Syllabus

Class #13 (12/8)

  • We will discuss how the commercial and not for profit theater clash and intersect in the world of NYC. You will have time in class to have a meeting with your group to work on editing your film.
    • Assignments:
      1. PHOTOJOURNAL: Choose your favorite image from your journal, and bring a hard copy of it to class.
      2. BLOG #13: Final blog. Reflect back on all the works you saw this semester and all the different ways and images that were portrayed of New York City. Which work was your favorite? Which view of New York City is the one you find most truthful?

Class #14 (12/15)

  • Final class. We will wrap up the work we have been doing this semester with one final discussion and meditation on how place is portrayed through the lens of art in various media.
    • Assignments:
      1. FINAL PROJECT IS DUE NEXT WEEK.

 

GRADING POLICIES AND CLASS GUIDELINES:

 

  • Arts in NYC Blog- 40 % of your grade

Your blog will be graded on several factors:

  1. Quality and clarity of ideas
  2. Concise and clear expression of arguments
  3. The progress of your blog over the course of the semester- meaning your blogs and ideas should improve in quality as we go on, not diminish as you get busy later in the semester.
  4. Completion and submission of your blog no later than midnight each Sunday before class.

There are alternative Blog topics in the event you are forced to miss a performance that you were assigned to blog. Please see me ASAP if you need to complete the alternative. Your blog will be critiqued every three weeks during the semester, more if you are struggling. You should try to respond to the suggestions given in your critique, and be consistent in your blog. Each blog should not exceed 1.5-2 pages as a word document. Your Neighborhoods Podwalk will be weighted more heavily than the traditional blogs (approximately 15% of your Blog Grade)

 

  • Photojournal Project– 25 % of your grade

Your photojournal project will be critiqued along the same guidelines as your blog:

  1. Quality of the images
  2. Choice of images- are you finding unusual ways to tell your visual story, are you improving the quality of your images as time goes on?
  3. Narrative Clarity- Are you telling a story through images?
  4. Completion in a timely manner. Your Photo journal photos should go up two times a week, and each week will be evaluated on Monday-Monday postings. Please see the guidelines for more info.

 

  • Multimedia Final Project– 20 %of your grade

 

  • Class Participation–15 % of your grade–Class participation encompasses- but is not limited to- regular class attendance. Excellence in class participation means arriving in class on time, with your work prepared, attending the performances and events- ON TIME- and being able to speak and offer your opinions without being prompted. Repeated absences (exceeding three in the semester) from class, repeated absences from performances and events, lack of preparation, and repeated lateness will have a negative effect on your grade.

 

Policies regarding the Performances and Exhibits for class

Your presence at the performances and exhibits that are arranged for this seminar is a required element of your participation in this course. In the course of the semester it may happen that due to illness, religious obligations, night classes, or other sudden circumstances you are not able to attend one of the performances or events. This is unfortunate, but sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that must be addressed. If you have advance notice that you need to miss one of the performances, you should contact me ahead of time to try and arrange something. There are alternative blog topics if you need to make up for a performance that you have missed. Missing the performance does not excuse you from your blog assignments. You can also choose to attend the assigned performance on another date at your own expense. The only tickets that are available to you free of charge are the ones that Honors College has arranged for the performance dates listed on the final page of this syllabus. Repeatedly missing performances will have a serious negative effect on your grade in this course and will be reported to the Dean of Honors College. There is, of course absolutely NO TEXTING or phone use of ANY kind during the performances.

 

We will meet in the lobby of the performance venue 20 minutes before the start of the scheduled performance. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOTE THE START TIME AND VENUE LOCATION OF EACH PERFORMANCE. We will enter the performance no later than 10 minutes before the show starts. IF YOU ARE LATE (MEANING YOU ARRIVE AFTER WE HAVE ALREADY ENTERED THE PERFORMANCE) THEN YOU ARE OUT OF LUCK, AND YOU WILL MISS THE PERFORMANCE.

There are some fine art exhibits that you have been assigned to view on your own schedule. The date suggested under the “performances” section of your assignments is the suggested date on which to view the exhibit in relation to the lesson, but you are free to view it any time before we are to discuss the exhibit in class at your own convenience. PLEASE NOTE THE DATE BY WHICH YOU ARE TO VIEW THE EXHIBIT, AS WELL AS THE CLOSING DATE OF THE EXHIBIT. You can go together as a group or as an individual. Use your cultural passport to view the exhibits without additional charge.

 

Your cell phone must be turned off (this includes texting) during all performances- – and while you are attending exhibits. Many museums will allow you to take non-flash photographs of the exhibits, with some restrictions. Please observe all rules and policies of the museums you visit.

 

 

General Class Policies

 

The use of cell phones in class is strictly and completely PROHIBITED. Please turn your phone to the “off” position, and store it inside your bag during class time. This means no texting, no checking your email, and no phone calls during class time- I do not want to hear your phone ring, I do not want to see you texting under your desk. If I find this happening, you will be asked to leave class, and you will receive a 0 grade for class participation that day.

Laptop computers may not be used in class- except for giving presentations, and with permission during certain work sessions. During a work session all work on the computer must be specifically related to the project. If I find you surfing the web and checking emails during a work session, you will receive a 0 grade for class participation that day, and your laptop will be banned from future classes. Laptops may not be used for note taking. I apologize for this inconvenience, but the presence of wireless internet has proven to be an irresistible temptation to most students. You are welcome and encouraged to take all the notes you want, but you will need to do so using a pen and paper.

One of the reasons for these rules is the importance of creating a positive atmosphere for class discussion. This can only exist in a class where you and your fellow students are focused and respectful of one another. Some of the works we will be reading and viewing can be provocative, controversial, and may even be offensive to some students. Your honest reaction to these works is your own, you do not have to agree with, or even like, what the artist is expressing- or what another student is saying about it. But a true dialogue is only possible when we respect one another’s differences and really try to hear different points of view. We also need to foster an atmosphere of trust and non-judgmental listening. Which means, what is said in class should stay in class, and students should not be afraid to speak their minds for fear that it will be discussed in other contexts.

Thank you, in advance for respecting these guidelines.

If you need to reach me, my primary email address, which appears on page one of this syllabus, is the best way. That is the email that comes to my phone and which I check throughout the day. My school email address is fine, but I do not check it every day. You can also call my office at 718-997-3192, but if no one answers, then I am not there, and it is also the costume shop phone so there is no voicemail. Some of you may note that on my hotmail email signature, my cell phone number is listed. Please respect that this number appears there because this is my primary business email, not as an invitation for you to call or text me on my cell phone. I am delighted to make an appointment to see you any time you have concerns about your work in class, or if you want to discuss a project with me one on one.

The syllabus, and all other class documents, as well as lecture notes for class will be available to you on Eportfolio. I will also be emailing you as a group through the Eportfolio system, which means you need to check your school email address regularly, so that you do not miss important information.

Our Instructional Technology Fellow (ITF) is Caroline Erb and she can be reached at cerb@gc.cuny.edu for any problems with your blog or photo uploads. Her office hours are Tuesdays, 12-4, or by appointment.

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