Spring
2013 ART 410.01: CONCEPTUAL
STRATEGIES T/TH 9:10-11:40
Art Department,
San Francisco State University
Instructor:
Paula Levine
Fine Arts Rm
537
415.338.6457
plevine@sfsu.edu
Office hrs:
T/TH 12:15-1:45 pm, & by appointment
Course Description
This
course is a general introduction to new practices in digital media and an
exploration of strategies for generating ideas and producing new work. Our
focus is both on process and product, developing and understanding various approaches
by which to generate ideas, and carrying these ideas through to their
concluding visual result.
Art
410 is a combination of studio work informed by presentations, research,
experimentation and critical discussions. We will investigate the complex webs
of influences of art, technology, culture and everyday life, in order to
understand more fully how each is formed and informed by the other. Students
will learn new digital tools, work in new digital environments and build new
ways to approach ideas and make art differently.
This
class is one of two foundation classes for Conceptual Information Art
(CIA). For those with an emphasis in
CIA, both Art 410 and Art 412 (an introduction to interactivity) are required.
For those with a dual emphasis, combining CIA with another studio area, both
classes are strongly recommended. Normally, both classes are required to be
taken concurrently, however severe budget cuts have made this option
impossible. This semester, however, we are fortunate to be able to again offer
the two classes in the Spring, so it is strongly encouraged for those
continuing with a CIA emphasis, register for both Art 410 and Art 412 for this
semester.
Art
410 is informed by:
•
Cross disciplinary art practices;
•
Historical avant-garde practices, such as Dada, Surrealism, Futurism, Fluxus,
Situationists, Conceptual Art;
•
More contemporary practices, such as culture jamming, interventionist and
radical spatial practices, new cartographies, social networking practices;
politics and practices of open source;
•
Cultural theory, semiotics, literature, urban studies, digital rights and
copyright issues, particularly as they effect art and artists.
Goals & objectives:
•
Attain a functional level of mastery in the software presented, or further develop
the level of skills already in place.
•
Develop stronger written and verbal critical thinking through engaged class
discussions of work and articles, critical writing and reading, viewing and
discussions of work by those in the class and by artists in the world.
•
Develop research skills and incorporate research into art studio practices.
•
Expand existing knowledge of art and artists, learning about new arenas that
often bridges art, technologies and other disciplines outside of art.
•
Extend studio strategies, approaches and sources of ideas.
Workload
Art
410 involves studio/lab projects, readings, presentations and writing. Class meets twice a week, for 3 hours a
session. There is an additional 3 hours
of outside class work expected per week. (Note: 3 units=9 class-related hours
per week)
Projects
involve:
•
Learning new digital skills (or building on those already present),
•
Creating studio work,
•
Researching selected topics for individual projects or class presentations,
•
Reading assigned articles and blogging response comments to each,
•
Fully participating in class discussions.
Readings
will be available on-line, or handed out in class. All course materials, such as syllabus and
assignments, will be located on-line on the class web site.
Expectations
•
Complete all studio projects, readings and reading responses on time.
•
Participate fully in all studio critiques, discussion and exercises.
•
Arrive to class on time.
•
Bring problems, questions or circumstances that hamper full participation in
class to the attention of the instructor as soon as circumstances arise.
Course Requirements (for an
A):
1.
Regular attendance, maintaining a consistent and timely presence.
Attendance is kept for the
class throughout the semester. Three
unexcused absences will be an automatic "F". Two late arrivals = one
unexcused absence.
2.
Active participation in class discussions & critiques.
3.
Complete all assignments on time.
Late work will be accepted
for 1 week after the date due, with a full grade reduction.
4. Keep
an online ongoing journal/blog of ideas, notes from class discussions and
readings, research on artists, works you find relating to your project ideas,
screenings and discussion of work in class. Your journal/blog should be
part of every project you do. Blogs and wikis are fine.
5.
Attend a minimum of three community art events such as openings, art
exhibitions, lectures related to class along with short (blogged) written
responses to each. Examples are: Art, Technology and Culture Colloquium (ATC: http://atc.berkeley.edu), Leonardo Art/Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER: http://www.leonardo.info/isast/laser.html or Grey Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA:
http://gaffta.org)
6.
Take risks in projects and ideas, pushing past what you already know. Ideas
that fail often teach more than ideas that succeed, so aim to fail better.
Grades
Projects:
50% Attendance/Participation: 50%
Overall,
grading is in accordance with University standards outlined in the SFSU
Bulletin - Grading Policy which can be found at:
http://www.sfsu.edu/~bulletin/current/grading.htm.
Readings-Texts - All materials will be
available online.
Lab Fees
The
lab fee for this course is $30 and must be paid by the last day courses can be
changed. If you remain enrolled in this course past the add/drop deadline, a
charge for the above amount will appear in your University Account.
Notification will be sent by the Art Department Office when your University
Account has been charged. Lab fee payments can be made at One-Stop Student
Services (SSB 103) or the Bursar’s Office (ADM 155). Unpaid balances in the
student university account can affect registration, graduation or other campus
services.
ACADEMIC PROBATION
If
you are on academic probation, make an appointment as soon as possible to work
out what you need to do to meet the terms of your probation.
AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES
ACT (ADA) ACCOMMODATION
The
Disability Programs and Resource Center provides university academic support
services and specialized assistance to students with disabilities. Students
with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged to contact
the instructor. The Disability Programs
and Resource Center (DPRC) is available to facilitate the reasonable
accommodations process. The DPRC is
located in the Student Service Building and can be reached by telephone
(voice/TTY 415-338-2472) or by email (dprc@sfsu.edu). If you have any problems,
such as physical disabilities, that require special attention or
accommodations, please contact me directly.
SPRING SEMESTER DATES TO NOTE
|
February 8
|
Last day to add a
class with a permit*, drop or request an “audit” grading
|
|
March 22
|
Last
day to request CR/NR grading option
|
|
March 25-30
|
Spring
Recess
|
|
April 1
|
Cesar
Chavez Day: No classes
|
|
May 17
|
Last
day of classes
|
|
May 18, 20-24
|
Final
exams
|
|
May 25
|
Commencement
|
