Art 104-501 Syllabus

The Treachery of Images by Rene Magritte, 1929

Introduction to Art, Summer 2020

Art 104, ​Section 502, 6/15-8/06/2020
Format:​ Fully online course in Canvas
Instructor​: Jennifer Donovan
Email​:​ ​jdonovan@swccd.edu
Note: This syllabus draws directly from the example syllabus the Distance Education Handbook, 2017

I​nstructor Contact Information

Instructor​: Jennifer Donovan
Email​: Canvas Inbox (fastest method of contact) or jdonovan@swccd.edu
Canvas Login: ​MyS​WC or​ ​Canvas Login at https://swccd.instructure.com

Office Hours and Response Time

Questions? I will respond to your email within 24 hours, M-F. If you do not get a
response after 24 hours, please resend.

Required Materials
1. SWC email account
2. Gateways to Art ​by Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann,
and Kathryn Shields, is available at SWC Bookstore and
online
3. Google Docs, Microsoft Word—Get Office 365 free with
your SWC email address!—or another word processing
program
4. Reliable, high-speed Internet access on a desktop or laptop
computer, ideally with webcam and microphone.

Course Description and Objectives

This course provides a general introduction to art through the analysis of art theory,
terminology, themes, design principles, media, and techniques. This course also
introduces the visual arts across time and through diverse cultures with an emphasis on
function, meaning, and style.

Throughout the course students will analyze the different definitions, functions and
expressions in the visual arts by: comparing and contrasting the different role art plays
in different societies during different time periods, analyzing the ways in which the visual
elements and principles of design give form to artworks, analyzing and explaining
various media and techniques used to create artworks, and practicing methodologies
used in art history and art criticism to understand and discuss visual representation.

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Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the successful completion of this course (a “C” or “CR/Pass”) students will be
able to:
1. Demonstrate the ability to examine visual culture relative to the context in which
they were created.
2. Identify formal elements and principles to affect critical thinking in visual terms

Attendance and Participation

Regular attendance and class participation is as vital in an online class as it is in a
traditional classroom. ​Your presence ​will be counted not by taking roll, but by your
regular contributions to discussions and activities. ​ Attendance in an online course
is determined by participation in academically related activities. You will be considered
present if there is evidence of your participation in course activities including, but not
limited to, submitting an assignment, taking a quiz, participating in an online discussion,
and working in a group. You will be considered absent if there is no evidence of your
participation in the academic activities of this course.
Students who do not complete the first week’s online assignments or are absent for two
weeks or more of the course may be dropped. However, if you choose to drop the
course you will need to do so officially through Admissions and then notify your
instructor.

Instructor Role/Regular Effective Contact

I am looking forward to working closely with you this semester, and you can expect me
to play an active role in our course. I will post announcements every week, teach
course material through online lecture content, join you in class discussions to help you
understand course concepts, and provide detailed feedback on major assignments. I
will also answer questions throughout the semester in the Q&A Forum.
Questions about Canvas are best handled by the ​Online Learning Center,​ ​although I will
try to assist you with technical questions when needed. The ​Canvas Guides​ are an
excellent resource for you as well.
Please let me know when you need help—that’s why I’m here!

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Course Schedule
Detailed schedules of assignments will be available in the Syllabus area of Canvas as
we move through the semester. You will want to print these out for easy reference. For
now, it might be useful to envision what your typical week will look like. For most
weeks, this will be your workflow:
1. Following the published schedule, begin reading and taking notes for the new
week as soon as you are finished with the previous week.
2. Read the announcement opening the new week and then head to the new
week’s module, using the link on the course home page. “Next” through the
content, activities, and assignments for the week, being mindful of the week’s
deadlines. (Note: Our weeks officially begin Monday mornings, but weekly
modules will be made available the Saturday morning before each week for early
access.)
3. Take the test by Wednesday and contribute your initial post to the week’s
discussion by Thursday. Discussion responses are due by Saturday.
4. If applicable, work on your essay or other special assignment throughout the
week, completing it by the published due date.
5. After a few weeks, you will fall into the rhythm of Wednesday-Thursday-Saturday
deadlines. This should make it easier to schedule your time and reduce the
chance that a deadline will sneak past you.

Assignments
This three-unit course requires a commitment of at least nine hours per week. Much of
this time will be spent reading texts, analyzing what you have read, and presenting your
ideas. During this semester you will take weekly tests and occasional movie quizzes,
write about your ideas using the discussion board and other tools, craft two essays, and
create a multimedia presentation. You will be sharing your work with classmates
throughout the class so that we can learn from each other.
Our use of technology in this course will sometimes go beyond traditional tools.
This will add variety and fun to your learning experience, and I hope it will bring the
literature to life as well as build a stronger classroom community. Some of these
tools, such as VoiceThread, may be new to you, so remember to be patient with
yourself and the technology as you become acquainted with it.

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Reading and Taking Notes
In a traditional lecture classroom, the instructor delivers information and the students
receive it. In contrast, the online classroom puts the student in charge of learning. I will
be providing you with the materials, guidance, and feedback you need to learn
independently and with your classmates. Rather than passively taking notes, you will
be the one creating meaning; it will be up to you to read actively, learn from the texts,
and apply that knowledge to class
discussions, activities, and assignments.
This is liberating and exciting for many
people, but it can be disastrous if you are
not motivated, disciplined, and organized. I
recommend that you go beyond simply
highlighting the text to actively taking
notes, both in the margins and on separate
paper or electronically. The goal is to have
a record of your insights, which will be a
valuable time saver when discussing the
works with your peers and writing essays.
Ann Hamilton, tropos, 1993-199​4

Tests
At the end of each module, there will be a test on the material covered. These quizzes
are designed to emphasize important elements of the module’s material, and your score
and feedback will let you know how well you are grasping these concepts. Questions
will be multiple choice, true-false, etc. ​Tests will be due by 11:59 p.m. each
Wednesday. Tests may not be submitted after the deadline​.

Class Discussions
As you have probably already discovered in previous English courses, talking and
writing about a topic helps you better understand it. This is especially true when you
are dealing with artworks, which usually have several layers of meaning. To get the
most out of each week’s readings, you will join in a discussion of them, just as you
would in a traditional classroom. We use Canvas Discussions as the platform for these
conversations.
In a typical week’s discussion, each student will contribute a minimum of one initial post

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and two responses to the discussion. Here’s how it works:
1. First, when you are working with our textbook and lecture materials,
record your reactions and insights through independent note-taking during
or immediately after reading.
2. Next, join our discussion. You will contribute a minimum total of one initial
post and two responses for the week. Each initial post will be evaluated
based on the following criteria:
● It has been completed on time: 11:59 pm on Thursday.
● It consists of 1-3 detailed, well-written paragraphs and is
approximately 250-350 words in length (using Microsoft
Word’s Word Count). Don't forget to spell-check and
proofread!
● It presents focused insight that directly addresses the topic
and has not been written about yet. Posts should use source
quotes to explain and support ideas​.
3. To gain additional insight into the assigned works, read through other
students’ posts as they appear during the week. You may want to take
notes on some of these ideas, too. As you read the ideas of others,
respond to at least two. Responses should attempt to take an idea further
or approach a topic from a new direction. They may be shorter than initial
posts (around 100-150 words), but avoid simply agreeing or saying “Good
job”—these types of responses do not deepen the discussion and will not
receive credit. Initial posts are worth up to 10 points each, and each
week’s set of responses will also be worth up to 10 points, for a total of 20
points weekly.
4. Initial posts must be completed by 11:59 p.m. each Thursday;
responses must be completed by 11:59 p.m. each Saturday.
5. Note: Bonus points may be awarded to students who make valuable
contributions to the Q&A Forum, such as helping other students or sharing
relevant websites, events, etc. with the class.
6. Bonus points (up to 2 per post) are tabulated monthly, with a max of 6 per
week​.

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Creative Project: Grid Drawing
In order to be able to gain a deeper perspective on the
creative process, students will engage in the creation of
their own original artwork. Clear guidelines and
processes will be provided based on the readings and
supplementary material and you will be graded on how
well they follow the directions provided, not on artistic
ability. This assignment does not require the purchase
of additional materials.

Final Paper
The final paper is due on the last day of class, ​8/6
by 11:59 pm​ ​and is worth 20% of your overall
grade. As part of the graded assignment students
will complete a formal analysis worksheet, a rough
draft and a final draft.
Vik Muniz, Marat (Sebastião), 2008
Grading
Each student's final grade is calculated by the percentage of total points possible
earned by that student, using a standard scale: 90-100%=A, 80-89%=B, 70-79=C,
60-69%=D, 0-59%=F. The instructor reserves the right to add/change/delete points
during the semester.
Assignment Points % of Total
24% Weekly Discussions (120 points)
24% Tests (120 points)
20% Creative Project (100 points)
20% Final Paper (100 points)
12% Activities, Quizzes & Survey (60 points)
Total Points Possible 500

Late Work
All assignments for this course must be completed on time and will be automatically

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locked when the due date passes. While discussions will remain open, only posts
submitted on time will receive credit. In emergency situations and with instructor
approval, a major assignment (paper or project) may be accepted with a late penalty of
10% of the total points per calendar day the assignment is late. To avoid such a
situation, I strongly recommend that you do not wait until an assignment is due to
submit it—early is a wise plan in an online class.

Professional Conduct
Both in the readings and in discussions, you will likely encounter ideas and values that
differ from your own. These are good opportunities to learn more about different
perspectives and where they intersect with your own. You are encouraged to contribute
your ideas about our readings freely, but please
remember to show respect for the works as well as
your classmates. Anyone who violates this conduct
policy may be locked out of the discussion board for
the week and/or face student misconduct charges. As
this is an academic environment, please note that all
written communication should use standard English.
While abbreviations, slang, and other shortcuts are
common in texting and tweeting, they are not clear
communication for everyone and thus are
inappropriate for the classroom. Also, don’t forget to
spell-check and proofread before emailing and
posting!
​Mannequin Fall 1991, Charles Ray

Academic Integrity
By enrolling in a distance education course, you agree that you are the person
accessing and completing the work for this course and will not share your CMS
username and password with others.
Any academic dishonesty such as plagiarism or cheating will result in severe penalties.
Plagiarism is the act of using another person's words or ideas as if they were your own.
Sources of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries must be properly documented
according to ​MLA format​.​ This applies to all writing, including discussions.

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Plagiarism is considered academic theft because it is stealing someone else’s words or
ideas, but the plagiarizer robs himself or herself as well. This course will provide you
with the opportunity to improve your reading, thinking, and writing skills—don’t rob
yourself of that chance.
Unfortunately, I am very practiced at both identifying and locating the source of
plagiarized writing. Do not insult my intelligence by claiming someone else’s work is
your own. ​ ​Plagiarized work will automatically receive a failing grade, and the
plagiarizer is also very likely to receive a failing grade for the course and/or face
misconduct charges (see ​Southwestern College Catalog​). When in doubt, ask
first​!

Netiquette
Netiquette​ is a set of guidelines for good
behavior in an online environment. It is
etiquette for the Internet, and knowing these
social rules can help you have a more
rewarding semester.
The netiquette guidelines here are ones that
are especially important in our online
classroom.

1. Participate​. Reading the posts of others is helpful for you, but you must also do
your part to be helpful for the group. Share your ideas to strengthen our
discussion, and don’t wait until the last minute to contribute. Encourage others to
participate by responding to their ideas. Be involved, but do not dominate a
forum with too many posts.
2. Remember the human. ​ This common Internet mantra means that even though
we may not be face to face, there is a real person behind each discussion-board
post. Do not write something that you would not feel comfortable saying in a
traditional classroom setting. Discuss ideas, not people. In other words, do not
attack a classmate for expressing his or her opinion; instead, discuss your
position on the ideas that have been presented. Be kind and understanding with
your classmates to keep our environment positive and productive.
3. Help others. ​ We will be working together all semester, so let’s try to be a good
team. If you can help a classmate with a question, please do! Your efforts will

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 be appreciated by both students and instructor.
4. Respect other people’s time. ​Your posts should be focused, organized, and
clear so that your classmates can quickly see your point and evidence. Another
way to respect people’s time is to look for answers before asking for help. For
example, if you can’t find something or you don’t remember when an assignment
is due, look through the syllabus and other course documents for the answer.
Only ask for help when you truly need it.
5. Edit and proofread before posting. ​We have lots of posts to read, so yours
needs to be as clear as it can be. It should be organized and written in standard
English. Not fixing misspellings and other errors tells your readers that you don’t
value their time and you don’t care if they get frustrated trying to understand you.
This does not build goodwill. Avoid slang and unfamiliar abbreviations for the
same reason.
6. Don’t shout. ​TYPING IN ALL CAPITALS MEANS YOU ARE SHOUTING AT
US! Don’t do it. The same can be said of repeated exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!
7. Use emoticons sparingly. ​ Social networking and texting have given us lots of
fun keyboard shortcuts to add tone to a message. Because a smiley face or wink
can help to establish the intended tone of a comment, you are welcome to use
common emoticons occasionally. Too many emoticons can make your writing
look more casual than academic, so don’t overdo it. :-)
8. No flaming. ​ “Flaming” is an angry message, often directed at another person.
When another person responds in anger, we have a “flame war” taking over the
discussion board. Personal attacks are unacceptable in the classroom, and the
same goes for the cyber classroom. If you see a conflict developing, jump in
and try to calm things down; if you feel attacked, contact your instructor rather
than responding to the flaming student. Everything we do in Canvas is
permanent, so you must think very carefully about your tone before submitting a
post. If you don’t, that mistake might haunt you for the rest of the semester.

Student Support and Services

Southwestern College students are supported by many excellent services and
educational resources. Learn about the many student support services available at
https://www.swccd.edu/student-support/index.aspx.​ F​urthermore, if you are comfortable
doing so, please notify your instructor any particular needs or interests you may have
regarding your college experience; this will enable your instructor to brainstorm potential
resources and options with you. Here are just a few of the support services that we'd
like to highlight:

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 ● Disability Support Services​:​ provides instruction accommodations for eligible
students.
● Counseling Services:​ ​assists students to complete their Student Education Plan
and to think critically about their college planning.
● Food, Financial, and Housing Insecurity​: ​provides support to students with
access to basic wellness resources, such as food, clothing.
● Health Services:​ ​provides first aid care and health education to students.
● Tutoring/Writing Center:​ ​provides free and paid access to academic support
and information.
● Library​: ​provides learning resource support and materials, and a great place to
study.

Head to the​ ​Cesar Chavez Center ​to learn about the many other great resources
provided by the college.
Also remember that I will be happy to meet with you on Zoom, answer emails, and
respond to your concerns in the Q&A discussion forum if you are having trouble with a
reading assignment, a concept, etc.—I'm here to help!

Students with Disabilities

If you have a learning disability, physical disability, or any other circumstance that needs
special accommodation, please discuss it with your instructor, in person or via email. I
want you to be successful and am happy to work with you! Here is additional
information provided by our college’s DSS office:
Southwestern College recommends that students with disabilities or specific learning
needs contact their professors during the first two weeks of class to discuss academic
accommodations. If a student believes that they may have a disability and would like
more information, they are encouraged to contact ​Disability Support Services (DSS)
at (619) 482-6512 (voice), (619) 207-4480 (video phone), or email at ​DSS@swccd.edu​.
Alternate forms of this syllabus and other course materials are available upon request.

Emergency Plan
If our course or instructor unexpectedly becomes unavailable, continue following the
schedule to complete assignments, which will be submitted when access is restored.
Please note that ​Canvas​ will still be available even if the SWC website is down. In

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emergency situations, college updates will be provided via email.

Course Map
Here is an overview of the key areas of the course, each of which can be accessed from
the course menu:
Announcements​ houses—you guessed it!—my announcements.
Syllabus ​contains information that you will use throughout the course: the
syllabus and schedules. A list of course assignments with due dates can also be
found here.
Modules​ contains everything you need for each week of our course. Simply
click “next” to move from one item to the next in the week’s module.
Quizzes​ provides one-click access to weekly quizzes and occasional surveys.
Discussions​ is where many of our class discussions will take place. You will
find each of these discussions in its module as well.
Assignments​ offers a list of essay and project assignment as well as other
graded assignments. You will find each of these items in its module as well.
Grades ​lists your scores and the points possible for all assignments. Most quiz
grades are posted immediately after completion, while other assignments
requiring instructor grading will be posted 3-5 days later. You can access your
graded work and my feedback by clicking on the item and/or rubric. You will also
see your current total points and percentage. You can even see how your total
grade will change with future scores using the “What if” feature!
People ​provides a list of your classmates as well as group members if you are in
a group.
Virtual Office​ connects you to the Zoom video conferencing room where we will
hold virtual office hours.
Calendar ​(global menu) includes all assignments with due dates; you can
choose which courses to display.
Inbox​ (global menu) is where you can send messages to me and to your group.
Help​ (global menu) connects you to the ​Canvas Guides,​ ​our support hotline, and
a variety of other support options.

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