University of South Dakota College of Fine Arts Department of Art ARTH 100: Art Appreciation: Critical Hits, Video Games As Art Desire2Learn Spring 2019 Syllabus Professor Carol Cook Geu 3 Undergraduate Credit Hours Content Warning! Video games may contain language, adult situations, and violence that people may find offensive. Text There is no textbook for this course. All readings may be found via links under Content. Contacting the Instructor Please e-mail me through D2L. My address is [email protected] I will have “Virtual Office Hours” on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. I understand that you will have questions at times other than these but in order to keep my professional life in order I must have a designated time to concentrate on answering your questions. I will not be checking into the D2L course and responding to you on a daily basis. That may seem difficult to you because the immediacy of the Internet makes all of us expect immediate turn- around times. All emails will be responded to within 48 hours Monday through Friday. You must sign your name to your emails so that I know with whom I am corresponding. Getting Started To get started in the course, you need to access the course in Desire2Learn (D2L). This can be done via the USD student portal, http://my.usd.edu or directly via https://d2l.sdbor.edu The course should be listed under “My Courses.” Note: You will be able to access the course one month before its official start date. The Course Homepage will coordinate your work in this course. You should immediately read the Syllabus, Course Description, and Course Introduction. When you finish reading these documents you will have a clear picture of how to operate in the course. You may want to print these documents and keep them handy. You should familiarize yourself with the various tools that will be used during the course: Content: where course materials are located Assessments: where you will access your Grades and Quizzes (exams). Communications: where you access the weekly Discussions Resources: where you will find the Classlist (which you can use to contact me via D2L email) Course Mail: located at the very top right side of the course page in the gray bar. Course Mail will be used by me for all official course correspondence. When you have unread Course Mail, a red badge will appear on the email icon. For information about the university’s technical, academic, and student support services, as well as how to take advantage of these services, please refer to the Online Student Handbook at http://www.usd.edu/~/media/files/usd-online/online- orientation-guide.ashx This document also contains important information pertaining to minimum technology requirements, registration information, and other university services and policies. Technical Standards You will find information on technology requirements and support in the Online Student Handbook found at http://www.usd.edu/~/media/files/usd-online/online- orientation-guide.ashx or in the course D2L site on the left side of the home page or under Content. If you are unsure as to whether or not your computer meets these requirements, or if you require any technical assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 877.269.6837, 605.658.6000, or [email protected] Please contact the Help Desk immediately so that your questions/problems can be resolved as soon as possible. It is your responsibility to resolve any issues with access to the course so that you can begin to participate in the course on the first day of the semester. Course Prerequisites There are no prerequisites for this course. Diversity and Inclusive Excellence The University of South Dakota strives to foster a globally inclusive learning environment where opportunities are provided for diversity to be recognized and respected. To learn more about USD’s diversity and inclusiveness initiatives, please visit the website for the Office of Diversity http://www.usd.edu/diversity- and-inclusiveness Statement of Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class or as soon as possible after the diagnosis of a disability. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester. Please note: if your home institution is not the University of South Dakota but one of the other South Dakota Board of Regents institutions (e.g., SDSU, SDSMT, BHSU, NSU, DSU), you should work with the disability services coordinator at your home institution. Ernetta L. Fox, Director Disability Services, Room 119 Service Center (605) 677-6389 Web Site: www.usd.edu/ds E-mail: [email protected] Course Description Art Appreciation is designed to provide you with a general understanding of the visual arts. Course Objective The objective of this course is to develop a framework for the appreciation of art through the examination of aesthetic, formal, and psychological dimensions of videogames. Students will be able to critically perceive and judge videogames and stimulate critical thought generally. Goals of the South Dakota System General Education Requirements This class fulfills the following Goals of the South Dakota System General Education Requirements: GOAL #4: Students will understand the diversity and complexity of the human experience through study of the arts and humanities Student Learning Outcomes: As a result of taking courses meeting this goal, students will: Learning Outcomes: Assessment 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the a. Students will participate in discussions diversity of values, beliefs, and ideas to demonstrate their knowledge of the embodied in the human experience diversity of values, beliefs, and ideas embodied in the human experience. 2. Identify and explain basic concepts of a. Students will demonstrate their the selected disciplines within the arts and knowledge of the basic concepts of the humanities. selected disciplines within the arts and humanities through written examinations. In addition, as a result of taking courses meeting this goal, students will be able to Demonstrate a basic understanding of at least one of the following: 3. Identify and explain the contributions a. Students will participate in discussions of other cultures from the perspective of to identify and explain the contributions the selected disciplines within the arts and of other cultures from the perspective of humanities the selected disciplines within the arts and humanities. 4. Demonstrate creative and aesthetic understanding 5. Explain and interpret formal and a. Students will participate in discussions stylistic elements of the literary or fine and take examinations to demonstrate arts their ability to explain and interpret formal and stylistic elements of the literary or fine arts. 6. Demonstrate foundational competency in reading, writing, and speaking a non- English language Each course meeting this goal includes the following student learning outcomes: Required: #1 and #2. At least one of the following: #3, #4, #5, or #6. Credit Hours: 6 hours (in 2 disciplines or a sequence of foreign language courses). Course Guidelines The course is divided into fifteen lessons. For each lesson you should read the assigned article(s), watch the assigned video(s), and watch or play the assigned video games. Each lesson has a quiz and an online discussion question. Before attempting the quizzes and discussion questions, read/watch/play all of the material provided. You have the option of playing the assigned video game or of watching an archived version of someone else playing the game. You do not need to purchase any of the video games for this course. You should complete the parts in the order shown below. Quizzes and Discussion Questions will be available online during the scheduled dates. There are links to the articles, videos, and video games in D2L in each Lesson under Content. QUIZ NUMBER SCHEDULED LESSON DISCUSSION DATES 1 Introduction Quiz 1 Jan. 7-13 What is Art? Discussion Question 1 Are Video Games the Next Great Art Form? by Noah Davis Why Video Games Are Indeed Art by Michael Mirasol Video Game: Shadow of the Colossus #1 Introduction #15 Avion – No Commentary 2 Introduction Continued Quiz 2 Jan. 12-20 Will Computer Games Ever Be a Legitimate Discussion Question 2 Art Form? by Ernest W. Adams Videos: Nostalgia Critic - Are Video Games Art? Extra Credits, Season 2, Episode 16 Graphics vs. Aesthetics Video Game: Tetris 3 Introduction Continued Quiz 3 Jan. 19-27 Videos: Discussion Question 3 The Gamer and the Video Game by Chris Melissinos Video Games – Art in Disguise by Tommy Tallarico Is It Art? Video Games Video Game: Braid First 20 minutes 4 Games and the History of Art Quiz 4 Jan 26-Feb. 3 Video Games and the Philosophy of Art by Discussion Question 4 Aaron Smuts Emotion Engine? I Don’t Think So by Jack Kroll Video: Art History of Video Games by John Sharp Video Game: None this week 5 Games and the History of Art Quiz 5 Feb. 2-10 Are Video Games Art? by Aaron Smuts Discussion Question 5 Video: Doorknobs and Butterflies: Games after Art by Frank Lantz Video Game: Halo Level 1 – Pillar of Autumn Level 5 – Assault on the Control Room – Part 2 6 Games and the History of Art Quiz 6 Feb. 9-17 Articles by Henry Jenkins: Discussion Question 6 Art Form for the Digital Age Games: The New Lively Art Are Games Art? Wii, I Mean Oui! Video: Videogames and the Two Avant-Gardes by Jay David Bolter Video Game: Grand Theft Auto IV Playthrough Part 1 Playthrough Part 19 Playthrough Part 66 7 Games and the History of Art Quiz 7 Feb.