Kimberlee Staking
2101 Woods Hall kimart@umd.edu

Office Hours: By appointment & before/after class
Classroom: Van Munching Hall 2203Teaching Theater
syllabus posted: http://www.glue.umd.edu/~kimart/

Course Description:

This course approaches the classroom though the lens of feminist pedagogies, and seeks to interrogate their applicability to the teaching of Visual Arts/Visual Culture at the post secondary level. The construction of the class syllabus, including WebCT assignments, discussions, readings and collaborative projects are all consciously chosen by the instructor to reflect promising practices for understanding and teaching visual culture within a feminist pedagogy framework.

Particular attention will be given to defining a feminist pedagogy that is grounded in intersectionality and is inclusive of difference across the spectrums of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality and class. Students will be responsible for weekly readings, journal postings and participatory online discussions as well as a number of group collaborations during the semester. We will begin with a (non-comprehensive but in depth) review of the literature on feminist pedagogies and the ‘Critical Theory/Pedagogy’ discourse out of which feminist pedagogies originated. Students will place themselves in conversation with this discourse by developing and presenting an autobiographical statement that defines their sociocultural location as learners, reflecting upon their past learning experiences and environments and their present location in the academy.

We will examine the current visual culture discourse in the Humanities, comparing and contrasting a feminist approach to teaching visual culture with a more traditional approach to the topic. Using the U.S. 70s Feminist Art Movement as a point of departure, we will look at the interventions of art critics, art historians, academics and feminist artists (broadly defined to include all art media), into the production and construction of U.S. visual culture. This investigation will reveal the extent to which the feminist movement in the U.S. has been constructed as a movement of white, middle class, heterosexual women, and we will look at critiques of this movement, 'writing in' less visible and/or marginalized female populations. We will explore the culture wars that have ensued within dominant patriarchal culture in reaction to women’s increased visibility as cultural producers and we will look at a variety of spaces and places in which these culture wars have been played out in visual culture across multiple media forms.

With this foundation in issues of visual culture and feminist pedagogies, we turn to an examination of the specific pedagogical strategies employed by women artists and others as interventions in visual culture discourse. We will conclude by situating this discussion of visual culture and feminism within the global context, and by looking at the effect of new media technologies to alter or displace current paradigms. Students will collaborate to propose modules for a course syllabus in teaching the Visual Arts that employs feminist pedagogies for discussing and disseminating Visual Culture.

Course Materials and Requirements: Select 'Readings' button to view entire course calendar including weekly discussion topics, weekly readings and WebCT assignments. Course calendar may also be viewed at: http://www.glue.umd.edu/~kimart/AMST603/readings.html

Grading:

Participation (in class and in WebCT discussion space)	30%
Sociocultural location essay/presentation	15%
Collaborative group projects (3)	10% each
Collaborative Final Syllabi Project:	25%

Assignments for the course: (Complete descriptions for assignments will be distributed in class)

• Weekly readings (Each student will co-lead one class session on discussion of asssigned readings)
• Weekly WebCT journal postings, as assigned -- log on for WebCT: http://www.webct.umd.edu
• Autobiographical 'Sociocultural location' essay -- hard copy and in-class presentation
• Collaborative group work, including reports in class and a final collaborative syllabus project to be posted in WebCT 'Presentations' space and presented in class during our final class session
  Group reports:
  • Critical Pedagogy (week five)
  • Feminist Pedagogy (week six)
  • Case Histories (week eleven)
  • Visual Culture Syllabi (week sixteen)
    

    Required Texts: The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. Amelia Jones, Editor. (Routledge: 2003). The Power of Feminist Art: The American Movement of the 1970s, History and Impact. Norma Broude and Mary Garrard, Editors. (Harry N. Abrams: 1996). Working the Ruins: Feminist Poststructural Theory and Methods in Education. Elizabeth A. Pierre and Wanda S. Pillow, Editors. (Routledge: 2000). Talking Visions: Multicultural Feminism in a Transnational Age. Ella Shohat, Editor. (MIT Press: 1998). Recommended Materials: (Also placed on reserve at McKeldin) Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls' Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes (Penguin Books: 2003). The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art (Penguin Books: 1998). The Critical Pedagogy Reader. Antonia Darder, Rodolfo D. Torres and Marta Baltadano, Editors. (Routledge: 2002). The Visual Culture Reader. Nicholas Mirzoeff, Editor. (Routledge: 1998). Visual Culture: The Reader. Jessica Evans and Stuart Hall, Editors. (Sage Publications: 1999). Women of the World: A Global Collection of Art. Curated by Claudia DeMonte. (Pomegrante Press: 2000). Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought. Beverly Guy Sheftfall, Editor. (New Press: 1995). For a list of journal articles on reserve, consult bibliography page: http://www.glue.umd.edu/~kimart/AMST603/sylbib.html Also on reserve – at Performing Arts Library: National Gallery of Art, Washington (Cd-Rom: ©2003). Dianne Reeves: Art and Survival, CD from 1994. Videos to be viewed at Hornbake Nonprint Media – see readings/calendar for dates: Daughters of the Dust (1991: 113 min.) and Illusions (1983: 34 min.), Julie Dash. A large African-American family prepares to move North from the Sea Islands off the coast of Georgia at the dawn of the 20th century. Radical Harmonies (2002: 88 min.), Dee Mosbacher. Featuring interviews and performance footage, this film looks at women's music and how the movement came to prominence. Betye and Alison Saar: Conjure Women of the Arts (1994: 28 min.), Linda Freeman. Mother and daughter artists demonstrate collaborative art, and the use of found objects in their work, and reflect on their relationship, motivation, and role as African-American women. A World of Art: Judith F. Baca (1996: 26 min.), Bobbi Rice. Chicana artist/muralist in Los Angeles discusses her collaborative work in mural making to highlight lost and forgotten local histories of people and place.

Course Objectives:
While I do not expect that we will all leave this course thinking alike about how best to understand and teach visual culture, or the utility of feminist pedagogies in this endeavor, I do expect that we will each come to class well prepared and ready to contribute to our collective learning community. I would like our shared space to be an environment that fosters learning though thoughtful, informed, open-minded discussion -- one that is respectful of the diversity of opinions and experiences of one another as we investigate these issues together throughout the semester. We each have much to contribute to one another's learning experience and thus to the knowledges that we will collectively produce to take away from this course. As a result of our time together, I anticipate that we will each develop greater proficiency in the following areas:

• Ability to read cultural texts critically and to produce relevant written and oral discourse
• Ability to articulate how the concept of “difference” interfaces with hegemonies controlling knowledge production in the academy (with respect to visual culture), and an understanding of the implications for contested categories such as gender, race, and ethnicity in the production and distribution of such knowledge
• Ability to critically examine the complex web of factors embedded withiin visual culture discourse that influences our individual sociocultural location, identity formation and interpretative voice
• Ability to reframe narratives of visual culture for classroom instruction in ways that reflect these understandings through the deployment of feminist pedagogical tools and strategies

Class Policies:

During our second class session, we will discuss and negotiate policies together for our classroom community. The policies below have served me well in the past and are offered here as a point of departure.

• Please come to class on time and prepared for the discussion of the assigned material.
• Assignments in WebCT are due at the start of class or as otherwise indicated.
• Each class participant is expected to treat the ideas, opinions and work of others with the utmost respect. Derogatory remarks of any kind will not be tolerated. Active listening is expected and encouraged - see helpful hints below.
• Plagiarism is not acceptable - all references must be cited, even in your journals. See statement on Academic Integrity at the end of the syllabus.
• Late work is never accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor -- and may receive at least one-half of a letter grade penalty.
• Your attendance throughout the course is expected at all times and is an important factor in our ability to be successful individually and as a community. If you know that you must miss a class session, please consult with me beforehand. Please feel free to contact me with any and all concerns, questions and feedback throughout the course.

Guidelines for getting involved in class discussions – online and in real time:
Remember that we are working for the most collaborative environment possible --your suggestions or modifications are welcome:

• Silence indicates full, attentive listening
• Verbal (“good idea!”) and non-verbal encouragement (nodding,, etc.) is great reinforcement
• Remember to use ‘door openers’ – “Could you say more about that?’
• Paraphrasing can sometimes help move the discussion forward – (“What I heard you say was....”)
• Reflecting feelings can also be clarifying – “You seem to be feeling ___” (angry, exercised, upset...)
• Sometimes it helps to jot down the essence of your ideas before you begin to speak
• Connect what you plan to say with what has already been said
• Avoid getting involved in a direct exchange with specific class members. Always speak to the group and be sure that your comments will relate to and involve the entire class
• In person etiquette and online netiquette are expected to be used at all times – including the use of real names, respecting one another's confidentiality, and the absence of any libelous, or abusive remarks
• Be respectfully attentive to the discussion at all times; monitor yourself to be sure that you don’t monopolize the discussion; encourage/invite more reserved class members to join the discussion

Critical Analysis - Helpful hints for writing:
Critical analysis means that you must apply thoughtful reasoning to the arguments presented in this course through readings, lectures and discussion. It means not only finding what is right with something, but also what seems to you to be wrongly reasoned, based on spurious assumptions and so forth. When you write a critical analysis, all of your statements need to backed up with reasons or examples, and you must keep your fellow classmate and reader in mind. Are you giving the reader enough information? Ask the following:

• What is/are the main point(s) of the readings - both individually and collectively? Why does the author raise these particular points for discussion? How does she/he hope to answer them? Do you think she/he succeeded? Why or why not?
• Be aware of how the author uses key terms and her/his definitions for them
• What are the strengths and weaknesses in any given ideology, theory or model for change presented?
• What the important new ideas presented?
• What does this text: essay/artwork/film (etc.) contribute to our understanding of the issues of race, gender, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other key factors shaping the lives of women?
• What is the author’s perspective (s) and underlying assumptions about her/his subject, her/his audience, people or culture in general? How are these issues pertinent or not pertinent in the lives of other women - White, Black, Asian, Native American, older, younger, of different classes or educational levels. etc?
  How are they pertinent to me? Do I find any of my assumptions violated? Whose
  assumptions do you think the author may be violating, if not yours?
• What is your perspective on the subject raised for discussion? Does this influence your view of what the author argues? Where or how have you developed your opinions on this subject - and do you see them changing in any way? Do you agree/disagree with what the ideas being developed? How/why?
• What comparisons can you make, if any, between this piece and other readings we have considered?
• Does the author consider differences among people? Is there anything missing from the piece?
  
  Remember...Always ask yourself WHY. What is at stake for the author? For you? What points are you are trying to make in response to the issues raised?

General Information:

Academic Integrity Statement:
By putting your name on an assignment that you turn in, you are indicating to me that the work if your own original work. Knowing how to cite the work of others in your own work is critical – and I expect you to do it unfailingly. To do otherwise is plagiarism. The University Code of Academic Integrity prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without authorization, buying papers, submitting fraudulent documents and forging signatures. Complete information and definitions of violations of this code can be found on the UMCP website at: www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/ipo/code acinteg.html.

Where to go when you need help with organizing your ideas and writing:
All writing must be proof-read, grammatically correct and well-organized. Sources must be properly cited, preferably using MLA style. There are many online resources for checking citation styles. On campus, The Writing Center, 0125 Taliaferro Hall (405-3785), offers assistance with writing skills at
http://www.english.umd.edu/programs/WritCenter/. There is also a Grammar Hotline: 405-3787. I am happy to look at your rough drafts if you make an appointment with me well before the due date!
The Learning Assistance Service provides counselors who can help with time management, note taking, and other skills related to the demands of University Coursework: 2201 Schoemaker Building, (301-314-7693). http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/LASRV/index.html

Accommodations for Students with Special Needs:

The University wishes to provide appropriate accommodations for students with special needs. If you have or think you might be such a student, please contact the Disability Support Service unit of the Counseling Center (301-314-7682) and inform me promptly at the beginning of the semester. Together we can ensure that you get the support you need to get the most from the course and to give your best performance.

Religious Observances:
The University system of Maryland policy provides that students should not be penalized because of the observances of their religious beliefs; student shall be given a reasonable amount of time to make up missed work. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor prior to the scheduled class session of her absence.