Adaptation of Existing Online Course Components to Work in a Traditional Classroom
Note: The “discussion post” assignments seemed to lend themselves to in-class discussion/activities so these were adapted and restructured for in-class. The “assignments by unit” seemed to lend themselves to homework assignments and can be basically replicated but instead of posting online, they can be turned in via Blackboard (to enable use of multimedia in responses); these were not adapted as it is just a matter of editing the LibGuide, not of restructuring the assignment.
In class discussions/activities
1.1 Ancient and Modern Funerary Monuments
1.2 Medieval and Modern Relics
Assign students following reading before class: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/latin-western-europe/romanesque1/a/pilgrimage-routes-and-the-cult-of-the-relic.
In class watch this ~5 minute video: “A look at modern veneration from the British Museum”: http://youtu.be/VtSjcxdmboM.
While watching students jot down notes to the following question: Do you think that contemporary attitudes towards celebrities are more similar to or different from early medieval attitudes towards relics?
Get into small groups (2-3 students) with at least 1 student representing “similar” and 1 student “different” - discuss evidence for these answers.
2.1 Memoirs of Babur
Assign students following reading before class about “The Memoirs of Babur”: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/remarkmanu/babur/.
Have students bring ipads or computers to class, at least one per pair of students, together scroll through the manuscript here: http://www.bl.uk/turning-the-pages/?id=b4e4b216-731f-44a5-ad21-a6091b7ef8f2&type=book
Together choose a page (noting the page number) and discuss why you think that the artist choose this moment to illustrate. What aspects of Babur’s leadership and personality was the artist trying to convey?
After discussing with your partner for 10 minutes, join with another group - teach the other pair about what you found and let them teach you. Discuss similarities and differences in aspects of leadership and personality that are portrayed on these two pages.
2.2 Collegiate Gothic
Gallery walk: Instructor should print out 6-8 examples of “Collegiate Gothic” from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiate_Gothic. Post them around the classroom.
Have students walk around the classroom and take notes on each photo, developing a theory on why the architects of these campuses chose a Gothic style.
Next, instructor introduces perspective on Gothic style from this piece: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/how-gothic-architecture-took-over-the-american-college-campus/279287/. (don’t have the students read this piece in advance, because you don’t want to impact their personal theory of Gothic style).
Show photo of John Hay’s New Building. Lead large class discussion about pros and cons of having a modern style campus instead of a traditional Collegiate Gothic style campus. What values does a modern campus reflect?
3.1 Wealth and Patronage
Assign students to look closely at the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/198556,and read about its patron, Federico da Montefeltro, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_da_Montefeltro prior to class.
“Take a stand” activity:
Statements:
(1) Art today is still made for the purpose of showing off wealth.
(2) It is a positive that artists can be closely tied to wealthy patrons.
3.2 Baroque Decorative Arts
Prior to class assign students to explore the Baroque style in the the “minor arts” or “decorative arts” – interior decoration, furniture, serving ware, clothing, and so on (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decorative_arts).
Have them pick a Baroque decorative art object from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Baroque style page: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/b/baroque/. (The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is a museum specializing in the collection of objects of decorative arts). Noting that this type of object is not included in our textbook (as opposed to paintings and sculptures), have them create a textbook style blurb (3-4 sentences) to describe the object making sure to include the important details that students would learn about Baroque-era culture from this object. Students should bring to class a print out of the photo of the decorative art object they chose and their blurb.
In groups of 3-4 students, have each present their “textbook addition” and discuss in a more general way the why they think this type of object is not included in our textbook (as opposed to paintings and sculptures), whether or not they think this type of object SHOULD be included in our textbook if they were writing the textbook.
4.1 19th Century and Modern “Photojournalism”
Prior to class assign the New York Times article “Ferguson Images Evoke Civil Rights Era and Changing Visual Perceptions”: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/ferguson-images-evoke-civil-rights-era-and-changing-visual-perceptions.html.
Concentric circles activity:
Discussion Questions:
4.2 Art and Morality
Introduce the connection of the Pre-Raphaelites to art as a conveyor of moral messages and lessons.
Pinwheel discussion activity:
Positions to take for the two rounds:
(1) Contemporary art is no longer vs. Contemporary art is still moralistic.
(2) Art should convey moral messages vs. Art should not convey moral messages.
5.1 Art Inspired by Science
Instructor should prepare 4-6 (depending on the size of the class) examples of works of art inspired by optics, neuroscience, or other areas of science.
Chat stations:
5.2 Collage, Photomontage, and Assemblage
Prior to class, assign reading about how and why Dada artists used the techniques of collage, photomontage, and assemblage:
Optional:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photomontage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assemblage_(art).
Assign students make their your own collage, photomontage, or assemblage and create a descriptive title for the piece of art, writing the title on the back. They must either bring in the actual piece of art or take a photograph of it and print it to bring in to class.
Gallery walk with comment board:
6.1 Appreciating Modern Art
Affinity mapping of relationship to postmodern art.
Broad prompts:
6.2 Art and Activism
Instructor can either prepare a PowerPoint with additional examples of art as activism or show a short clip about art as activism.
Potential clips:
Have students bring a tablet, computer or phone to class. Instructor should set up a YoTeach! Chatroom for a “backchannel” discussion. As the students watch the clip or view the powerpoint, have them actively chat in the YoTeach! Chatroom about art as an effective strategy for activism.
7.1 Emperor Qin’s Tomb
Prior to class assign reading about the discovery of the terracotta army that has led many to assume that Emperor Qin’s tomb is located nearby.
About the tomb, read:
http://www.livescience.com/22454-ancient-chinese-tomb-terracotta-warriors.html.
About the looting of Chinese archeological sites, read: http://www.archaeology.org/issues/98-1307/letter-from/934-china-looting-henan-tombs-wei-dynasty.
“Take a stand” activity:
Statements:
(1) Archeologists should definitely search for and excavate the tomb.
(2) Excavating the artifacts in this tomb outweigh the potential danger.
7.2 Photographs of Seoul
Assign students read about about how the photographer Han Youngsoo tried to capture the changes in the city of Seoul, Korea, after the Korean War:
https://hyperallergic.com/366778/a-photographers-snapshots-of-a-changing-seoul-after-the-korean-war/
Have the students browse the images at:
https://www.icp.org/exhibitions/han-youngsoo-photographs-of-seoul-1956-63
Since Seoul has undergone many more changes in the years since Youngsoo was working have each student find another photographer working at some time from 1960 to the present to show what Seoul is like more recently. Students should print the photo out and bring it to class.
In small groups - 3-5 students:
8.1 Art and Prejudice
Prior to class assign the students read about the art of James Luna here: http://workingitouttogether.com/content/not-your-museum-indian/ and browse http://www.jamesluna.red/ to see more of his work. Luna’s art makes viewers think about the history of prejudice against Native Americans and about viewers’ own stereotypes about Native Americans.
Think-Pair-Share:
THINK: Have each student come to class having thought about some of the stereotypes or prejudices people might have when they see them (for example, about your race, gender, sexual orientation, or aspects of your appearance or activities, like your clothing or the type of music you listen to or books or movies you love).
PAIR: In pairs, have students brainstorm the performance artwork they could each make (each student in the pair likely picked a different stereotype or prejudice so each pair will be brainstorming two pieces of performance artwork), inspired by Luna’s work, to confront these stereotypes or prejudices.
SHARE: Have pairs present their ideas about their performance pieces focusing on why they would be effective as an artistic way to combat the specific stereotype/prejudice.
Instructor may want to end with a whole class discussion about the effectiveness of performance art.
8.2 Art and Rites of Passage
Prior to class, have students read about the role art plays in rites of passage in many African cultures – in rituals that mark the transition from one stage of life to another, such as birth, puberty, marriage, and death: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-africa/african-art-intro/a/rites-of-passage.
Students should think about how art has played a similar role in your own life? Think about special artworks, images, clothing, accessories, music, or dances associated with a transition in your own life, or the lives of others who are close to you? Have them send either an actual photo or short clip of this piece of art to the instructor or find a similar example online. The instructor will create a powerpoint combining these photos/clips to be showed to the entire class.
Have students bring a tablet, computer or phone to class. Instructor should set up a YoTeach! Chatroom for a “backchannel” discussion. As the students watch the presentation of photos/clips, have them actively chat in the YoTeach! Chatroom about overarching themes that emerge from the examples and the similarities and differences to the role of art in African rites of passage.