ANTH-A 390
PERFORMANCE AS SOCIAL ACTION
Students will reflect on how performances can be understood as ways that people address cultural, social, economic and political issues such as community, nation, gender, race and ethnicity, class, health, religion, human rights, environment and globalization in a number of geographic contexts. They will explore these issues through readings, performance critiques from recorded performances, and movement lab sessions, in which students will themselves get the chance to translate some of the key issues we discuss into simple movement sequences.
WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?: RACIAL AND ETHNIC HUMOR IN THE U.S.
This interdisciplinary course draws from the intersecting fields of anthropology, sociology, psychology, folklore, and performance/media studies. We will begin by examining basic humor and anthropological concepts as they apply to racial and ethnic comedy, focusing on the functions and constructions of who can joke about what, who laughs or “gets the joke,” and the strategies or styles employed for these purposes. The second part of the course will revolve around stand-up comedy techniques and how comics design/adapt them to their audiences. Throughout this segment of the class, we will combine the readings with in-class video of stand-up performances and creative humor compositions (with the option to perform them in-class) in order that we may engage more directly with the concepts in the readings up to this point on stand-up and racial/ethnic identity. The final third of the course highlights the uses of racial and ethnic humor in recent literature, comedy shows (Chappelle’s Show, The Sarah Silverman Program), and film (Borat). We will consider the questions and ideas raised so far as well as discuss a few new ones. By the end of the semester, the goal for this course is that you understand how racial and ethnic humor is employed in the US, what social or political purposes it may serve, and how an anthropologist might investigate this subject.
ENG-A 399
THE ART OF IMITATION: EXPERIMENTAL POETRY
One of the first practices artists learn is imitation, or the creation of an artistic work ‘after’ that of an established artist. In this course, students will be introduced to ‘experimental’ contemporary poetry—poetry that not only deviates from what would be considered the formal poetry that would be encountered in early British or American Literature survey courses, but also deviates from what might be considered more mainstream contemporary poetry that would be encountered in contemporary lit classes—which they will then be expected to imitate. Through close examination of the elements of craft in these poetic texts, we will determine what makes a poem ‘experimental,’ and establish criteria for what makes an experimental poem ‘successful.’ We will also view several ‘experimental’ (generally non-narrative or non-linear) films to help our understanding of how works that do not conform to traditional expectations of an audience function as cohesive works of art.
By the end of the course, students will have a chapbook-length (12-24 pages) collection of experimental poems of their own.
BERLIN & PRAGUE: HISTORY, LITERATURE, CULTURE: EUROPEAN CITIES AS SITES OF COLLAGE
This study abroad course explores two fascinating European cities: Berlin and Prague. Three weeks of coursework at IU South Bend will focus on the history, literature, culture, and art of
Berlin in Prague. Then in 15 days in Europe, students have a chance to visit these cites and experience the history first hand, for example to explore the Prague castle where Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II conducted scientific experiments or walk with the lines on the ground that marked the former Berlin wall. HIST‐T190 will provide an overview of Berlin & Prague from the
1500s to the present, providing context for the tensions between the two cities in the 20th century. In ENG‐A399, students study the literature of these two cities and create collages in course journals, in the process gaining a new understanding of Prague and Berlin as sites of collage.
CREATE YOUR OWN BOOK OF NARRATIVE COLLAGE
Narrative has to do with telling stories, and collage is about juxtaposing different images and ideas. The writer Donald Barthelme said, “the point of collage is that things are stuck together to create a new reality.” In this class we will collect “things”—memories, poems, photos, objects, images—and stick them together to tell stories and create new realities. We’ll study many examples of literary and visual collage as we explore new ways to tell stories. Students in this course will write poetry and prose, take photographs, collect objects, and work throughout the semester toward a final project: you will write, design, and self-publish your own book of narrative collage. Note on content and materials: This course includes advanced reading assignments and reflective writing. Students must have regular access to a camera and should expect to pay up to $20 extra for materials and self-publishing.
I, ME, MINE: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SELF IN POETRY AND COLLAGE
The lyric “I” is alive and well in contemporary American poetry, with some poets embracing the confessional mode and others engaging in lyric forms that reflect a new selfhood, one that concerns itself less with sincerity and attempts to convey personal story in a more fragmented way, driven by the artifice of language. Ever since Whitman announced “I celebrate myself,” poets have been negotiating the deeper concerns of autobiographical poetry, of truth-telling and authorial responsibility. We’ll look at six contemporary poets who represent various degrees of confession, and students will write their own portfolio of “autobiographical” poems. Visual artists’ work, too, by the turn of the 20th century, began moving away from traditional, representational art to more abstract forms, notably collage. We’ll look at many collage artists and collage techniques and make collages for the purpose of personal expression. Although collage is by definition a fragmented form, like poetry, there are various degrees of accessibility and you will explore the possibilities of putting images together with a sense of adventure while paying attention to various elements of form.
POETRY, ART, AND NEW YORK SCHOOL
In this class we will explore formal variations in contemporary poetry as a means for approximating reality, culture, and perceptions we might associate with the idea of the self. From narrative poetry, to poetry that gives voice to “fields of consciousness,” we will explore the various ways poets arrive at fresh and authentic meanings, how the idea of the linear—narrative– has given way to a more collage-like and improvisational language that uses startling juxtapositions, associative leaps, and original word placement on the page to get at larger, and seemingly more precise, autobiographical and cultural truths. To aid our exploration we will also look at visual art, from the turn of the century to the present day, and the relationship the so-called New York School poets had with painters around the middle of the twentieth century. Texts could include a poetry anthology, American Hybrid, a Norton Anthology of New Poetry, David Lehman’s The Last Avant-Garde, books on visual art, and several single authored books of poetry. There will be objective tests on this reading. Primarily, however, students should expect to write many poems, culminating in a book-length sequence, combining narrative poems with collage poems using search engines and found text, and much improvisational work with collage and drawing, etc. Experience in creative writing and art in general is a big plus in this class.
WORKING CLASS ART AND AESTHETICS
This course is designed to explore the representation, cultural reproduction, and meaning of class in the United States. While many Americans proudly claim their working class roots, cultural representations of people who work for a living are few and far between. This course will focus on artists, writers, and filmmakers for whom class, the workplace, and production of identity are the central foci of their art. Themes the course will explore what it means to construct a subjective identity through the lens class, how intersections of race, gender, and national origin contribute to concepts of a classed subject, as well as how literature, music, and film have been used to construct and contest the meaning of class in America.
This class will also provide you a forum to write creatively about you personal experiences with work, as children of working parents, as workers yourselves, and/or as consumers of goods produced by the labor of others. Opportunities to write about your will take the shape of first-person narratives, as well as formal creative writing assignments.
FINA-A 399
ARTIST AND NEW MEDIA
This course is primarily intended for students who wish to pursue new media as a means of artistic expression. The course considers new media from both an historical/cultural/critical base (readings, lectures, viewing), and from an experiential base (production/exhibition projects in selected new media genres). At the end of the course, the successful student should have acquired a foundational vocabulary in the history and criticism of new media, an understanding of how artists have used and are using new media as a means of artistic expression, and a basic technical fluency with new media production tools.
COLOR THEORY
Lectures, seminar discussions and personal investigation provide a basic introduction on the physiology of color, on the complex and varied history of color theory and the use of color by artists from antiquity to the present. Seminar readings expand exploration while student projects focus on one aspect of color theory. Students will be encouraged to explore aspects of color related to their studio work or to their academic interests. Each student will make a final presentation on the research and exploration conducted during the semester. No prerequisite.
HISTORY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
An in-depth survey exploring global graphic design trends beginning with pre-historic visual communication to current digital technology. Areas covered include historic and technological influences on design, the role of the graphic artist, creator’s rights, and the development of media and its impact on society.
LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY: A HISTORY AND PRACTICE
This course will explore landscape photography. The course will address the visual language of camera-generated images, the history of landscape images and the dialogue of contemporary landscape photography. Course work will include lecture and discussion of historical and contemporary images. Students will produce landscape images and write and talk about their images as well as images made by their peers. Students will develop an understanding of landscape images in relation to culture and society. The course assumes no prior knowledge or experience with digital imaging technologies or materials. Students must provide a digital camera.
THE MODERN CITY
Drawing from texts and visual material related to several humanities disciplines, this course focuses on the forces that shaped modern cities. After a brief survey of each city’s history, we will examine the geographical, political, economic and social factors which molded major European, American and two Asian cities from the 18th century to the First World War. We will discover how historical changes affected the general configuration of cities. We’ll connect the city, its monuments and vernacular fabric with the intellectual life of its inhabitants. We’ll relate the role of communications such as roads, canals, railways, and underground, as well as major infrastructure components such as sewers and water supply, to the development of a modern city. We will study the ideologies which mediated between utopian visions of the city and the actual physical plant of urban configurations as they grew, evolved and became the cities we know today.
PAINTING AND SCULPTURE IN FLORENCE
In this four-week workshop, students will explore Florence and surroundings by sketching, drawing, and experimenting with sculptural ideas. At SRISA students will have access to painting facilities, classrooms, and gallery space to further develop their creative ideas into projects. Classes will be held four days a week with opportunities to tour the city’s museums and monuments. Part of the time we will work on location, from direct observation in museums, gardens, and piazzas.
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN FLORENCE (P: ENG-W 131)
In this study abroad course activities and study will include reading and writing about photography, Florence and the Renaissance. Students will learn the very basics of their camera and image processing. In the month of June the class will reside in Florence with short day trips to towns in Tuscany. Students will look at art, make photographs and experience the culture. Students enrolled in this course will research the history of art and contemporary art in terms of the Italian Renaissance, photojournalism and street photography. Students will explore photography: basic camera and print processing techniques, formal visual qualities, aesthetics, and contemporary issues in photography.
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT
The purpose of this course is to explore camera-based portraiture. Students will spend the primary portion of the course creating photographic portraits with a digital camera. Using a variety of methods and resources, students will also view the work of historical and contemporary photographers.
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Objective exploration of time, place, and event through the camera lens.
The course is full online and asynchronous. This course introduces the student to the photographic genre of documentary photography. Students will view, evaluate, and create art. Students will gain exposure to art through viewing online art resources (websites, blogs, artists’ interviews, and video tutorials). Analysis will take the form of written reviews, essays, self-evaluations, and peer feedback. Creation of photographic imagery will be achieved through the use of digital cameras. Students will maintain a blog for the course to record the progress of their documentary projects. The course contains a combination of posted PowerPoint lectures, readings, links to online resources, and online critiques.
INMS-A 399
ARTIST AND NEW MEDIA
This course is primarily intended for students who wish to pursue new media as a means of artistic expression. The course considers new media from both an historical/cultural/critical base (readings, lectures, viewing), and from an experiential base (production/exhibition projects in selected new media genres). At the end of the course, the successful student should have acquired a foundational vocabulary in the history and criticism of new media, an understanding of how artists have used and are using new media as a means of artistic expression, and a basic
technical fluency with new media production tools.
THTR-A 399
CREATIVE WORK IN THEATRE: CREATING CHILDREN’S THEATRE
This course, Creating Children’s Theatre, focuses on the connections to be drawn artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, between a piece of children’s literature (literary or dramatic) and the process of making theatre for a young audience. This is a hands-on course exploring the artistic discipline and medium of Theatre in production and performance. Individual assignment opportunities will include Artistic, Production, Performance, and other associated activities. Some roles demand previous experience.
CREATIVE WORK IN THEATRE: CREATING SUMMER THEATRE
This course, Creating Summer Theatre, focuses on the connections to be drawn artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, between a piece of literature (literary or dramatic) and the process of making theatre for an audience. This is a hands-on course exploring the artistic discipline and medium of Theatre in production and performance. Individual assignment opportunities will include Artistic, Production, Performance, and other associated activities. Some roles demand previous experience.