Syllabus

Art 100: Art Appreciation

Syllabus - contact, grading, materials

Overview

This course will be conducted fully online and is set up in weekly modules. To be able to follow this class you must set Modules as your home screen. If you use any other viewing method such as, Assignments list, etc., you will miss important instructions. Please make sure this is set up correctly right away! If you are using the phone app, always choose 'modules' when you open the app.

Each week you are expected to participate in the class via your assignments, email, and when specified, through video conferencing using Zoom.

You will be expected to spend at minimum 5 hours per week on homework for this course. It takes time to tackle these concepts, build your skills, and demonstrate proficiency. Hopefully you will enjoy each module, discover something new, and find that time flows as you work on your projects!

All quizzes and assignments for each week will have specific days and times indicated for when they are due, Highline College is in the Pacific Time Zone. If you live in another time zone, be aware and make adjustments to meet the deadlines.

In this art appreciation course we will study a variety of creative modalities and and techniques through reading, exploring, and creating art. If you're nervous and have had limited exposure to art and creating art, great! You are in the right class! If you have a lot of experience, very exciting! I look forward to helping you develop your work further! This class is open to all skill levels, the most important ingredients are curiosity, practice, and be kind to yourself through the process!  

I will strive to assess your homework and get feedback to you within 2 weeks after the due date. However, if you turn in late homework I will assess late homework as soon as I can. Please know the reason I can't guarantee when I will get late homework assessment and feedback to you is because I am focusing on the current projects first. 

 

About Art Appreciation

Through a brief study of art history we will explore visual art forms and their cultural connections, with an in depth study of the elements, media, and methods used in the creative processes. You will also explore these concepts and engage in your own creative explorations relating to the topic. If that just made you nervous because you didn’t think you would have to create art in this class, no worries! No previous experience is required, however an authentic engagement is where the learning and the fun lives.

By engaging authentically in this course, you will develop a five-step system for understanding visual art in all forms based on:

  1. Description: Explaining a work of art from an objective point of view, its physical attributes, and formal construction.
  2. Analysis: A detailed look at a work of art that combines physical attributes with subjective interpretations based on the viewer’s reaction to the work.
  3. Meaning: A statement of the work’s content. A message or narrative expressed by the subject matter.
  4. Context: Any historical, religious, or environmental information that surrounds a particular work of art and which helps to understand the work’s meaning.
  5. Judgment: A critical point of view about a work of art concerning its aesthetic or cultural value.

I look forward to helping you develop your ability to appreciate art and also develop your own creative work! This class is open to all skill levels, the most important ingredients are: curiosity, practice, and be kind to yourself through the process!  

 

Instructor and Contact Information

  • Instructor: Ben Kerns
  • Email: bkerns@highline.edu
  • Office Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, Noon-1:30am. Also, I will check my email regularly Monday through Thursday, until 3pm.

If you email, please include which class you are referencing. I will do my best to respond quickly to your email, in the event I am not online at the time of your email, allow 48 hours for my reply. Recognize I will not check or send email over the weekend or holidays.

 

Course Description

Students learn to appreciate art in terms of content, form and context. They develop the skills and vocabulary to make an informed interpretation of a work and to make art that demonstrates an understanding of the basic principles of design.

 

Student Learning Outcomes 

At the conclusion of this course, students who earn a 2.0 or higher should be able to, at a basic level:

-Describe and discuss the form and content of an art work

-Demonstrate an understanding of the context of an art work: the maker of the work, the apparent function of the work; and social, historical, cultural, interpretive and other factors that influence the reception of the work

-Identify the formal elements of an image and describe their interaction according to the principles of design

-Identify and explain the characteristics of different media

-Make an informed interpretation of a work

-Produce a work that indicates basic understanding of the principles of design.

 

Demonstrated by college wide outcomes: 

- demonstrate critical thinking

- demonstrate information and visual literacy

- communicate effectively

 

Grading

Your final grade will be based on demonstrating the course competencies through the quizzes and assignments you will create this quarter. You will receive points for all of your projects this quarter, simply divide the points you earned by the total points possible to determine the grade percentage.

Here is the grade breakdown:

95-100% = 4.0

 

84%     = 2.9

 

71%         = 1.8

55%      = 0.7

94%    = 3.9

 

83%    = 2.8

 

70%         = 1.7

54%      = 0.0

93%    = 3.8

 

82%    = 2.7

 

69%         = 1.6

53%      = 0.0

92%    = 3.7

 

81%    = 2.6

 

68%        = 1.5

52%      = 0.0

91%    = 3.6

 

80%    = 2.5

 

67%         = 1.4

51%      = 0.0

90%    = 3.5

 

79%    = 2.4

 

66%         = 1.3

50%      = 0.0

89%    = 3.4

 

78%    = 2.3

 

65%         = 1.2

49%      = 0.0

88%    = 3.3

 

77%    = 2.2

 

64. 63%   = 1.1

48%      = 0.0

87%    = 3.2

 

76,75%   = 2.1

 

62, 61, 60% = 1.0

 

86%    = 3.1

 

74, 73%  = 2.0

 

59. 58%   = 0.9

 

85%    = 3.0

 

72%    = 1.9

 

57, 56%   = 0.8

 

Grades below 0.7 do not satisfy minimum course requirements for credit.

 

Grade Definition

A Excellent - Consistently does more than the minimum assigned, the work demonstrates a superior quality

B Highly Satisfactory - Productivity is usually above the minimum requirement and work is of good quality

C Satisfactory - Completes work as assigned and demonstrates a grasp of the basic concepts

D Insufficient with Credit – Does not consistently complete assignments and work shows inconsistent understanding of tools, mediums and concepts

F Insufficient with No Credit - Fails to participate in class, fails to complete assignments, and shows a deficit in the quality of assigned work and/or fails to demonstrate the course competencies 

 

Your final grade is based on these percentages:

Participation in the class 20%

Quizzes and Assignments 80% 

 

Late Work Policy

  • No late Final Projects will be accepted. 
  • Quizzes and assignments will be dropped one letter grade for each week they are late, after three weeks they will be considered an automatic F. 

 

Required Text 

There are no required textbooks for this course.

 

Highline’s Art and Design Department supports an inclusive learning environment where diverse viewpoints are valued and respected. I am committed to ensuring students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives are being well served by this course and that students' learning needs and wellbeing are being addressed both in and out of class. I will do my best to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.

 

 

 

"Art Appreciation" by Ben Kerns, Highline College is licensed under  CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Links to an external site. / A derivative from the original work by Christopher Gildow.