Syllabus: Video Art and Frontier Films 1960 to the Present Film 3905 sec. 002 (class number 17059 ) or Film 6905 sec. 006 (class number 17369)
University of Utah Semester: (Fall 2010) Instructor: Kent Maxwell Email: [email protected] (I don't check my email every day, so if you need to reach me urgently call me before 10 am or after 7 pm) Phone: 801 328-3053 Office Hours: By appointment.
Online Information: Class Web site: http://home.utah.edu/~klm6/. Or go to home.utah.edu/~klm6 click on the Film 3905-002 Home Page link. There will be limited information on the class site: the syllabus; listings of any additional readings assigned during the semester; and a list of the films shown in class each week.
Course Description: This is a survey of Video Art and Experimental film from the Fluxus films and Warhol’s Screen Tests to Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait. This course will include a look at: early real time portapak tapes of Vito Acconci, Dan Graham, Bruce Nauman, William Wegman; The layered films by Bruce Bailie and Pat O’Neill; Video image manipulation of Nam June Paik, and Steina and Woody Vasulka; The structuralist films of Michael Snow, Hollis Frampton, and Peter Greenaway: the work of Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Peter Campus, Doug Hall, Tony Oursler; music videos by Bruce Conner, The Residents, Laurie Anderson: the Qasti films of Godrey Reggio and Philip Glass; explorations of media, culture, and gender from Ant Farm, Valie Export, Dara Birnbaum, Sadie Benning, Pipilotti Rist; the transient properties of film with the collective Silt and Bill Morrison’s film Decasia; Digital video work by Matthew Barney, Beryl Korot, Aleksandr Sokurov and others: and of course we won’t over look sampling, installations, and the web. It’s a lot to cover so we will just be skimming the surface, but then, it is a survey class.
Be aware that a few individuals may consider part of the material viewed in this course offensive. Nudity, violence, profanity, and sex are all within the purview of some of the work examined in this class. Some important artists attempt to shock and offend. In this class, I won’t shy away from work because it may offend.
Textbooks: New Media in Art by Michael Rush ISBN 0-500-20378-4 (p.2005 updated from 1999 edition)
The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore (p. 1967)
Plus there will, occasionally, be additional reading material posted on the class website and/or at the reserve desk at the Marriott Library.
Course Requirements: There will be a midterm exam and a final exam in class on the texts, the documentaries on artists, and the artist work. You will also be expected to have a good understanding of the texts and documentaries that we will watch and you should at least know the titles, dates, who made them, and be able to describe the artist’s films and video that we have seen in class. The final exam will be inclusive (a little), since there will be ideas and artists that we will revisit and expand upon from the first half of the semester, but it will mostly be on material from the second half of the semester.
During the semester there will occasionally be a film/video/website that you will be required to see out side of class. All of these will at least be on hold at the reserve desk in the Marriott Library. Most of them will be available for viewing on the web.
1 of 2 There will be several pop quizzes during the semester on the in class and out of class films, videos, and/or on the reading material. There will also be one 500-to-700-word essay. The specific topic of your essay is your choice, as long as it falls into our subject, “Video Art and Frontier Films, 1960 through the present”. Your essay will be evaluated on the originality of your idea, the presentation, and clarity. Of course, poor spelling, grammar, low word count, and failure to properly site references (including web references) will affect your grade. Beware of plagiarism.
Important Dates: Class meets Monday nights, 6:00 to 9:00 pm, in the Social Beh. Science Auditorium, August 23 through December 6, 2010, except Labor Day, September 6 and Fall Break, October 11. The Midterm Exam will be on October 18, at 6:00 pm in Social Beh. Science Auditorium. A 500-700-word essay will be Due on November 15 The Final Exam will be on Monday, December 13, 2010, at 6:00 pm in Social Beh. Science Auditorium.
Attendance and Class Participation: Because we will be mostly watching films and videos in class (at least 2 hour a night) that, for the most part, will be unavailable to you at any other time, it seems that attendance will be necessary. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.
Grading: Midterm exam 25% Final exam 25% Essay 25% Quizes and participation in class discussions 25%
Additional Information: The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that reasonable accommodation be provided for students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, or psychiatric disabilities. Students requiring such accommodation should speak with the professor at the beginning of the semester in order to make appropriate arrangements for this course. The Center for Disabled Student Services (Olin Union, 581-5020) will also need to be informed. See the following link for more information: http://www.sa.utah.edu/ds/ The registrar cautions students that withdrawing from a course and other registration matters, including tuition, are the student's responsibility. See the following link for more information: http://www.sa.utah.edu/regist /pages/Fall2010.htm In accordance with university policy (as articulated in the Student Code), academic misconduct—including cheating, fabrication of information, and plagiarism—is not tolerated in this course. A student found engaging in this behavior will receive a failing grade. If at any time you are unsure whether your actions constitute academic misconduct, please see the professor in order to clarify the matter. See the following link for more information: http://www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10.html
Activities and materials assigned for this class have been carefully scrutinized and selected. Some students may find some of the materials, presentations, lectures, or audio/visual materials controversial or in conflict with their core values. It is your responsibility to review the syllabus, readings, assignments, and materials to be sure that this is a course you wish to take. Should you have questions or concerns, please see me immediately.
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