ART 1: INTRODUCTION TO ART
Foothill College Course Outline of Record
| Heading | Value |
|---|---|
| Units: | 4.5 |
| Hours: | 4 lecture, 1.5 laboratory per week (66 total per quarter) |
| Degree & Credit Status: | Degree-Applicable Credit Course |
| Foothill GE: | Area I: Humanities |
| Transferable: | CSU/UC |
| Grade Type: | Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass) |
| Repeatability: | Not Repeatable |
Student Learning Outcomes
- A successful student will be able to evaluate and interpret in writing artwork produced in a variety of media (e.g., photography, printmaking, painting, and performance, etc.) by a selection of contemporary artists (e.g., Lorna Simpson, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Hung Liu, etc.) whose work exemplifies the creativity of multicultural America.
- A successful student will be able to Analyze and describe a single actual work of art in an in-depth essay utilizing specific art historical methodology, which focuses on the role of the viewer in creating meaning in a work of art.
Description
Course Objectives
The student will be able to:
A. Analyze and gain knowledge of the style(s) and content(s) of significant visual art works produced throughout the world and the history of art.
B. Systematically examine, interpret, and develop an appreciation for individual works of art not as isolated phenomena, but as components which have meaning when viewed in relation to the whole history of art and the over-arching human condition.
C. Evaluate, acquire knowledge of (and discuss in small groups in class or online) the various underlying principles motivating artistic expression and how they reflect broader human ideas and ideals.
D. Recognize and develop an appreciation for the significance of art production and visual communication within a variety of socio-cultural contexts.
E. Using critical thinking skills, analyze and reflect in verbal/written form individual responses to a broad range of visual art works.
F. Recognize and apply critical methodologies (Formalist, Marxist, Feminist, Structuralist, Post-Structuralist, Psychoanalytic, etc.) to analyze a broad range of visual culture (painting, film, sculpture, architecture, photography etc.).
Course Content
A. Introduction to visual arts and visual literacy
1. The ways artists perceive (and recreate) the world
2. Relationships between words and images
3. Art in socio-historical context
4. Considering visual conventions
5. Critical methodologies in the visual arts
a. Analyze Psychoanalytic, Ideological, Structuralist, Post-Structuralist, and Formalist critical methodologies
B. Themes and values in art
1. The value of art in society
2. Public art and politics
C. Visual elements and design principles
1. Formal elements: line, space, light, color, texture, pattern, time, motion
2. Design: balance, emphasis/focal point, scale and proportion, repetition and rhythm, unity and variety
D. Visual arts media
1. Drawing: preparatory sketch to finished art work
2. Printmaking: relief, intaglio, lithography, silkscreen
3. Painting: encaustic, fresco, tempera, oil, watercolor, gouache, mixed-media
4. Photography and time-based media: film, video, computer and internet-based arts
5. Sculpture: carving, modeling, assemblage, installation, earthworks, performance art
E. Crafts as fine arts
1. Ceramics, glass, fiber, wood, metal
F. Architecture
1. Green architecture and the community
2. Architectural technology and the environment
Lab Content
Lab hours consist of one or more of the following options:
A. Online students must (and traditional classroom students may) participate in one and one half hours per week of online discussions in Etudes based on questions posed in weekly lessons. This participation consists of students' postings in answer to written questions provided by the instructor and/or postings in response to other student comments in an online discussion forum.
B. Traditional classroom/online students will visit local museums and view actual works of art in preparation for a written museum report assignment. Time spent on museum visits and the related essay assignment must be at least one and one half hours per week.
Special Facilities and/or Equipment
B. When taught on campus: an adequate slide collection and/or access to digital images and projection equipment (e.g., DVD/VCR, slide projector, screen, etc.).
Method(s) of Evaluation
A. Required readings in text and related online weekly lesson modules. Questions posed in lessons to be discussed in online discussion forums or in traditional classroom.
B. Weekly essay assignments based on readings of text and lesson modules online to evaluate ongoing student learning; research paper/museum report assignment project may be assigned.
C. Two midterms and one final; examinations may include slide identification, term definition and slide comparison essay, short answer and objective questions.
Method(s) of Instruction
A. Reading online lessons/lectures introducing student to art/art history, presented in weekly modules and viewing supporting videos on contemporary artists.
B. Participating in group/individual discussions in response to lesson questions posed in modules (twice weekly posts minimum required).
C. Writing weekly essays submitted in response to questions based on lessons and readings in textbook (online sections).
D. Visiting a fine art museum in preparation for viewing and writing an extensive essay analysis of an individual work of art.
Representative Text(s) and Other Materials
Sayre, Henry M. A. World of Art. 8th ed. New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 2015.
Lazzari, Margaret, and Dona Schlesier. Exploring Art: A Global and Thematic Approach. 5th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2016.
When taught via Foothill Global Access, supplemental lectures, handouts, tests and assignments delivered via Etudes and/or email; feedback on tests and assignments delivered via Etudes and/or email; class discussion may be delivered in chat rooms, listservs and newsgroups.
Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments
A. Reading Assignments: Reading of one or more textbook chapters for each weekly lesson (e.g., Chapter 1-2: Introduction to Visual Arts and Developing Visual Literacy plus online lesson/module). Additional reading and research required for museum report assignment project.
B. Writing Assignments: Weekly writing assignment based on text and lessons such as the following:
1. Assignment 1: After viewing the "A WORLD OF ART: WORKS IN PROGRESS" video on Lorna Simpson and reading relevant sections of the Sayre textbook, please answer the following questions. Your answers should be written in proper essay form and each should consist of a minimum of one page of typewritten text. Each answer will, therefore, be at least several fully developed paragraphs in length, using standard font size and single spacing. PLEASE number each of the two answers and use proper grammar and punctuation at all times. You should attempt to answer each question in as much detail as possible. To view the video, you may use the PBS Videos tab at the left or you may click on a list of videos available for viewing and select Lorna Simpson, which is part of the "A WORLD OF ART: WORKS IN PROGRESS" series.
a. Though Lorna Simpson is usually classified as a "photographer," early in the video she denies being very interested in photography for its own sake. What other sorts of issues interest her? What other labels might be appropriately used to describe her as an artist?
b. Consider the relationship of text to image in these works. Which work changes the most dramatically for you when you read the text? Or what text surprises you the most? Explain why.