Syllabus

Art and Women Fall 2012

Tuesdays + Thursdays 2:30 - 3:50pm Bradley Hall 312

Department of Arts, Culture and Media – Rutgers University

Professor Doris Caçoilo

Office hours by appointment in Bradley Hall 316

doris (_@_) gaiastudio.org

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course students will be introduced to key issues and theoretical approaches in the study of women and art. The course will provide a historical overview of artworks created by women across the globe from the classical world to the present, with an emphasis on those from the 20^th century. It begins with the examination of the socio-cultural conditions in which women artists have often been excluded or marginalized in art history and later emphasizes how issues of gender have been encoded in art practice, exhibition and collection.  

The course will use a historic context of feminist art and media studies to interpret and analyze contemporary art and media examples. Students will read across various fields to interpret and critique images in art and media to explore women’s role and perception, women as audience and the importance of women as art makers.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to identify major women artists, their works, and their stylistic characteristics in different periods. Students will develop the ability to create thoughtful and engaging projects and writing assignments. In addition to a rigorous reading schedule students are required to write various projects for the class blog and sustain continued research and writing throughout the course in addition to the scheduled projects.  Students will understand the socio-cultural conditions in which women artists of different periods and areas have worked

Students are expected to use theory, criticism and philosophy to understand art and art history. Feedback from classmates is a valuable resource for the improvement of student writing and work. Critiques and discussions allow us to share our projects and analysis of the readings with others and express our intentions and interpretations. Class participation is essential and mandatory.

Class sessions will be divided into presentations and class discussion of the readings. Presentations will address both theoretical and analytical issues related to women and art. Students are responsible to be prepared for class, read all assignments on time and post all writing and projects to the blog, paying attention to technical and aesthetic presentation as well as thoughtful and well-developed content. All work must be handed in on time.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:   Whitney Chadwick, Women, Art, and Society, 4th edition, (New York: Thames and Hudson), 2007. (earlier edition ok: available at bookstore)

         

The Guerrilla Girls, The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art (New York, Penguin Books, 1998)

READINGS Various weekly reading assignments will be assigned from the required texts, linked on the blog, posted for download or passed out in print in class. The reading schedule will be distributed on the blog. Readings are due each week.

BLOG You must consult the class blog daily to check for announcements, readings and to post your assignments. The blog is crucial to the course and completion of the requirements. You MUST have access to the blog to complete assignments, readings, post work and comment on students’ posts.

REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE COURSE

Four writing assignments published to the blog as well as two short exams and a semester project will be developed during the semester. Students must also post 2 links to delicious.com each week, complete all readings and participate in class discussions. Students must complete all assignments in a thoroughly and on time.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is required. Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class, and will be considered when determining the final course grade. More than four (4) absences will result in an 'F' (failure) for the class. No exceptions. Class begins on time, so you must be punctual. Lateness, leaving early or leaving class unexcused for an extended period of time will also be recorded. Two of these instances will count as one absence.

You are required to make up any and all work that is missed if you are absent. Notify the professor if you will be absent. As work will not be accepted late, please contact the professor to hand in work on time!

GRADE POLICY

All assignments must be finished and handed in on time to receive a passing grade for this course.

20% 4 blog posts

40% 2 in-class exams

20% semester project

10% group presentation

10% attendance/participation (Contributions to class discussion, on the class blog + attendance)

NOTE: BACK-UP your work frequently, even as you are working on the projects. Write and edit your posts locally before uploading them to the web. No excuses!

Statement on Originality of the Work

All work completed for this course must be completed by the student enrolled in the course. All work for this course must be made in this course and not fulfilling the requirements of another prior or current course unless pre-approved by the instructor. Plagiarism is a very serious academic offense that will result in penalties ranging from reduction of class grade to failure in the course. Plagiarism occurs when the ideas, images, and words, published or unpublished, of others are presented as one's own without citing the original source. Plagiarism also occurs when the papers, research, or creative works of another person are presented as one's own work.

SCHEDULE

******PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND I WILL INFORM YOU OF SPECIFICS AND CHANGES PERTAINING TO THIS SCHEDULE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you ever have questions or concerns about the schedule, due dates, changes or anything else please e-mail me.

***Readings from required texts are found below. Additional readings for each class will be found on the blog. It is the student’s responsibility to check the blog for additional reading.

Week 1:            9/4 T - Introduction and discussion. Set up students on the class blog.

                        9/6 Th - Classical World Discussion session. Readings Due. Guerrilla Girls, pg.7-17

Week 2:      9/11 T- Ways of viewing--The gaze Discussion session. Readings Due: Check the blog!

9/13 Th - Discussion session. Readings Due: Check the blog!

Week 3:     9/18 T – The Middle Ages Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch. 1 pg.43-65,  Guerilla Girls pg.19-27 POST 1 Due - Group 1 presents

9/20 Th – Renaissance Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch. 2 + 3  pg.67-113, Guerilla Girls pg.29-37 Group 2 presents

Week 4:     9/25 T – 17^th and 18^th Century Europe Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch. 4 + 5 pg.115 – 174, Guerilla Girls pg.39-45 Group 3 presents

                        9/27 Th - Discussion session. Readings Due: Check the blog!

Week 5:     10/2 T – 19^th Century Victorian England Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick Ch.6 pg.175-204, Guerilla Girls pg.47-57 Group 4 presents

                        10/4 Th - 19^th Century American Craft, Painting, and Sculpture Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch.7 pg.205-227 Group 5 presents

Week 6:     10/9 T -   *****CHANGE IN SYLLABUS***Discussion session. NO Readings Due.

                  10/11 Th -Impressionism Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch.8 pg.228-250  

                  Group 6 presents

                        

Week 7:     10/16 T - 
                   *****CHANGE IN SYLLABUS***Post 2 Due 
                   Discussion session/review

                        
                  10/18 Th - EXAM 1

Week 8:     10/23 T -  Early 20^th Century Modernism and Abstraction Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch. 9 pg.252-278, Guerrilla Girls pg.59-79 
                   Group 7 presents
                   *****CHANGE IN SYLLABUS***Proposal (topic) Due for Semester Project

10/25 Th - Female Body in early 20^th Century Art - German Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch.10 pg.279-315

Group 8 presents

Week 9:     10/30 T- Gender, Race and Modernism after World War II - Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick Ch.11 pg.316-354, Guerrilla Girls pg.80-88 Group 9 presents

11/1 Th -Discussion session. Readings Due: Check the blog
*****CHANGE IN SYLLABUS**
*Proposal and* Draft Bibliography/Resource List due for Semester Project

Week 10:            11/6 T – 

                        11/8 Th - Discussion session. Readings Due: Check the blog!

Week 11:     11/13 T –Feminist and Performance Art Discussion session. Readings Due.
                        Chadwick, Ch.12, pg.355-377 , Guerrilla Girls pg.89-91 
 Group 11 presents

                        11/15 Th - Postmodernism Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick, Ch.13       pg.378-422

Week 11:     11/20 T – Politics of Race Discussion session. Readings Due. Chadwick, Ch.14 pg.423-466  Post 3 Due

                        11/22 Th- NO CLASS J

Week 12:     11/27 T- Women Artists Today Discussion session. Readings Due: Chadwick Ch.15  pg.467-495

                        11/29 Th- Post 4 Due (on trip to Museum) Discussion session. No readings due – work on your semester projects.

Week 13:            12/4 – SEMESTER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS – all projects posted to the blog

                        12/6 – SEMESTER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Week 14:            12/11 T - Review for Exam

                        12/13 Th - READING DAY

FINAL:            12/18 T - EXAM 2  (11:45 – 2:45  *to be confirmed)

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS

*Two quizzes

Students must be prepared for two quizzes of class readings and discussions (short answer, slide identifications and essays.)

*Posts 1-4.

Students must develop researched responses to readings and discussions in class. Each post will be specific to the topics covered in class at that time and will be explained during class. Students are responsible to write and edit these posts as well as illustrate them and successfully post them to the blog for discussion and critique in class.

*Group presentation

Create a presentation that illustrates the readings for that day. You can choose to focus on one particular theme, artist, group or school or give a general overview of themes covered. Presentations should be organized, clear and engaging and should include a visual component in addition to an exciting interactive presentation. All students in the group must participate. These should be 7-10 minutes. The presentations should spur discussion within the classroom. Presentations should end with a question or questions posed to the class. MAKE IT AWESOME! Presentation summaries must be posted to the blog. Every student will present once throughout the semester.

*Semester Project

*******REWRITTEN PLEASE READ 

Based on the discussions and projects presented in class and on the blog please create a short piece of (researched) media which focuses on an artist, art movement or social issue addressed by artists. How does the issue specifically address how this affects the lives of women artists, women and/or how artists can be instrumental in solving or raising awareness about this issue? No matter your final output your project must be based in extensive research. Please find inspirational examples, think about your audience and FOCUS on a specific topic, being careful not to be too general and to tell a unique story, thesis, point of view.  Choose one of the following formats for your project.

1.     Essay with embedded images.

2.     Video- music, documentary, performance

3.     Researched article or extensive slideshow with captions or narration (think NYTimes)

4.     Magazine/Zine

5.     Interactive Web Project/Site