Course Syllabus

CCA 3330 — Arts Symposium (2 credits)

Syllabus

This course is Online/Canvas based.  No formal classes will be held.

 

Instructor: Dr. Mark Emile
Office: FAC UR 202
Office Hours: By appointment
 only

 

Welcome to the Arts Symposium!  This course is meant to be an enjoyable experience for which you can earn university credit.  It is hoped that you will take the opportunity to broaden your horizons and observe a wide variety of cultural events that will enrich your life.

 

Undergraduate Teaching Fellows (UTF)

You are each assigned one undergraduate teaching fellow to assist you throughout the semester.  UTF assignments are made by your last names, alphabetically.  The list of UTFs is immediately below.  Please locate your UTF by looking for the part of the alphabet you last name falls, on the right side of the listing, in the color green.  

 

 UTF:        Last name of student assigned to this UTF
email of UTF 

 

Ellyn Thornton Porter:  assigned to students with last names  A - Carter
ellynthornton@gmail.com

Makayla Steele:  assigned to students with last names   Casey - Goff
jksteele2015@gmail.com 

 Joshua Tangren:  assigned to students with last names   Gomez - Jorgensen
joshua.tangren@gmail.com

Esther Oluwalana:  assigned to students with last names   Judd - Neal
esther.utf@gmail.com

Calli Barton:  assigned to students with last names   Negale - Skeen
callibarton314@gmail.com

Alexandra Cook:  assigned to students with last names   Smith - Z
alexandra.hazel.cook@gmail.com

Role of our UTF’s

 The UTF’s assigned to this course have several roles.

• Their primary function is to collect assignments and quizzes from the class,  correct mechanical aspects of these papers, then present them to the instructor for grading.  They will also keep track of when assignments are turned in.  All assignments have deadlines.
• Second, their other important function is to field questions from the class and mentor their assigned students through the course.  See the assignment list above along with the UTF's email addresses. 

 When sending email, please observe the following:

•  Do not use Canvas email.  Your assigned UTF may not be able to find you there. Use the UTF's personal email which is listed by their name on the above list.
• Put CCA 3330 in the subject line, followed by anything else helpful, such as a heading for your question.
• Please only send email to your assigned UTF (see above), not to me.  UTFs are trained to answer most, if not all, of your questions.  If they cannot answer something, they will pass the email on to me.  There are too many students in this course to handle this any other way.  With this set up we hope to respond to all questions within 48 hours, except weekends and holidays.
• Allow us within 48 hours to respond, except weekends and holidays.
• When not to use email: If you have a question about a grade you have received on an assignment, please ask your question within the comments box that accompanies your graded assignment. Note: Even though Canvas sends you Comments as Canvas emails, you must post comments as comments within the respective comment box, NOT as Canvas email messages

 

Course Objectives

• To expose students to the significance of the creative arts
• To develop a deeper aesthetic awareness of the arts
• To study the arts as a form of personal and social expression
• To introduce students to the diverse nature, history, and methods of the arts
• To increase awareness of the arts in relation to current social, economic, and cultural issues
• To provide a more detailed understanding of the arts and how they have impacted cultural and social development
• To develop critical thinking and writing skills

 

Course Description and Disclaimer

This course is ONLINE/CANVAS based. No formal classes will be held. 

Students will be exposed to a number of different art forms. Assignments will center around topics such as aesthetics in art, relevance of art to students on an individual basis, and relevance of art to society. 

Students will be required to attend several diverse arts events on their own time, with the exception of distance students. These events (for local students only-this is well explained on the Home Page) will include visiting the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (except from May 2016 to May 2017 as the museum will be under renovation), attendance at local musical and theatrical performances. An approved event schedule is  provided at the beginning of the course. (You may find a link to the List of Approved Events at the bottom of home page, in the pages tab on left side of Canvas window and in Module 1.)

Development of critical thinking skills will be stressed, and students will be asked specific questions about their personal feelings regarding arts experiences. Students may find some of the material presented in this class controversial, and must be willing to approach the subject(s) with reason, respect, and an open mind. No matter how you feel about a certain work of art, you must be willing to give it thoughtful regard and provide an honest assessment of your reactions. 

 

Readings

Each module in the course contains readings. These readings are required preparation for the quizzes for that module and you should complete the readings first, before proceeding through the rest of the module. Most of the readings for this course will be in the form of articles, which you will access from within Canvas.

As part of the film module, you will read Much Ado About Nothing, a comedy by William Shakespeare, and then watch a film production of the play. (The company that runs the link to this movie upgraded their system last summer.  The browser Chrome use to not work with this link.  I believe that now Chrome works fine.  if you have trouble with this link, try changing your browser.) The quizzes for this module will be based on the text of this play and you will need to discuss both the text and the film in your written assignment. Below is the edition of the play we will use in this course. It is available at the USU Bookstore and from many online booksellers. Students in the past have been able to find free copies of this online.  Use the ISBN to make sure you are downloading or purchasing the correct book.

Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. ISBN: 9780743482752

If this is your first experience taking a fully online class, I also recommend that you purchase 100 Things Every Online Student Ought to Know, available at the USU Bookstore and at Cambridge Stratford. ISBN: 9780935637342

Completing Modules early is ok

Everyone has a different pace they like to do online classes.  To accommodate as many students as possible, we made quizzes 2 through 8 available the second week of the semester.  Once a student has successfully passed the Orientation Quiz, they will have access to the rest of the course and may move as fast as they would like.  This should help those who attend a music or theatre event early in the semester.  If one attends one of these events early in the semester, they may right away take the quiz and complete the assignment, before everything about the event is forgotten.  We hope this will be helpful to everyone.

Also, distance people, who have access to all events via their allowed links, are not subject to the schedule of a performance or show.  They may complete things as fast as they like, after they have successfully completed the Orientation Quiz.

Keep in mind that if you submit an assignment early, we still will not grade it until after the deadline.  Quizzes, however, give you immediate  response.  

Cost & Events - Local students only

(For local students only!) You will need to purchase tickets to most of the events you will attend for this course. If you don't have the resources to buy tickets, you should register for a different course to fulfill your depth requirement. The cost of this semester's required tickets will vary greatly depending on which events you attend, when you purchase your tickets and if you use student discounts. When purchasing tickets, be sure to ask about any student discounts.

Please see the List of Approved Events for event requirements. There are links on the List of Approved Events that will take you to the site where each event is described.  You may investigate each event before selecting what you would like to attend.  Some are located on campus and some are downtown Logan.

When purchasing tickets, remember that less expensive tickets sell quickly; be sure to buy your tickets early, the first week of classes.  If an event at USU is free, you still need to get your ticket in advance to ensure you will have a seat at the event. 

Please note that some changes occur due to scheduling problems or illness of performers.  Read the announcements often to see if changes have occurred.  If you know of a conflicting time or any mistakes in the printed schedule, please let us know ASAP.

 

Cost & Events - Distance students only

You will not need to attend local events in your area, as we cannot control the quality of your selections.  To accommodate you, we will supply you with links to USU Museum virtual tours online and links to performances online.  We realize that this is not the same as walking through a museum and experiencing the exhibit in person, or sitting in an audience surrounded by people who have just ate too much garlic.  However, it is the best way we can have quality control from a distance.  You will not have to buy tickets for events.  

For those of you who live in the Brigham City or other close cities, you are invited to join the local students to observe the museum or other events in the Logan area.  Your choice!  If you can visit Cache Valley events live, it will be a more personal experience.

 

Grading

The standard USU grading scale will apply in this course. The scale is as follows:

A  100%-93%, A- < 93%-90%, B+ < 90%-87%, B <87%-83%, B- < 83%-80%, etc.

Each quiz and written assignment in this course has a point value assigned to it. (Use the left tabs for Assignments and Quizzes to see how points are assigned.) In calculating your final grade, the following weights will apply:

 

Written Assignments	80%
Quizzes	20%

 

Quizzes - Quizzes are graded automatically in Canvas and you should see your score immediately. I will drop your lowest quiz score for the semester. The Orientation Quiz is the only quiz you may not drop.  The Orientation Quiz in Module 1 is also the first Quiz.  (This one must be passed first before the rest of Canvas will be open to you.)

There is a small amount of extra credit built into the course.  (use the Assignment tab on the left to see the weight for each item.)

Written Assignments - Please allow two weeks for assignments to be graded. Check your grades often. Warning! Many times students think they have submitted assignments when they haven’t.  Do not trust your send button.  Check to make sure it sent or went or did it's thing.  Do not trust your send button.  And, by the way....do not trust your send button.  If you were not paying attention....DO NOT TRUST YOUR SEND BUTTON. Due to the number of students in this course, we utilize undergraduate teaching fellows to help provide feedback on written assignments and discussions.

A good habit to learn is to back up everything you do on your computer. I know you’ve heard that a million times, but please back up all of the assignments you complete for this class. If Canvas crashes, or Aggiemail goes down, your assignment may be lost. Having a back-up copy will prevent you having to do the assignment again.

 

Late Work Policy

Each written assignment and quiz has a specific due date. All due dates are available on the Calendar and in the Modules tab. The idea is that we will all be together in terms of reading and quizzes, but you have extra time to attend the events and complete the writing assignments. Complete the assignment only AFTER you have completed the reading and quiz.

Quizzes— Quizzes have specific dates when they open and close. (You will not be allowed to enter the quiz when it is closed, either early or late.)  If you miss the due date for a quiz, and it is closed, it disappears forever and you will not be given the opportunity to retake it.  There are reminders for you on the two calendars.  We will also send up red flares above Old Main two hours before each Quiz closes.  Maybe blue!  Well, maybe that is not a good idea.  We'll try to send you email reminders, via announcements in Canvas.

Written Assignments — If you submit an assignment late, you will lose 10% for each calendar day that it is late, up to a maximum of five days, or 50%. If you have received prior approval to submit an assignment late, please paste this approval at the top of your assignment. Any paper submitted after five days will receive zero credit.

Any exceptions must have prior written permission from me. Please know that such permission will only be granted for serious extenuating circumstances, such as a hospital stay or mild death.

 

Formatting Written Assignments

All written assignments in this course should be single-spaced, in 12-point font, and in Times or Times New Roman typeface.

In a single line at the top of your assignment, please include: Your Name, A#, CCA 3330, Assignment Name, Assignment Date, as shown below:
 
Your Name, Your A#      CCA 3330      Assignment Name             Assignment Date

Spell-check your assignments, as well as doing a manual proofread for proper grammar and spelling. Since this is a depth course, you will be graded on content, how well you have presented your thoughts and ideas, and basic grammar, spelling, etc.  This applies to all written assignments. A rubric accompanies each assignment and shows how your submission will be graded.

Reviews must be submitted via the assignment drop box in Canvas. Valid file types are .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .pdf.

 

Turnitin - An originality checker!

Warning!  This course uses TURNITIN, an originality checker that will scan your paper for any plagiarized text. Turnitin has access to all USU electronically submitted papers from the past many years.  Turnitin will compare your work with these papers and compare it with all material (standard works and others) that are listed in the university/international library system.  Turnitin has badly surprised a few students in the past who have not read, or heeded, this warning.  Please, do not use your spouse's or friend's old papers.  This program is really good and will find it right away, and you will be publicly flogged on the A in front of Old Main.  Not good!  Your work will also be compared to submitted assignments from this semester and past semesters.

Even worse than flogging....any paper found to include plagiarism will result in a failing grade for this course and that student will be reported to the university for disciplinary action, as required by university policy.

You must also use one of the five valid file types listed immediately above for this to work.  If you submit an assignment in another format, and Turnitin cannot read it, we will not be able to accept your assignment until it is resent in one of these five; .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, .pdf.

 

Academic Honesty Policy

It is expected that all the work you submit for this course will be your own, and not previously submitted for any other course.  Further, any outside sources used in your work or assistance outside of the USU Writing Center must be acknowledged and properly cited.  Failure to do this may result in a failing grade. For more information on academic honesty, students are directed to the General Catalog, pg. 21, available at http://www.usu.edu/ats/generalcatalog/

 

Disability Resource Center

Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability must register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC), who will issue a verification letter. The DRC is located in University Inn 101, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mon-Fri; 797-2444.  http://www.usu.edu/drc

 

Withdrawal and Incomplete Grades

Students are required to complete all courses for which they are registered by the end of the semester. In some cases, a student may be unable to complete all of the coursework because of extenuating circumstances, but not due to poor performance or to retain financial aid. The term 'extenuating' circumstances includes: (1) incapacitating illness which prevents a student from attending classes for a minimum period of two weeks, (2) a death in the immediate family, (3) financial responsibilities requiring a student to alter a work schedule to secure employment, (4) change in work schedule as required by an employer, or (5) other emergencies deemed appropriate by the instructor. In general, an incomplete grade will only be awarded if a student has completed at least half of the work in the class. No grade of Incomplete will be submitted unless a signed Incomplete Grade Form is submitted to Dr. Emile.

 

Multicultural Student Services and Related Resources

The USU community values diversity and respect, without which there can be no collegiality among faculty and students. Regardless of intent, careless or ignorant remarks can be very offensive and detrimental to others. If you feel uncomfortable in a classroom due to offensive language or actions by an instructor or student(s) regarding ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, or sexual orientation, immediately contact Multicultural Student Services at 435-797-1728. Learn your student rights by visiting: http://www.usu.edu/studentservices/studentcode