Syllabus

Graduate Seminar A&D 603 | Critical Theory

Professor: Shannon McMullen (smcmullen@purdue.edu)
Seminar Meets: Mondays, 7-10pm
Office Hours: by appointment (office: FPRD 202)
Course Blog: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~smcmulle/AD603

Description

This seminar is a broad introduction to critical theory. The aim of this course is to provide you with a set of critical concepts that could be useful for writing about, analyzing and conceptualizing your own work and/or other cultural productions in a variety of genres and fields. Through a historical approach beginning with a (very) brief introduction to Marxian theory, continuing on through Postmodern theory and beyond, readings and discussions should build on each other from week to week. As much as possible, we will be reading primary texts - critical essays by philosophers, sociologists, art historians and artists. In some cases, we will also read secondary literature - essays about the primary texts and/or their authors - to help us contextualize and better understand the primary literature.

The weekly meetings are organized around a series of conceptual units, including readings, discussions, presentations and written responses. Questions that we may want to consider as they relate to the readings throughout the semester include:

  • What relationship between art/design, the artist or designer/individual and society is presented in each essay?
  • What are the meaning of the subjects and objects as constructed within the theories?
  • What are the social, cultural and political roles of art and artists or design and designers?
  • How might these theories and their implications matter for your own work?

Evaluation + Attendance

Text presentations and written reading responses are evaluated based on how participants describe the main concepts in adequate detail, connect the text to other class readings and to a broader social, historical and/or artistic context, and present supporting materials (i.e. text, images, video clips, films, etc.). Active contribution to the discussion during class and attendance is required. All assignments must be completed to pass the course. Late assignments will have their grade reduced proportionally. Two unexcused absences (without notifying the instructor in advance of the class meeting) will reduce the final grade by 1/2 letter grade (A becomes A-, A- becomes B+, etc.). Final grades will be calculated based on the following breakdown:

15% Text presentation and leading discussion
15% Participation in class discussion
15% Reading responses posted to course blog
15% First Draft of final writing assignment
40% Final Paper

In this course, I will use a +/- grading scale

Assignments: Summary

  1. Presentation of text(s) for one or two class meetings plus lead class discussion that follows-see description below (sign up in class on first day).
  2. Post reading responses to each week’s reading to the course blog-see description below [due MONDAYS at 11am]
  3. Abstract + First draft of final essay (approx. 3 pages) [due 1. Dec]
  4. Essay of min. 10 pages. A separate handout will be distributed in class and posted on the course blogsite with requirements and suggestions for writing the final paper in the fourth week of class. [due 11. Dec]

Assignment: Text Presentation [see schedule for due dates]

During the session in which you are responsible for presenting a text(s) and leading class discussion,you should address the following questions

  • What are the main ideas and concepts discussed in the readings?
  • How do these readings connect to previous readings and discussions in the course?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses in of the text?
  • What can you take from the text that helps you in your own creative endeavors or helps you to understand other cultural productions?

you should bring

  • supporting materials that will help us understand and contextualize the text in the form of video clips, images, newspaper clips, etc. (due to the class size it needs to be presentable through the projector. The preferred format is a slide presentation in 1024 x 768 px, either on a laptop, USBStick or DVD; after the presentation, supporting materials should be uploaded onto the class blog)
  • notes to help you present the text for about 20 minutes.
  • questions to help you lead the class discussion for about 30 minutes.

Your presentation will be evaluated based on

  • how well you describe the main concepts to your peers in adequate detail,
  • how well you connect your reading to other readings and a broader context,
  • the relevance of your supporting materials, and
  • the quality of your questions for the class discussion in the given time frame.

Assignment: Weekly Reading Response [due every Mo. at 11 am]

Much like the text presentation, the reading response addresses the following questions:

  • What are the main ideas and concepts of the text?
  • How does this text connect to other readings and discussions in the course?
  • How does it connect to outside materials?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the text?

Additionally, you should find at least one example or source outside the assigned reading to connect to the text and to illustrate your response. To do so, you are encouraged to include images and links in your posts. For each assigned reading, the response should be a minimum of 500 words in length.

Readings

Required Texts:
Debord, Guy (2006). Society of the Spectacle, AKPress. [$11.53 @ amazon.com]
Foster, Hal (2002). The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture, New Press [$19.75]
Zoya Kocur and Simon Leung. Contemporary Theory in Art since 1985, Wiley-Blackwell [$46.95]
Course Reader [available in pdf format to download from blogsite]

Recommended Supplemental Reading:

Sturken, Marita and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture, Oxford University Press. [$46.13]

RE: Academic Honesty


The following actions constitute misconduct for which students may be subject to administrative action or disciplinary penalties:

Dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty. The commitment of the acts of cheating, lying, stealing, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of ghost-written papers, the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest.

RE: Weather and Emergencies


In the event of a major campus emergency or the cancellation of classes by the university due to bad weather, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. Revisions will be provided to students via the course blogsite, email and/or as a handout in the next class.