Syllabus Spring 2019

IMAGERY, IDENTITY AND CULTURE:
an interdisciplinary course exploring the personal, social and political impact of imagery

Renée Cherow-O’Leary, Ph.D. and Doris Caçoilo, MFA
Rutgers University Newark
Department of Arts, Culture and Media
Spring 2019

Fridays 2:30-5:20 Bradley Hall 312
Office hours by appointment

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COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course students will be introduced to the conceptual frame of Imagery, Identity and Culture, the meaning of these terms, how do they intersect, why are they important historically and how we explore them in contemporary society as well as what visions we may have of their role in the future. The course will provide a historical overview of media and communication and as well as theoretical approaches to the concepts of identity and culture as they are framed by art and media images. It begins with the examination of the socio-cultural conditions in which self is portrayed and interpreted and extends into meanings of identity, body, home, space, health, race, gender and the ways in which much of this is conditioned, reinforced and often reimagined through media images.

The course will use a historic context of media studies to interpret and analyze contemporary art and media examples and the future of identity and cultural evolution. Students will read across various fields to interpret and critique images in art and media to explore issues of self identity, politics and perception, self as media consumer, media maker and the importance of self as image.


COURSE OBJECTIVES
To understand the intersections of imagery, identity and culture as well as each concept individually in its many permutations.

To become sensitive to how present technologies, images, and social changes affect our understanding of what it is to be human and to think about how our human-ness could be transforming irreversibly.

To deconstruct texts, particularly news texts, that offer visions of the near and far future and to imagine how these changes will affect their personal and professional lives and how the changes will impact our communal lives—locally, nationally and globally.

To use their artistry and academic skills to create, write, debate, research and otherwise examine their own identities and produce papers, art work in various media, and presentations about self and others in this era of mediated communication, fluid identities, and changing cultural definitions.

To gain confidence individually to synthesize new information into personally relevant understanding and action and to work in groups to learn to collaborate, listen deeply, assess and reassess arguments pro and con, and produce new formulations of ideas with others and new potentials for action.


REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE COURSE 
Three writing assignments published to the blog, weekly news assignments, and a multi-part semester project must be completed during the semester. Students must also complete all assigned readings and participate in class discussions. Assignments must be completed thoroughly and on time. Attendance is mandatory.

-READINGS 
Various weekly reading assignments will be assigned and listed on the blog each week. Readings will be available on Blackboard and linked from the blog to online sources. The full reading schedule will be distributed on the class blog. Readings are due each week. All readings are REQUIRED unless otherwise stated.

-CLASS PARTICIPATION 
For each reading you must select two quotes or passages from the readings with a brief interpretation of each quote to discuss further in class. Choose anything that strikes you or you feel deserves further attention. You must have these prepared (typed up or written out) for each class meeting. These will be collected every week. Several students will be called on each week to share their selected quotes and interpretations during class discussion.

-BLOG
You must consult the class blog daily to check for announcements, readings and to post your assignments. The blog is crucial to the course and completion of the requirements. You MUST have access to the blog to complete assignments, readings, post work and comment on students’ posts.

-ATTENDANCE
Attendance is required. Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class. Absences affect your participation grade. More than four (4) unexcused absences will result in an 'F' for the class. No exceptions. Class begins on time, so you must be punctual. Lateness, leaving early or leaving class unexcused for an extended period of time will also be recorded. Two of these instances will count as one absence. You must bring documentation to class and hand it in to me for any absences to be excused.

You are required to make up any and all work that is missed if you are absent. Notify the professor if you know you will be absent. As work will not be accepted late, please contact the professor to hand in work on time. If you have missed class and/or assignments for reasons outside your control please communicate with the professor about these issues. NOTE: BACK-UP and save your work frequently as you are working on the writing assignments online.

-WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Introduction Post and Posts 1-3
Posted to the class blog.
Students must develop researched essays in response to the class visits to various cultural institutions throughout the semester. Full writing assignments and requirements will be posted for each class trip on the blog. Students must connect the trips to the class readings. Each writing assignment [post] will be specific to the topics covered in class at that time and will be explained during class and on the blog. Students are responsible to write and edit these posts as well as illustrate them and successfully post them to the blog for discussion and critique in class. Citation from the readings and several images illustrating the essays are required. These posts will be graded for content, editing, format and research.

-WEEKLY NEWS ASSIGNMENT
To be handed-in and discussed in small groups every week and posted to twitter.
Each student must subscribe to the digital subscription of the New York Times and to the print and digital subscription of Wired Magazine and receive e-mail updates from Wired magazine.

Every week select two news articles that seems to represent something that is changing the culture, affecting the way we understand identity, or uses imagery or imagistic language in an intriguing way of relevance to this class.  Share the title of each article and its URL. In addition, please write a paragraph as to why you think this information reveals a change in the way we see imagery, identity and culture or the intersection of two or three of these. You must bring the titles and your responses to class (typed out and printed). These will be collected. You must also post the two articles and a shortened response on twitter using the hashtag #imageryidentityculture 

Be prepared to explain and discuss these articles with a small group of students and then report out to the class one of the articles your group selected.  Someone in the group will be the spokesperson. We will rotate the groups reporting every week.

Since WIRED is a monthly, we will have three sessions that will add WIRED to our discussions.  When the issue arrives, each student will look for one article that is of interest to them, write talking points and one paragraph about why they think the article is significant to the topics we are discussing in class.  So, in February, March, April and May, we will talk in class together about some of the WIRED articles that attracted attention.

The goal of both the New York Times and Wired Magazine assignments is the same: to become accustomed to writing for the future and learning how imagery, identity and culture are changing.

-SEMESTER PROJECT
Self Portraits and Artist statements Create a self portrait in any medium that synthesize and reference the semester readings, artists and resources that we visited and reviewed.

Self portraits can be paintings, video, performance, writing, audio, installation, or mixed media pieces. Please think of this as a portfolio piece. Projects must be documented and posted on the blog with a researched summary and explanation of the piece. Students must also write an artist statement about the work. Proposals for the project will be due March 1st and Final presentations of the projects will be due April 26th. Each student will present their project and writing in five minute presentations at the end of the semester.

GRADE 
40%  semester project - self portrait/media action with a writing component - artist statement?
30% 3 blog assignments connecting class trips to the course readings
10% weekly newspaper assignments
20% attendance/participation (Contributions to class discussion + attendance)

Office of Disability Services
Rutgers University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation: https://ods.rutgers.edu/students/documentation-guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with a Letter of Accommodations. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. To begin this process, please complete the Registration form (https://webapps.rutgers.edu/student-ods/forms/registration).

The Rutgers Writing Center  located on the first floor of Bradley Hall, can provide very useful guidance, including writing tutors. It is highly recommended that every one visit the center as they are developing their essay. To encourage this visit, extra points will be given to those who provide documentation of their work with the center. The Center's online address http://www.andromeda.rutgers.edu/~nwc/index.html

Plagiarism is a very serious academic offense which will result in penalties ranging from reduction of class grade to failure in the course. Plagiarism occurs when the ideas, images, and words, published or unpublished, of others are presented as one's own without citing the original source. Plagiarism also occurs when the papers, research, or creative works of another person are presented as one's own work. “The sources from which one derives one’s ideas, statements, terms, and data must be fully and specifically acknowledged in the appropriate form; failure to do so, intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes plagiarism. Violations of academic integrity may result in failure in the course and in disciplinary actions with penalties such as suspension or dismissal from the College” (1999-2000 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 43). For the University's policy on plagiarism please read the Rutgers-Newark Student Handbook, PAGE 189, available on-line at: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml 

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SCHEDULE

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND WE WILL INFORM YOU OF SPECIFICS AND CHANGES PERTAINING TO THIS SCHEDULE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. If you ever have questions or concerns about the schedule, due dates, changes or anything else please check the blog and e-mail your professors.

**Readings for each class will be found on the blog, either available on Blackboard or linked to an online resource. It is the student’s responsibility to check the blog for all readings and assignments due each week.

Week 1: January 25—Introduction to the Conceptual Frame of Imagery, Identity and Culture Discussion session. Students will sign up for the class blog and be able to view and post assignments.

Week 2: February 1—The Portrayal of the Self Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings. Please check immediately on the blog and on Blackboard to make sure you can access these readings.
INTRODUCTION POST due on the blog
Students must have subscribed to Digital NYTimes and Wired Magazine by 2/1.
*Groups assigned and first group discussion/assignment topic in class
*Weekly news assignment introduced - in response/connection to readings and for discussion in groups.

Week 3: February 8—Self: Gender, Race, Culture Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.
Weekly News Assignment due 

Week 4: February 15— Trip to Montclair Museum to the exhibition Constructing Identity in America (1766–2017)

Week 5: February 22— Body: Imagery and the Changing Nature of Birth and Childhood
Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.
Post 1 due on the blog: Constructing Identity

Week 6: March 1—Body: Imagery and Health, Aging, Your Self in the Future Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.
Weekly News Assignment due

Week 7: March 8—Home: Natural World, Science and Technology Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.
Proposal for final project due (see blog for details)

Week 8: March 15—Trip to Newark Museum Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.

Week 9: March 22 — SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS

Week 10: March 29 —Home: Planet Future, Imagery and Space
Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.
Post 2 due on the blog: Imagery

Week 11—No class Friday April 5 or Trip to Guggenheim Museum, Saturday April 6 NYC
Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.

Week 12—April 12  Citizen: Imagery, Politics and Leadership Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.
Michael Mandiberg visit
Post 3 due on the blog: Future

Week 13—April 19  Citizen: Imagery, Politics and Leadership Discussion session. Readings Due. Please check the class blog and Blackboard for the readings.

Week 14—April 26  FINAL PROJECT Student Presentations

Week 15—May 3 FINAL PROJECT Student Presentations

Week 16—WEDNESDAY MAY 15 11:45-2:45pm