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MHC 100: ARTS IN NEW YORK CITY, CCNY
FALL 2018
INSTRUCTOR: Benjamin Gillespie
EMAIL: bgillespie@gradcenter.cuny.edu
FRIDAYS: 9:00am-11:30am NAC 6/136
ITF: Majid Sahin (MSahin@brooklyn.cuny.edu)
ITF Office hrs: M/F 10am-3pm (Flexible-might not be in office some times); Anytime by appointment
ITF Office: Honors Center NAC 4/150.
COURSE WEBPAGE: https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/gillespie18/
Welcome! This seminar provides students with an opportunity to experience, appreciate, and critique the wide array of art forms that make up the cultural fabric of New York City. Throughout the semester, we will attend theatre, dance, opera, film, art exhibitions, and concerts as a group. Together, we explore the means of expression particular to each of these genres and develop ways of describing, evaluating, and questioning these varied cultural experiences while considering both their content and form. In addition to being engaged audience members at these events, you will spend a good deal of time discussing ideas through lively in-class conversations, written responses, and other creative means.
Our primary foci include: a) cultivating aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment of these various art forms, b) moving beyond subjective responses by diversifying analytical methodologies to create informed critical opinions about each work, and c) learning to express these views clearly through different oral and written forms of communication.
Although we will take a broad approach to various forms, our primary focus will be performance, building up a broad cultural, social, material, and historical understanding of the differences between traditional and more experimental genres. Every culture across the globe creates performances that respond to or critique their surroundings, developing works which might maintain the status quo, challenge it, or distort reality altogether. These different styles are perhaps nowhere more apparent than in New York City where theatre cultures have flourished, from the commercial stages of Broadway, the enormous stages at the Met Opera, the avant-garde downtown arts scene, and beyond.
This course will offer the opportunity to observe a remarkable range of art across the city including the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, the experimental theatres of the East Village, exhibitions at MOMA PS1 in Queens, the Next Wave festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and much more. For each performance, we will explore how the artistic experience expands far beyond the artwork itself, considering such elements as space, audience, and means of production. Supplemental readings and discussions will emphasize the social context of art, highlighting issues related to politics, global exchange, and identity in addition to more formal concerns. Most importantly, this course requires you to confront unfamiliar and sometimes challenging material with an open mind and critical eye.
Learning outcomes:
Students will:
- Explain the role of the arts in the lives of New York’s diverse citizens
- Identify the key features of different artistic forms studied in the class
- Identify and articulate the historical and contemporary significance of these creative activities and differentiate between art forms through analytical writing
- Distinguish the ways in which form generates meaning in various types of creative production.
- Formulate their own individual aesthetic values
Required Text:
John Berger, Ways of Seeing (Available new on Amazon Prime for $7.00)
All other readings will be provided electronically on the website. (N.B. Please bring in a copy of the reading to class on the day it is due in printed or digital form).
idNYC and NYPL cards:
If you don’t already have an idNYC or NYPL card, please sign up for these right away. These cards give you FREE access to a great number of cultural institutions across the city, some of which we won’t get to this semester.
Student Evaluations
Participation and Attendance (20%)
Blog Posts and Commentary (30%)
NYC iMovie Project (20%)
Research Paper and Class Presentation (30%)
N.B. Specific requirements for written assignments will be discussed in class and explained further in separate handouts.
Participation & Attendance (20%):
Working in a group structure, not unlike working collaboratively in a theatre, requires participation and preparation. I expect that you will attend every class having carefully prepared assigned materials ready to participate with questions or comments about the readings. Participation will not simply be evaluated by presence, but by the level and frequency of your participation. Participation might also include focused free-writing activities or other low stakes assessments.
Good participation requires thoughtful and courteous responses to your colleagues as well as engaged listening. Your input makes class more interesting and valuable. Meaningful participation generates meaningful in-class discussions. I do understand that different students participate in different ways. If you feel very uncomfortable speaking aloud in class, email me and we can discuss alternatives.
Attendance is mandatory.This course requires attendance at numerous events outside of our regular class meeting time. These events are not optional since they have been paid for.Please mark your calendars for our class outings now! Any unexcused absence will affect your grade negatively. In the case of an emergency or illness, a note from your doctor or dean is required. Since we only meet for class once a week, missing 2 (or more) classes puts you at risk of failing this course. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late to class without prior notification, you will be marked absent. If you have a scheduling conflict with any of the scheduled performances, please get in touch with me immediately.
Research Paper and Class Presentation (30%)
Blog Posts & Commentary (8 posts, 30% total):
Course Policices
Late Papers: No late papers or e-mailed attachments will be accepted without prior consultation. All assignments are due at the beginning of class. For papers handed in after the start of class on the date they were due, I will deduct half a letter from your grade (i.e. an A becomes an A-; a B+ becomes a B, etc.). For papers handed in after the due date, I will deduct one full letter grade per each day late. (i.e. if you hand in a paper the day after it is due, an A becomes a B; two days late, an A becomes a C and so forth.) I will not accept papers e-mailed to me as attachments (late or not) without prior consultation
Formatting Guidelines: 12-pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins with page numbers in the top right hand corner. Please do not include a separate title page. Instead, include your name, date, my name, and the assignment name in the top left hand corner of the first page of your assignment. Titles should be listed at the top of the first page of the assignment and underlined. All play, film, and exhibition titles should be italicized, not put “in quotations.”
Contacting me: While I will not be holding official office hours, I am available by appointment and encourage you to schedule one if you have any questions about your readings, assignments, or the course policies. But you may also reach me via email at any time. I will respond as promptly as possible, but I suggest that you try and alert me of urgent matters at least 24 hours in advance. Please check your Hunter/Macaulay email account daily as it will be our primary point of contact outside of class. Please remember that emails are professional correspondence. Proofread and sign your emails, include a subject line, and begin with an appropriate greeting such as “Dear Professor Gillespie” or “Hi Benjamin” (not “Hey”). Before you send me an email, ask yourself: “Have I checked the syllabus and/or asked a classmate for this information?”
Electronic Devices: It is strongly suggested that you bring readings to class in printed form and that you take notes by hand. Please do not use your smartphone for reading or taking notes. If you prefer using a laptop, you may use it to take notes or for in-class media activities. Using electronic devices for any reason unrelated to our classroom activities such as sending emails or social networking is unacceptable and will negatively impact your grade. Cell phone use during class is not tolerated for any reason.
Academic Integrity: Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research, or writing as your own. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York. Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion. The CUNY-wide policies can be found here: http://www2.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/policies-procedures/academic-integrity-policy/
AccessAbility: The AccessAbility Center/Student Disability Services at CCNY ensures equal access and full participation to all of City College’s programs, services, and activities by coordinating and implementing appropriate accommodations. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations and services, please visit the office in NAC 1/218, or contact AAC/SDS via email (disabilityservices@ccny.cuny.edu), or phone (212-650-5913 or TTY/TTD 212-650-8441).
