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COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2014
Totally Online – Internet Course
Fine Arts
10503
FPA
Instructor: Amy Landrum
Phone:
Rio 1-800-282-7201 ext Fine Arts 7364
iPhone: 740-418-2529 (Leave Message or text)
Email:
alandrum@rio.edu
Office:
By arrangement
COURSE DESCRIPTION: FPA 10503 (TM) Fine Arts. This course is a study of the growth
and development of Western Culture as defined in Fine Arts: Music, Painting, Dance, Theater,
Sculpture, and Architecture. Course fee required. Fall Spring Summer
PREREQUISITES: none
CREDIT HOURS: 3
REQUIRED:
 Any edition of “Perceiving the Arts” by Dennis J. Spore
 Reliable Internet access; disks or jump drive to store your work
Reliable internet access is required. It is suggested to save your work on a disk, jump drive or flash drive. It is
possible to go through all parts of the course on a dial-up connection but students may want to plan time to view
videos and slideshows and listen to music over a higher speed connection. If you are working on a computer in a
public place, just take earphones with you so that you do not disturb everyone working around you when listening
or viewing the fine arts course content.
GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OUTCOMES--The following outcomes have been adopted
for the degree program for which this course is required (page 30 of student catalog):
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Communication
Cultural Diversity
Human Values
Ethical Behavior
Technological Literacy
Health & Well-Being
Aesthetic Awareness
Critical Thinking
Scientific Reasoning
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COURSE OUTCOMES: The following outcomes have been adopted for this course. All outcomes
listed below have direct relevance to course material. Upon completion of this course students should
be able to:
1. Identify artistic eras by stylistic clues, artists, and historical impact of works
2. Critically analyze fine arts using appropriate terminology and application of theories
3. Show evidence of considering cultural, political, religious, and social aspects of the fine arts
4. Understand the functions of the fine arts
5. Present works in a professional format
GRADING POLICY: Students can track grades inside the Blackboard course. Even though there
may be up to 500 points available, a standard 100 percent point grade breakdown is employed: 90’s are
A’s, 80’s are B’s, 70’s are C’s, etc. Late work is accepted, but points are deducted. Students who help
other students are rewarded. Extra Credit is offered.
Grade Breakdown
Participation: Posts in discussion forums, Timeliness of submissions, Enthusiasm for course content
Assignments: Activities, Quizzes, Ekphrastic Haikus, Descriptive Paragraphs, Critical Analysis Papers
Midterm and Final Project: Cumulative Comparative Critical Analysis Paper
Grading Scale
A (93-100) = 4.0
A- (90-92) = 3.7
B+ (87-89) = 3.3
B (83-86) = 3.0
B- (80-82) = 2.7
C+ (77-79) = 2.3
C (73-76) = 2.0
C- (70-72) = 1.7
D+ (67-69) = 1.3
D (63-66) = 1.0
D- (60-62) = ..07
F (0-59) = 0.0
PARTICIPATION
Posts in Discussion Forums: The Discussion Forums are an important aspect of the online learning
environment. Two discussion questions will be provided each week. Please post an original, wellwritten, thought-out response to the discussion questions. Respond to a few posts made by classmates
in each forum for full discussion credit. Please try to get your posts completed early in the week to give
your classmates time to respond to your post.
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ASSIGNMENTS
Creative Activities: Students are given creative activities to complete for some assignments. Submit
creative work in appropriate dropbox as .jpg or .docx format.
Quizzes: Quizzes covering course content are offered throughout the semester to help students feel
confident about vocabulary and application of concepts. The quizzes are intended to be fun. Students
have unlimited attempts and lots of time. Quizzes count for about one fourth of the overall grade.
Ekphrastic Haikus: Students are given the challenge of writing ekphrastic haikus in response to art
works as assignments. These short poems are surprisingly challenging to write, force critical thinking,
and they are fun to grade.
Critical Analysis Papers: Critical Analysis (CA) papers should be no more than 2 pages in length,
typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins, picture included, and the whole document attached as .doc or .rtf
file in the appropriate assignment dropbox. Please include a list of references (the artwork critiqued is a
primary source and should be listed in the references). It is required for learners to choose artwork they
can actually see for these papers. Go in search of art around you! Choose original art instead of famous
masterpieces for your CA papers. Be original. Go in search of art that speaks to you. Try to find art
that I might not have seen so you can teach me something new. The CA papers must show evidence of
the basic four steps of the Critical Method Handout.
MIDTERM & FINAL PROJECTS:
Students have midterm and final projects to complete. These projects are redesigned every semester.
Projects are designed to cover the academic, creative, and documentation aspects of the course.
Withdrawal: Last day to drop a class or withdraw without record is the last day of the first week of
class. Pay attention to the university homepage for announcements: www.rio.edu.
ADA POLICY: If a student wishes to be identified as having a physical, emotional, mental, or learning
disability, that may or may not require reasonable accommodation(s), he/she must register with the
Office of Accessibility. These registered students should identify themselves to their instructors and
provide a written statement from the Accessibility Office that indicates the appropriate
accommodations. This process should occur as early in the semester as possible. Call the Office of
Accessibility at the University of Rio Grande if this applies to you.
FERPA: The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College are committed to fully
respecting and protecting the rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA). These rights generally include the right to inspect, review and seek amendment to the
student's education records and the right to provide written consent before personally identifiable
information from education records is disclosed. Under FERPA, students have the right to file a
complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures to comply with
FERPA. Please see the Student Records Confidentiality/Rights Under FERPA section of the Student
Handbook for details and more information.
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ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Standard university policies, as described in the Student Handbook,
apply. Plagiarism is tempting, a last resort, and often unwittingly performed. No more than 33% of
any paper you write should come from an outside source. It comes down to giving credit where credit
is due. Please don’t show someone else’s work as your own. Cite your sources.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY & STYLE: I believe effective teaching and learning happens in a safe,
creative and challenging environment. I believe good teachers have high expectations and encourage
learning to happen. I believe none of us already is the best teacher or learner that we have yet to
become. All learners and teachers are different. I try to make my courses accessible to all learning
styles by showing my enthusiasm for the subject matter. In person, I am optimistic, easy going, and
down to earth. I evaluate students individually and as part of a larger group.
Getting Online: To access your course, go to http://rio.blackboard.com/ . Log-in using the same
information you use to log-in to your Rio email – username s000000 and your password, which might
be the last four digits of your social security number if you haven’t changed your password yet. Good
luck. If you need help logging in – call Tech Support or Blackboard Support at Rio.