TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY
COURSE SYLLABUS
3 SEMESTER HOURS CREDIT
Instructor Jeff Warren
Email Jeff.Warren@twu.ca
Establishing Context
As far as history can remember art has been an important part of life. It has also been controversial. It has united groups of people as well as torn them apart. Art has been a social marker, garnered high prices, but has been able to evoke a reaction regardless of class. Although artists themselves have not always held a privileged place in society, their art has. Even if you have never been to an art gallery or concert hall, most likely much time has been devoted to the popular arts of film and music.
Setting Direction
In this course students will be introduced to several different emerging and well used art forms. Students will develop their ability to meaningfully engage many different genres of art through acquiring a historical context to artistic production and meaning and a critical vocabulary of different artistic mediums and ideas. This critical vocabulary is not just a nomenclature of materials and technique; it is also developing a new way of seeing / hearing / touching / experiencing. Students will critically engage some of the main historical threads of meaning in art, including: representation / abstraction, functional / absolute art and art and the body. Engagement with art will not be limited to experiencing art of others – students will have the opportunity to explore and develop their own creativity through taking part in the process of art making.
Learning Objectives
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To gain an appreciation of the importance of art in our lives
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To begin to develop a vocabulary by which to engage art
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To be exposed to new ideas and art forms and broaden understanding of the world and God
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To begin to think about a rubric for meaning in art
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To foster personal creativity
Required Texts

Turner, Steve. Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity
Press, 2001.
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Course Pack, Compiled by Jeff Warren
Course Outline:
Reading Forum topic Assignments Mod Topic
1 Why bother with the Arts?
2
Questions in the Arts
Creativity
Types of Artistic Critique
Photography
– techniques
Russon
Plato
Brand 1 What is Art?
Creative
Exercise #1
[photo]

3
4
5
Photography
– in practice
Music – techniques
Music – history & listening
Dillard
4 – Film
Creative
Exercise #2
[draw]
Music
Visual Art
Visual Art
‘Christian Art’
Film
– recording software
– techniques
– other practices
Cook
Kearney
2 – Music and
Authenticity
Gadamer
Hitler
Morgan
Smith
3 – Gallery
Curator
Creative
Exercise #3
[music software]
Creative
Exercise #4
[sculpt]
Turner review
Creative
Exercise #5
[act]
Performance
Reviews
Learning Opportunities
Book Review 10%
 Review of Steve Turner’s “Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts”

Review details provided on home page.
Creative Project
Forum Discussions and Debates 20% (4 x 5% each)

During most modules, you will participate in online forum discussion. Some are discussions on a certain topic related to the arts, and others are role plays or debates.

You are expected to contribute at least 500 words to the forum over the two weeks it is open. You are also expected reference the course pack readings in these discussions, utilizing proper citation. Marks will be given for engagement with the topic and appropriate interaction with the articles and other postings.
Performance Reviews 30% (3 x 10% each)

Attend and review three of the following events (you must choose three different art media): Music, Dance, Visual
Art, Theatre, Film. Please see the course web site for choices of performances.

Write a 1000 word review on each event using the guidelines on the course site. All events you attend must be after the appropriate in class lectures.

All reviews are due the final day of classes or two weeks after you attend the event, which ever comes first.
Creative Exercises 20% (4 x 5%)

You will complete three creative assignments on your own.


The first creative exercise (photography) is required by all.

You have a choice to complete three of the remaining four exercises. CE’s are on the course site.
Creative Project and Project Proposal 20%

During the final class of the semester, you will present your project in a class exhibition.

Some suggestions for choosing a topic: o Start with a social, political, or ethical issue and find a creative way (through choice of materials, mediums and approach) to allude or refer to that issue. Avoid approaching things as black and white and look for the difficult concepts of these issues.
o Choose or write a narrative (original fiction or personal experience) and use any medium (not just a traditionally narrative medium) to express the narrative o Choose a point of view (your own or your perception of someone else’s) and use that point of view to guide your creative process (you could also use multiple perspectives) o With your project please submit a brief (2pp) write-up that includes answers to the following questions: 1. Briefly describe your project, justifying why you did what you did in your project. 2. Does your final project differ from what you had in mind at your abstract stage? How did your concept change in the creative process? 3.
What would you do differently if you did this again? 4. What did you gain from this experience?
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An proposal is a summary of your intentions for your project , and is due at the end of module 3.

The proposal does not require you to complete the project exactly as intended – allow yourself freedom to take risks and change direction in the creative process.
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The proposal should be apx. 500 words and should include:


What concept you intend engage in this project
Why you chose this concept (contextual factors of personal significance)
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How you are going to engage / express this concept
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The mediums you intend to use (conventional / unique)
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The process you intend to follow
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The ways in which this exploration will stretch your imagination and worldview
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A creative map (timeline) for the project, allowing time for conceptualization, brainstorming, etc.

At least a five source bibliography of technical of

creative resource material
Policies
Late Assignments
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Many of the assignments in this course will not be accepted if late.

Other assignments accepted late at a penalty of 10% per day to a maximum 40% off, unless the assignment has been taken up in class. In this case, the assignment will receive a grade of 0.
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The final day to hand in outstanding assignments in the final day of classes. If there are still assignments not completed by this time they will not be accepted and a failing grade will result.
Course Requirements
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All assignments must be completed by the end of classes to receive a passing grade
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It is expected that your level of writing is up to university level. Assignments with significant grammatical problems will be referred to the writing centre for rewriting before the assignment will be marked.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is a serious issue; accordingly, it will be dealt with severely.
 Plagiarism is passing off someone else’s work as your own.

Anyone who plagiarizes in this class will receive a failing mark in the course.
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Read the TWU policy: http://www.twu.ca/ac/archive/20032004/ai.asp#AF
Evaluation Scale
The following system of percentage equivalencies to letter grades will be used:
A+ 94-100, A 90-93, A- 86-89, B+ 82-85, B 78-81, B- 74-77, C+ 70-73, C 66-69, C- 62-65, D 58-61, F below 58.