Draft

School of Art
California State University, Long Beach
Standard Course Outline

Art 111 Experiencing Art

I. General Information

A. Course Number: Art 111
B. Title: Experiencing Art
C. Units: 3
D. Prerequisites: None
E. Responsible faculty: Glenn Zucman & Karen Kleinfelder
F. SCO Prepared by: Glenn Zucman & Karen Kleinfelder
G. Date prepared: September 25, 2015

II. Catalog Description

Art 111. Experiencing Art (3) Prerequisites: None.

Exploring art and contemporary culture through hands-on experience in diverse art media and gallery settings. Developing creativity and discovery through viewing and discussing art made by students from the CSULB School of Art.

III. Curriculum Justifications

The existing course Art 110: Introduction to the Visual Arts is being retired at the end of Summer Session 2015. From it 2 new General Education courses are being created, one focusing on Art History, and this course, Art 111 focusing on Experiencing Art.

This is a C-1, The Arts, General Education course.

Essential GE Skills

Primary

Creativity & Discovery
Interdisciplinary Learning

Creativity & Discovery
Creativity and Discovery is both the capacity to combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways and the experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative way characterized by a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking.

Creativity & Discovery Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Acquiring Competencies
Taking Risks
Innovative Thinking

Interdisciplinary Learning
Interdisciplinary Learning is an understanding and a disposition that a student builds across the curriculum and co-curriculum, from making simple connections among ideas and experiences to synthesizing and transferring learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus.

Interdisciplinary Learning Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Connections to Experience
Reflection and Self-Assessment

Secondary

Written Communication
Critical Thinking

IV. Student Learning Outcomes

Acquire Competency – acquire entry-level competency with a range of art media from traditional to new media.
A. Measurable Benchmarks: Attempt 12 different art activities ranging from traditional media such as Painting & Sculpture to new media such as Ephemeral Messaging & 3D Design.
B. Evaluation Instruments: 12 essays on the student’s personal ePortfolio analyzing their experience and synthesizing new ideas
C. Strategies for Skill Development: Encourage diversity and facility for students by exploring 12 art activities that are as diverse as possible
Take Risks – confront fears of embarrassment, failure, and other limits, to take Activities (projects) beyond original parameters and into new materials, forms, ideas & solutions.
A. Measurable Benchmarks: In 12 weekly Activities, 13 Conversations with SOA Artists, and 13 Conversations with Art 111 Peers, students demonstrate new forms of formal and conceptual understanding and willingness to experiment and explore.
B. Evaluation Instruments: 38 essays on the student’s personal ePortfolio.
C. Strategies for Skill Development: Feedback from instructor and classmates encouraging students to continue to expand their willingness to explore new media, new ideas, and the edges of art.
Innovative Thinking – explore novel and unique ideas in the creation of new, boundary crossing solutions to Activity prompts and encounters with Artists.
A. Measurable Benchmarks: Weekly activities by students with fast feedback from faculty and classmates.
B. Evaluation Instruments: 38 essays on the student’s personal ePortfolio.
C. Strategies for Skill Development: Feedback and examples of student work that exhibits innovative thinking.
Connections to Experience – connect relevant experience and academic knowledge (life experience, academic experience) to deepen understanding & broaden point of view.
A. Measurable Benchmarks: Level of ideas and experience integrated into student work and analysis across the weeks of the semester
B. Evaluation Instruments: 38 essays on the student’s personal ePortfolio.
C. Strategies for Skill Development: Group and individual feedback showing examples of where students have made strong connections to life and academic experience, or where such connections might have been more robust.
Reflection and Self-Assessment – demonstrate a developing sense of self as a creative learner, building on prior experiences to respond to new and challenging contexts in the arts.
A. Measurable Benchmarks: Degree of Reflection and Self-Assessment exhibited across the weeks of the semester as students try new Art Activities and have Conversations with SOA artists.
B. Evaluation Instruments: 38 essays on the student’s personal ePortfolio.
C. Strategies for Skill Development: Group and individual feedback showing examples of where students have demonstrated a sense of self as a creative learner. Examples of where students have built on prior experiences to respond to new challenges or how they might have more deeply connected prior experiences to new and challenging contexts.

V. Outline of Subject Matter

The following is a broad outline of topics to be covered. Subject matter and sequence of topics
may vary by instructor.

Create a personal website (SLO #5)
12 weekly Art Activities, from Painting & Sculpture to Social Photography & Alternate Reality Gaming, each designed to introduce students to another set of Media, Ideas, and Personal Discoveries in Art. (SLO #1, SLO #2, SLO #3)
13 weekly Conversations with CSULB SOA Student Artists, each intended to introduce students to a wide range of art ideas and media as practiced by artists working in the 21st century. (SLO #3, SLO #4)
13 weekly Conversations with Art 111 Classmates, each intended to introduce students to connections and diversity within their cohort. Art 111 students view SOA Artists’ work together and use it as discussion material to explore their own culture vis-a-vis contemporary art. (SLO #4, SLO #5)
Write 38 blog posts across the semester, each reflecting on Competencies Acquired, Risks Taken, Innovative Thinking, Connections to Experience, and Reflection & Self-Assessment (SLO #1, SLO #2, SLO #3, SLO #4, SLO #5)
Create an ePortfolio (SLO #4, SLO #5)

VI. Methods of Instruction

This course focuses on active student engagement and interaction with student-artists from the CSULB School of Art. Each week consists of 3 primary projects:

Art Activity – a range of media from traditional media like Painting & Sculpture to new media like Instagram and 3D Game Design.
Conversation with an Artist – Each week students visit the 5 CSULB SOA Art Galleries located in the Gallery Courtyard between FA2 & FA3. Here they view 4-5 new exhibitions each week and select one of the exhibiting artists for a conversation.
Conversation with a Classmate – Each week students have a conversation with one classmate they don’t already know. They discuss background and career interests, look at the art in the galleries together, and discuss the “Question of the Week” together.
Experiential Writing – At the end of each week these 3 Projects are “turned in” via blog posts on the student’s personal website.

VII. Information about Texts & Readings

The following are examples of texts for this course:

A. Activity Briefs

12 Activity Briefs from course website, for example:

Web Design
Sculpture
Social Photography
Ethnography
Painting
Ephemeral Art
Identity Art
Portrait Photography
Game Design 1 (3D Design)
Game Design 2 (Augmented Reality)
Fiber Art
ePortfolio

B. Primary Sources

Primary Sources: reading 40 – 60 websites from CSULB SOA Student Artists

VIII. Selected Bibliography

As a 21st-century-focused course, this bibliography relies on online-based primary sources as much as possible. Most of the links below are the artist’s own websites. Most of the individuals listed are artists. Some would not take the label “artist” nor exhibit in an art gallery or art museum, yet because their work involves critical practice or critical making, they are also included here.

IX. Instructional Policies Requirements

Instructors may specify their own policies with regard to plagiarism, withdrawal, absences, etc., as long as the policies are consistent with the University policies published in the CSULB Catalog. It is expected that every course will follow University policies on Attendance (PS 01-01), Course Syllabi and Standard Course Outlines (PS 11-07), Final Course Grades, Grading Procedures, and Final Assessments (PS 05-07), and Withdrawals (PS 02-02).

All sections of the course will have a syllabus that includes the information required by the syllabus policy adopted by the Academic Senate. Instructors will include information on how students may make up work for excused absences. When class participation is a required part of the course, syllabi will include information on how participation is assessed. Syllabi will include a rubric for how written communication is to be evaluated.

X. Course Assessment

The exact set of course assignments will vary depending on the instructor. University policy requires that no single evaluation of student achievement may count for more than one-third of the final grade. Appropriate assignments may include:

Create a personal website (SLO #5) 5% of course grade
12 weekly Art Activities (SLO #1, SLO #2, SLO #3) 35% of course grade
13 weekly Conversations with CSULB SOA Student Artists (SLO #3, SLO #4) 35% of course grade
13 weekly Conversations with Art 111 Classmates (SLO #4, SLO #5) 15% of course grade
Write 38 blog posts across the semester (SLO #1, SLO #2, SLO #3, SLO #4, SLO #5) (points for this work assessed through the other assignments)
Create an ePortfolio (SLO #4, SLO #5) 10% of course grade

Grading Policies

Grading policies and procedures and the percentage of the course grade associated with each assessment must be explicit on each instructor’s syllabus. Instructors must develop scoring guidelines for assessments, which must be made available to students.

Final Course Grade

90-100% = A – mastery of the relevant course standards
80-89% = B – above average proficiency of the relevant course standards
70-79% = C – satisfactory proficiency of the relevant course standards
60-69% = D – partial proficiency of the relevant course standards
Below 60% = F – little or no proficiency of the relevant course standards

XI. Consistency of SCO Standards across Sections

Art 111 is not currently offered from multiple instructors. If the School of Art were to offer sections from multiple instructors, consistency would be monitored through the School of Art Curriculum Committee, and the Head of the Foundation program would review the SCO and offer advice and/or materials to each faculty member new to teaching the course. All future syllabi will conform to the SCO. The responsible faculty or Head of the Foundation program may offer or require regular review of instructors’ course materials as well as anonymous samples of student work.

Students in the CSULB School of Art’s Gatov Gallery