Course Objectives
The primary goal of this course is to introduce students to a wide spectrum of arts offerings in New York City. Weekly classroom meetings are combined with group visits to museums, theaters and concert halls. Visual arts, literature, opera, musical theater, dance, and instrumental music (both solo and chamber music) are explored. The class is largely participatory. Students keep journals in which they document emotional responses and write critical analyses of various works of art and performances and read these short essays aloud in class. Discussion and debate are essential. There will also be a website for students to post journal writings and opinions on a blog between class meetings. The course is a collective journey in which we develop our ability to listen, to see, to feel and to create, largely through interaction with other members of the class. The class will culminate with a final group project: we will write and perform a short musical together. No prior musical training is required.
The progression of Western music history, from The Middle Ages to the present, forms the basis of the curriculum, and from there the course branches out to other art forms. By finding correlations between different genres, we maintain a clear historical perspective throughout the semester, which will ultimately shed light on the kinds of lives people from these periods led. The course also aims to develop the ability to assimilate, appreciate and be moved by the beauty and power inherent in great works of art. In doing so, the form and content of particular works will be examined very closely and thoroughly, with repeated listening and viewing.
Course Requirements
Attendance at all class meetings and outside events is required. More than one unexcused absence can affect the final grade. A willingness to participate in discussions, to read aloud from journals, and to contribute to group projects is mandatory. In addition to weekly writing and observations, there will be two formal papers, and the final group project. Readings will be assigned. Final grades will be determined by the effort and thoughtfulness put into weekly writing (2-3 pages per week, 20% of grade), attendance and class participation (20% of grade), formal paper #1 (6-7 pages, 20% of grade), formal paper #2 (6-7 pages, 20% of grade), and contribution to the final project (20% of grade).
