ARTH 370
TO: College Curriculum Committee FROM: Ellen Todd, Curriculum Coordinator, Program in Art History RE: Proposed New Course, ARTH 370, Arts of the United States DATE: 15 November 2013 1. The Art History Program reviewed and voted to approve the attached course proposal, form, syllabus, and following justification at its October 11, 2013 Faculty meeting. 2. Course Objectives: ARTH 370 is designed as an upper level, one semester survey of key monuments, periods, and issues in art of the United States. Organized chronologically, it covers key monuments of painting, sculpture, architecture, along with objects from material culture like prints, furniture, and important decorative arts. Students will be introduced to the changing roles of artists and artisans over time. They will look at issues of gender, race, and class, and consider national formations. As with other 300-level courses in the major, students will acquire skills in looking at and interpreting artifacts using the methods of art history and visual/material culture. They will strengthen critical reading and writing skills through a variety of assignments. They will come to understand American History through the eyes of diverse participants and come to understand how these histories are embodied in art and artifacts. 3/4. Statement of Need and Relationship to other Courses. To date, our two 300-level courses in U.S. Art, ARTH 372, Studies in 18th and 19th century art, and ARTH 373, Studies in 20th century art have been used for more focused topics and periods in American Art, (i.e. American art and culture in the Gilded Age, or the Progressive Era, or Early American Modernism), and students may repeat these courses as the topics vary. We will continue to use these courses in this way but the 300-level U.S. survey will allow us more flexibility in our offerings in 372 and 373 and will prepare students more fully for those courses. We have wanted to institute a 300-level country survey, which may, given other offerings of this kind, serve a wider introductory audience and draw in students from a wider selection of majors seeking a 300-level general education course. It also parallels our other national or geographic surveys: China, Japan, India, Modern Europe, Modern Latin America, Africa all have 300-level surveys which enroll well and allow students to obtain a firm grounding while nonetheless moving beyond the giant sweep of our 100-and 200-level offerings. 5. Relationship to other college/university courses. ARTH 370 will be analogous to certain History offerings like HIST 314, History of Germany (a country) or HIST 322 Modern Britain (the same chronological scope). Other U.S. Courses in History tend to cover more focused topic areas, but the staff is much larger than in our program. Our course might resemble ENGH 304, a topics course which includes literary surveys of a particular country in one semester. It is unlike genre-specific courses like ENGH 372, Introduction to Film. Together the three courses will allow both relatively broad introductory coverage and more individualized topics at the 300-level. As with all our areas, the 400-level seminars serve our majors as research and writing intensive courses. (i.e. ARTH 471, Advanced Studies in U.S. Art).
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6. Anticipated Audience and Enrollment. The estimated enrollments for the course would be 30-40 students based upon past enrollments at the 300-level, here and in other period surveys. Now that students in History can count an ARTH course in the major, we anticipate that the substantial number of History majors following U.S. interests would enroll in this course. We will apply for general education credit which is now also available for ARTH 372 and ARTH 373. Typically about ½ of our enrollments in given classes come from majors in History, English, Psychology, Communication, Business, and, always several from AVT who frequently minor in ARTH. 7. Staffing. Of our current faculty of seven full-time, tenure-track members (with one retiring at the end of Spring, 2013), and three term faculty, one full-time tenure track professor will be able to staff this course. 8. Course Rotation. Depending upon other offerings this course should be offered every third semester. 9. Course Requirements. Students in the major have either 5 or 6 ARTH courses required at the 300-level. This course would fulfill one of these requirements.
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Course Approval Form
For approval of new courses and deletions or modifications to an existing course. registrar.gmu.edu/facultystaff/curriculum
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CHSS Ellen Todd ARTH
X Grade Type
Department: Ext: 34374 Number:
370
History and Art History Email: [email protected]
Effective Term:
X
(Do not list multiple codes or numbers. Each course proposal must have a separate form.)
Title:
Undergraduate Graduate
Fall Spring Summer
Year
2014
Current Banner (30 characters max including spaces) New Arts of the United States
Credits:
X
Fixed Variable
(check one)
Grade Mode: (check one)
X
3
or to
X
Repeat Status: (check one)
Schedule Type:
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(check one) LEC can include LAB or RCT
Prerequisite(s): 24 hours of undergraduate credit
X
Not Repeatable (NR) Repeatable within degree (RD) Repeatable within term (RT)
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Maximum credits allowed:
Independent Study (IND) Seminar (SEM) Studio (STU)
Lab (LAB) Recitation (RCT) Internship (INT)
Corequisite(s):
Instructional Mode: X
Restrictions Enforced by System: Major, College, Degree, Program, etc. Include Code.
100% face-to-face Hybrid: ≤ 50% electronically delive 100% electronically delivered
Are there equivalent course(s)? Yes No If yes, please list
Catalog Copy for NEW Courses Only (Consult University Catalog for models) Description (No more than 60 words, use verb phrases and present tense)
Notes (List additional information for the course)
Introduces students to high art (painting and sculpture) and popular material and visual cultural forms (prints, furniture, textiles) through a chronological and thematic survey of U.S. Art, 1600 to 1950. Explores changing roles of arts, artists, craftsmen; issues of gender, race, class; and formation of national identify through the arts. Lectures and discussion are featured. Indicate number of contact Hours of Lecture or Seminar per 3 hours: week: When Offered: (check all that Fall Summer Spring apply)
Hours of Lab or Studio:
Approval Signatures Department Approval
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If this course includes subject matter currently dealt with by any other units, the originating department must circulate this proposal for review by those units and obtain the necessary signatures prior to submission. Failure to do so will delay action on this proposal.
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For Graduate Courses Only Graduate Council Member
Provost Office
Graduate Council Approval Date
For Registrar Office’s Use Only: Banner_____________________________Catalog________________________________
revised 1
3
New Course Description ARTH 370 This course introduces students to high art (painting and sculpture) and popular material and visual cultural forms (prints, furniture, textiles) through a chronological and thematic survey of U.S. art, 1600 to 1950. Explores changing roles of arts, artists,craftsmen; issues of gender, race, class; and formation of National Identity through the arts. Classes feature lectures and discussion.
COURSE Syllabus
ARTH 370 Arts of the United States Course Description This course takes the student through a chronological and thematic survey of American art from roughly 1600 to 1950 with a focus on the interplay between art and culture. The survey includes a broad array of high art (paintings and sculpture) as well as more popular forms of material and visual culture (such as prints, furniture, and textiles). The course explores three central themes: the changing role of the arts and the artist/craftsman, tensions of race, ethnicity, and gender, and the formation of American national identity. The course will combine classroom discussion of art works and secondary readings with slide lectures. Instructor Professor Jennifer Van Horn Course Meeting: T and R 12:00-1:15 Instructor’s Office: 369 Robinson Hall B Instructor’s Office Hours: T 1:30-2:30 PM; W 3:00-4:00 PM, and by appointment E-mail: [email protected] (email is the easiest way to get in touch with me) E-mail policy I check my email throughout the day. I will always respond within 24 hours during the work week. On the weekends, I will respond within 48 hours. One warning: I tend not to check my email after 9:00 PM at night. So, if you email after that, you definitely will not hear from me until the morning. Course website/Blackboard Access through Blackboard Assignments and important announcements will be posted on Blackboard and sent via email. It is imperative, therefore, that you check your GMU email account AND the course website via Blackboard. You will also be required to submit assignments via Blackboard. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with Blackboard and to submit assignments via Blackboard. An inability to use Blackboard, or experiencing
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technical issues with Blackboard, are not excuses for failing to complete reading assignments or for submitting assignments late. Blackboard is available in the myMason Portal. After logging into http://mymason.gmu.edu, you will see a Courses Tab at the top right. From there you will see a Course List." You should select our course. If you can not log in to myMason please contact the ITU Support Center at (703) 9938870 or reset your Mason NetID password at http://password.gmu.edu For tutorials on how to use Blackboard visit: http://ondemand.blackboard.com/students.htm If you have difficulty with Blackboard you should consult the “Courses Support: Help for Blackboard and Additional Course Tools” website: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_230_ 1 If you repeatedly get “error” messages or are unable to access course content you should contact Mason through the Contact Us form at: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_230_ 1 Required Books/ Tools (available at the Bookstore) Pohl, Frances K. Framing America: A Social History of American Art. Thames and Hudson, 2012. ISBN: 978-0500289839 Doezema, Marianne and Elizabeth Milroy, eds. Reading American Art. Yale University Press, 1998. ISBN: 978-0300069983 On Reserve in the Library Craven, Wayne. American Art: History and Culture. McGraw Hill, 1994, 2002. ISBN: 978-0072823295 Required Articles (available through Blackboard) Students should use the Pohl text as an accompaniment to the lectures given in class. For certain topics you are asked to read a second textbook: Craven. That will be placed on reserve in the Library. The other required readings are placed on Blackboard. Course Objectives and Outcomes Upon completing the course students will be able to:
• • • • •
analyze the history and development of American art between 1600 and 1950 critically examine art works and works of architecture both in terms of their formal visual qualities as well as their historical context apply theoretical concepts such as race and gender to the study of individual art objects understand how to read and critically interpret both visual artifacts and scholars’ interpretations of them understand how to formulate art historical questions, interrogate sources, support interpretations with visual and historical evidence, and evaluate major debates 5
• • •
•
among scholars be able to see American history from the perspectives of multiple participants understand how America has been portrayed in various art forms and how different Americans have used art to promote their own agendas understand and appreciate social and cultural differences among individuals, groups, and societies with regard to their attitudes towards the environment, the history of slavery, and attitudes toward women have improved their writing by completing critical papers and by thinking deeply about individual art works and buildings
Course Requirements Being in class and being prepared for class are your first priorities; completing all of the readings and being prepared to discuss those readings are parts of your class attendance. The course will be a combination of lecture and discussion. Please have completed the assigned reading before class each day and be ready to discuss what you have read. Please bring any readings that have been assigned for that day to class. I am available during office hours and by appointment to discuss the course, any concerns you may have, or to talk in more depth about the material. Please see me BEFORE an assignment if you are confused, rather than afterwards when I cannot be of as much help. Assignments/ Assessment The Assignments for the course include completing the reading assigned for each meeting. The reading assignment for the week is listed after the session topic; the reading is to be done BEFORE class. Class Participation The most important aspect to success in this class is your presence and your active participation. The course will rely heavily upon discussion, so please have completed the assigned reading before class each day, bring any assigned readings to class, and be ready to critically talk about what you have read. I want us to benefit from the experience and perspectives that each brings to the discussion. That is, I want to hear from each and every one of you, every class. There are several small assignments that you will need to complete in order to participate in class discussions fully. These will also factor into your participation grade in the course. Attending class regularly by itself will not ensure you a high participation grade. So that you know the criteria by which I will judge your participation I will distribute a Discussion Criteria sheet which is also posted on Blackboard. Quizzes. There will be 3 quizzes over the course of the semester to test student’s mastery of the readings. They will be announced closer to the quiz date. Museum Paper. This 4-5 page paper asks you to travel to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington D.C., and to select a work of American art in their collection. Students will visually analyze the artwork using the skills they have been developing in class. Directions for this paper will be posted on Blackboard closer to the due date.
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Architecture Paper. This 5-6 page paper requires you to describe and to analyze the experience of one building on GMU’s campus. Directions for this paper will be posted on Blackboard closer to the due date. Midterm. The midterm will consist of: slide identification (artist, title, date +/- 5 years); short objective questions; a series of slide pairs; and an essay. There will not be a slide list. The images for which you are responsible will be posted on the course website closer to the date of the exam. In the slide pairs you will be expected to identify the images as in the slide identification and write an essay that compares and contrasts the pair based on a question posed to you. Your slide comparison should illustrate your understanding of the visual, thematic, and historical aspects that connect the two works. In the essay you will be expected to draw upon material in your readings as well as use examples of American art works. Final. Like the midterm the final will have slide identifications, objective questions, and a series of slide pairs. These questions will all be drawn from the second half of the class only (the new material since the midterm.) The final will have two essay questions. The first is a take-home essay due on the day of the final that will be a comprehensive question (it will cover material from both halves of the course.) The other will be an in-class essay question that will ask you to draw upon readings and examples from the second half of the class only.
Grading: This course will use a Plus/ Minus grading scale. A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D F
100-97 96-93 92-90 89-88 87-83 80-82 79-78 73-77 70-72 69-68 60-67 59 and below
Your grade will be determined by the following: Quizzes, 10% Museum Paper, 15% Architecture Paper, 15% Midterm Exam, 20% Final Exam, 30% Attendance and Participation, 10% Blackboard and Grading
Grades for papers and assignments (and my comments on your papers) will appear on Blackboard after I have graded an assignment. (On some occasions I may hand a hard 7
copy back to you with my comments.) Your cumulative grade on Blackboard is intended to allow you to keep track of your success in the course, but please note that it is only an approximation and does not include your participation grade (which I will calculate at the end of the semester). Attendance and Assignment Policies You are expected to be in class each day. Please let me know beforehand if there is a University sanctioned reason why you will not be in class. Coming into the class more than ten minutes late will count as an absence. Attendance will be factored into your final grade as a part of the participation grade. Attendance, however, is not the only element factored into participation; I also expect you to be active participants in class conversations.
The Instructor reserves the right to reduce students’ overall final grade by a 1/3 of a letter grade for three unexcused absences and to continue reducing the final grade by a 1/3 of a letter for each additional unexcused absence over three. So for instance, three unexcused absences would take an overall grade of A to an A-, four would take an overall grade of an A- to a B+, etc. Excused absences require medical (or athletic) documentation. Holiday trips are never counted as excused absences. Make Up Policy Regarding Missed Papers and Other In-Class Assignments Papers and presentations must be submitted to Blackboard and/or handed in when scheduled unless medical (or athletic) documentation is provided BEFORE the deadline. Late assignments will be accepted with a deduction in points. Unforeseen emergencies, of course, will be accommodated in consultation with me.
Classroom Conduct Policy All students will show respect to one another and to the instructor. I promise to do the same. The course will encompass difficult topics including slavery and racial and gender discrimination. Students are expected to engage these issues critically and without denigrating any member of the university community. In the event that students are disrespectful in class they will be asked to leave.
Cellphone, Laptops, and Tablet Computers Policy All cell phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptops and other electronic devices should be turned off prior to the beginning of class. Text messaging, emailing, and posting on facebook is considered to be the equivalent of cell phone conversation and is not welcome in the classroom. If there is a specific reason why you need to use a laptop for note taking or if you need to use an electronic device, in the case of a family emergency, etc., then please let me know before class begins. My goal is to have each member of the class engaged and participating in discussion. By eliminating the use of electronic devices during class time I seek to eliminate impediments to your participation. The only exception is if we are talking about a reading posted on Blackboard and you wish to access an electronic copy during our discussion, in which case you can do so on an electronic device (although printing a hard copy is preferred). Students are given two warnings regarding texting, etc. I will
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record a student’s name for the first warning. I will dismiss a student from class for the second warning. For each offense after the second warning, the student will be dismissed from class and I will drop the student’s final grade in the class by 1/3 of a letter grade (e.g. from B- to C+) for each additional warning that you receive.
Plagiarism Statement Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. ANY instance of plagiarism on any assignment will result in a grade of “0” for that assignment. A second instance of plagiarism will result in a grade of “F” for the course. Additionally, while I encourage students to discuss course work outside of class, all written assignments are to be your own work, you may not collaborate beyond the discussion of topics. This course will use a Plagiarism Detection Service called "Safe Assign" built into Blackboard. I only use this program as a guideline to flag suspicious papers. If you do not plagiarize then there will be no problem—I grade each paper myself. Continued enrollment in this course after receipt of this syllabus signifies your understanding and acceptance of the definition and consequences of plagiarism and cheating as defined by George Mason University. Academic Honesty The integrity of the University community is affected by the individual choices made by each of us. GMU has an Honor Code (academicintgrity.gmu.edu) with clear guidelines regarding academic integrity. Three fundamental and rather simple principles to follow at all times are that: (1) all work submitted be your own; (2) when using the work or ideas of others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and (3) if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct. Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another person without giving the person credit. Writers give credit through accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or endnotes. Paraphrased material must also be cited, using Chicago Manual of Style (Humanities) format. A simple listing of books or articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting. If you have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please see the instructor.
Accommodations for Disabilities If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see the instructor and contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 993-2474, http://ods.gmu.edu. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS. Tentative Schedule of Lectures, Readings, and Class Discussion Week One
Introductions: Cultures Meet
Tuesday
Native American Art and Architecture, Early Colonial Painting and Decorative Arts
•
Pohl, 15-41, 54-8
9
Thursday
Global Exchanges and Influences: Seventeenth-Century Colonial Portraiture and Decorative Arts Readings:
• •
Pohl, 58-68 Wayne Craven, “The Seventeenth Century New England Mercantile Image” in Reading American Art
Week Two
Colonial America in the Eighteenth Century
Tuesday
The Consumer Revolution and Georginization Readings:
• •
Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 52-68, 79-92 Laurel Ulrich, “Furniture as Social History: Gender, Property, and Memory in the Decorative Arts” (Blackboard)
Thursday
In-class Probate Inventory Exercise
Week Three
Art and Architecture of a New Nation
Tuesday
Transatlantic Currents: Late Colonial Portraiture and Grand Manner History Painting Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 74-6, 123-8 Paul Staiti, “Character and Class: The Portraits of John Singleton Copley” in Reading American Art
Portraits of Patriots and Museum Building: Charles Willson Peale
• •
Pohl, 69-72, 78-98 Roger Stein, “Charles Willson Peale’s Expressive Design,” in Reading American Art
Week Four
Building A National Culture
Tuesday
Neoclassicism and Washington D.C. Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 112-8, 175-8 Dell Upton “White and Black Landscapes in EighteenthCentury Virginia,” (Blackboard)
Native Americans Reimagined Readings:
•
Pohl, 104-12,153-163 10
•
Viven Green Fryd, “Two Sculptures for the Capitol: Horatio Greenough’s Rescue and Luigi Persico’s Discovery of America,” in Critical Issues in American Art (Blackboard)
Week Five
Race and the American Landscape
Tuesday
Picturing America Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 103-9, 139-52, Allan Wallach, “Thomas Cole and the Aristocracy” in Reading American Art
Moving West Readings:
• •
Pohl, 152-154, Nancy K. Anderson, “The Kiss of Enterprise:” The Western Landscape as Symbol and Resource,” in Reading American Art
Week Six
Paintings of Everyday Life
Tuesday
Genre Painting Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 166-74, 186-90, 263-7 William T. Oedel and Todd S. Gernes “The Painter’s Triumph: William Sydney Mount and the Formation of a Middle-Class Art,” in Reading American Art
Representing Slavery Readings:
•
John Davis, “Eastman Johnson’s Negro Life at the South and Urban Slavery in Washington DC” (Blackboard)
Week Seven
Picturing the Slave Trade
Tuesday
Readings:
•
Maurie McInnis, “Slaves for Sale,” in Slaves Waiting for Sale (Blackboard)
Thursday
MIDTERM
Week Eight
Images of War and Racial Conflict
Tuesday
Portraying the War Readings:
11
•
Sarah Burns, “Cartoons in Color: David Gilmour Blythe’s Very Uncivil War,” in Seeing High and Low (Blackboard)
• Thursday
Civil War Photography Readings:
•
Allan Trachtenberg, “Albums of War: On Reading Civil War Photographs,” Representations (Winter 1985): 1-32 (Blackboard)
Week Nine
Sculptural Conflicts over Gender, Race, and Memory
Tuesday
Neoclassical Sculpture Readings:
• • • Thursday
Pohl, 258-60 Craven, American Art (on reserve) 248-260 Joy Kasson, “Narratives of the Female Body: The Greek Slave,” in Reading American Art
Images of Civil War, Native Americans, and African Americans Readings:
• •
Pohl 155-63, 197-207, 217-226 Kirk Savage, “Common Soliders” in Standing Soliders, Kneeling Slaves (Blackboard)
Saturday
Museum Paper due submit via Blackboard
Week Ten
Nineteenth-Century Expansions
Tuesday
Realism Readings:
• •
Pohl, 245-58 Elizabeth Johns, “The Gross Clinic or Portrait of Professor Gross” in Reading American Art
• Thursday
Art and Architecture of the Gilded Age Readings:
• •
Pohl, 260-282 Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 280-301
Week Eleven
The Role of the Artist Redefined
Tuesday
The Artist as Businessman Readings:
12
• • •
Thursday
Pohl, 268-82, 302-14 Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 281-92 Sarah Burns, “The Price of Beauty: Art, Commerce, and the Late Nineteenth-Century American Studio Interior” in American Iconology (Blackboard)
The Golden Age of Illustration Readings:
•
Michele Bogart, “The Problem of Status for American Illustrators,” in Artists, Advertising, and the Borders of Art (Blackboard)
Week Twelve
Modern Spaces and Urban Painters
Tuesday
American Expatriates and American Impressionism Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 292-300, 352-5 Pollock, “Mary Cassatt: Painter of Women and Children” in Reading American Art
The Eight and the Modern City Readings:
• •
Pohl, 286-292, 302-14 Robert Haywood, “George Bellow’s Stag at Sharkey’s” in Reading American Art
Week Thirteen
The Politics of Art: Twentieth-Century Art and Architecture
Tuesday
The Armory Show and Modernism Readings:
• •
Pohl, 317-22, 325-7 Take a Virtual Tour of the Armory Show at: (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~museum/armory/entrance.html ) or through Blackboard
Thursday
Regional Artists and National Mythmaking Readings:
• •
Pohl, 364-398, 406-412 Wanda Corn, “The Birth of a National Icon: Grant Wood’s American Gothic” in Reading American Art
Week Fourteen
American Architecture and Landscape Planning
Tuesday
The Rise of the Skyscraper Readings:
13
• Thursday
Frank Lloyd Wright Arts and Crafts and Art Deco Readings:
• •
Saturday
Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 302-314, 392-397, 407421
Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 398-407 Arlette Klaric, “Gustav Stickley’s Designs for the Home: An Activist Aesthetic for the Upwardly Mobile,” in Seeing High and Low (Blackboard)
Architecture Paper due submit via Blackboard
Week Fifteen Tuesday
Women as Artists and Subjects in the New America Readings:
• •
Pohl, 399-403 Ellen Wiley Todd, “The Question of Difference: Isabel Bishop’s Deferential Office Girls,” in Reading American Art
FINAL EXAM
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6. Anticipated Audience and Enrollment. The estimated enrollments for the course would be 30-40 students based upon past enrollments at the 300-level, here and in other period surveys. Now that students in History can count an ARTH course in the major, we anticipate that the substantial number of History majors following U.S. interests would enroll in this course. We will apply for general education credit which is now also available for ARTH 372 and ARTH 373. Typically about ½ of our enrollments in given classes come from majors in History, English, Psychology, Communication, Business, and, always several from AVT who frequently minor in ARTH. 7. Staffing. Of our current faculty of seven full-time, tenure-track members (with one retiring at the end of Spring, 2013), and three term faculty, one full-time tenure track professor will be able to staff this course. 8. Course Rotation. Depending upon other offerings this course should be offered every third semester. 9. Course Requirements. Students in the major have either 5 or 6 ARTH courses required at the 300-level. This course would fulfill one of these requirements.
2
Course Approval Form
For approval of new courses and deletions or modifications to an existing course. registrar.gmu.edu/facultystaff/curriculum
Action Requested: X
Course Level:
Create new course Inactivate existing course Modify existing course (check all that apply) Title Prereq/coreq Other:
College/School: Submitted by: Subject Code:
Credits Schedule Type
Repeat Status Restrictions
CHSS Ellen Todd ARTH
X Grade Type
Department: Ext: 34374 Number:
370
History and Art History Email: [email protected]
Effective Term:
X
(Do not list multiple codes or numbers. Each course proposal must have a separate form.)
Title:
Undergraduate Graduate
Fall Spring Summer
Year
2014
Current Banner (30 characters max including spaces) New Arts of the United States
Credits:
X
Fixed Variable
(check one)
Grade Mode: (check one)
X
3
or to
X
Repeat Status: (check one)
Schedule Type:
Regular (A, B, C, etc.) Satisfactory/No Credit Special (A, B C, etc. +IP)
(check one) LEC can include LAB or RCT
Prerequisite(s): 24 hours of undergraduate credit
X
Not Repeatable (NR) Repeatable within degree (RD) Repeatable within term (RT)
Lecture (LEC)
Maximum credits allowed:
Independent Study (IND) Seminar (SEM) Studio (STU)
Lab (LAB) Recitation (RCT) Internship (INT)
Corequisite(s):
Instructional Mode: X
Restrictions Enforced by System: Major, College, Degree, Program, etc. Include Code.
100% face-to-face Hybrid: ≤ 50% electronically delive 100% electronically delivered
Are there equivalent course(s)? Yes No If yes, please list
Catalog Copy for NEW Courses Only (Consult University Catalog for models) Description (No more than 60 words, use verb phrases and present tense)
Notes (List additional information for the course)
Introduces students to high art (painting and sculpture) and popular material and visual cultural forms (prints, furniture, textiles) through a chronological and thematic survey of U.S. Art, 1600 to 1950. Explores changing roles of arts, artists, craftsmen; issues of gender, race, class; and formation of national identify through the arts. Lectures and discussion are featured. Indicate number of contact Hours of Lecture or Seminar per 3 hours: week: When Offered: (check all that Fall Summer Spring apply)
Hours of Lab or Studio:
Approval Signatures Department Approval
Date
College/School Approval
Date
If this course includes subject matter currently dealt with by any other units, the originating department must circulate this proposal for review by those units and obtain the necessary signatures prior to submission. Failure to do so will delay action on this proposal.
Unit Name
Unit Approval Name
Unit Approver’s Signature
Date
For Graduate Courses Only Graduate Council Member
Provost Office
Graduate Council Approval Date
For Registrar Office’s Use Only: Banner_____________________________Catalog________________________________
revised 1
3
New Course Description ARTH 370 This course introduces students to high art (painting and sculpture) and popular material and visual cultural forms (prints, furniture, textiles) through a chronological and thematic survey of U.S. art, 1600 to 1950. Explores changing roles of arts, artists,craftsmen; issues of gender, race, class; and formation of National Identity through the arts. Classes feature lectures and discussion.
COURSE Syllabus
ARTH 370 Arts of the United States Course Description This course takes the student through a chronological and thematic survey of American art from roughly 1600 to 1950 with a focus on the interplay between art and culture. The survey includes a broad array of high art (paintings and sculpture) as well as more popular forms of material and visual culture (such as prints, furniture, and textiles). The course explores three central themes: the changing role of the arts and the artist/craftsman, tensions of race, ethnicity, and gender, and the formation of American national identity. The course will combine classroom discussion of art works and secondary readings with slide lectures. Instructor Professor Jennifer Van Horn Course Meeting: T and R 12:00-1:15 Instructor’s Office: 369 Robinson Hall B Instructor’s Office Hours: T 1:30-2:30 PM; W 3:00-4:00 PM, and by appointment E-mail: [email protected] (email is the easiest way to get in touch with me) E-mail policy I check my email throughout the day. I will always respond within 24 hours during the work week. On the weekends, I will respond within 48 hours. One warning: I tend not to check my email after 9:00 PM at night. So, if you email after that, you definitely will not hear from me until the morning. Course website/Blackboard Access through Blackboard Assignments and important announcements will be posted on Blackboard and sent via email. It is imperative, therefore, that you check your GMU email account AND the course website via Blackboard. You will also be required to submit assignments via Blackboard. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with Blackboard and to submit assignments via Blackboard. An inability to use Blackboard, or experiencing
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technical issues with Blackboard, are not excuses for failing to complete reading assignments or for submitting assignments late. Blackboard is available in the myMason Portal. After logging into http://mymason.gmu.edu, you will see a Courses Tab at the top right. From there you will see a Course List." You should select our course. If you can not log in to myMason please contact the ITU Support Center at (703) 9938870 or reset your Mason NetID password at http://password.gmu.edu For tutorials on how to use Blackboard visit: http://ondemand.blackboard.com/students.htm If you have difficulty with Blackboard you should consult the “Courses Support: Help for Blackboard and Additional Course Tools” website: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_230_ 1 If you repeatedly get “error” messages or are unable to access course content you should contact Mason through the Contact Us form at: https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_230_ 1 Required Books/ Tools (available at the Bookstore) Pohl, Frances K. Framing America: A Social History of American Art. Thames and Hudson, 2012. ISBN: 978-0500289839 Doezema, Marianne and Elizabeth Milroy, eds. Reading American Art. Yale University Press, 1998. ISBN: 978-0300069983 On Reserve in the Library Craven, Wayne. American Art: History and Culture. McGraw Hill, 1994, 2002. ISBN: 978-0072823295 Required Articles (available through Blackboard) Students should use the Pohl text as an accompaniment to the lectures given in class. For certain topics you are asked to read a second textbook: Craven. That will be placed on reserve in the Library. The other required readings are placed on Blackboard. Course Objectives and Outcomes Upon completing the course students will be able to:
• • • • •
analyze the history and development of American art between 1600 and 1950 critically examine art works and works of architecture both in terms of their formal visual qualities as well as their historical context apply theoretical concepts such as race and gender to the study of individual art objects understand how to read and critically interpret both visual artifacts and scholars’ interpretations of them understand how to formulate art historical questions, interrogate sources, support interpretations with visual and historical evidence, and evaluate major debates 5
• • •
•
among scholars be able to see American history from the perspectives of multiple participants understand how America has been portrayed in various art forms and how different Americans have used art to promote their own agendas understand and appreciate social and cultural differences among individuals, groups, and societies with regard to their attitudes towards the environment, the history of slavery, and attitudes toward women have improved their writing by completing critical papers and by thinking deeply about individual art works and buildings
Course Requirements Being in class and being prepared for class are your first priorities; completing all of the readings and being prepared to discuss those readings are parts of your class attendance. The course will be a combination of lecture and discussion. Please have completed the assigned reading before class each day and be ready to discuss what you have read. Please bring any readings that have been assigned for that day to class. I am available during office hours and by appointment to discuss the course, any concerns you may have, or to talk in more depth about the material. Please see me BEFORE an assignment if you are confused, rather than afterwards when I cannot be of as much help. Assignments/ Assessment The Assignments for the course include completing the reading assigned for each meeting. The reading assignment for the week is listed after the session topic; the reading is to be done BEFORE class. Class Participation The most important aspect to success in this class is your presence and your active participation. The course will rely heavily upon discussion, so please have completed the assigned reading before class each day, bring any assigned readings to class, and be ready to critically talk about what you have read. I want us to benefit from the experience and perspectives that each brings to the discussion. That is, I want to hear from each and every one of you, every class. There are several small assignments that you will need to complete in order to participate in class discussions fully. These will also factor into your participation grade in the course. Attending class regularly by itself will not ensure you a high participation grade. So that you know the criteria by which I will judge your participation I will distribute a Discussion Criteria sheet which is also posted on Blackboard. Quizzes. There will be 3 quizzes over the course of the semester to test student’s mastery of the readings. They will be announced closer to the quiz date. Museum Paper. This 4-5 page paper asks you to travel to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington D.C., and to select a work of American art in their collection. Students will visually analyze the artwork using the skills they have been developing in class. Directions for this paper will be posted on Blackboard closer to the due date.
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Architecture Paper. This 5-6 page paper requires you to describe and to analyze the experience of one building on GMU’s campus. Directions for this paper will be posted on Blackboard closer to the due date. Midterm. The midterm will consist of: slide identification (artist, title, date +/- 5 years); short objective questions; a series of slide pairs; and an essay. There will not be a slide list. The images for which you are responsible will be posted on the course website closer to the date of the exam. In the slide pairs you will be expected to identify the images as in the slide identification and write an essay that compares and contrasts the pair based on a question posed to you. Your slide comparison should illustrate your understanding of the visual, thematic, and historical aspects that connect the two works. In the essay you will be expected to draw upon material in your readings as well as use examples of American art works. Final. Like the midterm the final will have slide identifications, objective questions, and a series of slide pairs. These questions will all be drawn from the second half of the class only (the new material since the midterm.) The final will have two essay questions. The first is a take-home essay due on the day of the final that will be a comprehensive question (it will cover material from both halves of the course.) The other will be an in-class essay question that will ask you to draw upon readings and examples from the second half of the class only.
Grading: This course will use a Plus/ Minus grading scale. A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D F
100-97 96-93 92-90 89-88 87-83 80-82 79-78 73-77 70-72 69-68 60-67 59 and below
Your grade will be determined by the following: Quizzes, 10% Museum Paper, 15% Architecture Paper, 15% Midterm Exam, 20% Final Exam, 30% Attendance and Participation, 10% Blackboard and Grading
Grades for papers and assignments (and my comments on your papers) will appear on Blackboard after I have graded an assignment. (On some occasions I may hand a hard 7
copy back to you with my comments.) Your cumulative grade on Blackboard is intended to allow you to keep track of your success in the course, but please note that it is only an approximation and does not include your participation grade (which I will calculate at the end of the semester). Attendance and Assignment Policies You are expected to be in class each day. Please let me know beforehand if there is a University sanctioned reason why you will not be in class. Coming into the class more than ten minutes late will count as an absence. Attendance will be factored into your final grade as a part of the participation grade. Attendance, however, is not the only element factored into participation; I also expect you to be active participants in class conversations.
The Instructor reserves the right to reduce students’ overall final grade by a 1/3 of a letter grade for three unexcused absences and to continue reducing the final grade by a 1/3 of a letter for each additional unexcused absence over three. So for instance, three unexcused absences would take an overall grade of A to an A-, four would take an overall grade of an A- to a B+, etc. Excused absences require medical (or athletic) documentation. Holiday trips are never counted as excused absences. Make Up Policy Regarding Missed Papers and Other In-Class Assignments Papers and presentations must be submitted to Blackboard and/or handed in when scheduled unless medical (or athletic) documentation is provided BEFORE the deadline. Late assignments will be accepted with a deduction in points. Unforeseen emergencies, of course, will be accommodated in consultation with me.
Classroom Conduct Policy All students will show respect to one another and to the instructor. I promise to do the same. The course will encompass difficult topics including slavery and racial and gender discrimination. Students are expected to engage these issues critically and without denigrating any member of the university community. In the event that students are disrespectful in class they will be asked to leave.
Cellphone, Laptops, and Tablet Computers Policy All cell phones, smart phones, tablet computers, laptops and other electronic devices should be turned off prior to the beginning of class. Text messaging, emailing, and posting on facebook is considered to be the equivalent of cell phone conversation and is not welcome in the classroom. If there is a specific reason why you need to use a laptop for note taking or if you need to use an electronic device, in the case of a family emergency, etc., then please let me know before class begins. My goal is to have each member of the class engaged and participating in discussion. By eliminating the use of electronic devices during class time I seek to eliminate impediments to your participation. The only exception is if we are talking about a reading posted on Blackboard and you wish to access an electronic copy during our discussion, in which case you can do so on an electronic device (although printing a hard copy is preferred). Students are given two warnings regarding texting, etc. I will
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record a student’s name for the first warning. I will dismiss a student from class for the second warning. For each offense after the second warning, the student will be dismissed from class and I will drop the student’s final grade in the class by 1/3 of a letter grade (e.g. from B- to C+) for each additional warning that you receive.
Plagiarism Statement Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. ANY instance of plagiarism on any assignment will result in a grade of “0” for that assignment. A second instance of plagiarism will result in a grade of “F” for the course. Additionally, while I encourage students to discuss course work outside of class, all written assignments are to be your own work, you may not collaborate beyond the discussion of topics. This course will use a Plagiarism Detection Service called "Safe Assign" built into Blackboard. I only use this program as a guideline to flag suspicious papers. If you do not plagiarize then there will be no problem—I grade each paper myself. Continued enrollment in this course after receipt of this syllabus signifies your understanding and acceptance of the definition and consequences of plagiarism and cheating as defined by George Mason University. Academic Honesty The integrity of the University community is affected by the individual choices made by each of us. GMU has an Honor Code (academicintgrity.gmu.edu) with clear guidelines regarding academic integrity. Three fundamental and rather simple principles to follow at all times are that: (1) all work submitted be your own; (2) when using the work or ideas of others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and (3) if you are uncertain about the ground rules on a particular assignment, ask for clarification. No grade is important enough to justify academic misconduct. Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another person without giving the person credit. Writers give credit through accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or endnotes. Paraphrased material must also be cited, using Chicago Manual of Style (Humanities) format. A simple listing of books or articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting. If you have any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please see the instructor.
Accommodations for Disabilities If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see the instructor and contact the Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 993-2474, http://ods.gmu.edu. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS. Tentative Schedule of Lectures, Readings, and Class Discussion Week One
Introductions: Cultures Meet
Tuesday
Native American Art and Architecture, Early Colonial Painting and Decorative Arts
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Pohl, 15-41, 54-8
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Thursday
Global Exchanges and Influences: Seventeenth-Century Colonial Portraiture and Decorative Arts Readings:
• •
Pohl, 58-68 Wayne Craven, “The Seventeenth Century New England Mercantile Image” in Reading American Art
Week Two
Colonial America in the Eighteenth Century
Tuesday
The Consumer Revolution and Georginization Readings:
• •
Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 52-68, 79-92 Laurel Ulrich, “Furniture as Social History: Gender, Property, and Memory in the Decorative Arts” (Blackboard)
Thursday
In-class Probate Inventory Exercise
Week Three
Art and Architecture of a New Nation
Tuesday
Transatlantic Currents: Late Colonial Portraiture and Grand Manner History Painting Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 74-6, 123-8 Paul Staiti, “Character and Class: The Portraits of John Singleton Copley” in Reading American Art
Portraits of Patriots and Museum Building: Charles Willson Peale
• •
Pohl, 69-72, 78-98 Roger Stein, “Charles Willson Peale’s Expressive Design,” in Reading American Art
Week Four
Building A National Culture
Tuesday
Neoclassicism and Washington D.C. Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 112-8, 175-8 Dell Upton “White and Black Landscapes in EighteenthCentury Virginia,” (Blackboard)
Native Americans Reimagined Readings:
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Pohl, 104-12,153-163 10
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Viven Green Fryd, “Two Sculptures for the Capitol: Horatio Greenough’s Rescue and Luigi Persico’s Discovery of America,” in Critical Issues in American Art (Blackboard)
Week Five
Race and the American Landscape
Tuesday
Picturing America Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 103-9, 139-52, Allan Wallach, “Thomas Cole and the Aristocracy” in Reading American Art
Moving West Readings:
• •
Pohl, 152-154, Nancy K. Anderson, “The Kiss of Enterprise:” The Western Landscape as Symbol and Resource,” in Reading American Art
Week Six
Paintings of Everyday Life
Tuesday
Genre Painting Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 166-74, 186-90, 263-7 William T. Oedel and Todd S. Gernes “The Painter’s Triumph: William Sydney Mount and the Formation of a Middle-Class Art,” in Reading American Art
Representing Slavery Readings:
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John Davis, “Eastman Johnson’s Negro Life at the South and Urban Slavery in Washington DC” (Blackboard)
Week Seven
Picturing the Slave Trade
Tuesday
Readings:
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Maurie McInnis, “Slaves for Sale,” in Slaves Waiting for Sale (Blackboard)
Thursday
MIDTERM
Week Eight
Images of War and Racial Conflict
Tuesday
Portraying the War Readings:
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Sarah Burns, “Cartoons in Color: David Gilmour Blythe’s Very Uncivil War,” in Seeing High and Low (Blackboard)
• Thursday
Civil War Photography Readings:
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Allan Trachtenberg, “Albums of War: On Reading Civil War Photographs,” Representations (Winter 1985): 1-32 (Blackboard)
Week Nine
Sculptural Conflicts over Gender, Race, and Memory
Tuesday
Neoclassical Sculpture Readings:
• • • Thursday
Pohl, 258-60 Craven, American Art (on reserve) 248-260 Joy Kasson, “Narratives of the Female Body: The Greek Slave,” in Reading American Art
Images of Civil War, Native Americans, and African Americans Readings:
• •
Pohl 155-63, 197-207, 217-226 Kirk Savage, “Common Soliders” in Standing Soliders, Kneeling Slaves (Blackboard)
Saturday
Museum Paper due submit via Blackboard
Week Ten
Nineteenth-Century Expansions
Tuesday
Realism Readings:
• •
Pohl, 245-58 Elizabeth Johns, “The Gross Clinic or Portrait of Professor Gross” in Reading American Art
• Thursday
Art and Architecture of the Gilded Age Readings:
• •
Pohl, 260-282 Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 280-301
Week Eleven
The Role of the Artist Redefined
Tuesday
The Artist as Businessman Readings:
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• • •
Thursday
Pohl, 268-82, 302-14 Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 281-92 Sarah Burns, “The Price of Beauty: Art, Commerce, and the Late Nineteenth-Century American Studio Interior” in American Iconology (Blackboard)
The Golden Age of Illustration Readings:
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Michele Bogart, “The Problem of Status for American Illustrators,” in Artists, Advertising, and the Borders of Art (Blackboard)
Week Twelve
Modern Spaces and Urban Painters
Tuesday
American Expatriates and American Impressionism Readings:
• • Thursday
Pohl, 292-300, 352-5 Pollock, “Mary Cassatt: Painter of Women and Children” in Reading American Art
The Eight and the Modern City Readings:
• •
Pohl, 286-292, 302-14 Robert Haywood, “George Bellow’s Stag at Sharkey’s” in Reading American Art
Week Thirteen
The Politics of Art: Twentieth-Century Art and Architecture
Tuesday
The Armory Show and Modernism Readings:
• •
Pohl, 317-22, 325-7 Take a Virtual Tour of the Armory Show at: (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~museum/armory/entrance.html ) or through Blackboard
Thursday
Regional Artists and National Mythmaking Readings:
• •
Pohl, 364-398, 406-412 Wanda Corn, “The Birth of a National Icon: Grant Wood’s American Gothic” in Reading American Art
Week Fourteen
American Architecture and Landscape Planning
Tuesday
The Rise of the Skyscraper Readings:
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• Thursday
Frank Lloyd Wright Arts and Crafts and Art Deco Readings:
• •
Saturday
Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 302-314, 392-397, 407421
Craven, American Art, (on reserve) 398-407 Arlette Klaric, “Gustav Stickley’s Designs for the Home: An Activist Aesthetic for the Upwardly Mobile,” in Seeing High and Low (Blackboard)
Architecture Paper due submit via Blackboard
Week Fifteen Tuesday
Women as Artists and Subjects in the New America Readings:
• •
Pohl, 399-403 Ellen Wiley Todd, “The Question of Difference: Isabel Bishop’s Deferential Office Girls,” in Reading American Art
FINAL EXAM
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