avt395

In addition to statements, manifestos, resumes, and grants, artists are now often expected to write extensive and critical analyses about colleagues and contemporary issues, for the web (i.e. artist blogs and websites), and even compose writing within paintings and drawings, providing additional meaning to the content of the work. This course is intended to introduce students to writing as a technique for critical analysis of art artifacts, explore writing as a necessary skill for working artists, and help enrich your creative (and descriptive) writing skills. This course will also explore the use of language as visual/artistic material.

Required Readings: all required readings will be provided to you from the instructor (via blackboard or handouts).

Recommended Text: A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker Bedford/St. Martin's, latest edition.

Commitment to Diversity: This class will be conducted as an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and welcomes the participation in the life of the university of faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society. All may feel free to speak and to be heard without fear that the content of the opinions they express will bias the evaluation of their academic performance or hinder their opportunities for participation in class activities. In turn, all are expected to be respectful of each other, as well as artist guests and/or others outside the university with whom we come into contact through the course of this class, without regard to race, class, linguistic background, religion, political beliefs, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, veteran’s status, or physical ability.

Attendance, Participation, and Preparation for Class: The summer semester moves very fast, as will the course material, so it will be crucial that you attend classes in order to keep up with the assignments. Missing even a day or two can quickly put you behind and substantially affect your final grade. This course entails a number of various in-class and out-of-class activities and you will be expected to do the readings assigned and be prepared to actively engage in class discussions, writing/peer workshops, and create and maintain your own course blog. Your participation in this class will count for 10% of your final grade—and, of course, if you aren’t present (or absent often), you won’t be able to participate.

Writing Intensive Course: This course fulfills the Writing-Intensive requirement in the AVT major. Longer pieces of writing will be completed through a draft/feedback/revision process. Drafts will be due to your partners two sessions before the final due date, and second drafts will be due one week before the final. All written work is expected to get substantively and noticeably better with each draft. All work will be turned in to class or via email (depending on the specific instructions provided by the instructor). Hard copies of edited versions and partner edits will also be due in class on due dates. In addition to your own writing, you will receive a grade for the quality and attentiveness of the editing job you do for your partner and the time you invest in reviewing his or her work. These writing assignments will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Individual Blog & Response Assignments:

You will be responsible for setting up and maintaining your own blog, on which you will respond regularly to prompted assignments. I highly recommend Wordpress.com (you MUST register with WordPress) to set up your own blog), because it is easy to use, offers customizable headers, allows for video, sound, and photographs, and does not fill your blog pages with annoying advertisements. Where appropriate and useful, students must provide visual imagery to accompany their writing. We will also have a course blog on which I will post assignments and from which I will link to your individual blogs, for easy access. I will also post additional resources, and I expect you each to regularly contribute to those resources (details to be provided during first week of class) and/or create a list of your own.

Additionally, students are required to make two journal entries a week (and I will usually leave it up to you to decide what to respond to, whether readings, the work you are currently doing, challenges you are having, interesting sites you found, a gallery exhibit you saw, etc.), though I will sometimes assign specific topics and dates. Occasionally, I will ask you to journal on something specific (like readings), but this is primarily a space for you to reflect on your own progress, challenges and ideas generated by this class.

From the beginning, your individual blogs will be designed and set up to facilitate final website portfolios, which means that you will need to construct appropriate headings and categories early on. The blog will also help you further develop your own insights about your art and your writing, interact and exchange ideas with your student colleagues, and hone your creative and analytical writing skills. If, for any reason, you are unable to get online to the blog to post your response by the date/time it is due, you must still turn in your response via email or in class on the day it is due and then later upload your response to your blog at the earliest opportunity. Blog responses are worth 30% of the total grade; therefore, missing more than one could affect your final grade; missing more than two could substantially lower your final grade.

In-class writing:

You will regularly have in-class (impromptu) writing assignments, which will primarily include a variety of creative and critical writing exercises. These assignments will be factored into your participation grade.

Other Writing Assignments:

Additionally, you will be responsible for completing specific written work to be turned into class in response to assignment prompts (and on those days, please bring three copies, one for me and two for peer review). The combined total of all these assignments will be worth 40% of your final grade (each assignment will be worth 5% of your overall grade). These will include the following:

* Resume

* Biography

* Artist Statement

* Critical evaluation/review of an artist or collection of work in your field

Budget & Timeline

Grant Proposal

* Press Release and Postcard

* “Product” Description

* Bubble Project

Final Portfolio:

At the end of class, you will provide me with a final website portfolio of your written work, the major assignments of which (*starred* above) should be edited and proofread, based on comments you receive from me and your peers. The final portfolio will be worth 20% of your overall grade. Part of this grade will take into consideration your use of visual materials and design/layout.

Student Evaluation Process: The evaluation process for all work in this class will take place through written feedback, interaction in peer groups, peer evaluations, and conversations with the instructor, both online and in-person. Grades for the course will be determined from the following general assignment categories, as described above:

In-class assignments and participation 10%
Blog response assignments 30%
Other writing assignments 40%
Final Portfolio 20%

Class and University Policies:

• All projects are due at the beginning of class on the date assigned. Late projects will be reduced one letter grade for each class day late or portion thereof. After one week, late projects will not be accepted, and you will receive a grade of zero. The final project is due to me via email on the last day of class.

• Students in this class are bound by the Honor Code, as stated in the George Mason University Catalog. The honor code requires that the work you do as an individual be the product of your own individual synthesis or integration of ideas. (This does not prohibit collaborative work when it is approved by the instructor.) Violations must be reported to the Student Honor Council, which treats such cases very seriously. Using someone else’s words or ideas without attribution is plagiarism, a very serious Honor Code offense. Plagiarism will also result in a failing grade.

• If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC.

• Students who are in need of assistance with grammar, structure or mechanics in their writing should make use of the services of The Writing Center, located in Robinson A116 (703-993-1200). The services of the Center are available by appointment, online and, occasionally, on a walk-in basis.

• Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Students are responsible for regularly checking their Mason e-mail account and making sure it’s not “over the limit.”