus

 

 

Instructional Websites

This course will be taught from the instructional website: www.theslideprojector.com. Lecture presentations, assignments, and other course materials will be available to students at this site, and you will need to access it regularly.  Please let the instructor know if you do not have internet access.

Various course materials will be available on the course moodle site. Registered students will use moodle to take online quizzes, review their current grade, utilize a discussion board, and access other course materials.

 

 

 

 

 

Student Resources
Chaffey College is committed to helping you achieve your educational goals. To assist your learning, the college provides these (and other) valuable services:
Library
The Chaffey College library is open Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sunday and college holidays. Check the library website at www.chaffey.edu/library/ or call (909) 652-6800 for current hours. A valid Chaffey I.D. is required for any library services including check out of reserve textbooks and other material to use in the library or for on-line access.
Success Centers
 
Chaffey College has created Student Success Centers, which offer free tutorials, workshops, study groups, directed learning activities, and computer/resource access to assist students in their academic development and success. Students are highly encouraged to make use of the resources at the Writing Center, located in the library (909) 652–6820 and the Rancho Success Center in the Educational Excellence Building (909) 652–6932. Call the Centers or consult the college website at www.chaffey.edu/success/ for more information and operating hours.
 
 
Disability Programs and Services
 

Chaffey College's Disabled Students Programs and Services, or DPS, serves an estimated 1500 students across all Chaffey campuses. DPS serves students with physical, learning, and psychological/psychiatric disabilities by providing accommodations based on the type of disability and verifying documentation. Services include academic counseling, disability related counseling and referral for community resources, test accommodations, tram services, adapted computer lab, assistive technology training, assessment, and equipment loan. For more information please call (909) 652-6379 or TDD/TTY (909) 466-2829 or visit our website at www.chaffey.edu/dps/.

 
 
Veterans Services Center
 
Chaffey College's Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is dedicated to assisting veterans and eligible family members in achieving their educational goals efficiently and without impediments. If you are a veteran or eligible family member, please contact the Veterans Resource Center at (909) 652-6235 for information regarding educational benefits and opportunities. The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is located in building AD-125 on the Rancho campus.
 
 
Global Career Center
The Global Career Center, through partnerships with staff, faculty, employers, and the community, empowers students and alumni to make educated career decisions. The GCC has resources available to help students make these important decisions. Many of the services at the GCC are free, including: career counseling, career assessments, résumé assistance, interviewing skills preparation, job referrals, student employment, and various workshops that are offered throughout the semester. The GCC is located in AD 189 and can be contacted at (909) 652-6511.

 

 

 

 

 

Grading

There are 500 points possible in this class. Forty percent of your grade will be earned by writing a Research Paper, 19% by taking online quizzes, 16% by submitting worksheets, 15% by writing reading and lecture questions with a learning community, and 10% by completing Exhibition and Event Reports.

Students are encouraged to keep track of points earned on each assignment throughout the semester with the grade table included in this syllabus. If requesting an appointment with the instructor to review your grade, you will be asked to bring the table with your earned points recorded to the meeting.

The grading scale is as follows:
A
  100 - 90% 500 - 448 points  
   
A+
  500 - 483
   
A
  482 - 466
   
A-
  465 - 448
B
  89 - 80% 447 - 398  
   
B+
  447 - 433
   
B
  432 - 418
   
B-
  417 - 398
C
  79 - 70% 397 - 348  
   
C+
  397 - 373
   
C
  372 -348
D
  69 - 60% 347 - 297  
   
D+
  347 - 333
   
D
  332 - 318
   
D-
  317 - 297
F
  59% - or less 296 - 0 points  

 

Research Paper 40 + 20 + 20 + 120 = 200 points

Students are required to write a Research Paper that adequately covers a topic relevant to this course. The paper should reflect extensive research on a minimum of three different artworks and should demonstrate a basic understanding and application of the descriptive techniques and art historical methodologies learned during the semester. The paper must follow MLA guidelines, and at least four different, credible sources of information originating in print should be cited within the paper. To organize and manage the various elements of the paper, students will be required to submit a Methodologies Matrix worth 40 points, and a Source Report and Paper Plan, each worth 20 points. The paper itself will be worth a maximum of 120 points.

   
Learning Communities – 5 X 15 = 75 points
Students will be randomly organized into Learning Communities to discuss course material and to write ten relevant questions (with answers) that will be reviewed by the instructor to assess comprehension and depth of understanding. Well written and critically engaging questions will be used on the upcoming quiz. If the instructor determines that community questions lack rigor, she will use her own questions on the quiz ;0) Communities will submit ten questions and answers, together worth fifteen points, during five meetings.
   
Quizzes – (4 X 25) - lowest score + 20 = 95 points

Students will be asked to log onto the class's Moodle page to complete six online quizzes worth a maximum of 25 points. Quiz questions will be written by Learning Communities and may be multiple choice, fill in the blank, image identification, true or false, or short answer essay. Quizzes will be made available on Thursdays and must be completed by 11:59 pm on the due date.

Sorry, make-up quizzes cannot be accommodated. However, the lowest quiz score will be dropped.

A mandatory, comprehensive final quiz, that is due on the day of the final exam, will be worth 20 points.

   
Worksheets – 4 X 20 = 80 points

Students are required to submit four worksheets of their choice worth up to 20 points each during the semester. Credit is earned for effort and completeness – incomplete assignments will NOT earn points. Worksheets are available at www.theslideprojector.com on the "Worksheets" page.

Up to two extra credit worksheets may be submitted for 10 points each. Worksheets requiring students to watch a movie may only be submitted for extra credit points.

   
Exhibition Report - 30 points

Students are required to view (in person) an exhibition including modern and/or contemporary works of art held off campus during the semester, and complete an Exhibition Report worth 30 points considering the works on view, organization and curatorial concerns of the exhibition. The report can be accessed on the "Worksheets" page.

   
Event Report - 20 points
During the semester, students are asked to attend an on-campus event and to submit an Event Report for a maximum of 20 points. The Wignall Museum, Art Department, One Book One College program, Chaffey Art Organization and other groups on campus offer relevant and stimulating events throughout the semester. Check the Got Culture? calendar and class bulletin board for upcoming activities. The report can be accessed on the "Worksheets" page.
   
Extra Credit

Multiple opportunities to earn extra credit will be announced during class. However, students are limited to earning a maximum of 25 extra credit points (five percent) during the semester. Any points earned above 5% will NOT be applied to the final grade.

 

 

 

 

 

Policies
To ensure that our learning community functions well and that everyone is treated with the respect that they deserve, we must all agree to the following courtesies and guidelines:
 
  Attendance
 

Good attendance is essential to your success! While you will not be graded directly on your attendance, numerous absences are sure to negatively affect your grade.

The deadline to add this course is January 23. If you wish to drop this course, it is your responsibility to formally drop via MyChaffey View by February 10 without record, or by April 11 with a "W" grade.

   
  Complete Assignments Before Class Begins
 
Assignments should be turned in at the beginning of class. Those completed in class will NOT be given credit.
   
 

Late Assignments

 

You may turn one assignment in one class day late. The late assignment will not be marked down, however any assignments turned in more than one class late, or in addition to the one accepted assignment, will NOT receive credit.

   
  Respect is Key
 

We will often consider provocative and challenging subject matter in this class and must therefore agree to respect each other's views and identities. Our diverse backgrounds and opinions are assets and no student shall be made to feel inferior or uncomfortable because of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or physical/ intellectual abilities.

All members of the Chaffey College community are expected to behave in an ethical and moral fashion, respecting the human dignity of all members of our community and resisting behavior that may cause danger or harm to others which shall include, but not limited to, violence, theft or bigotry. All members of the Chaffey College community are expected to observe established standards of scholarship and academic freedom by respecting the intellectual property of others and by honoring the right of all students to pursue their education in an environment free from harassment and intimidation.

   
  Take a Break from Texting!
 

Please DO NOT text message during class. If you need to attend to an important message, please leave the classroom and return when you can fully commit your attention to the class discussion.

   
  Cheating & Plagiarism
 

Integrity is an essential component of the student academic experience. The academic evaluation a student receives for a course becomes a permanent college record and it is critical that such records be accurate and consistent. The integrity students learn and exhibit at the college will be a model for the professional integrity they practice when they complete their college work. Accordingly, Chaffey College has classified academic dishonesty into the following categories and included examples for each category.

  • Cheating
  • Unauthorized collaboration
  • Facilitating Academic Dishonesty
  • Interference or sabbotage
  • Plagiarism
  • Fabrication
  • Retaliation
   
  Study Time
 

Students should plan on spending two to three hours reading, fulfilling assignments and studying for every hour spent in the classroom. That's 96 - 144 hours of Art 1 study time this semester!

   
  Submission Deadline
 

All course work must be submitted by the last day of lecture. NO COURSE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER 3:20 PM ON May 16!!!

   
  Grades
 

Grades will be available online by June 5.

 

 

 

 

 

Class Schedule and Required Reading

Please complete and be prepared to discuss the assigned readings before the date they are presented in class. This is a tentative schedule, and may be changed according to the needs of the class.

Worksheets & articles are provided on the "Worksheets" page of the course website. Other assignments and directions are provided on the "Additional Course Materials" page.

 
Date
Discussion Topic
Assignment Due
January 18
Introduction
 
 
January 23
The Modern Avant-Garde
Chapters 15 & 16
January 25
Europeans in New York
 
Pages 403 - 408
 
January 30
Breaking It Up
Worksheet #1

Pages 409 - 419
Is he the greatest living painter in the US?

February 1
New York Becomes the Center
 
Pages 419 - 428
 
February 6
Existential Angst

Worksheet #2

February 8
Dialogue with Europe
Learning Community 1

Pages 439 - 471

 
February 13
The Hero's Gesture
Quiz 1

Pages 428 - 438

February 15
Action vs. Abstraction
Worksheet #3

Pages 518 - 531
Guardians of the Avant-Garde

 
February 20
President's Day - NO CLASS
February 22
The Beat Generation
Worksheet #4
Pages 486 - 491
The World of Mrs. N
 
February 27
The Gap In Between
Worksheet #5
Context page 588
According to What: Jasper Johns's Flag
February 29
Consuming America
Methodologies Matrix
Pages 492 - 508

 
March 5
East Coast Pop!
Worksheet #6
When Pop Turned the World Upside Down
March 7
West Coast Funk
Learning Community 2
Pages 509 - 517
 
March 12
Nouveau Realisme
Quiz 2
Pages 472 - 486
March 14
Minimalism
Learning Community 2
Pages 532 - 546
 
March 19
Spring Break
March 21
 
March 26
In the Nature of Materials
Worksheet #7
Pages 626 - 637
The Fictive Spaces of Richard Serra
March 28
Anti Form
Worksheet #8

Pages 547 - 556 & context page 593
Spatial Overtures

 
April 2
Earth & Ideas
Research Paper Plan
Pages 587 - 593 & 615 - 626
April 4
Art in Flux
Learning Community 3
Pages 593 - 597
 
April 9

The Artist's Body

Quiz 3
Worksheet #9
  Pages 597 - 602
Marina Abramovic & Vito Acconci
April 11
Gender Politics
Worksheet #10

Pages 603 - 614 and 646 - 657
The "Sexual Politics" of the Dinner Party

 
April 16
80s Art Boom
Source Report
Pages 696 - 723
April 18
The Return of Painting
Worksheet #11
 
Pages 637 - 646 & 695 - 717
 
April 23
The Graffiti Show
 
 
Pages 718 - 723
April 25
Postmodernism
Learning Community 4
 

Pages 658 - 686
The Polemics of Play

 
April 30
Appropriation
Quiz 4
Worksheet #12
 
Pages 686 - 694
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
May 2
Culture Wars
Research Paper
Worksheet #13
 
Chapter 26
 
May 7
Politics
 

Pages 744 - 768

May 9
Sensation
 
 
May 14
Current Trends
Worksheet #14

Pages 744 - 768

May 16
Art in the 21st Century
Exhibition & Event Reports
Learning Community 5

Pages 769 - 773
 
May 23
Grade Appointments 2:15 - 4:45 pm
Final Quiz

 

 

Recommended Periodicals Regularly Featuring Contemporary Art
Art in America
Frieze
Artforum
Modern Painters
ArtNews
Make/ Shift

 

 

Have you considered in A.A. in ART HISTORY?

The Art History program prepares students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities and for careers in education, museums, research, and related fields. Students learn the major theories and artistic movements in Art and Architecture from the ancient to the modern world, and evaluate the influences that social, political, and religious institutions have in the creation of art. The program addresses the dynamic fields of both Western and Non-Western Art and Architecture, as well as the critical roles that Photography, Contemporary Art, and Graphic Design have in shaping our society. Students should consult with the intended transfer institution to determine the appropriate courses to complete at Chaffey.

To obtain an Associate's Degree in Art History, students must complete both the major requirements below and the graduation requirements listed on pages 24-25 of the college catalog.

Major requirements for the Associate in Arts Degree:
Art 1 Contemporary Art: 1945 - Present
Art 3 Art History of the Western World: Ancient to Medieval
Art 5 Art History of the Western World: Renaissance to Modern

Plus one studio course:
Art 10 Fundamentals of Design in Two Dimensions
Art 12 Fundamentals of Design in Three Dimensions
Art 14 Introduction to Drawing
Art 18 Introduction to Ceramics
Photo 7 Introduction to Digital Photography
Photo 10 Beginning Photography

Plus one course from the following:
ART 9 Art of the Pre-Columbian Americas (Non-Western)
ART 11 Asian Art History (Non-Western)
ID 13 Non-European Architecture and Design (Non-Western)

Plus two courses from the following:
ART 6 Women Artists in History
ART 407 History of Design
PHOTO 1 History of Photography

or,

Plus two courses from the following:*
ART 10 Fundamentals of Design in Two Dimensions
ART 12 Fundamentals of Design in Three Dimension
ART 14 Introduction to Drawing
ART 18 Introduction to Ceramics
PHOTO 7 Introduction to Digital Photography
PHOTO 10 Beginning Photography

 

 

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