ABOUT THIS COURSE
This seminar encourages Macaulay students to dive into the arts in New York City. During the semester, students visit museums, galleries, and works of public art; attend performances of theater and opera; and read poetry and novels that re-create the city on the page. Throughout, our focus will be on both (1) the vibrant art that is made and showcased in New York City and (2) works of art and literature that have taken New York City as their subject matter. How has the city encouraged and facilitated the showcasing and viewing of art—and how has it, in turn, been made into works of art? In addition to experiencing art forms as spectators, students will become makers: working on street photography and producing poetic and prose depictions of the city in response to other artists’ and writers work. Visits to exhibits, performances, and artist encounters continue throughout the semester. In this particular seminar, we will study: the spaces of art (gallery, museum, public space); photography (with a focus on street photography); writing the city; opera; theater; painting/collage; and political art.
In the course, students will:
- Explain the role of the arts in the lives of New York’s diverse citizens
- Identify the key features of the different artistic forms studied in the class
- Construct clearly written and well-reasoned analyses of these art forms for multiple audiences
- Analyze artistic forms both for their formal qualities and as artifacts about New York
- Formulate their own individual aesthetic values after having studied the city’s wide range of artistic expressions.
ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING
There are three kinds of weekly assignments for this course. Some weeks, you will do all three; some weeks only two (see course schedule for a week-by-week breakdown)
- Reading: Our class discussions will be based in large part around readings that you must complete before class. Be sure to obtain course books and download course readings from the website in time to complete the reading each week.
- Excursions: Our class discussions will also be based on our experiences viewing art, attending performances, and listening to music in culturally significant contexts. Some weeks, an excursion will replace class time. More often, excursions supplement class time. Excursions are mandatory. If a conflict arises, speak to Prof. Kolb immediately to work out a solution.
- Writing &c. Every week you will be asked to produce writing (or artwork) for the course blog. Each writing assignment differs: some ask you to interpret an artwork that you have found in a museum or gallery; some ask you to analyze a paragraph in a theoretical text; some ask you to imitate a particular writer’s style and process in crafting your own creative work. The goal, each week, is to think while writing: to come to a deeper understanding of the art work under discussion by either analyzing or imitating it. Details on each assignment (including deadline) can be found under the “Assignments” link on our website.
In addition to the weekly assignments, you will work in groups on a final project. This project will be presented at the STEAM festival in December. After the STEAM festival, you will write a reflective essay on the project you have created, and on the course as a whole.
The grading breakdown is as follows:
Participation in class and on excursions: 20%
Weekly writing &c. 40%
STEAM project 20%
Final (reflective essay + syllabus project) 20%
