INDV 101 – Mind, Self, and Language: Children’s Art and Visual Culture
To be offered either fall or spring semesters, starting Fall 2011 (and possibly Summer 2011)
Instructor: Dr. Marissa McClure
Office: Room 138 Art Building; 520-626-0419; mam3@email.arizona.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1-3 PM & by appointment
Lecture: T/Thu
Section: TBA
Course Description:
Explores the central questions about the nature of human beings, focusing on the individual experience.
Course topics may include basic human thought processes (e.g. conceptual systems, symbolic
representation of the world, judgment and decision making), personal identity, individual freedom and
social control, ethical and moral principles, and others.
Course Objectives:
In this course, students will investigate how children use symbolic language to make meaning through
analysis of children’s art and visual culture. The course emphasizes children’s art and visual culture making
as social and linguistic practices with intellectual and psychological significance. Beginning with an historic
analysis of the history and discovery of children’s art, students will use original children’s artworks and
primary sources to examine why and how children make art and visual culture. The course will conclude
with analysis of contemporary children’s art and visual culture in global cultural contexts.
Course primary source materials include images and digital artwork made by children ages 3-11 hosted in
thematic portfolios on d2l, and each student in the course will be required to make detailed
observation/documentation of children at work using art materials to further understand course themes.
Students’ findings will be shared through discussion and in-class presentations.
Learner Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students will develop an understanding of the following topics:
What is children's art?
Children's art in history
Children's art in indigenous cultures
Children's art and Modern art
Why do children make art?
Psychology, intelligence, and children's art
Children's art, cognition, and literacy
The social purposes of children's art
Kinderculture and the material culture of childhood
Contemporary children's art
Children's art in popular culture
Representations of children’s art in visual culture
Children's art in global diverse cultures
Current ways of understanding children's art
Relationships between children's art, adolescent art, and adult art
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Course Materials and Supplies:
Required Texts & Required Reading:
 Hurwitz, A. & Carroll, K. (2008). Memory & experience: thematic drawings by Qatari, Taiwanese,
Malaysian, and American children. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
 Additional required readings and course media will be hosted on the course d2l site in PDF format
(you may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
 Please see course calendar, which is attached
Supplies:
 Internet access;
 Required readings;
 A scanner and/or digital camera, if necessary, to complete projects.
Course Requirements & Project Descriptions:

Students will be expected to be prepared for each in-class discussion. Participation in all aspects of
the course accounts for 25 points (12.5% of your final course grade).

Students will be expected to submit a one-page written response upon course readings once
weekly, for a total of ten responses during the duration of the course. Each response must
conclude with a question that students post to the appropriate online discussion. The purpose of
the response is for students to synthesize issues presented in the readings. The response is not a
summary but rather a response to an issue presented in the course readings/media. Preparation for
these responses includes thoughtfully reading and reflecting upon the course readings and their
relevance to the images hosted on our d2l site. All responses must be uploaded to the appropriate
d2l dropbox (along with supplementary media). The dropbox will be closed at this time. Responses
should include students’ name in the title and should be saved in .doc format (example:
LastNameResponseWeek1). Responses not submitted in this format will not be assessed, and will
be subject to the late work policy. Responses submitted after the deadlines are subject to the latework policy. These responses account for 100 points of students’ course grade (50%), or 10 points
per response—eight points for the thoughtfulness of the response in regards to issues presented in
the reading, for conventions and style, and two points for the question you pose. Responses to
readings and course media should be a minimum of one typed page, using a standard 12 pt. font
and should stand on their own as concise, complete, and thoughtful pieces of academic writing.

Three times throughout the semester, students will have a choice of two projects related to course
images and materials. Students will turn in a total of three projects, and present to the class your
findings in one of them during the final week of class sections. Late work will be subject to the
late-work policy. Brief project descriptions will be uploaded to “Content” on our d2l site. These
projects account for 75 points of students’ course grade, and participation in project presentations
and accompanying discussions accounts for 25 points, for a total of 100 (50%). Projects must be a
minimum of three typed pages, using a standard 12 pt. font and should stand on their own as
concise, complete, and thoughtful pieces of academic writing. Images/media that accompany
projects must be included in the body of the project.
Honors Contract: Please contact the instructor the first day of class to create an Honors experience
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through a contract negotiated between us.
Attendance Policy:
Please notify the instructor in advance if you must miss a class by sending an email message. Work you
miss due to absence can be made up only under very exceptional circumstances. If you are absent, it is
your responsibility to find out what you missed during the class session. Over two absences (excused or
unexcused) will result in a lowering of your final grade one third grade per additional absence. If you are
more than fifteen minutes late to class, you will be considered absent. If you are more than five minutes
late twice, you will be marked as having an absence. Although I reserve the right to administratively drop
you from the class after the third absence or if you do not attend our first class meeting, dropping the
course (if you choose to do so) is your responsibility and you should attend to it promptly.
All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored as excused for those
students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of
Students (or Dean’s designee) will be honored as excused.
Please note: Any unexplained absences in this course will result in automatic reduction of your final grade
by at least one half of a letter grade.
GRADING:
Grade Policies & Distributions:
Grades and attendance for this class are recorded in the university’s online gradebook, Webroster.
Students will be assessed upon the intensity of their engagement in the experiences, attention to detail,
willingness to exceed minimum expectations, and contributions to the class as a whole. Reading reflections
will be assessed as to how they reflect consistent reading and interpretation of course materials. Reflections
and questions for our online discussions should be thoroughly and thoughtfully prepared and directly
related to course material. Any student who fulfills these criteria thoroughly and thoughtfully is capable of
earning a B in this course. Those who consistently display exceptional effort and involvement will earn an
A. Grading standards at the University of Arizona are higher for graduate students. Grades cannot be
discussed with students via email; you are welcome to call me with questions.
Grade Policies:
A: (90-100%) The student fulfills all course requirements and performs at a superior level.
B: (80-89%) The student fulfills all course requirements and performs at an above-average level.
C: (79-70%) The student fulfills all course requirements and performs at an average level.
D. (69-60%) The student fulfills all course requirements but performs at a below-average level.
E. (59% and below): The student fails to fulfill all course requirements and performs at a poor level.
The grade of Incomplete will be assigned ONLY under the following circumstance: only a small
percentage of the semester’s work is still outstanding and was not completed due to a documented medical
emergency.
Grade Distribution:
Grade category
Weekly responses
Projects +
presentation/participation
Point values
100 points (10 points per
response)
100 points (25 points per
project; 25 points
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Total
presentation + participation)
200 points
Additional Class Policies:
 Preparation and deadlines: It is essential to be prepared and to meet course deadlines. Expectations
and deadlines are outlined in the daily calendar posted under “Content” in d2l. Please check the d2l
news feed and your d2l email once daily, as the calendar is subject to change and is our primary
means of communication. Expectations will be shared at the beginning of each class period for the
following course meeting. For unexcused absences, in class work cannot be made up and other
assignments that are late may not be accepted.

Written work: Written work must be typed, proofread, double-spaced, and submitted on time.

Late work policy: For each calendar day (i.e. each 24 hour period after the deadline) work and your
attendance grade will be reduced by ½ letter grade (for the project) and 10% (for your attendance
grade, which is 10% of your final grade). Work more than one week late will not be accepted.

Electronic communication/contacts: You are responsible for keeping up with the online course
calendar available on the d2l site. Please check the News Feed one lecture meeting days. I will
make every effort possible to post news by 8:00 AM. I will communicate with students personally
via d2l email. Please contact me via d2l email only.

Classroom behavior:
o Cell phones and pagers: As a courtesy to all people in class, please turn off cell phones and
pagers during class time.
o Please maintain professional and courteous online behavior, as you would in an in-class
discussion. I reserve the right to remove posts that I deem inappropriate and to deduct
points from the poster’s grade accordingly (using the late-work policy guidelines).
o From the University Policy on Threatening Behavior: “The aim of education is the
intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development of the individual. The educational
process is ideally conducted in an environment that encourages reasoned discourse,
intellectual honesty, openness to constructive change and respect for the rights of all
individuals. Self discipline and a respect for the rights of others in the university
community are necessary for the fulfillment of such goals.”
o From the University Code of Academic Integrity: “Integrity is expected of every student in
all academic work. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student’s submitted
work must the student’s own. This principle is further by the student Code of Conduct and
disciplinary procedures established by ABOR Policies 5-308 – 5-403, all provisions of
which apply to all University of Arizona students.”
The Code of Conduct is available at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/scc5308f.html
The Policy on Threatening Behavior is available at http://web.arizona.edu/~policy/threatening.pdf
The Code of Academic Integrity is available at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/cai1.html
ADA Statement: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet
with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine
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that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered
with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and that you notify me of your eligibility for
reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.
http://drc.arizona.edu/teach/syllabus-statement.html
Disclaimers: Information contained in this syllabus and in the course calendar, other than absence and
grade policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advanced notice, as deemed appropriate by the
instructor.
A Note on Content: The subject matter of this course contains material that may challenge or offend
your moral, religious or political values and beliefs. During the course of the semester, we will encounter
and discuss works of art that contain or deal with nudity, profanity, sexuality and violence. If this is an
insurmountable issue for you, perhaps this course is not appropriate.
A Note on Copyright: Images of children’s artwork hosted on d2l are property of my collection of
children’s art. They have been collected for research and teaching purposes with the consent of children’s
families, and are not intended for reproduction or distribution. Images have been treated with a watermark
and are subject to copyright infringement violation if they are removed from d2l site. I appreciate your
compliance. You may not use these images for work outside of this course.
INDV 101 – Mind, Self, and Language: Children’s Art and Visual Culture
Course Schedule
Week 1: What is children's art?
Lecture 1 (L1): What is children’s art?
Lecture 2 (L2): The study of children’s?
Section (S): Drawing activity.
Week 2: Children's art in history
L1: Children’s art in ancient history.
L2: The rediscovery of children’s art.
S: Graffiti and children’s art.
Week 3: Children's art in indigenous cultures
L1: Evidence of children’s art.
L2: Meanings of children’s art.
S: Pottery making activity.
Week 4: Children's art and Modern art
L1: Children’s art in 20th Century Europe.
L2: Klee, Picasso, Dubuffet, and other artists on children’s art.
S: Collections of children’s art from the Art Brut Museum.
Week 5: Why do children make art?
L1: Little Julian’s Impure drawings.
L2: Bigfoot, Medium Foot, Tiny Foot.
S: Art and narrative.
Week 6: Psychology, intelligence, and children's art
L1: Art and IQ tests.
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L2: Art and psychology.
S: Draw-A-Man test.
Week 7: Children's art, cognition, and literacy
L1: Art and children’s development.
L2: Art and children’s thinking.
S: Classifying children’s drawings.
Week 8: The social purposes of children's art
L1: Art in contexts.
L2: Art and symbolic language, narrative, and meaning.
S: Art and play.
Week 9: Kinderculture and the material culture of childhood
L1: Drawings by children; drawings for children.
L2: The “Ket” aesthetic.
S: Nostalgia and kinderculture.
Week 10: Contemporary children's art
L1: Children and photography.
L2: Children and new media.
S: Wendy Ewald, Secret Games @ Center for Creative Photography.
Week 11: Children's art in popular culture
L1: Project 1.
L2: Project 2.
S: Presentations.
Week 12: Representations of children’s art in visual culture
L1: My Kid Could Paint That.
L2: Criminal Minds.
S: Media analysis.
Week 13: Children's art in diverse cultures
L1: Children’s art in the Americas and Africa.
L2: Children’s art in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
S: Project 3.
Week 14: Current ways of understanding children's art
L1: Children’s art and symbolic language.
L2: Children’s art and linguistics and meaning.
S: New children’s art.
Week 15: Relationships between children's art, adolescent art, and adult art
L1: Art and visual culture.
L2: Ways we make now.
S: Project 3 Presentations.
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