WRITING in the VISUAL ARTS Fall 2008

FRANCES CHARTERIS WRITING IN THE VISUAL ARTS Fall 2008. WRTG 3007-005 @ 11a.m; –007 @12.30p.m;-009 Fleming @ 2.00p.m; all sections in Fleming Room 155 Office: Fleming Room 505; Office phone:303.492.3263; email: [email protected] Office Hours in Fleming 505: Tues. 3.30-4.30p.m; Wed. 12-1.30; Thurs.3.30-5.30p.m. & by appointment. It is assumed that every student reads this syllabus and thoroughly knows its content.

Brief Course Description Welcome! Writing in the Visual Arts is a course in critical writing designed to hone and extend the rhetorical requirements of writing about contemporary art in various media. Oral and visual communication skills are also emphasized, as well as reading. The course focuses on verbal analyses and arguments about visual art, including photography, film, digital imaging and body art. We will approach writing on contemporary art as a collaborative and critical endeavor that addresses aesthetics, theoretical concerns and an ongoing engagement with audience. The process of writing, will build awareness of visual representation of race, class and gender.

The course is structured as a workshop that requires your enthusiastic, rigorous participation. The goal is to refine your writing process so as to prepare you for writing in multiple situations for a variety of audiences. Personal narrative is included in order to understand it as a source of argument and a tool of persuasion. There are 5 papers in all: three expository papers and two personal narratives.

Course objectives The course fulfills key curricular criteria established by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Colorado Commission of Higher Education. The objectives are geared to juniors and seniors in Arts and Sciences, especially, but not exclusively, visual arts and humanities majors. Science and business majors also benefit from this pedagogical process; the emphasis on organization, communication and awareness of audience are relevant to real world scenarios where clarity of thought, civic consciousness, and concision of expression are highly valued.

Expand Rhetorical Knowledge.  Learn to use rhetorical terms to speak about your intentions and strategies in writing and to use these terms to comment and critique the papers of your fellow writers.  Explore rhetorical perspectives and theoretical dimensions as you write critically about art.  Write to become a more informed, thoughtful spectator, and sophisticated participant and critic of contemporary art.  Learn to write from a more sophisticated perspective by increasing your awareness of the power of using language persuasively.  Learn how to apply resources required in course texts to guide class discussions.  Render ideas convincing as well as pertinent by contextualizing your discussion in research.  Understanding the importance of animating and making complex concepts accessible to a non-art audience.  Gain knowledge of the relative sophistication of a non-art audience and use terminology accordingly.  Learn the importance of engaging your audience immediately in the topic under discussion.  Maintain the audience’s interest throughout the voyage of discovery that is your paper-the destination is not a given, but a moment of recognition. Expand experience in writing processes.  Break down writing process into manageable increments: generate ideas, take notes, organize, draft, edit research, and document critical essays and other sources.  Engage in peer review of works in progress to evaluate your writing from the reader or audience perspective.

1  Become aware of secondary and tertiary audiences as well as given, primary audience of students in class.  Learn to work in a group; listen, absorb and apply accurate critical suggestions delivered respectfully.  Recognize that revision is essential to writing essays of high quality.  Accept that writing involves recursion: we revisit what we have written many times.  Develop information literacy skills to facilitate your research by using on campus library book resources, as well as to sift through on line databases intelligently and attentively.  Learn how to discern quality of the sources you find, both academic and non-academic: evaluate them for believability, accuracy, and prejudice often communicated in unstated assumptions  Be sure your citations are pertinent to your discussion  Integrate various technologies into your writing projects and oral presentations whilst maintaining your rhetorical purpose: technology is not necessarily an end in itself Expand mastery of writing conventions.  Learn key methods of professional communication.  Practice various approaches to analysis and argument.  Become conscious of how you interpret and evaluate information  Think about and trace causes and effects  Consider how best to persuade and refute; choose evidence from research carefully  Learn how to draw on specialized discourse whilst making concepts accessible beyond the specificity of the specialized audience  Improve style: syntax, diction, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. In this course we use Chicago Style because it is preferred by Art Historians. Learn that different styles are used in different rhetorical situations.  Review guidelines on research and documentation by referring to substantive materials on authentic websites such as the Purdue University OWL, The Brigham young on line writing program (http://writing.byu.edu/writing_fellows/for_faculty/OnlineResources.aspx) and excerpts from the Students Guide to Writing Research Papers.  Learn the role of textual features and document design as persuasive tools, provided by programs such as Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, to name two of the most familiar. Demonstrate Comprehension of knowledge.  All of the assignments in the course are geared to a real world audience-including members of your discipline or profession.  Draw on specialized vocabulary as needed for a specific media.  Use specialized discourse with an awareness of an identified audience.  Communicate to a variety of audiences in disciplinary or specialized discourse whilst making sure your writing remains accessible to secondary audiences in related disciplines.  You will become familiar with writing in a disciplinary or specialized rhetorical situation, even as you make your work accessible to secondary audiences in related fields. All course assignments are geared to real world and varied audiences. Demonstrate Knowledge of Social and Professional Context  Know that being professional is an ethical responsibility; it contributes to effective citizenship.  Know that art always exists in a political context. 

Texts Required purchases: Reader for this class to be purchased from CU Bookstore.

2 On Photography, by Susan Sontag A Short Guide to Writing about Film, by Timothy Corrigan (available from Amazon.com). Any edition, although most recent is best because contains reference to more recent films. A college dictionary, and a Thesaurus. A rich vocabulary makes for energetic, vigorous writing. Every student paper. Artworks presented by the students and instructor in form of slides, tapes, DVDs, CDs, books and copies.

Strongly recommended: A college level writing handbook handbook of your choice. I recommend: Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process, by Peter Elbow. Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. I will also give you readings and various handouts at no charge throughout the course of the semester either on email or hard copy.

Submission of Materials An email list of class participants will be circulated to each person; email drafts to all on the list, at least one day prior to class. Please bring me a hard copy. Each person will be responsible to create a written comment on two papers. That commentary will become public during class, when papers are projected. Drafts are required but not graded. Please date all your drafts. Your participation grade in the class and the quality of your work will be affected if you do not submit your work on time. Every assignment counts toward your grade. I will accept assignments handed in late ; they will be read and corrected but will receive only 50% credit.

Attendance and Participation More than three absences will be detrimental to your grade. Six absences mean you fail the course. Keep track. I understand special circumstances arise that prevent you from attending class. You do not have to explain. Please note carefully the attendance policy. Keep doing the course work.

The class is a community; we need each other for critique and support. For this reason, regular attendance and active participation throughout the semester are crucial to this writing seminar. Students who are absent must ask classmates for any information and assignments that they missed. Studies reveal that regular attendance makes for higher levels of academic achievement. As Woody Allen said, “80% of success is being present.” Lateness will also impair your grade. If you are over 5 minutes late on 3 occasions you will lose a grade point.

Classroom decorum Aside from respecting yourself and others by coming to class on time, please make every effort to be respectful; treat others as you would like to be treated. Writers need critique as well as praise. If your receive recognition for good writing, please acknowledge it and endeavor to encourage as much as critique others-do not be a passive observer. Learning occurs by doing.

I will provide handouts to assist you in work-shopping each other’s papers.

Before class, turn off your cell phone, remove your headphones, and do not turn on your laptops. For a brief period of 75 minutes pay attention to the instructor and your exceptional peers.

3 Grades Papers count as 70% of your grade. The presentation is 20%. Participation, punctuality and general behavior count as 10%. Papers without any research will not be given an A. You will not receive an A in the class if you miss more than 3 classes. Your grade will be impaired if you do not do every draft of each academic paper; writing in this class is a step-by-step process. For more details, see Grading Criteria, page 5 of this syllabus.

Presentations must be professional, interesting, lively and clear and use the visual terms pertaining to the medium. I will gladly meet with you before you do your presentation to make suggestions. There will be a separate handout offered. NB: Tapes and DVDs listed by Norlin Media library must be requested over one week in advance as they have to be retrieved from off-campus storage.

Office hours There will be a sign up sheet offered in class for office hours. It is also posted outside my door. Meetings usually last from 5 —15 minutes; if you need longer please reserve a double session. Thank you in advance for telling me if you cannot meet. I am interested in meeting with each of you one on one at some point during the semester but it is not required.

Instructor availability You may call me at my office number and send e-mails; I answer e-mails as promptly as I can, although not at great length and not after 7. Email is for information. Any other matters must be discussed with me in person. And this is my blog: http://spot.colorado.edu/~charteri/blog.html where the syllabus and other course materials can be found.

Ecology Please recycle all papers in the bins provided on the ground floor in Fleming.

SPECIAL NOTES E-Mail communication It is now university policy and regulations that all students have CU e-mail address that can be used by faculty as an official means of communication. Students forward mail to other addresses at their own risk. There can be no excuse for not checking or receiving e-mails at least twice a week regarding course assignments, changes etc. I use e-mail regularly and, in order to avoid printing expenses, frequently e-mail information to you concerning the course. I will not engage in any kind of personal discussion on email or on the blog; this includes any problems you may have with me, the course or your grades.

Disability If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit a letter to me from Disability Services in a timely manner (in the first two weeks of class is reasonable) so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, or www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices.

Religious Holidays Campus policy requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance.

4 In this class, I am happy to accommodate your religious obligations. I ask only that you let me know well in advance when you are leaving for religious holidays so that I can make adjustments if necessary. See policy details: http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html.

Classroom Behavior and Interaction Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion, and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which students express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, and nationalities. See policies at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code. If you come to class in your pajamas or in a state of partial undress or any other from of inappropriate clothing, I will ask you to leave.

Sexual harassment The University of Colorado Policy on Sexual Harassment applies to all students, staff, and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been sexually harassed should contact the Office of Sexual Harassment at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the OSH and the campus resources available to assist individuals who believe they have been sexually harassed may be found at http://www.colorado.edu/sexualharassment/

Honor Code All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include cheating, plagiarism, academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. I will report all incidents of academic misconduct to the Honor Code Council. Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Additional information may be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ I subscribe to the University of Colorado’s Honor Code. In response to slightest hint of plagiarism, students should note that their work may, at the discretion of the instructor, be evaluated through TurnItIn.com, a plagiarism service provided to all faculty at CU-Boulder; and that this service retains a copy of the submitted work for future comparisons.

A writing class offers a rare opportunity to discuss work in progress in a supportive yet critically demanding workshop environment. As you develop drafts and other materials for this course, you should bear in mind that you are going public with your work. This act carries with it an obligation for civil discussion and for understanding the concerns of your audience and their interests in your point of view. Students and faculty both have a responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment.

GRADING CRITERIA (for papers only) This breakdown does not include attendance, participation, behavior, etc. A - Absolutely brilliant and excellent paper that includes all of the following: - Original thinking

5 - An excellent critique and convincing support for a major argument enhanced by defined counter argument - Some alternative explanations or findings in current research - Good organization - Well-developed ideas - A rich vocabulary, with a fresh use of language, meaning: no excessive or unnecessary repetition of words - Clear expression of ideas (writing) - No spelling errors (a proof-read paper) - Fully documented research

A- - An outstanding paper lacking one item above, for example - A little original thinking but paper is primarily dominated by other voices - An excellent critique but lacks support - No alternative explanations - Lack of organization - Underdevelopment of ideas - Lack of clarity - Too many typos and careless errors - Too little research

B+/B - A very good paper lacking two items from above list, for example: - No original thinking - Ideas are good but writing is unclear - Inadequate support for arguments - Failure to offer alternative explanations - Lack of organization - Absence of documented research

B- - Good paper but lacks more than two or three of criteria for excellence

C+/C - A good paper with adequate expression of ideas. - Some critique, suggestion of alternative explanation or substantive support. - Hint of original thinking.

C/C- - An acceptable paper but with one or more serious flaws: - No original thinking at all - Ideas lack development - No critique and no alternative explanations - Very disorganized

D or below – Lack of demonstrated effort.

6 Some brief papers fall into this D category, but they are usually papers offering an impression that they have been faxed not written.

Other important hints Good writing stems from organizing your thoughts, expressing yourself persuasively, and revision. As a general rule you should revise anything you write at least three times. This course provides space for experimentation both in the assertion of bold, cutting-edge ideas as well as in the expression of opinions and the acknowledgement of differing perspectives and audiences. Your level of focus determines your success. Record thoughts, information and sources as you go in a notebook. Use research to refine your thinking. Write honestly.

CALENDAR There may be minor changes to this itinerary. Due dates and such are unlikely to change. Brief descriptions of assignments and class activities are included here; actual assignment sheets, essays for discussion will be emailed or handed out at least one week in advance. PLEASE: every week, always bring me one hard copy of your paper NB: the requirement of completing work by 11a.m. Monday morning is so that your classmates can prepare for discussion and I can have them graded by Tuesday or Thursday at the latest

Week 1 Tuesday, 8/26 Welcome. Introductions all round. Review of syllabus content; please read what is not covered today by Thursday. Students interview each other; thus establishing a community and also a sense of who makes up the primary audience of your classmates. In conversation you can consider real world audiences as you speak with colleagues and find out what kind of work they have done, what their majors are, and what they plan professionally, etc. Doing so will give you a sense of our enormous diversity of disciplinary interests, world travel and family life and social status.

Sign up sheet for presentations.

Thursday, 8/28 Readings: “Writing can be the right medicine,” (Reader) “Reflections on Writing,” (Reader) The House on Mango Street, (Reader) Me Talk Pretty One Day. (Handout) View Kip Fulbeck’s videotape, Just stand still. Each of these readings offers a variety of ways of writing about writing, writing about art, as well as personal experience. The videotape represents text and images interacting in a time based medium, as the artist reflects on representation in words as well as in images, he weaves the two; he asks a question crucial to writing in the course, “How do we see?”

These autobiographic texts are offered to demonstrate how to think critically about life experience and intentions; they offer example of self-reflection on process of writing and creation.

7 Assignment #1: Write a short autobiographic fragment. 2 pages long this paper is due on email to the class list provided by Monday morning at 11a.m. at latest. Please attach AND paste into body of every class email till end of the semester. Also, every week bring me a copy of your work to the first class of the week. I will assign reading responses so that each person reads another two papers and presents their comments on the work in class on Tuesday.

Week 2 Tuesday, 9/2 We will share the autobiographic fragments, and make comments, whilst reflecting on any connection they may have to the readings. We will reflect on narrative as a type of writing, how it relates to expository writing. We will discuss its uses and how to achieve competency in this genre of prose that so easily connects the personal and political to generate discourse.

Thursday, 9/4 We will look at projected photographs. Various genres of photography will be covered as well as their audiences. You will do some writing exercises entailing description, a primary rhetorical tool. The meaning of ekphrasis will be discussed and its use and significance when writing on art. I will give you the photography assignment sheet, and explain the importance of working on drafts and writing incrementally. The paper involves critical thinking on your part; the meaning of the work you choose to write needs to be critiqued and its cultural relevance established. Writing will help you find ideas; the act of writing is a function of critical thinking.

Assignment #2a Using the list of photographers handed out in class, please research their names on Google and look at their websites. This activity will prepare you for viewing the photo books in the library in Special Collections and choosing a photographer to write on in your first expository paper. Read: On Photography by Susan Sontag. Read with awareness: mark passages you would like to ring up as examples of crucial concepts that support her claims; her power of persuasion.

WEEK 3 Tuesday, 9/9 View photography books in Special Collections, Norlin, 3rd Floor, Room N345, with glass doors. Thursday, 9/11 View Photography books in Special Collections, Norlin 3rd, Floor, Room N345, with glass doors. Assignment 2b write an introductory paragraph to your photo paper. Email it to the list no later than Monday, 9/15 at 11a.am. Prepare critiques of the two students you are allotted for class discussion Thursday, 9/18. Read: “Robert Frank’s Existential Refrain,” by Andy Grundberg in the Reader. Look for the thesis, and the evidence used to validate the claim the author makes. Be prepared for discussion at the end of class on Tuesday. Read Jack Kerouac’s Introduction to Frank’s The Americans. Compare the 2 types of writing for discussion.

WEEK 4 Tuesday, 9/16 Please bring me a hard copy of your paper. Meet in Norlin E303 for a session learning skills of online research with university databases, and Google scholar, as well as where and how to find books in our library and further afield. Teaching conducted by Prof. Deborah Hollis, director of Special Collections, with my support. Debbie’s email is [email protected] after the session. There will be free printing and you are likely to find several essays, hence you may want to refer to some of this research in discussions on Thursday. Thursday, 9/18 Share photography papers in class. You present your commentary on those papers for which you are responsible. The class may be divided into groups so as to be sure people’s work is shared on a regular basis. Last part of class we will discuss Grundberg’s essay, its structure, claim, evidences, progressions, specialized vocabulary, etc; we will also consider Kerouac’s poetic prose.

Assignment #2c: Revise first paragraph and add one more paragraph that continues the discussion by providing context . Email your work by Monday morning at 11a.m. to the group list. Be sure to print out a hard copy to give to me in class.

WEEK 5 Tuesday, 9/23 Bring me one hard copy of your work. Share paragraphs; present critiques. Thursday, 9/25 Student presentations-15 minutes each. Discussion of Susan Sontag’s On Photography. Please be sure you have marked the text to facilitate turning to certain passages for discussion as we analyze her critical practice and the persuasive strategies deployed in her writing. Assignment#2d : write as much as you can of your photography paper. Send to email list by 11a.m. Monday. Print me a hard copy. Read: “The Treacherous Medium. Why photography critics hate photography,” by Susie Linfield for discussion in one week.

WEEK 6 Tuesday, 9/30 BRING 4 HARD COPIES TO CLASS to workshop in small groups; handouts to guide critique of each other’s papers provided. Discuss claims (theses); use of description angled as evidence in support of a claim. Check progression of argument. Look at transitions between paragraphs; discuss the end of your paper and the importance of arriving at a place different from the point at which you started. Using readings, we will examine how writers move smoothly between paragraphs, whilst maintaining continuity and the thread of discussion. A couple of papers may be projected after you have finished workshopping with each other.

Thursday, 10/2 Student presentations. 15 minutes each. Discuss “The Treacherous Medium.” This essay is written primarily for a scholarly, art historically inclined audience; however Susie Linfield’s rhetorical style effectively appeals to scholars in other disciplines such as history, sociology s well as to a broad general public; she eloquently moves from the concerns of scholarship to the invasion of Iraq and its consequent representation in photographs selected for publication by the print media. She consistently addresses how the audience is manipulated, a maneuver reflected in her writing.

Assignment#2e: Complete photo paper and hand me one hard copy in class.

WEEK 7 Tuesday, 10/7 Completed photography paper due. Assignment #3 : Write a personal narrative on one of the topics suggested on the assignment sheet. Please email to the list before class, Thursday, 19/9

Thursday, 10/9 Share narratives in class. Share narratives in class and discuss their qualities as self-reflective works that mirror broader cultural concerns; consider concept of the personal as political. Assignment #4: choose a film to write on over the weekend. Prepare for the film assignment. Read: Chapters assigned in a Short Guide to Writing about Film by Timothy Corrigan, or the whole book; write down your questions.

9 WEEK 8 Tuesday, 10/14 Viewing of film Cabo Verde, directed by Werner Herzog, which I will introduce and give suggestions for what to take notes on during viewing. I will hand out a couple of essays to be ready by Thursday, a short letter from Roger Ebert to Werner Herzog, as well as worksheets for discussion on Thursday. Class is 75 minutes. The film is 99 minutes.

Thursday, 10/16 Complete viewing of Cabo Verde. The rest of this class we will discuss the meaning of this film and its rhetoric. We will look at the theme and how it is communicated visually, using a specialized vocabulary; important terminology is contained in the “Film Glossary” in your reader. With Cabo Verde as a shared reference, we will consider the language of film, an art form frequently based in, or generated by writing that has in turn influenced many genres of writing since the early twentieth century.

Film informs our memory and cultural consciousness; it affects how we see and perceive. It is placed here in the course to facilitate your rhetorical practice: writing about film rhetoric enables your critical thinking and, in turn your writing, your analytical and argumentative process.

Reviewing the essays gives you competency in reading and research, as well as a deeper understanding of theory and its role in rhetorical practice in a variety of media for real world audiences, which includes our class.

Assignment #4a: Prepare an Annotated Bibliography for your essay on a film of your choice, using the library’s resources that will include books clearly, but equally important in the time available for this endeavor, are scholarly essays from the university’s large selection of databases. Wikipedia is fine as a preliminary survey but it’s not acceptable as scholarly research. Websites without accredited authors are not acceptable either. Email to the list by 11a.m. Monday morning, 9/13

WEEK 9 Tuesday, 10/21 Give me a hard copy of bibliography, please. Review annotated bibliography. Share in class. Each person to choose ONE essay, and present its significance to discussion of your to the class in 3 minutes.

Thursday, 10/23 Discuss upcoming assignment in relation to reading chapters in the text book, A Short Guide to Writing About Film.

Assignment #4b: Write one or two paragraphs to your film paper using the assignment sheet as a guide. Email to the list by 11a.m. Monday morning, 10/20. Read: “Film Logic and Rhetoric. Close Up: Tailhook “Top Guns”: Living up to the Image,” by Anne Marie Seward Barry, (reader). Critique the writing; make notes as to what works and what doesn’t work. Notice how the writing moves to address real world issues by the close of the essay.

WEEK 10 Tuesday, 10/28 Give me a hard copy please. Share paragraphs and critiques in class. We will look for an understanding of narrative content and possible meaning of the film, a thesis, and suggested ways you will provide support for your claim.

Thursday, 10/30 Presentations

10 We will discuss the Top Gun reading. Barry watched the film with a watch; she examined its temporal, rhythmic construction created to manipulate the viewer emotionally and sensually. She deconstructs camera angles, editing pace and the soundtrack as support for her position. Note her use of specialized discourse that is made accessible to a general public.

We will talk about how to progress your papers using Barry’s method as an example. Consider carefully what sequences to select, or you may prefer to simply use on scene.

Possible viewing of a short minute film to hone specialized vocabulary when describing a sequence; using such vocabulary enables description in support of your thesis.

Assignment #4c Revise opening paragraph(s). Continue with your paper, and begin to address further context for your discussion and prepare readers for analysis of film form through selecting certain sequences or a scene for discussion. Include references from your annotated bibliography. If you do not cite from your bibliography, place under ‘Works Consulted.’ Email your work to the list by 11a.m. Monday 10/27 Read: “Dreaming the Unthinkable,” by John Hoberman (handout).

WEEK 11 Tuesday, 11/4 Give me a hard copy of your paper. We will share and review papers for progression of ideas. Thursday, 11/6 Presentations on film. Assignment #4d : Write as much as you can of your film paper . Include some citations as evidence of your knowledge of other conversations about the work. Email to list by 11a.m. Monday morning, 11/10.

WEEK 12 Tuesday, 11/11 BRING 5 COPIES TO WORK IN GROUPS. Give me one copy. A handout will be provided to guide your critique of each other’s papers.

Thursday, 11/13 Presentations on film. Assignment #4e: Write a final, perfected version of your film paper and hand it tome in class 11/18. Read: In the class Reader (for discussion next Thursday, 11/20) ”Essay,” by Samuel Hazo and “On the High Wire,” by Paul Auster.

WEEK 13 Tuesday, 11/18 Hand in one final version of your film paper. Look at Modernism/Postmodernism page in the course reader. I will project images by certain contemporary artists working in a variety of media to prepare for last paper assignment. We will consider discourses generated by the artworks. I will provide limited information on the works and artists to jump start discussion. Issues of race and gender are likely to arise and provoke thought. Writing about visual work is an entry point to its rhetoric as well A way to think; writing is thought on paper. Thursday, 11/20 11 Discuss readings. Further discussion of final paper. You must share with the class who or what you will be writing on for the final assignment. It would be best if you made clear notes to tell the class what you will be doing clearly and concisely so we keep up a brisk pace. We will do some in class writing exercises to explore specialized terminology for specific media. NB: It is crucially important to choose an artist that affects you in some way; it could be an artist whose work you find problematic because this will challenge you to establish the art’s worth and thus enable your argument.

Assignment #5: Write an introductory on an artist of your choice or on an issue in contemporary art. Follow assignment sheet for ground rules and suggested structure. Email to the group list by Monday, 11a.m. 12/1

WEEK 14 Tuesday 11/25 & Thursday 11/27

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THANKSGIVING BREAK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEEK 15 Tuesday, 12/ 2 Give me a hard copy please. We will workshop papers, looking for a fair representation of the art in question to the audiences you are addressing. By now you should have a certain confidence when you begin your papers because you should have a sense of comfort with what is purpose of each paragraph.

Thursday, 12/ 4 Review papers. BRING READERS. Discuss Paul Auster essay, “On the High Wire.” Assignment #5a: Write as much as you can of your final paper. Email to the group by 11a.m. on Monday 12/8.

WEEK 16 Tuesday, 12/9 BRING 5 COPIES TO WORK IN GROUPS (one copy is for me). You will workshop using the handout provided. Focus on the argument and counter argument. The thread of the discussion should be maintained in every sentence that is written. Descriptive elements can enhance and emphasize your position but not interfere with forward momentum of the discussion or the clarity of the point that is being made. Notice the paragraph units: are they effectively structured and coherent? Do they connect with each other? Are the transitions smooth? There should be a sense of where the close of the discussion is headed. You might ask the writer if he or she wishes to disclose the final sentence-that place that is different from the point of departure.

Thursday, 12/11 Presentations on art paper. Further discussion and revision of final papers.

12 FINAL VERSION OF THE LAST PAPER DUE IN WOODEN BOX OUTSIDE MY DOOR, FLEMING 505, BY 11a.m. MONDAY, 12/15. I WILL MOST LIKELY BE THERE AT THIS TIME: NO LATE OR EMAILED PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Thanks for all your good effort. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Enjoy your break. Safe travels.