Art Appreciation
ART-101-CRF03 Spring 2014
Course Website: http://faculty.kirkwood.edu/jhall/art.htm
Instructor:
Instructor
Information:
Joe Hall
Email: jrhall@kirkwood.edu (Email is the best way to contact me.)
Course Website: http://faculty.kirkwood.edu/jhall/art.htm
(Use it for quiz study guides, schedule, and other documents.)
Angel: The Angel page includes a link to the course website and my contact information.
ART-101-CRF03 / (0202694) / 3 Credit Hours
Section Number,
Credits:
Meeting Times,
MWF / 9:05-10:00 AM / Room 313 NH
Location:
Course Description: Art Appreciation provides an overview of art from a historical, contemporary and
aesthetic frame of reference.
Course Format:
Lecture, Discussion, PowerPoint slides, YouTube videos, DVD & VHS videos.
Course Materials
Needed:
Living With Art, 9th Edition, by Mark Getlein. The textbook serves as a guide to the core
content of the class. The entire textbook is not covered, and a lot of information is
presented that is not in the textbook.
Course Outline:
This course is intended to provide students with a foundation upon which to build an
understanding of the fine arts with an emphasis on painting, installations, intermedia,
photography, earthworks, and video art. This semester we will also investigate: sitespecific art, public art, minimalism, color theory, and DADA. Art Appreciation will use
the following instructional methods to foster an understanding and appreciation for the
fine arts: the textbook, slides, lectures, videos, an independent field trip, research paper,
quizzes, tests, and discussions.
Learning Outcomes Students will learn about the relationships between artworks and the historical and
and Objectives:
cultural contexts in which they have been created. Students will learn useful vocabulary
used to enrich the analysis and interpretation of artworks. Students will learn about the
relationship between form, subject matter, and content. Moreover, students will learn
about the wide-variety of materials and techniques employed by artists, the creative
process, and the vast spectrum of media in which artists work throughout the world.
Assessment of
Students will exhibit proficiency regarding the previously stated objectives through 9
Student Learning:
quizzes (on several Fridays), one field trip report, three tests (multiple choice, T/F, short
answer), a typed term paper on any artist or artwork (with additional bibliography and
images), classroom participation, and attendance. Quizzes require you to commit certain
things to memory; however, to encourage good note-taking habits throughout the
semester, students may use their notes (notes only) on the three tests.
To Do Well In This To do well in this class, students should: take great notes, have an excellent attendance
Class:
record, spend a lot of time preparing for quizzes, and keep up to date with all
assignments and due dates. Quizzes serve as a backbone for the class and are on nine
Fridays (see schedule at the course website and pay attention to announcements in
class). Quiz study guides are posted at the course website on the Wednesday (by 5 PM)
before the Friday quiz. Quizzes are based upon the quiz study guides. Students who
perform well on quizzes typically do very well overall in the class. I want everyone to
learn about art, enjoy your time here, and do well!
Class Attendance
Policy and College
Sponsored
Activities:
Students receive points for attending each day. An attendance sheet will be passed
around near the conclusion of each class – it is your responsibility to sign it. We meet 43
total times this semester, and students receive 2.5 points for attending each day and 5
points for attending the final day – this adds up to 110 points (22% of your total grade).
Points are deducted for being late or leaving early. Habitual tardiness is not acceptable,
even if you have a distant class before this one. If you have difficulty getting to 313
Nielsen Hall on time due to your schedule, I expect you to solve the problem on your own
by immediately changing your schedule. If you miss a class due to an excusable reason,
you may be able to get attendance credit only if you provide me with documentation for
an excusable absence (like a doctor’s note). Excusable absences include doctor/dentist
appointments, Kirkwood sponsored events, and some other things (at the discretion of
the instructor). Use good judgment when weather conditions are poor. Students who
miss more than 25% of an Arts & Humanities course (more than 10 days for this class)
should not expect to pass regardless of points earned, and may be advised to withdraw.
The instructor does not regularly remind students about the quantity of their absences
and expects students to keep track of this on their own. Attendance audits are
conducted by the instructor only at midterm and final grading times. This semester we
will likely have three library research/typing days (one will be for extra credit). It is
possible that I may experiment with the hybrid teaching method – in other words, it is
possible there may be a few days that we meet on Angel instead of in the classroom. As
stated in the Student handbook: In compliance with Public Law 105-244, Kirkwood
Community College makes a wide variety of general institutional information available to
students. For additional information, go to: http://www.kirkwood.edu/studenthandbook
Late Work / Make- Please notify me as soon as possible if you will miss something due to a doctor’s
Up Policy:
appointment or other excusable absence (what constitutes an excusable absence is at the
discretion of the instructor). You should contact me and reschedule it prior to the due
date/testing/quiz time if possible in order to be allowed to make it up or turn it in late
for full credit. You must provide a doctor’s note or other acceptable documentation to
make something up and/or turn it in late for full credit (what constitutes acceptable
documentation is at the discretion of the instructor). If you miss a due date, quiz, test, or
assignment and have no excusable, documented reason, on most occasions you will not
be able make up what you missed. Excusable absences include doctor/dentist
appointments, Kirkwood sponsored events, and some other things (at the discretion of
the instructor). Late term papers are not accepted. (FYI - We have nine quizzes, and I
keep your top eight scores and drop your lowest score at the end of the semester when
calculating grades – therefore, you are permitted to miss one quiz without significant
penalty.) If you miss a class I recommend that you borrow notes from another student
to see what you missed. My PowerPoint presentations and notes from class typically are
not distributed directly to students.
Productive
In the interest of preserving an effective learning environment, as free of as many
Classroom Learning disruptions as possible, all cell phones and other devices must be turned off or placed in
Environment:
a non-audible mode while in the classroom. Students are strongly encouraged to
contribute to classroom discussion and to ask pertinent questions, however, side
conversations will not be tolerated except during assigned group discussions. Students
will be expected to maintain respect for other students’ right to an orderly learning
environment. Video recording (for example, with a cell phone), audio recording, or
photography of lectures is only permitted with prior permission of the instructor or
completed accommodation form. Do not send or read ‘texts’ during class – instructors
always take note of this, even if they don’t say anything (and it isn’t good for your
participation grade). Children and pets are not permitted in the classroom.
See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/studenthandbook
Student Evaluation:
Point Breakdown (Subject to Change)
Quizzes (9 total – I use your best 8 scores and
drop your lowest score. You may not use notes,
books, or anything else to assist you.)
Test #1, Test #2, Test #3 (T/F, Multiple Choice,
Short Answer. You may use your notes - your
notes only. Test #3 is cumulative.)
Field Trip Report (1 page typed. You will need to
visit the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art outside of
regular class time. In exchange, there will be a
Library typing day – attendance will be for extra
credit only. I will be in the library on that day to
provide assistance and give feedback.)
Term Paper (3-4 pages typed plus images and
bibliography. Due on final exam day. We will have
2 library research/paper typing days near the end
of the semester for this assignment. Library book
usage required. I will be in the library on those
days to provide one-on-one assistance and give
feedback [attendance required].)
Attendance (43 total days, 2.5 pts. per day, 5 pts.
for final day)
Points
Each
Total
Possible
Percent of
Total
(Rounded)
10
80
16%
60
180
36%
30
30
6%
70
70
14%
2.5 / 5
110
22%
30
6%
500
100%
Participation (Some things that are considered
when grading are: arriving to class on time and
prepared, making sure cell phones are turned off,
not texting during class.)
Total Possible Points:
Grading Scale:
A
93%
B+
87%
B-
80%
C
73%
D+
67%
D-
60%
A-
90%
B
83%
C+
77%
C-
70%
D
63%
F
<60%
Final Exam Meeting Wednesday, May 7, 9:05-10:55 AM (Test #3 Completed, Term Paper Due. The final exam
Time:
date/time is according to the Kirkwood Final Exam Schedule.)
Drop Date:
The last date to drop this class is Friday, April 25. Details of the refund schedule are
available from Enrollment Services in 216 Kirkwood Hall. For detailed discussion of
drop dates and policies, please read the student handbook.
Next Page 
Plagiarism Policy:
To plagiarize is “to steal or pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own…to use
created productions without crediting the source…to commit literary theft…to present
as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.” (Webster
Dictionary)
A Google and Wikipedia search of selected sentences is commonly used for typed
assignments to confirm authenticity and to check for plagiarism. Copying sentences
from Wikipedia, or any other softcopy (online) or hardcopy (book, magazine, etc.)
source, without using quotation marks and properly citing the source is plagiarism. (It is
still plagiarism if you change a few words and fail to use quotation marks and don’t
properly cite the source.) After all, I want to know what you think, not what other people
have written about a specific topic. If I find plagiarism in a typed assignment I either score
it as zero or apply a significant grade reduction (like 50% score), depending upon the
severity. Sometimes plagiarism has an impact upon a student’s participation grade, also,
so steer clear of it. The best typed assignments utilize a wide-variety of library book
sources and utilize online sources sparingly. We will be visiting the library about three
times this semester. See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/studenthandbook
Americans With
Disabilities Act:
Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives
should file an accommodation application with Learning Services, Cedar Hall 2063 and
provide a written plan of accommodation to your instructor prior to the accommodation
being provided. (The instructor does not determine who may receive accommodations.)
Emergency
Information:
See student handbook http://www.kirkwood.edu/studenthandbook
Midterm Grades:
A midterm grade will be calculated and posted on EagleNet. The midterm grade is a
grade-in-progress, and will not affect your official GPA, nor will it impact financial aid.
The midterm grade has three purposes: first, to communicate your academic
performance; second, to provide opportunities for you to discuss your progress with
your instructor; and third, to allow Kirkwood to design college-wide intervention
programs that will improve student success.
Note: Angel is used to link to the course website. Angel is not used for grading.
Contacting the
Instructor:
I am happy to meet with you after class or at another time. My email is:
jrhall@kirkwood.edu. Please do not send emails to me from the Angel interface – use
your standard Kirkwood or other webmail account for a quicker response. Please give
me 48-72 hours to respond to emails (also, I typically don’t check my email on Saturdays
and Sundays). Email is always the best way to contact me. Don’t hesitate to ask me for
help if you need it – I can meet with you or help you find a tutor, if needed. I am a parttime instructor and I do not have regularly scheduled office hours, but I am happy to
make an appointment or talk to you before or after class. Please ask if you have any
questions. Good luck this semester!