SART 1150: Introduction to Contemporary Artistic Practice网课代修

　　Section: SART*1150-DE

　　School of Fine Art & Music

　　Course Details

　　Calendar Description

　　This course, which uses a web-based platform, is an introduction to contemporary art and artists. Readings and media content will be augmented by visual art assignments and online discussions in order to develop an understanding of material covered in the course.

　　Instructor Bio:

　　Paul Kajander is a Canadian artist whose practice encompasses video, sculpture, ceramics, sound, performance and photography, often in mixed media installations. His work has been shown in various exhibition contexts, including Franz Kaka; Toronto, Forest City Gallery; London, Modern Fuel; Kingston, the New Media Society; Vancouver, the Hammer Museum; Los Angeles, The SFU Audain Gallery; Vancouver, Daniel Faria Gallery; Toronto, the Seoul Museum of Art; Seoul, The Real DMZ Project; Cheorwon-gun, Art Sonje Center; Seoul and the Western Front; Vancouver. He holds a MFA from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Learning Outcomes

　　Course Learning Outcomes

　　This is a unique course, where you will not only gain a thorough understanding of some of the recent histories, strategies and tendencies in contemporary art, but will also be actively engaged in creating your own creative projects. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to theories surrounding visual culture and examples of contemporary artistic practice, and will then apply this information in the development of your own independently produced visual art assignments.

　　In addition to readings and media content, a portion of the course activity will revolve around several contributions to the course discussion page. You are expected to participate in respectful conversations, offering your point of view in a manner that expands on your relationship to the visual art concepts you’ll encounter, while also refining your visual literacy through the use of related vocabulary and attention to details. The combination of readings, media content, discussions, and project-based assignments will help you develop and expand both your verbal and material vocabularies, while strengthening your creative and critical thinking abilities.

　　Throughout the course you will have numerous opportunities to reflect on and expand your understanding of visual culture and your place within it, broadening the scope of your own creative processes, and learning how your work is situated within the larger discourse of contemporary artistic practice. It is our hope that you will find this course a fascinating introduction to foundational concepts in contemporary artistic practice and a welcome opportunity to produce meaningful creative works based on your encounter with current and historical works of art.

　　By the end of this course, you should be able to:

　　1. Examine the significance of images and their role in society.

　　2. Use innovation, skill and imagination to produce meaningful creative projects.

　　3. Interpret visual culture and contemporary art using relevant theory and practices.

　　4. Create projects that express an increased sensitivity to "imaging acts" as powerful means of informing identities, beliefs, values and lived experiences.

　　5. Develop organizational abilities through observation of technical requirements, project specifications and use of relevant digital interfaces.

　　Teaching and Learning Activities

　　This course has been developed to encourage active, independent study while benefiting from periodic discussion and engagement with peers. Through each of the units, you’ll be reading texts and viewing media content via Ares (see Schedule for specific due dates), reading instructor commentary and completing assignments through the assessments. The instructor will also post additional announcements and supplemental suggestions throughout the course. Students read independently and are encouraged to keep a journal or sketchbook, much as you would take notes during a lecture. Keeping a record of the artworks you find resonant will allow you to bolster the tools you are able to draw upon in making your creative projects in dialogue with the artists and theories discussed through our course content.

　　Method of Learning

　　This course will reward earnest engagement with the Ares readings and media content as well as the contextualizing Instructor Commentary. Through your responses to the assessment assignments, you will gradually be given more freedom to devise unique creative projects. It will not be possible to adequately respond to the increasing complexity of the creative assignments without having a firm grip on the aesthetic and conceptual sensibilities of the artistic practices described through the course content. In an effort to encourage a hands-on approach to learning, your work must give evidence of your attentiveness to details such as materiality, technique, composition, media, problem-solving, legibility of intention and so on. You will also produce writing in the form of a short essay, allowing you to synthesize the artworks and readings you encounter. All of these activities will encourage a more thoughtful relationship to visual culture and a heightened appreciation for contemporary artistic practices.

　　Course Structure

　　In this course you will have the opportunity to use a variety of learning methods. These include readings, studio-based projects, written critical analysis, peer critique, independent learning activities and group discussions.

　　The concepts and issues of this course are presented in six units:

　　• Unit 01: Visual Culture / Ways of Seeing

　　• Unit 02: Identity and Imaging Acts

　　• Unit 03: Meaning & The Everyday

　　• Unit 04: Psychoanalysis, Feminism and Embodied Knowledge

　　• Unit 05: Media & Performance

　　• Unit 06: Place, Race & Capital

　　What to Expect from Each Unit

　　In each unit you will be provided with an introduction and the unit-specific learning outcomes.

　　A section entitled Instructor’s Commentary will follow the unit learning outcomes. In this section you will be presented with the commentary that helps you situate content and concepts related to the unit learning outcomes. There are also non-graded Learning Activities, designed to help you further certain aspects of your skill development. Throughout the Instructor’s Commentary, you’ll find images that are representative of the concepts being explored in readings and media content.

　　Each unit also has a Summary and Self-Directed Research section. The Summary section brings together all of the concepts and content covered in the unit. The Self-Directed Research section provides you with an opportunity to further explore relevant content and concepts on your own.

　　Credits for the images used are located at the very end of each unit.

　　Schedule

　　It is strongly recommended that you follow the course schedule provided below. The schedule outlines what you should be working on each week of the course and lists the important due dates for the assessments. By following the schedule, you will be better prepared to complete the assessments and succeed in this course.

　　Assessment Descriptions

　　Discussion Postings

　　Students will find assigned Discussion Topics in the Assessments section. Students must respond to the topics by making an original posting and in addition, must comment meaningfully on at least 2 of their peers’ comments from their assigned discussion Groups.

　　Creative Projects

　　The creative projects set a trajectory that begins with close observation through the production of drawings based on photographic documentation of works of art. Students are gradually permitted more creative freedom in producing photo-based works in dialogue with the works of photographers who are interested in representations of identity. Finally, students will develop an experimental, performance-based project for hypothetical delivery via the online platform of their choice. Project 1 is worth 20%, Project 2 is worth 25% and Project 3 is worth 30% of the total grade in this course.

　　Short Essay

　　Your short essay is an opportunity to perform additional research and reflection on any of the artists we have looked at in the course content, Ares readings and media reserves. This 750 – 1000 word text will afford the chance to share your perspective concerning the contemporary artistic practices you find most compelling while also performing independent research to learn more about an artist who is of particular interest to you.

　　Technical Skills

　　As part of your online experience, you are expected to use a variety of technology as part of your learning: • Manage files and folders on your computer (e.g., save, name, copy, backup, rename, delete, and check properties);

　　• Install software, security, and virus protection;

　　• Use office applications (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or similar) to create documents;

　　• Be comfortable uploading and downloading saved files;

　　• Communicate using email (e.g., create, receive, reply, print, send, download, and open attachments);

　　• Navigate the CourseLink learning environment and use the essential tools, such as Dropbox, Quizzes, Discussions, and Grades (the instructions for this are given in your course);• Access, navigate, and search the Internet using a web browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Explorer); and

　　• Perform online research using various search engines (e.g., Google) and library databases.Communicating with Your Instructor

　　During the course, your instructor will interact with you on various course matters on the course website using the following methods of communication: • Announcements: The instructor will use Announcements on the Course Home page to provide you with course reminders and updates. Please check this section frequently for course updates from your instructor.

　　• Ask Your Instructor Discussion: Use this discussion forum to ask questions of your instructor about content or course-related issues with which you are unfamiliar. If you encounter difficulties, the instructor is here to help you. Please post general course-related questions to the discussion forum so that all students have an opportunity to review the response. To access this discussion forum, select Discussions from the Tools dropdown menu.

　　• Email: If you have a conflict that prevents you from completing course requirements, or have a question concerning a personal matter, you can send your instructor a private message by email. The instructor will respond to your email within 48 to 72 hours (Monday – Friday).Netiquette Expectations

　　For distance education courses, the course website is considered the classroom and the same protections, expectations, guidelines, and regulations used in face-to-face settings apply, plus other policies and considerations that come into play specifically because these courses are online.

　　Inappropriate online behaviour will not be tolerated. Examples of inappropriate online behaviour include: • Posting inflammatory messages about your instructor or fellow students;

　　• Using obscene or offensive language online;• Copying or presenting someone else's work as your own;

　　• Adapting information from the Internet without using proper citations or references;

　　• Buying or selling term papers or assignments;

　　• Posting or selling course materials to course notes websites;

　　• Having someone else complete your quiz or completing a quiz for/with another student;

　　• Stating false claims about lost quiz answers or other assignment submissions;

　　• Threatening or harassing a student or instructor online;

　　• Discriminating against fellow students, instructors, and/or TAs;

　　• Using the course website to promote profit-driven products or services;

　　• Attempting to compromise the security or functionality of the learning management system; and

　　• Sharing your username and password.