CHC/IDC 1001H KM 24
Prof. Roslyn Bernstein
Fall 2010–T/TH 11:10 AM–12:25 PM
VC: 9-165
Professor Roslyn Bernstein:
Office Hours: Tuesday, 1 PM to 3:00 PM (By Appointment)
Room 7-270, Vertical Campus (1 Bernard Baruch Way)
Phone: 1-646-312-3930
email: roslyn.bernstein@baruch.cuny.edu
Tech Fellow: Lynn Horridge
lhorridge@gmail.com
The Arts in New York City:
Cultural Encounters
This class will explore the theme of cultural encounters. How do works of art in theater, opera,
film, photography, and visual arts depict, describe, and decode cultural encounters? How do the
arts bridge differences and create cultural connections. How do diverse artistic genres, by relying
on acting, singing, stage directions, editing, and visual techniques, engage audiences? Supported
by the Macaulay Honors College Cultural Passport, we will look at major artistic works,
studying their components and reflecting on the ways that the arts contribute to the rich cultural
landscape of New York City.
How does an artistic work define and illuminate a cultural encounter? How does a playwright, a
composer, an artist mold materials to expose an audience to new and challenging ideas? How do
different texts and media illuminate the human condition –the twisting and turning, the
metamorphosis, which we all experience as we struggle to understand who we are and why we
exist? How do artists bring together disparate elements to create magical creative collages?
Texts:
Richard Price (Excerpts from Lush Life)
Rigoletto
Medea
Charles N. Li, The Bitter Sea: Coming of Age in China Before Mao
Arts Section New York Times (daily and weekends)
Additional materials will be distributed in the course of the semester, including articles and
background material on opera and background reading on photography and the visual arts.
Please read The Arts section of The New York Times daily.
Assignments in the syllabus are always due on the date for which they are listed.
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UNIT 1:
Theater and Dance in the city: The Audience as Critic.
Wednesday, 25 Aug. Theater Workshop Day (Macaulay)
Thursday, 26 Aug.
Introduction to the course theme: Cultural Encounters
Writing Assignment: 200-250 words first person
“Cultural Encounter” due 8/31.
Tuesday, 31 Aug.
Discussion Voice and Style in Cultural Encounter
Essays. Your bi-weekly cultural encounters posts.
Horridge: Setting Up Our Cultural Encounters Class Blog
Thursday, 2 Sept.
Theatrical Genres: The ingredients of a review
Building a theatrical vocabulary
Bring in an example of a strong
New York Times Theater Review for Discussion
and five words with definitions.
Tuesday, 7 Sept.
What is a Critique?
Bring in a weak review with your critique
Writing Assignment: About Faces blog post
with photo, due 9/23.
Thursday, 9 Sept.
No Classes
Tuesday, 14 Sept.
Evening
No Class (Follows Friday Schedule)
Howard Greenberg: Macaulay
Running a Photo Gallery 6 to 8 PM
Assignment: Blog Post: Howard Greenberg
Due: Thursday, 16 Sept.
Thursday, 16 Sept.
Greenberg Blog Posts: A Critical Discussion
Reading 9/21: The Bitter Sea by Charles N. Li
Writing Assignment 9/21: Blog Post on The Bitter Sea
Tuesday, 21 Sept.
Cultural Conflict: Discussion of The Bitter Sea
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Thursday, 23 Sept.
About Faces Discussion
Writing Assignment: Paragraph Describing your
Collage Theme. Due: September 28th.
Tuesday, 28 Sept.
Collage Project Theme Presentations/Viewing Old Sites
Discussion of Collage Assignment: Design a one page (8 ½ x 11) collage
on the theme of a cultural encounter. You have many options here. You
may use pen and paper and scissors (etc.) or you may work digitally from
the beginning. You may use any materials—paper, cloth, found objects.
Give the collage a name and write several paragraphs describing your
creation. Please answer the following questions: What are the plusses and
minuses of the form you chose? How does starting digitally change your
relationship to the project? Does it give your more choices or does it limit
your creativity? Final version must be ready by November 23rd when you
will be uploading it to the class site.
Horridge: Collage Project and Multimedia Possibilities
Wed. 29, Sept.
Fall for Dance Performance 8 PM
Thursday, 30 Sept.
In-class discussion of Fall for Dance
Assignment: Reading: Medea for Tuesday, October 5.
UNIT 2:
Opera in the City: Rigoletto
Tuesday, 5 Oct.
Staged Reading of Medea by Euripides
Engelman Recital Hall, NVC, Floor B-2
11:10-12:30 PM
Thursday, 7, Oct.
Discussion of Medea
Reading Assignment for Oct. 12: Do online Search for
Rigoletto and bring in one source for class discussion
(not Wikipedia). How to evaluate sites.
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=134
Tuesday, 12 Oct.
Rigoletto Discussion
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Thursday, 14 Oct.
No class
Talk by Actress Marian Seldes
At 1:00 PM in VC 14-220 (Extra Credit)
Reading Assignment 10/19: Lush Life
Thursday, 14 Oct.
(7:45 PM)
Metropolitan Opera: Rigoletto at 8 PM
Tuesday, 19 Oct.
Discussion of excerpt from Richard Price Lush Life.
Tuesday, 19 Oct.
(eve.)
Richard Price, Sidney Writer-in-Residence Reading
5:45 PM Newman Conference Center
151 East 25th Street/7th floor.
Reception from 5:00 to 5:45 PM. Reading at 5:45 PM.
Assignment: 500 word (min.) Multimedia review of reading
and of his class appearance., 10/27.
UNIT 3
Photography in New York City
Thursday, 21 Oct.
Establishing a critical vocabulary: photography
Open City: Street Photographers Since 1950
The Street Photography Project
Thursday, 21. Oct.
Theater: The Human Scale at 8 PM Lawrence Wright
Tuesday, 26 Oct.
Reading Assignment: Photography Articles
Photography Assignment: One Funny Street Photo
10/28 for class screening
Thursday, 28 Oct.
Funny Photos
Horridge: Street Photography Advice
Tuesday, 2 Nov.
Class Visit by Photographer Fran Antmann
Photography: Conveying Cultural Encounters
Writing Assignment: In the Spotlight post on
Fran Antmann Due:
Thursday, 4 Nov.
Photo Gallery Visit: International Center of Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street 11:45 AM
Exhibits: The Mexican Suitcase and Cuba
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Tuesday 9 Nov.
.
Thursday 11 Nov.
Tuesday 16 Nov.
New York: Capital of Photography
Team Oral Keynote Presentations on New York Photographers:
(10/12 minutes maximum)
Walker Evans
Marcey Jacobson
Berenice Abbott
Lisette Modell
Philip-Lorca DiCorcia
Weegee
Lewis Hine
James Van Der Zee
Diane Arbus
Team Presentations Continue
Street Photography Project Presentations I
Street Photography Project
Show and Tell: Present your album/CD of street images (approx. 12)
Do include a one-line photo caption for each image.
Writing Component: A journalistic /1st person account
describing your theme and the challenges you faced in shooting this street
photography project (750 Words).
Wednesday, 17.
Nov. Scottsboro Boys (Theater) 8 PM
Thursday, 18 Nov.
Street Photography Presentations II
Tuesday, 23 Nov.
Collage Projects In-Class Presentations and Screening
Thursday, 25 Nov.
No Classes. Thanksgiving
UNIT 4.
The Visual Arts in the City
Tuesday, 30 Nov.
Who She Was/Who He Was Projects
Class on the Art of Interviewing.
Weaving in quotes and background research
Horridge: The Art of Podcasting
Thursday, 2 Dec.
Visit to Museum of Modern Art (MoMA):
Meet at Entrance 11:45 AM SHARP
11 West 53rd Street
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We will see the following exhibits: The Big Picture: Abstract
Expressionist New York and a Fluxus Preview.
Tuesday, 7 Dec.
Who He Was/ Who She Was Presentations I
Read Excerpt/show excerpt from your presentation and talk about the
person and the project.
Thursday, 9 Dec.
Who She Was/ Who He Was Presentations II
Looking Forward and Backward: Evaluating the CHC/IDC course
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND PERCENTAGES OF FINAL GRADES:
*ORAL PRESENTATIONS, CLASS PARTICIPATION, AND BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION
/BLOG: (10% of your grade)
CULTURAL PASSPORT/ MULTIMEDIA REVIEWS/WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: (40 %)
Reviews (multimedia, if possible) of: The Bitter Sea, Medea, Fall for Dance
Performance, Rigoletto, ICP Exhibit, MoMA exhibits, and talks by Richard Price and
Howard Greenberg, Marian Seldes, Fran Antmann and others.
[All reviews are to be uploaded to our class blog and included in your Cultural Passport
Portfolio by 12/13/09]
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT: 15 %
COLLAGE PROJECT: 15 %
WHO SHE WAS/WHO HE WAS PRESENTATION: 20 % [Due 12/9]
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Baruch Policy on Academic Integrity:
I fully support Baruch College’s policy on Academic Honesty which states, in part:
“Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism
and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the college’s educational mission and the students’
personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear individual responsibility
for their work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice of academic integrity,
and to uphold its ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them.
Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned.”
Academic sanctions in this class will range from an F on the assignment to an F in this course. A
report of suspected academic dishonesty will be sent to the Office of the Dean of Students.
Additional information and definitions can be found at
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html
Please see the discussion of this subject The Little Brown Handbook, 10th Edition
(Longman/Person) See Chapter 45, Avoiding Plagiarism and Documenting Sources, pp.
629-638.
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