ART 1000 /Art Appreciation / On-line / Department of Art and Art History / UConn
Pamela Bramble
Associate Professor of Art, Department of Art and Art History
Coordinating Director, ARTS Project, UConn Torrington/ www.artsproject.uconn.edu
860.626.6821 / Pamela.bramble@uconn.edu
SYLLABUS – MAY 2014
Art does not reproduce the visible, but rather it makes visible. Paul Klee
TEXTS
Be prepared! Have you textbooks in hand before the term starts. The pace of the May Intersession
is fast (15 weeks of material covered in 3 weeks) and requires that you are ready to go on day one!!
Getlein, Mark. Living With Art. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 2013.
Note: This book is available in two forms: text book and as individual pages that can put in a binder.
Either form is acceptable. If given the choice, the CD is optional and not required for this course.
Sayre, Henry. Writing About Art. 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2009.
You can purchase textbooks from a bookstore, from the UConn Co-op in person or on-line at
http://bookstore.uconn.edu/text/ttg.html ). The co-op makes every effort to have the appropriate number
of books available at all UConn campuses, but it is suggested that you call ahead to be sure the books are
there. As for on-line vendors and local bookstores, be sure that they have a proven track record when it
comes to the dependability of their promised delivery day. If you prefer to rent one of our textbooks, the
Getlein text is available at http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/1066435/0077410335?__hdv=6.8
Course Description
Not open to Art majors.
Introduction to the visual arts - past and present: the visual language of artists, historical and cultural
significance of art.
This course introduces students to the broad spectrum of visual art offering global and historical
perspectives. As a means to gaining an appreciation of visual art and the creative process, emphasis is on
learning about the visual language employed by artists and on how to use the descriptive analysis process.
Topics include the themes and purposes of art, the vocabulary of art and composition, art mediums
(drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, the camera arts, communication design, environmental art,
performance art and architecture), historical and cultural significance of specific works of art and seminal
artists, survey of art from Paleolithic to modern time.
Course Methodology and Format
Topics and concepts are covered via Session Pages (Introduction, Lecture Notes, Professor’s Notes and
Session Images), readings from the course texts, individual research, activities and virtual museum visits.
SESSION ACTIVITIES
Course content is divided into 8 sessions. Each session is worth 100 points. Dates for each session and
due dates for each session’s learning activities are available on the course calendar.
Each session includes readings and one or more activity designed to explore specific topics, concepts and
terminology introduced and explained in that session. Activity formats include:
 discussions
o entire class discussions
o group discussion between 5 and 10 class members
o small group discussions comprised of two, three or four class members
 individual writing assignments
o short answer
o short essay
o research
MIDTERM: INDIVIDUAL STUDENT-LED DISCUSSIONS
Each student will introduce a work of art to the class and discuss it with class members. There are four
components to the midterm:
1. Visit a museum either virtually or in person. Discover a work of art that you find interesting and
observe it carefully. If you prefer to discuss a piece of architecture you will visit virtually or in person
that site rather than a museum. Gather some information on the artist/architect, the work of art itself if
available and on the style +and the art period that your chosen work of art represents.
2. Post a descriptive analysis of the work of art you are presenting to the class. Include discussion
questions.
3. Participate in three other student-led discussions by observing the works of art, reading the
descriptive analyses presented, responding to questions posed and asking several (2-3) questions
relevant to the discussion for the student leading the discussion to answer in their summary.
4. Complete your midterm by posting a conclusion for your midterm. This conclusion includes your
answers to the questions posed to you and a summary of the comments others made to you in
response to the questions you posed.
FINAL EXAM: PAPER
The Final is divided into three sections. Section I is an overview of course content (text and session
lecture notes), Section II is comprised of selected session activity summaries and Section III is an exercise
that allows you to get creative!
Academic and Course Policies
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. All researched and referenced information that you use for your
discussions and assignments must be cited – this includes information you include from our Getlein and
Sayre texts. List citations using MLA format at the end of all assignments and discussion postings. Use
databases and google scholar more; use google, websites and Wikipedia less; avoid blogs and the like.
Guidelines for participating in an online discussion
 Check your posting before you send it! Pay attention to spelling and grammar. Be sure your posting
fulfills the stated requirements.
 Do the appropriate preparation – read the assigned text chapters and session notes - before you join
the discussion.
 When responding to another’s post, do much more than state agreement or disagreement. Justify and
support your observations. The most successful postings include examples, reasons, and facts; cite
sources when used.
 Opinions are ok to include but they must be supported by actual facts and example.
 If you disagree with something, state why. Respect others' ideas and opinions. Feel free to disagree,
but express your opinion in a respectful manner. Disrespectful communication is poor communication
and not acceptable.
 If you really like something that you've read, explain why.
 Help to move the discussion along. When contributing to a discussion, read other people's postings.
Introduce new ideas, but also build on what others have said – ‘piggy-back’ - on other people's ideas.
 Respect others' ideas and opinions. Feel free to disagree, but express your opinion respectfully.
Session Activities and Midterm
Except in the case of extenuating circumstances, all activities and midterm components are due by the
posted due date and due time. Late work is accepted with a five point deduction for each day late
(excluding weekends) with a maximum point deduction of 20 points per activity.
The Final
The Final is to be submitted by midnight on the date noted on the course calendar. University Policy
states that no Final can be submitted or taken later than the scheduled date unless there are extenuating
circumstances. If an extenuating circumstance exists, the student must contact the Office of Student
Support and Advocacy (OSSA) to request an opportunity to submit/take a Final other than at the
scheduled time; supporting documentation will be required. For further information, the OSSA website
address is: http://www.ossa.uconn.edu/. By university policy, if your Final is submitted late, it cannot be
accepted.
Grading System
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Final grade is determined by: Session Activities Average (50%), Midterm (25%) and Final (25%).
Grading Scale:
GRADING SCALE
Grade
Quality
Percentage
Points
A
Excellent
95-100
4.0
A-
Excellent
90-94
3.7
B+
Very
Good
87-89
3.3
B
Good
83-86
3.0
B-
Good
80-82
2.7
C+
Above
Average
77-79
2.3
C
Average
73-76
2.0
C-
Fair
70-72
1.7
D+
Poor
67-69
1.3
D
Very
Poor
63-66
1.0
D-
Merely
Passing
60-62
.7
F
Failure
59 and
below
0
The developer of this course is Pamela Bramble, Associate Professor of Painting, Department of Art and
Art History and Coordinating Director of the ARTS Project, UConn.
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3/6/2014