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Course Syllabus - AVT 620 - 001: Theory, Criticism in the Visual Arts

Professor: Mark Cooley
Class hours: Spring '08 - W, 1:30 - 4:10
Office hours: M 1:30-4:30
Office - C209D

Texts

Required readings will either be provided by the professor in hardcopy or made available on the net. Please see course outline for a list of texts.

Catalog Description

AVT 620 Theory and Criticism in the Visual Arts (3:3:0) Prerequisite: admission to AVT graduate program or permission of instructor. Cross-disciplinary graduate seminar focusing on key theories and themes that have informed 20th and 21st century arts practice.  Looks at theory and criticism in a variety of contexts, from popular to scholarly, and considers the role of artists as thinkers and writers.

Course Statement

This course brings together, in the intensive research / discussion based format offered by a graduate seminar, various texts, artworks and media through which we will confront visual culture in relation to modern and post-modern social, political and economic conventions. This course is not an attempt to form an objective survey or chronology of critics, theorists, philosophers, artists, etc., nor is it a random sampling of issues, theories and art of interest to the professor.  Rather, this course is constructed toward developing a methodology, couched in the suppositions of contemporary theory (by way of structuralism and post-structuralism), through which students may articulate the significance of cultural artifacts such as art, mass media and digital culture. Rather than rooting the developments of culture as the fulfillment of any kind of natural order, whether that order be based in rationality, mysticism, or otherwise, the course reviews the development of art and visual culture in the industrial and postindustrial ages as a wholly human invented affair, and as such, subject to critical response from a multitude of studies invested in human affairs.  Indeed, many of the writers and artists we will confront are informed by such seemingly disparate disciplines as art, sociology, political science, economics, psychology, gender studies and others. The course consists of three parts. Part 1 of the course focuses on fine art as a concept:  Modernist notions of autonomy, transcendence and universality are challenged as we assume the meaningfulness of art as culturally constructed and construed necessarily within a conceptual framework. Part 2 of the course focuses primarily on the structure of mass media as both visual culture and institution.  Part 3 of the course situates digital visual culture within the political economy of the so-called digital revolution.

Course Requirements

Attendance and participation: This class will fail without your active participation.  It should go without saying that you should attend all class sessions and be prepared to participate knowledgeably in class discussion.

Weekly summaries:  Written responses to all readings assigned the previous week (one - two pages response for each reading). Summaries should consist of ideas you've drawn from each reading and will be graded according to your investment (as evidenced by your written responses) in the material.

Presentations: All students will present at least one 10 - 15 minute introduction to assigned readings and artist’s works. Each class will begin with student presentations and continue with discussion, lecture and media.

Research paper/project: Students will complete one exploratory research paper or art project on any topic with respect to the content of the course. Papers should be 8 - 10 pages. Art projects should be equally ambitious in terms of thought and time investment. Students must meet with the instructor at least twice about their research papers or projects.  Initial outlines due - 2/15/06

Grading: Students will receive grades for each written summary and a grade for each class presentation.  A midterm and final grade will be given for class participation.  Final paper and project grades will equal two summary grades.  From that point, all grades will be averaged equally at the end of the semester to obtain final grades.

University Policies and Resources

As a courtesy to others in the class, and in accordance with George Mason University policy, please turn off all beepers, cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices at the start of class.

Official Communications

Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for the content of university communication sent to their Mason e-mail account, and are required to activate that account and check it regularly.

Honor Code

Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code as stated in the George Mason University Catalog. The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas. As a faculty member, I have an obligation to refer the names of students who may have violated the Honor Code to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously.

Students with Disabilities and Learning Differences

If you have a diagnosed disability or learning difference and you need academic accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the semester and contact the  Disabilities Resource Center (SUB I room 234, 703-993-2474).  You must provide me with a faculty contact sheet from that office outlining the accommodations needed for your disability or learning difference. All academic accommodations must be arranged in advance through the DRC.

University Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action Statement

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution committed to the principle that access to study or employment opportunities afforded by the university, including all benefits and privileges, be accorded to each person—student, faculty or staff member, or applicant for employment or admission—on the basis of individual merit and without regard to race, color, religion (employees), national origin, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, sex, or age (except where sex or age is a bona fide occupational qualification).

Writing Center

Students who are in need of intensive help with grammar, structure or mechanics in their writing should make use of the services of the Writing Center, located in Robinson A116 (703-993-1200). The services of the Writing Center are available by appointment, online and, occasionally, on a walk-in basis.

See Academic Calendar for important deadlines, etc.

 

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