|
|
SYLLABUS.
Art 4780 (01) (Core 10)
Senior Art History Seminar: Contemporary Art
Fall 2005: TTh 10:00-11:15, W 12:00-12:50
Dr. Elise Smith (smithel@millsaps.edu)
AC 323 - 974-1432 (o); 354-2290 (h)(not after 10:30, please)
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-10:45, T 2:00-3:00, or by appointment
or happenstance
Course Description: This course is designed as an upper-level
seminar for any student who has had at least one previous
art history course. The modified seminar format will require
considerable reading and research. Active participation through
class discussions and presentations will be central to the
success of the course. The subject for this year's seminar
is contemporary art from 1970 to the present. We=ll try to
make sense of the confusing array of styles, mediums, and
themes by focusing our attention on certain broad categories
such as The Body, Identity, Place, Language, Appropriation,
and Religion and Politics.
Texts: Our four texts are:
1) Brandon Taylor, Contemporary Art: Art Since 1970 (Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005) (the hardback
Prentice Hall 2004 edition is also fine)
2) Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz, Theories and Documents
of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings (Berkeley:
Univ. of California Press, 1996)
3) Jean Robertson and Craig McDaniel, Themes of Contemporary
Art: Visual Art after 1980 (Oxford & NY: Oxford Univ.
Press, 2005)
4) Linda Weintraub, Art on the Edge and Over: Searching
For Art's Meaning in Contemporary Society, 1970s-1990s (Litchfield,
CT: Art Insights, 1996)
I will also probably distribute some articles during the
course of the semester.
Grades: Each of you will be evaluated on the basis of the
following components of the course:
Participation in & leadership of discussion 30%
Oral presentation 20%
Senior paper (around 20-25 pp.) 30%
Core 10 Reflective Paper 20%
Class Attendance and Participation: Regular class attendance
is crucial since we'll be looking at various works of art
that aren't illustrated in our texts, and we'll also be discussing
points that aren't covered in any of our texts. I believe
very strongly that participation is essential to the learning
process in all classes, and it=s particularly crucial in
a seminar -- plus it makes the class more fun for all of
us, so I encourage everyone to ask questions, comment, disagree,
elaborate, and otherwise join in the conversation.
Absences for whatever reason after the first two will adversely
affect your final grade. I will count off one point from
your final grade for each absence after the first two. If
you are absent for an extended excused illness or family
emergency or school sports, you may be able to make up those
absences by doing additional writing assignments (it will
be your responsibility to consult with me about this if the
need arises).
Oral Components of the Course:
1) You’ll be a discussion leader twice during the semester.
You’ll sign up for the days by Tuesday, Aug. 30 (the
sign-up sheet’s on my office door). For each presentation
you’ll select an artist from the list provided on the
course schedule (see below for the lists related to each
day’s readings) and do outside research on that artist
in order to discuss with the class. Your information should
come from at least two books (in addition to our four texts)
and at least two on-line sources. For each presentation you’ll
make a short handout (about 2 typed pages) that might include
such information as key issues, questions, works, primary
quotes, and/or controversies associated with the artist.
Cite the sources, when relevant, by giving parenthetical
notes, and include a bibliography in correct MLA format at
the end of your handout. You are responsible for making enough
copies of your handout for everyone in the class and for
getting digital images of the artist’s work (finding
them on ARTstor, taking them on our departmental copy-stand
with our digital camera, or downloading them from the internet
if you can find any that are large enough). You’ll
learn how to create and present your images using MDID and
ARTstor (we’ll be talking more about this process in
class).
.
2) You'll give an oral presentation (about 20 minutes in
length) at the end of the semester, based on your senior
thesis, and will prepare a short handout (1-2 pp.) for the
class. See comments above for the handout and images.
3) You’ll be expected to participate fully in the
class discussions by asking questions, pulling out relevant
ideas or passages from the texts that we read, making connections
with other images or issues, being an attentive listener,
and helping to keep the class lively and focused.
Research Paper: Your paper for this class is your senior
comprehensives paper (not necessarily about the topic of
the seminar). It will go through several drafts by the end
of the semester. During exam week you'll participate in a
mock-oral with the three art faculty, which will consist
of a conversation about your draft paper. Almost certainly
your paper will then require further revisions before it
is presented in the spring. For more information, see the
handout "Tips for Writing Art History Papers" (now
available at www.millsaps.edu/art/word/PAPERS_TIPS.doc).
All information about comps can also be found on the art
department web page.
Key Due Dates: M, 9/5 - Paper topic & preliminary bibliography
T, 9/20 - Preliminary bibliography with ILL requests
F, 10/7 - First draft of research paper
W, 10/12 - Peer responses
F, 11/11 - 2nd draft of research paper
F, 11/18 - First draft of Core 10 paper
M, 11/28 - Seniors' 3rd draft of research paper due to all
art faculty
Th, 12/1 - Final copy of Core 10 paper (3 copies)
Core 10 Reflective Paper: This paper (5-8 typed pages) should
be a thoughtful, evaluative reflection on your experience
at Millsaps College. Focus your attention on the specific
texts you have read, courses you have taken, the academic
challenges you have confronted, the social experiences that
left a deep impression on you, the professors who taught
you and perhaps influenced you in some way, the adventure
you have undertaken. What were your hopes and expectations
before you came to Millsaps? Have these hopes and expectations
been realized? Have they changed? If so, how? In what way?
Has your work in the art major complemented your Millsaps
Core coursework and has it aided you in achieving your hopes
and expectations on a more personal level? Do you believe
that you have obtained a good liberal arts education at Millsaps
College with its emphasis on specific liberal arts abilities?
If so, how, and why? If not, what has been missing? Do you
feel prepared to move on to the next phase of your life?
I don't necessarily expect you to address all of these questions
specifically in your finished paper, but you should have
thought carefully about them in order to organize and orient
your reflections. The key issue is to look both back (to
your early educational experiences at Millsaps) and forward
(to your expectations about the future) as you set your art
major in context. If you’re stumped you may want to
read last year’s Laney award-winning Core 10 papers
to see how some other students approached this paper (www.millsaps.edu/corecurr/laney/laney.shtml).
Begin the process by reading two talks by former Millsaps
professors (Richard Freis and Peter Ward) about the liberal
arts. For copies go to www.millsaps.edu/corecurr/wardessay.shtml
and www.millsaps.edu/corecurr/freisessay.shtml. You may have
already read these in LS 1000 -- if so, it'll be interesting
for you to return to them now in your senior year. You might
also want to interview one or two Millsaps seniors majoring
in art or in other disciplines, asking them the same kind
of questions that you're asking yourself during this process.
Or you could choose an art professional to interview in order
to make connections between what you've learned at college
and the sorts of skills and knowledge that are considered
most valuable for the career(s) you're considering. If you
incorporate ideas from these interviews be sure to document
them in a bibliography (along with the Freis and Ward talks
or any other texts that you might refer to).
Your paper will be evaluated on the depth and specificity
of your analysis as well as on the clarity, creativity and
organization of your prose. Please hand in three copies.
Frank and Rachel Ann Laney Award
The Frank and Rachel Ann Laney Award will be given each spring
for the best reflective paper written to satisfy the Core
10 requirement during the academic year. The Award is intended
to encourage students to reflect on the value of their
education in the liberal arts. The Laney Award will be
presented at Commencement and will carry a $1500 cash prize.
Submitted papers will be reviewed by a faculty panel to
determine the best paper. The best paper along with other
selected papers from those submitted will be published
annually. These papers will be given to every incoming
freshman the following fall, and the best paper (and perhaps
other selections) will be required reading. For last year's
winning paper, see the Millsaps web page.
Deadline: Any student will be able to submit his or her Core
10 reflective paper in April 2006 in order to be considered
for this award.
Judging: Papers will be reviewed anonymously by a committee
of four faculty members.
Format: All papers must be neatly typed (word-processed)
on standard white paper with a cover sheet including the
student's name and the title of the paper. The student's
name should appear nowhere else in the manuscript.
* * *
Late Assignments: Short writings (journal entries and oral
presentation handouts) will not be accepted late. Any other
written assignment (research paper drafts and Core 10 paper)
that is turned in late will be marked down 1/3 letter grade
for each 48 hours that it's late unless prior arrangements
are made (a serious, legitimate, justifiable reason is
needed for me to consider granting a student extra time).
* * *
Learning Disabilities: If you have a learning disability
and need special arrangements you must discuss it with the
appropriate person in Student Affairs and also with each
of your instructors. In order for me to be able to accommodate
your needs you must inform me within the first week of the
semester and we must both sign a written contract clarifying
any changes in the expectations and requirements for the
course.
* * *
If you're having problems of any sort that are affecting
your work in this course or as a student at Millsaps, please
feel free to come talk to me about it, or write me an e-mail
message. I would be happy to talk with you about any questions
or concerns you might have.
* * *
PLAGIARISM - A Reminder
Always be careful about plagiarism, even in short writing
exercises and take-home exams. Plagiarism, as you know from
Liberal Studies and/or your other core courses, is the use
of another person's ideas or words without proper acknowledgement.
Two of the most common forms of plagiarism are defined by
Diana Hacker in The Bedford Handbook for Writers (Boston:
St. Martin's, 1994) as
"
(1) borrowing someone's ideas, information, or language without
documenting the source and
(2) documenting the source but paraphrasing the source's language too closely,
without using quotation marks to indicate that language has been
borrowed" (477).
When should you document a source? In addition to citing
the source of a direct quote, you should give a citation
when you refer to an idea, opinion, hypothesis, or conclusion
from one of your sources, or when you summarize or paraphrase
a section of your source, or when you rely on one of your
sources for a fact that would not be considered common knowledge
for the audience of your paper (Hacker 477-78). The point
of all this is to help the reader (and yourself as writer)
to distinguish between your own ideas and those with whom
you are entering into scholarly conversation.
What is meant by paraphrasing a source too closely? This
is probably the kind of plagiarism that I most often see
in student papers. It has often been considered "unintentional",
but is nonetheless clearly recognizable as plagiarism. With
the Honor Code now in place at Millsaps, and with a concerted
effort being made by faculty and students alike to clarify
the boundaries of academic dishonesty, you will no longer
be able to plead lack of understanding but will be turned
in to the Honor Council. If you're uncertain about plagiarism,
I encourage you to read Hacker, pp. 467-79, on the process
of taking notes in order to properly paraphrase your sources
and on constructing and writing your essay in order to maintain
a strong, clear voice.
HONOR CODE: The honor pledge signed by all students upon
entering the College is as follows:
As a Millsaps College student, I hereby affirm that I understand
the Honor Code and am aware of its implications and of my
responsibility to the Code. In the interests of expanding
the atmosphere of respect and trust in the College, I promise
to uphold the Honor Code and I will not tolerate dishonest
behavior in myself or in others.
Please pledge all your written work for this class with
the written pledge: "I hereby certify that I have neither
given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment [Signature]." The
abbreviation "Pledged" followed by your signature
has the same meaning and is acceptable on assignments other
than final exams.
COURSE CALENDAR (subject to change)(readings are listed
on the day they=ll be discussed)
Week 1 Introduction; Reality and Abstraction
T, 8/23, READ: Robertson Ch. 1, Taylor 22-24
Aug. 22-Sept. 22 , Lewis Art Gallery, “Cosmos Circus,” Mixed
media by John
Siblik (Upper Iowa University): “These works on paper and wood . . .
are about relationships; starting with the individual and moving out in concentric
rings to the greater community. What greater venue to stage this lyrical and
whimsical drama than the universe?” (Siblik)
W, 8/24: Workshop on ARTstor and MDID
Th, 8/25, READ: Taylor 59-89, Weintraub 242-47
List of Artists for Reality and Abstraction (Weeks 1 & 2):
Gerhard Richter, Julian Schnabel, Anselm Kiefer, Lucian Freud,
Georg Baselitz, Cy Twombly, Frank Stella, Elizabeth Murray,
Sigmar Polke, Keith Haring, Joyce Kozloff, Valerie Jaudon,
Philip Pearlstein, Photorealism (Richard Estes, Audrey
Flack, Duane Hanson, Ed Ruscha, Vija Celmins)
Sign up for Discussion Leader topics before next Tuesday
(sign-up sheet on my office door)
Week 2 Reality and Abstraction, cont’d.
T, 8/30, READ: Stiles & Selz 61 (1st 7 paragraphs, up
to ‘In 1968'), 154, 219-21,
229-32, 237-41, 314-18, 369-71
DUE: Sign up for Discussion Leader topics before class
W, 8/31: Workshop on taking & downloading digital images
Th, 9/1
Week 3 Land and Environmental Art
M, 9/5, DUE: Paper topic & preliminary bibliography
T, 9/6, READ: “Survey” chapter from Kastner & Wallis,
Land and
Environmental Art, Taylor 9-19, Weintraub 39-50
W, 9/7: Discussion of graduate school & careers
DUE: List of 5 places you might attend or work after graduation (graduate
or professional schools, internships, jobs, etc.), with brief explanation about
what attracts you to those possibilities. You’ll want to go to the Career
Center and research on-line (check out our departmental web site, http://www.millsaps.edu/art/index.shtml,
for help! Go to the Art History page and click on the ‘Graduate School’ link,
and go to the Opportunities page and click on the ‘Internships’ link)
Th, 9/8, READ: Robertson Ch. 3; Stiles & Selz 527-33,
547-56, 563-66
List of artists for Land and Environmental Art:
Robert Smithson, Michael Heizer, Walter De Maria, Christo & Jeanne-Claude,
Andy Goldsworthy, Maria Merz, Roxy Paine, Mary Beth Edelson,
Wolfgang Laib, Mel Chin, Charles Simonds, Jackie Ferrara,
Richard Long, Olafur Eliasson
Week 4 Installation Art
T, 9/13, READ: Taylor 132-37, 215-27, Weintraub 231-35
W, 9/14: Discussion of research techniques
Th, 9/15
List of artists for Installation Art:
Judy Pfaff, Ed Kienholz, Ilya Kabakov, Matthew Ritchie, Paul
Thek, Alice Aycock, Ernesto Neto, Sarah Sze, Tomoko Takahashi,
Diana Thater, Krzysztof Wodiczko
Week 5 Monuments; Body-Related Art
M, 9/19, 9:30-11: The Avoda Project is coming to Millsaps! Artist Tobi Kahn
will bring his art workshop to the Bowl. This is part of Kahn's introduction
to his exhibit, which will be showing at the Mississippi Museum of Art from
September 17 through October 30. Kahn will give a brief introduction to the
use of ritual objects in worship and will then invite students, faculty, and
staff to create their own objects of worship (supplies will be provided)
T, 9/20, READ: Taylor 141-48, Stiles & Selz 524-25
DUE: Preliminary bibliography including ILL requests
List of artists for Monuments:
Maya Lin, Gordon Matta-Clark, Richard Serra, Rachel Whiteread,
Isa
Genzken, Brian Tolle, Jochn Gerz,
Th, 9/22, READ: Robertson Ch. 5, Taylor 27-36, 151-61,
Weintraub123-28
List of artists for Body-Related Art (Weeks 5 & 6):
Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, Joel-Peter Witkin, Robert
Mapplethorpe, Lynda Benglis, Janine Antoni, Robert Gober,
Jake & Dinos Chapman, John de Andrea, Michelle Lopez,
China Adams, Wenda Gu, Kim Jones, Ana Mendieta, Karen Finley,
Rona Pondick, Kiki Smith, Aziz & Cucher, Jenny Saville,
Nancy Fried, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Niki de Saint-Phalle,
Stelarc, Monica Sjoo, Lynda Benglis, Chen Chieh-Jen, Franko
B, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Shigeko Kubota, Piero Manzoni,
Stephen J. Shanabrook, Rosemarie Trockel, Hannah Wilke
Week 6 Body-Related Art, cont’d.
Sept. 26-Nov. 4, Lewis Art Gallery, Exhibition of paintings on paper by Andrea
Prince (Memphis College of Art)
T, 9/27 , READ: Stiles & Selz 257-60, 274-80, 358-62; & skim
427-30
Th, 9/29
Week 7 Performance
T, 10/4, READ: Taylor 19-22, 37-50, 227-44; Weintraub 59-64, 77-83, 165-70,
218-24; Stiles & Selz 604-06, 709-17 (top), 758-64 (bottom)
W, 10/5: Discussion of your resumé or CV (curriculum
vitae)
Th, 10/6
F, 10/7, DUE by noon in my office & in peer readers'
P.O. boxes: First draft of research paper
List of artists for Performance:
Yves Klein, Matthew Barney, Vito Acconci, Carolee Schneemann,
Chris Burden, Marina Abramovic, Joseph Beuys, Ann Hamilton,
Gina Pane, Orlan, Robert Longo, Vanessa Beecroft, Rebecca
Horn, Bruce Nauman,, Bill Viola. Nam June Paik
Week 8 Performance, cont’d.; Issues of Identity
T, 10/11
W, 10/12 (No class), DUE: Peer responses (put papers in
P.O. boxes or
take to dorm rooms)
Th, 10/13, READ: Robertson Ch. 4, Taylor 186-97, 204-12,
Weintraub 51-58,
71-76, 84-121, 145-51, 248-53
List of artists for Issues of Identity (Weeks 8, 9, 10):
Self-portraits: Cindy Sherman, On Kawara, Gilbert & George,
Chuck Close, Francis Bacon, Alix Lambert, Adrian Piper, Jimmie
Durham, Robert Morris
Collective Identity (Racial/Sexual, Ethnic/National): Faith
Ringgold, Betye Saar, Romare Bearden, Robert Colescott, Lorna
Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Sukran Moral, Yasumasa Morimura,
David Hammons, Lyle Ashton-Harris, Liu Hung, James Luna,
Amalia Mesa-Bains, Shirin Neshat, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith,
Kara Walker
Week 9 FALL BREAK; Issues of Identity, cont’d.
Th, 10/20, READ: Stiles & Selz 216-19, 363-66, 791-94
Week 10 Issues of Identity, cont’d.
T, 10/25
Th, 10/27, No Class: I'll be at the Southeastern College
Art Conference
Week 11 Art and Language; Inspiration and Appropriation
T, 11/1 (Art and Language), READ: Robertson Ch. 6, Taylor
128, Weintraub
191-96, 236-41, Stiles & Selz 376-78, 858-61, 886-90
Th, 11/3 (Inspiration and Appropriation), READ: Taylor 81,
105-21; Weintraub
197-203, 212-17, Stiles & Selz 379-83
List of artists for Art & Language:
Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Gerlovina & Gerlovin, Mary
Kelly
List of artists for Inspiration and Appropriation:
Mike Bidlo, Tony Cragg, Jeff Koons, Ericson & Ziegler,
Mark Tansey,
Hubert Duprat, Ken Aptekar, Avdei Ter-Oganyan, Braco Dimitrievic,
Michelangelo Pistoletto, Sherrie Levine
Week 12 Inspiration and Appropriation, cont’d; Art,
Religion and Politics
Nov. 6-Dec. 9, Lewis Art Gallery, “Bagels & Grits” (Photography
exhibition in
conjunction with the Jewish Film Festival); Opening Reception: Sunday, Nov.
6, 1 – 3 pm. Also note that at the Friday Forum, Nov. 11, 12:30, AC 215,
Stuart Rockoff from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life will help to explain
the importance of this exhibition.
T, 11/8
Th, 11/10, READ: Robertson Ch. 7; Taylor 155, 175-82, 239;
Weintraub 159-64,
179-83
F, 11/11, DUE by noon: 2nd draft of research paper (including
all reader
comments)
List of artists for Art, Religion and Politics (Weeks 12 & 13):
Andres Serrano, Ofili, David Wojnarowicz, Maurizio Cattelan,
Damien Hirst, Jeff Wall, Joseph Beuys, Paul Thek, Howard
Finster, Mariko Mori, Martinez, Ron Athey, Renee Cox, Joseph
Beuys, Araeen Rasheed, Glenn Brown, Luc Tuymans
Week 13 Art, Religion and Politics, cont’d.
T, 11/15, READ: Stiles & Selz 280-81, 373-76, 633-44
Th, 11/17
F, 11/18, DUE by noon: First Draft of Core 10 Paper
Week 14 Photography
T, 11/22, READ: Taylor 92-105; Weintraub 65-70
Th, 11/24: THANKSGIVING
List of artists for Photography:
Sally Mann, Nan Goldin, Diane Arbus, Sophie Calle
Week 15 Oral Presentations
M, 11/28, DUE: Give third draft of senior papers to the
three art faculty
T, 11/29: Oral Presentations
W, 11/30: Oral Presentations
Th, 12/1: Oral Presentations
DUE: Final Core 10 Paper
|
|
