Monday and Thursday 2:00 – 3:50 pm
Classroom: West Hall 323
Prof. Michael Century
century@rpi.edu
276-2302 West Hall 115b
Office hours Wednesday 12-2 pm
Online syllabus and reading links: http://www.arts.rpi.edu/century/MMC10/SyllMMC10.htm
The purpose of this class is to lay a foundation for understanding modern art and culture, with an emphasis on the twentieth century.
This course should hone your skills in the interpretation, analysis and knowledge of cultural creations, which specifically includes works of art presented in class and texts assigned for homework. You will examine key critical dialogues related to these works, engaging ideas with an aim toward broader cultural understanding, and developing independent responses to contemporary art works and those of the last century. The course covers multiple media, ranging from the visual arts to music, theater and film, and particular emphasis on recent electronic and digital media.
You are expected to learn the basic "alphabet" of this course; key movements, artists, specific works, dates, cultural contexts, etc. Communication skills – writing, speaking, and discussion – will be emphasized and developed in class work and course requirements.
Lectures will be illustrated with audio-visual materials – slides, video, sound, digital multimedia, etc. Discussion and participation are a crucial part of the class, and weighted in the grading accordingly. Participation is defined as being prepared for class (having thoroughly reviewed all materials assigned), engaging thoughtfully in discussions, and punctually submitting written assignments.
20% Attendance and participation, including Filament Project
30% Online Journal (reading responses)
10% Final paper (critical review, due last day of class)
20% Midterm Exam
20% Final Exam
A Range Conceptual: thorough and coherent, original thinking, moves beyond assignment bounds. Writing: Excellent writing and grammar skills. Expresses ideas clearly and effectively; spends time on the work; attention to detail. Participates fully, taking a leadership role in discussion in class and online community outside of class. Brings new ideas to class consistently. Listens to others views with respect. Attends class on time and turns in work on time.
B Range. Conceptual: Complete assignments with some originality. Writing: Good writing and grammar skills. Writing is clear and ideas are organized. Participates fully in discussion. Attends class on time and turns in work on time. Participates in online comments and engages with others ideas.
C Range Conceptual: Unoriginal or common sense thinking; doing only what is required; Writing: Unclear writing, grammatical errors, lack of thoroughness. Inconsistencies in presentation of work and participation, or does not frequently participate. Attends class but minimally engages with others work.
D Range Falls below expectations in most areas. Inconsistencies, sloppiness, inaccuracies, errors, lack of effort.
F Fails to meet requirements of Assignment/Not turned in on time.
The critical essay should be a closer consideration and development of your ideas, Though formal requirements and style are more free in this essay than in a standard term paper, use this as an opportunity to be very creative while maintaining a high level of concision and clarity. Length should be 750-1000 words.
Students will be shown images and sound excerpts and will be asked to identify basic information (time period, artist, related movement, etc.) as well as key points about the piece's significance (within the context of that period, movement, the artist's work, broader cultural perspective, etc.). A selection of more open-ended questions will address the understanding of certain core concepts, as well as provide opportunities to express independent critical responses.
The final exam is in class and will follow an identical
format to the midterm exam
In advance of each class, students are required to post reading notes, discussion points and questions to a personal journal on LMS course website http://rpilms.rpi.edu/.. These will be in response to the reading and other assignments for each upcoming class. Discussion points can be questions, comments, ideas for debate, etc. These discussion points will help structure lecture and discussion.
Additional materials and web links will be used throughout the course, either posted online or otherwise distributed. There is no textbook. Articles for downloading are available at:
http://www.arts.rpi.edu/century/MMC10/SyllMMC10.htm
Academic
dishonesty is, by definition, considered a flagrant offense to the education
process. It is taken seriously by students, faculty, and Rensselaer and will be
addressed in an effective manner. If a student is found in violation of
academic dishonesty policy (for example submitting another student's assignment
for your own), your grade will be submitted as "F" for that assignment
and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Students Office For the full
formal policy, please see http://doso.rpi.edu/update.doc
|
Date |
Topic |
Assigned reading |
Selected Keywords, Artists, and Key
Works |
|
Mon 8-30 |
Course Introduction, Syllabus,
Assignments |
None |
The short twentieth century (Eric
Hobsbawm) Techno-economic paradigms (Chris
Freeman) Modes and levels of cultural analysis Art as understood by evolutionary
biology |
|
Thu 9-02 |
Modernity: Aesthetic, political and industrial revolution. |
Modernity
by Terry Smith, in Oxford Art Online Felix Stalder, Autonomy and Control in the Era of Post-Privacy, nettime, July 2010. |
Modernity and the Postmodern Contemporary art (theories of
contemporaneity) Privacy and social media |
|
Thu 9-9 |
The Machine-Made Image: Photography, Film, Phonograph |
Way of Seeing, by John Berger, first
episode, view in 4 parts
on Youtube Music
becomes a thing, Eisenberg,
Evan (1987). The Recording Angel:
Explorations in Phonography |
Origins of cinema and 18-19th century
proto-cinema devices Walter Benjamin Sound recording (Edison), effects of
phonography |
|
Mon 9-13 |
From Realism to Abstraction; From
Tonality to Atonality |
Oxford Art
Online articles: "Abstract Art" #1-2; "Cubism" #1-3. Chanan, Michael (1994). The Birth of Modernism |
Abstraction Kandinsky, Malevich,
Picasso, Braque Tonality/Atonality, Schoenberg, Ives,
Debussy. |
|
Thu 9-16 |
Futurism, the Art of Noise, The
Liberation of Sound |
Manifestos of
the Avant Garde – 145-149 Russolo Art of Noises |
The war to end all wars. Futurism. Marinetti, Russolo.
Noise. Stravinsky, Ballet
Russe, Rite of Spring. |
|
Mon 9-20 |
Dada |
Dada. Anti-art. Marcel Duchamp.
Ready-made. Collage Schwitters,
Merz. Grosz. Dada Film. Entracte.
Satie. |
|
|
Thu 9-23 |
Constructivism, Soviet Revolution and
the Arts |
Oxford Art
online "Constructivism" (section 1, Russia) Karl Marx 1859 Preface to a a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy Vertov Kino Eye – Introduction |
Lenin, Stalin. Agit-Prop. Constructivism.
Tatlin. Montage, Vertov,
Man with a Movie Camera.
Eisenstein. |
|
Mon 9-27 |
Surrealism |
Surrealist
manifesto 432-439 |
Freud and discovery of the
unconscious. Andr Breton. Chance, Randomness. Critique of rationality and the
decline of the West Dali, Ernst, Varse. Improvisation and the European
reception of jazz. |
|
Thu 9-30 |
Bauhaus and International Style. Weimar
culture |
Frampton History of Bauhaus, Manifesto of
the Bauhaus: pp 338-343 |
Bauhaus, Modernism in Architecture,
Gropius. Fundamental art
pedagogy. Klee, Kandinsky,
Schlemmer. Brecht, Weill, Three Penny Opera. |
|
Mon 10-4 |
Totalitarianism New Deal America |
Readings TBA. |
Fascism. Speer, Riefenstahl. Socialist realism, Shostakovich. Works Project Administration. Copland. |
|
Thu 10-7 |
SPECIAL SCREENING |
Guest presenter LARRY CUBA, Punta Y
Raya Festival |
|
|
Tue 10-12 |
Electronic Music – Special Guest Kathy Kennedy |
T. Taylor Post War Music and the Techno-Scientific
Imaginary, pp 41-60 only |
Serialism, formalism. Musique concrete, electronic music,
Stockhausen, Varse, Poeme electronique, Oliveros, free improvisation.
Notation experiment. |
Thu 10-14
|
New York School in Music and Art,
Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art |
Abstract
Expressionism, from Oxford Art Online John Cage, readings from Silence Warhol
survey in Fineberg, Art Since 1940, p. 250-59 |
Pollock, Newman, DeKoonig, Rothko John Cage, indeterminacy, experimental
music. Warhol, Pop Art |
|
Mon 10-18 |
1960s Cultural Revolutions |
Rielly The
1960s, pp ix-xx, Intro. and Timeline. Marwick pp 316-318 |
McLuhan. 1968 a year of revolution and failure. Paris Situationism. Conceptualism. |
|
Thu 10- 21 |
Feminism and the Arts |
Oxford Art
Online "Feminism and Art" Linda Nochlin, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? (1971) Pauline Oliveros, And Dont Call Them Lady Composers
(1970). Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 |
Historical waves of feminism. Judy
Chicago, Eva Hesse, Ana Mendieta, Martha Rosler, Nancy Spero, Barbara Kruger Pauline Oliveros |
|
Mon 10-24 |
Mid
Term Exam |
|
|
|
Th 10-27 |
Post-modernism |
Lovejoy Electronic Era & Postmodernism |
Stylistic, philosophical, and
technological post-modernism.
Pastiche, appropriation, hybridity, simulation, hyper-reality. |
|
Mon 11-1 |
Minimalism |
Oxford Art
Online "Minimalism"
Website of DiaBeacon museum Reich, Music as
Gradual Process |
Visual artists: Judd, Andr, LeWitt. Composers: Reich, Riley, Young, Glass |
|
Thu 11-4 |
Video Art |
Hanhardt, Video Culture Introduction Oxford Art
Online "Video Art" |
Nam June Paik, Vasulkas, Joan Jonas,
Martha Rosler, Bill Viola, Douglas Gordon, Stan Douglas, Christian Marclay |
|
Mon 11-8 |
Performance Art |
Roselee Goldberg on Dada and Futurist performance Kaprow: Essays on Blurring of Art and
Life Website of Performa festivals Marina Abramovic Interview,
MOMA
retrospective |
Happenings, Multimedia theater: Laurie Anderson, Robert Wilson,
Wooster Group |
|
Thurs 11-11 |
Environmental Art |
Oxford Art
Online "Land Art", "Environmental Art" |
Smithson, Turrell,
Irwin, Beuys, Maya Lin, Soundscape; Schafer |
|
Mon 11-15 |
Abstract film, early computer animation,
|
Moritz on Fischinger,
Moritz on John
Whitney, Explore films of McLaren. |
Fischinger, Whitney, McLaren, Richter,
VanDerBeek, |
|
Thu 11-18 |
Interactivity and Immersive Art |
Rokeby Subjectivity
and Control in Interactive Art MediaArtNet: Immersion
and Interaction: From Circular
Frescoes to Interactive Image Spaces |
Krueger, Weinbren, Hershman, Rokeby,
Lozano Hemmer, Sommerer, Utterback, Naimark, Benayoun, Davies, Laurel |
|
Mon 11-22 |
NO CLASS |
|
|
|
Thu 11-25 |
NO CLASS |
THANKSGIVING |
|
|
Mon 11-29 |
Sound Art and Contemporary Music |
Oxford Art Online "Sound and Art" Optional - Christoph Cox From Music to Sound: Being as Time in the Sonic Arts |
Cage, Amacher, Neuhaus, Kubisch, Cardiff/Miller |
|
Thu 12-2 |
Digital authorship and remix culture |
Lev Manovich,
Remix and Remixability L. Lessig Remix 1-19, optional
to page 84 Jaron Lanier You are not a gadget
(prcis) and Confusions
of the hive mind |
Copyright, fair use, appropriation,
open source/free software, remix/pastiche, social media, user-generated
content |
|
Mon 12-6 |
Review |
|
|
|
Thu
12-9 |
Final
Exam |
|
|