MHC100 Arts in New York City
Fall 2013
Section HC6 Tuesday, 2:10-4:40, HN1501
Prof. Lynda Klich
email: lklich@hunter.cuny.edu
HN 11092
Office hours: Tuesdays, 5-6:30pm and by appointment
Class website: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/lklichfall13t/
Instructional Technology Fellow: Tahir Butt
email: tbutt@gc.cuny.edu
Virtual office hours via Skype (tbuttgc): Thursdays, 11-3
Course description:
This seminar introduces students to the arts through performances and exhibitions in New York
City. As a class, we visit museums and attend opera, theater, dance, and music performances.
Together we explore the means of expression particular to each genre, and develop ways of
describing, evaluating, and questioning these varied cultural experiences. Our aims are to
cultivate aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment of these various art forms and, moving beyond
subjective responses, to use diverse analytical methodologies as a means to form critical opinions
about each work, learning to express these views clearly both verbally and in writing. Our focus
will be on Latinos and the Arts, so we may build broader contextual, social, and historical
understandings that support our developing aesthetic appreciation and evaluation skills.
Readings and discussions will emphasize the social context of art in order to bring to the fore the
ways in which the art and performances we experience together reflect issues pertinent to issues
of identity and concern within the Latino community of New York (such as class, race, gender,
and politics). Our discussions will further explore the ways in which the most effective art
simultaneously illuminates universal conceptions of individual identity and concern regardless of
its specific social context.
Required textbooks:
*Free Copy distributed by MHC Central:
John Berger, Ways of Seeing (London: BBC & Penguin, 1990; originally published in 1972)
**It is your responsibility to make sure you get your copy if you have not already
Available at Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore, 939 Lexington Avenue, btwn 68th and 69th St.:
Libretto for Giuseppe Verdi, Rigoletto (Opera Journeys Series, 2002)
Oscar Hijuelos, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (Hyperion Books, 2010)
Available via class website under the Course Materials tab:
Various electronic readings (designated as ER throughout this syllabus)
Suggested reading:
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul
Werstine. Folger Shakespeare Library (Simon & Schuster, 2011). (Amazon.com)
Grading and Course Requirements:
*Detailed instructions for each project will be distributed and discussed in class and will be
posted to the class website.*
Mi Nueva York Photojournal Portfolio (15% of final grade). Your Mi Nueva York photojournal
is due weekly for six weeks, beginning September 17th. You will also take a photograph on
October 11th, for the MHC common project, Snapshot2013, which you will present in class on
October 22nd. In addition, you will write an artist’s statement concerning your photojouurnal,
also due in class on October 22nd. For the remaining weeks of the semester, you will post one
photo relating to a theme common to the class, as indicated throughout this syllabus.
Writing Assignments. Over the course of the semester you will have two short writing projects
as follows:
1) Comparison of two sculptures, due September 24th (15% of grade)
2) Final research paper on a topic of your choice (due November 19th, with revised final
version due December 10th) (25% of grade, including process assignments)
Arts in NYC Class Blog Posts & Comments (15% of final grade)
You will write approximately 250-300 word responses, in the form of blog posts, to the cultural
events we attend throughout the semester, due on eight (8) dates, as noted throughout the
syllabus. Your blog posts will be used as the basis for class discussions. There are eight (8) blog
post topics. You must write six (6) blog posts. For the remaining two (2) topics, you may write a
shorter (100-word) response to the posts by other class members. A sign up sheet will be
distributed in class. You will only receive credit for blog posts and comments posted by the
deadlines noted throughout the syllabus.
A Ha! Moment Video Essay (15% of final grade): Your final project will be a video essay in
which, with a partner of your choice, you will create an imovie “conversation,” supplemented by
audio-visual elements that you create yourself or source online. In the video, you will discuss the
moment(s) throughout the semester that brought you unexpected realizations about the arts, or
about any issue pertinent to you. To be presented in class, December 17th.
Attendance and Class Participation: (15% of final grade). You are expected to attend all classes
and to participate actively in class discussions. Please see the attendance policy on p. 9 of this
syllabus.
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Course Schedule:
Your attendance at both classes and outside events is mandatory. If you have a conflict with any
event scheduled outside of class time, please discuss with me as early as possible in advance so
that we can make alternative arrangements or discuss a make-up project. You should put all
dates into your personal calendars/agendas immediately. There is also a Google calendar
on the website.
This schedule is subject to change. I will make every effort to notify you as soon as possible of
any changes.
September 3
Introduction to Class
Nueva York: Latinos and the Arts
Reading (in-class): José Martí, “Nuestra América” (1891)
Workshop with ITF Tahir Butt
Using the Arts in NYC class website: posting photos, and blogs, and writing
an effective blog post
*Bring your laptop to class
September 3
MHC Common Event: Night at the Museum
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway (2 or 3 to Eastern Parkway)
7pm
August 28 September 11
Attend a *Free* Cultural Event in NYC
See list of some options on p. 10 of this syllabus.
September 10
How do we talk about art?
Readings:
John Berger, Ways of Seeing, chapters 1, 3, and 7
Anne D’Alleva Look: The Fundamentals of Art History, excerpt (ER)
 Come to class prepared to discuss Berger, with one comment and one
question prepared for discussion (it does not have to be handed in,
you will be called on randomly). In addition, be ready to answer the
question: What is the most important idea about looking at art that
you took from this book?
In class activity: Group visual analysis project based on D’Alleva
Assignments:
Begin Mi Nueva York photojournal (due weekly); details to be discussed in
class
*Instructions for Writing Assignment #1, Comparison of two sculptures,
will be distributed and discussed
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September 17
In-class discussion: Photography
Readings:
Sylvan Barnet, Writing about Art, 98-109 (ER)
Susan Sontag, “In Plato’s Cave,” from On Photography (ER)
Roland Barthes, “Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography” (ER)
 Come to class prepared to discuss Sontag and Barthes with one
question and one comment about each reading. In addition, prepare an
answer to the questions: What is the most important idea about
photography that you took from each reading? How did these
readings make you reconsider the photograph as art form?
Class visit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art, permanent collection of Mesoamerican art
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street)
Readings:
Primary Sources
“Popul Vuh,” (ER) “The Origins of the Aztecs,” (ER), and Bernal Díaz del
Castillo, and Hernán Cortés, “The Spaniards’ Entry into Tenochtitlán” (ER)
Secondary Source:
Susan D. Gillespie, “Power, Pathways, and Appropriations in Mesoamerican
Art” (ER)
Assignment: Mi Nueva York photojournal
September 1724
Assignment:
Visit one of the following exhibitions; the dates and times listed below
indicate when I will be there for informal conversations. (If you can’t make
one of these times, visit on your own, and bring your admission ticket/pin to
class on the 25th):
 “Everyday Epiphanies, Photography and Daily Life Since 1969,”
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Ave @ 82nd St. [Thursday, 9/19,
3:30pm]
 “Harlem Postcards: 10th anniversary” and “Summer 2013,” Studio
Museum in Harlem, 144 W. 125th [Friday, 9/20, 5pm-6pm]
 “A Different Kind of Order, The ICP Triennial,” International Center
of Photography, 1133 6th Avenue, @ 43rd St. [Saturday, 9/21, 10am]
*NOTE: Closes September 22
 “Walker Evans American Photographs,” Museum of Modern Art, 11
W. 53rd Street [Saturday, 9/21, 12pm]
Admission is free at ICP, MoMA, and the Met, with your cultural passport or
CUNY ID; Admission is $3 at Studio Museum.
If you go on your own, be sure to check the museums’ websites for opening
days and times.
Blog Post #1 by September 22nd, 7pm (comments, Sept 23rd, 7pm)
Using our discussion of Sontag, Barthes, and photography as a guide, write a
response to the exhibition. You may choose to discuss a single photograph, a
group of photographs, or the exhibition as a whole.
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September 24
Discussion: Mesoamerican Art, Photography
Lecture and discussion: How do we talk about dance?
Reading:
Wendy R. Oliver, Writing about Dance, excerpt (ER)
Joan Acocella, “Mark Morris: the body and what it means” (ER)
*Writing assignment no. 1 due
*Instructions for writing assignment no. 2, Research Paper, will be
distributed
Assignment: Mi Nueva York photojournal
September 30
*Monday
Performance: Fall for Dance Festival, program 3
Meet at City Center, 131 West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues) no
later than 7:45pm
Blog post #2 – due October 1st, 10am, comments 11pm
How do the four performances we saw engage with and/or challenge the
concepts of modern dance that we discussed in class? Which was your
favorite piece and why?
October 1
Discussion: Fall for Dance
Workshop: Finding a topic for your research paper; building a scholarly
bibliography using electronic databases, bibliographic tools; annotated
bibliography
*Bring your laptop to class
Assignment: Mi Nueva York photojournal
October 11
*Friday
Class visit: Tour of the exhibition “Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish
American Home, 1492-1898,” with curator Rich Aste at Brooklyn Museum
of Art, 200 Eastern Parkway (2 or 3 train to Eastern Parkway)
Meet at main entrance of the museum at 2:50
Readings:
Primary Sources:
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, “On Men’s Hypocrisy” (ER)
Secondary Source:
Jorge F. Rivas Pérez, “Domestic Display in the Spanish Overseas Territories”
(ER)
Blog Post #3 by October 13th, 7pm (comments, October 14th, 7pm)
What has this exhibition revealed to you about the uses of art in daily life in
the Colonial Latin American era; what seem to be the most marked shifts in
the role or art from the Mesoamerican era?
Assignment: Mi Nueva York photojournal
October 11
MHC Common Event: Snapshot NYC2013 Be sure to take an NYC
photograph today! Upload it to the class website on October 12th
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October 15
No class scheduled – Hunter College on Monday schedule
Individual research paper meetings with me from 10am-12pm or 2-4pm
Sign up sheet posted on course website.
*Assignment due: Paper topic and annotated bibliography
Assignment: Mi Nueva York photojournal
Guest speaker: Carla Maxwell, Creative Director of the José Limon Dance
October 15
Company, 7:30 pm, HN1527 (Kossack Lecture Hall)
*Tuesday
(HC on Monday
Schedule)
October 22
Discussion: “Behind Closed Doors”
In-class presentation: Present your chosen photo for Snapshot NYC2013,
along with a 3-sentence excerpt/summary of your artist’s statement
*Assignment due: Your artist’s statement for your Mi Nueva York
photojournal
Workshop: Writing an Outline and Abstract *Bring your laptop to class
Assignment: Mi Nueva York photojournal (final week due today)
October 24
*Thursday or
October 25,
*Friday
Performance: How to Make Friends and then Kill Them, written by Halley
Feiffer; directed by Kip Fagan
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Pl (A, C, E, L, 1, 2, 3 to 14th
St).
Exact date and time TBD
Blog Post #4 by October 27th, 7pm (comments October 28th, 7pm)
Write a review of the play
Reading: Martin Esslin, “An Anatomy of a Drama” (excerpt) (ER)
October 29
Discussion: How to Make Friends and then Kill Them
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Interiors
November 5
Meet at MHC Building, 35 W. 67th Street, in the Screening Room
Movie Viewing: West Side Story (1961)
Reading:
Irene G. Dash, “The Challenge of Tragedy: West Side Story and Romeo
and Juliet” (ER)
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Conflict
If you are not familiar with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, please
familiarize yourself with the plot before today’s class.
Blog Post #5 – Post by November 10th, 7pm (comments November 11th,
7pm) Do Shakespeare’s universal themes translate well to the form of
musical theater? And can that art form effectively convey the social issues
relevant to immigration and 1950s gang wars that form the setting of the
musical?
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Drama
*Assignment due: Outline & Abstract for paper #2
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November 12
Guest Speaker: James G. Jorden Opera Critic, New York Post
Background reading and listening:
Libretto for Giuseppe Verdi, Rigoletto, and the following:
 “A-Z of Opera:” http://www.naxos.com/education/opera_intro.asp
 “The Listener’s Job Description:”
http://www.naxos.com/education/enjoy_jobdesc.asp
 “Ways to Listen:”
http://www.naxos.com/education/enjoy2_waystolisten.asp
 “The Gambler” (Interview with director of Rigoletto, Michael Mayer)
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/interviews/mayer
Review of Rigoletto by James G. Jorden
 http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/music/met_vegas_verdi_ain_
that_kick_in_y2K41EYGMwrfCJJEDsrFXM
Additional reading TBD
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Conflict
November 18
**Monday**
Performance: Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera
Lincoln Center (Columbus Avenue, between 63rd and 64th)
Meet at Fountain at 7:15
Blog Post #6 by November 17th, 7pm (comments, November 18th, 7pm)
Response to Rigoletto. Give your opinion on whether or not you feel opera is
an effective art form for an audience of your generation. What aspect of the
performance most interested you and why? Think about the performance in
Relation to West Side Story and the genre of musical theater
November 19
Discussion: Rigoletto & West Side Story
Instructions for Video Essay assignment will be distributed
Workshop with Tahir Butt: Preparing your video essay
*Bring your laptop to class
Assignment: Paper #2 due. MANDATORY
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Extravagance
*Reminder: Start reading Oscar Hijuelos, Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
for discussion on December 3rd
November 26
No class – Happy Thanksgiving!
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December 3
In class viewing of documentary film Calle 54 by Fernando Trueba
Reading:
Oscar Hijuelos, Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
David F. García, “Contesting that Damned Mambo” (ER)
Blog Post # 7 by December 8th, 7pm (Comments December 9th, 7pm)
What type of music is important to one of your communities (meaning a
geographical, ethnic, religious, or any other type of group with a shared
culture that you feel a part of)? How does music represent the community?
Drafts of paper #2 will be returned with comments
Workshop: “Good Writing”
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Nostalgia
December 5
*Thursday
Performance: Latin Jazz with Chembo Corniel and his Chaworo Band,
Nuyorican Poets Café, 236 East 3rd Street Between Ave B & C, 9pm
December 8
*Sunday
MHC Common Event: Snapshot NYC2013 exhibition at MHC Building,
35 W. 67th Street, time TBD
December 10
Discussion: Latin Jazz
Reading:
Jane Kramer, Whose Art Is It?, excerpt (ER)
“13 Point Platform of the Young Lords Organization,” and “Rules of
Discipline of the Young Lords Organization,” (1970) (ER)
Class visit: Taking it to the Streets: Art in El Barrio
Walking tour of murals in El Barrio (rain, snow, or shine, so dress
appropriately). Meet in classroom; we will leave together from Hunter
Blog Post #8 by December 15th, 7pm (comments by December 16th, 7pm)
What do you think is the role of public art? Do you the murals of El Barrio
successfully meet your expectations for public art?
Assignment: Photojournal theme: Community
*Assignment: Final version of Paper #2 due
December 17
Presentation of “A Ha! Moment” Video Essay project
And class party
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Class and Hunter College Policies:
Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory, and any absence will affect your grade negatively. In the case of an
emergency or illness, a note from your doctor or dean is required. If you miss three (3) or more
classes or events, you risk failing this course. If you arrive late to class, after attendance has been
taken, you will be considered absent.
Academic Integrity:
“Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious
offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the
CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to
the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.”
Plagiarism on any assignment will result in a zero for the assignment (and discipline as
determined by the Dean of Students). If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, you should
come see me (we will also discuss in class). You may be requested by me at any time to submit
any assignment to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism.
Classroom etiquette:
There will be no electronic devices (computers, tablets, phones, etc.) used during class, unless
specified for a technology workshop. Similarly, you may not use electronic devices during
museum visits or attendance at events or performances. You may want to purchase a small
notebook for taking notes as needed at such events.
ADA Policy
”In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and
accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is
recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical,
and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY, located in Room E1214B, to secure
necessary academic accommodations. For further information and assistance, please call: (212)
772- 4857 or (212) 650-3230.”
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Recommended Free Outdoor events
September 1st
*Sunday
*Free* Outdoor Event
Harlem Meer Performance Festival: Ballet Hispánico, BHdos Company
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (inside Central Park at 110th Street
between Lenox and Fifth Avenues)
2pm-4pm
*Arrive early, seating is limited
August 29
Thursday
*Free* Outdoor Event
City Parks Summer Stage
Larry Harlow and The Latin Legends Band / DJ set by DJ Lucho
East River Park, FDR Drive between Cherry and Jackson St.
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/calendar/larry-harlow-and-the-latinlegends-band-dj-set-by-dj-lucho/
August 29
Thursday
*Free* Outdoor Event
Sunset Salsa in Hudson River Park, W. 14th & 10th Avenue, free lesson from
6:30pm -7:30pm; open dancing from 7:30pm-9:00pm
August 29-30,
September 2-6
*Free* Outdoor Event
Bryant Park Piano
Bryant Park, 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues
12:30-2:30pm
*Note: this event continues weekdays, through September 27th
September 6
Friday
Reading “This is How You Lose Her,” by Junot Díaz (author of “The Brief
and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao)
Friday, September 6, 2013
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
El Teatro
Admission: $10.00, Students FREE
RSVP Required
http://www.elmuseo.org/en/event/junot-diaz
September
7th
*Saturday
*Free* Outdoor Event
Bryant Park Moves with Limón Dance
Saturday, September 1
Bryant Park (Upper Terrace), 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues
Come ready to dance!
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