Fall 2024 Semester | ARTH1104-OL14 (22912) Art of the United States | Mondays, 11:30am -2:00pm, online + synchronous
New York City College of Technology/Humanities Department | Art History/Professor McCreight
THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS IS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9th, 11:30am-2:00pm
ATTENDANCE WILL BE TAKEN EVERY WEEK AND IS REQUIRED TO DO WELL IN THE COURSE
Part 1: Course Information
NYCCT Catalogue Description
A study of American artistic heritage, the artistic personalities and national characteristics that have shaped this legacy, from Native American, European, and colonial origins to the present, including Asian, African, and Latin American influences.
Textbook & Course MaterialsRequired Text(s) and Readings:
Course Requirements:
GENERAL EDUCATION INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES/ASSESSMENT METHODS
LEARNING OUTCOMES | ASSESSMENT METHODS |
|---|---|
1. Ability to use the language, concepts, and methods of art history to visually interpret and write about American art objects of diverse origin and in various media. | 1. Analysis of objects in group discussions and in-class writing exercises; paper assignments; graded worksheets; exams. |
2. Critical understanding of the relationship between vernacular and fine art objects and the social and political history of the United States. | 2. Group discussion of thematic visual presentations; in-class writing exercises; take-home discussion questions. Written responses to Smart history and Seeing America videos. |
3. Recognition of significant works from the history of American art and selected artists, architects, and designers. | 3. Quizzes and written exams. |
4. Familiarity with significant collections of American art in NYC museums as well as important buildings in the city. | 4. Written responses to museum visits, significant local buildings; collection databases and Historic American Buildings Survey data. |
LEARNING OUTCOMES | ASSESSMENT METHODS |
|---|---|
1. Gather, interpret, and assess information from a variety of sources and points of view. | 1. The primary text is authored by four scholars with varied perspectives. Text incorporates findings from a range of recent critical writing. Lectures emphasize diversity of views. Living artists, critics, and historians are featured in video content. |
2. Evaluate evidence and arguments critically or analytically. | 2. Images are examined closely in class for visual evidence that supports or challenges interpretations in readings and other course content. Guided visual analysis is combined with student-driven discussion. Conventional hierarchies are examined critically. |
3. Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support conclusions. | 3. In museum-based writing assignments, students apply concepts and terminology from course materials to objects they select for visual and historical analysis. Museum exhibitions and interpretations are examined in class discussions. |
4. Identify and apply the fundamental concepts and methods of a discipline or interdisciplinary field exploring the relationship between the individual and society, including, but not limited to, anthropology, communications, cultural studies, history, journalism, philosophy, political science, psychology, public affairs, religion, and sociology. | 4. Lectures and readings emphasize the fundamental methods of art history from formal analysis and iconographic interpretation to the study of written sources that illuminate the historical, social, political, and cultural contexts of artistic production. These methods and concepts are demonstrated in lectures, discussion, and readings, and are applied by the student in examinations and written work. |
5. Analyze and explain one or more major themes of U.S. history from more than one informed perspective. | 5. All course materials prioritize social and historical frameworks for interpretation. Specific topics include Civil War and Reconstruction; Western exploration, conquest, and settlement; the Great Depression; the Civil Rights movement; and political readings of American icons across history. |
6. Evaluate how indigenous populations, slavery, or immigration have shaped the development of the United States. | 6. Primary themes of assigned materials include Native American arts from multiple locations; African-American art including surviving African traditions as well as post-emancipation strategies and political art; and art by and about immigrants. |
7. Analyze and discuss common institutions or patterns of life in contemporary U.S. society and how they influence or are influenced by, race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, belief, or other forms of social differentiation. | 7. The role of art in constructing identity is a central theme of the text. Conventional media strategies and political art include topics about immigrants. |
Policy Statements
NYCCT Academic Integrity Policy
“Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.” (See pp. 73-76 in the Student Handbook.)
ACCESSBILITY STATEMENT
City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of enrolled students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, you can leave a voicemail at 718 260 5143, send an email to Accessibility@citytech.cuny.edu or visit the Center’s website http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/ for more information.
N.B., Students who miss a scheduled presentation or exam due to illness or medically- related emergencies will be referred to the Center for Student Accessibility. The CSA will review any documentation requested and give the student a letter to share with the relevant instructor if accommodations need to be made.
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT ATTENDANCE POLICY
It is the conviction of the Humanities department that a student who is not in a class for any reason is not receiving the benefit of the education being provided. Missed class time includes not just absences but also latenesses, early departures, and time outside the classroom taken by students during class meeting periods. Missed time impacts any portion of the final grade overtly allocated to participation and/or any grades awarded for activities that relate to presence in class.
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT COMMITMENT TO STUDENT DIVERSITY
The Humanities Department complies with the college wide nondiscrimination policy and seeks to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity in its many forms and enhances our students’ ability to be informed, global citizens. Through our example, we demonstrate an appreciation of the rich diversity of world cultures and the unique forms of expression that make us human.
Part 2: Course Schedule
Important Note: Refer to the course calendar for specific meeting dates and times. Activity and assignment details will be explained in detail within each week's corresponding learning module. Readings are available on Manifold and must be read before class.
Week 1, September 9th
Topic: Introduction to the Course!
Assignments:
- Sign up for a Manifold Reader Account and Create an Introduction Post
- Sign up for a week to present formal analysis assignment, Due Date: Due Friday Sept 20
Week 2, September 16
Topic: Native American Art
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- Native American Art: https://smarthistory.org/americas-before-1900/north-america-c-1500-1900/native-n-am-art-after-1500/native-am-nw-coast/
- The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas: https://smarthistory.org/catlin-the-white-cloud-head-chief-of-the-iowas/
- Sign up for a Manifold Reader Account and Create an Introduction Post
- Sign up for a week to present formal analysis assignmentDue Date: Due Friday Sept 20
Week 3, September 23
Topic: Navajo Dolls and Sand Paintings
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- Navajo Dolls: https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/SiYC_Dolls.pdf (pg. 7-9)
- An Art of Healing: Navajo Sandpainting: https://theojac.org/blog/2020/11/23/an-art-of-healing-navajo-sandpainting
- We Shall Remain: Sand Painting: https://www.pbs.org/video/kued-documentaries-we-shall-remain-sand-painting/ (Watch)
- (Optional) Together We Lift The Sky: yəhaw̓ and Black-Indigenous Artists Advance Social Justice, https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/together-we-lift-the-sky
Week 4, September 30
Topic: Hudson River School
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- The Oxbow: https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/the-oxbow-sa/ (Watch and Read)
- Church, Niagara, and Heart of the Andes: https://smarthistory.org/church-niagara-and-heart-of-the-andes/
- Thomas Cole Environmentalist: https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/thomas-cole-environmentalist-2/
- Hudson River School: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm
Week 5, October 7
Topic: Alfred Stieglitz, 291
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- Alfred Stieglitz: The Steerage: https://smarthistory.org/seeing-america-2/alfred-stieglitz-steerage-sa/
- Florine Stettheimer: Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz: https://smarthistory.org/florine-stettheimer-portrait-of-alfred-stieglitz/
Week 6, October 14
Indigenous People's Day, no class
Week 6, Tuesday, October 15
Topic: Ashcan School of Painting
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- The Ashcan School: An Introduction: https://smarthistory.org/the-ashcan-school-an-introduction/
- Ashcan School: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ashc/hd_ashc.htm
Week 7, October 21
Topic: American Realism
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- The Gross Clinic: https://smarthistory.org/eakins-the-gross-clinic/ (Watch and Read)
- Winslow Homer: The Fog Warning or Halibut Fishing: https://smarthistory.org/winslow-homer-the-fog-warning-or-halibut-fishing/ (Watch)
- John Brown: https://smarthistory.org/hovenden-john-brown/ (Watch)
Week 8, October 28
Topic: New York Dada
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- Introduction to Dada: https://smarthistory.org/introduction-to-dada/
- Dada Readymades: https://smarthistory.org/dada-readymades/
Week 9, November 4
Topic: Precisionism
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold: https://smarthistory.org/charles-demuth-i-saw-the-figure-5-in-gold/
- Precisionism: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/prec/hd_prec.htm
Week 10, November 11
Topic: Regionalism, Social Realism
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- American Gothic: https://smarthistory.org/grant-wood-american-gothic/
- Parson Weems’ Fable: https://smarthistory.org/parson-weems-fable/
- The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti: https://smarthistory.org/ben-shahn-the-passion-of-sacco-and-vanzetti/
- Factory Workers: https://smarthistory.org/romare-bearden-factory-workers/
Week 11, November 18
Topic: WPA Projects
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- WPA Art Collection: https://home.treasury.gov/about/history/collection/paintings/wpa-art-collection
- WPA Posters: https://www.loc.gov/collections/works-progress-administration-posters/about-this-collection/
- WPA Photograph Collection: https://digital.library.sc.edu/collections/wpa-photograph-collection/
Week 12, November 25
Topic: American Abstraction
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- Abstract Expressionism: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm by Paul Stella
- Lee Krasner: Untitled: https://smarthistory.org/hartley-officer/ by Dr. Thomas Folland
Week 13, December 2
Topic: Harlem Renaissance
Readings (Before Class, Posted on Manifold):
- The Migration Series: https://smarthistory.org/jacob-lawrence-the-migration-series/ by Jacob Lawrence
- Aspiration: https://smarthistory.org/aaron-douglas-aspiration/ by Aaron Douglas
- Self Portrait II, 1944: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/482605 by Horace Pippin
Week 14, December 9
Topic: Class Review – Attendance Required
Assignments:
Week 15, December 16
Topic: No Class, work on your finals due today. No late submissions will be accepted.
Assignments:
Part 3: Grading Policy
Description | |
5% | Sign up and introduction Post |
25% | Annotation Posts (5) |
10% | Formal Analysis Presentation |
20% | Participation (assessed Midterm and Final) |
40% | Final Exhibition Review |
100% | Total Percentage Possible |
Letter Grade | Percentage | Performance |
A | 90-100% | Excellent Work |
B | 80-89% | Good Work |
C | 70-79% | Average Work |
D | 60-69% | Poor Work |
F | 0-59% | Failing Work |
A: 93 - 100%
A-: 90 - 92%
B+: 87 - 89%
B: 83 - 86%
B-: 80 - 82%, etc.
Part 4: College and Department Policies
NYCCT ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
“Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.” (See pp. 73-76 in the Student Handbook.)
ACCESSBILITY STATEMENT
City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of enrolled students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies, and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, you can leave a voicemail at 718 260 5143, send an email to Accessibility@citytech.cuny.edu or visit the Center’s website http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/ for more information.
N.B., Students who miss a scheduled presentation or exam due to illness or medically- related emergencies will be referred to the Center for Student Accessibility. The CSA will review any documentation requested and give the student a letter to share with the relevant instructor if accommodations need to be made.
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT ATTENDANCE POLICY
It is the conviction of the Humanities department that a student who is not in a class for any reason is not receiving the benefit of the education being provided. Missed class time includes not just absences but also latenesses, early departures, and time outside the classroom taken by students during class meeting periods. Missed time impacts any portion of the final grade overtly allocated to participation and/or any grades awarded for activities that relate to presence in class.
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT COMMITMENT TO STUDENT DIVERSITY The Humanities Department complies with the college wide nondiscrimination policy and seeks to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity in its many forms and enhances our students’ ability to be informed, global citizens. Through our example, we demonstrate an appreciation of the rich diversity of world cultures and the unique forms of expression that make us human.