Syllabus:

Course Title: Ceramics 1, 2, 3, 4
Teacher: Patti Nelson
Email: patti.nelson06@newpaltz.edu
Time and Location: Ceramics Classroom
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 8:00-8:30 am or by appointment.
Appointments can be made during class or via email.

Note: This syllabus is subject to changes or modifications to deadlines and assignments based on my assessments of the needs of the class. The requirements and grading scale will not change. Any modifications will be clarified in class and through email and an updated syllabus will be posted on Blackboard and to the class blog. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they are working with the latest edition of the syllabus and grading decisions will be made accordingly. It is recommended that anytime you need critical information you download the latest copy of the syllabus from Blackboard or the class blog. All documents for this class will be available electronically going forward.

Course Description:
Ceramics 1, 2, 3, 4 is a graduate level studio class. This class is designed to provide an overview of ceramics skills, history, and contemporary context in order to gain a better understanding of the creative process and develop tools to utilize the medium of ceramics, in an informed manner in your body of work. Demonstrations and projects are designed to encourage experimentation, develop self direction, conceptual ability and technical skill. Assignments will be metered with opportunities for self directed research. Reading and discussions will present opportunities to consider current ideas and your relationship to those ideas. Professional development opportunities will be provided to visit clay art centers, see exhibitions and visit artists studios, these opportunities are an essential part of this class and your attendance and active participation is expected.

Structure:
This is a 5 week intensive summer course. This class will move quickly and will demand a large time commitment from the students. Each student will keep a blog with written assignments and is responsible for taking and posting high quality images of work, both in in-progress and completed stages. All content needs to be burned to a CD or DVD and turned in for a final grade to be submitted.

Most classes will be structured in 2 segments with a 10-15 min break in between:
1 Discussion/Demos/reading and Discussion/Presentations
2 Studio/work time

Demos will be followed by projects that ensure an ability to use skills while applying conceptual and critical thinking.

Each week there will be a reading that will be supported by group student presentations. Reflective writings will be required after the discussion and need to be posted to the blog.

There will be two organized trips during the semester. Attendance is expected. Relevant writing assignments will follow.

Ceramics 3,4
You will have the opportunity for a portion of your projects to be self directed. If you select this option, a one page proposal will be due Monday, July 12 This needs to include your line of inquiry, your research regarding that inquiry and the methods that you intend to use. Your research and projects will be expected to reflect the ideas covered in the class. Mastery of basic techniques must be evident to pursue this line of inquiry. The final project will be critiqued on the last day of class and a one page statement will be due, addressing the initial proposal of your inquiry and summarizing the project. All documents and photos should be posted to your blog as well as included on your final disk to be turned in for your final grade.

Project details will be given at the introduction of each project. Each project will focus on building a specific skill set as well as centering around a concept.
Project 1
(SKILLS: HAND-BUILDING TECHNIQUES)
Project 2
(SKILLS: MOLD MAKING)
Project 3
(SKILLS: WHEEL)


Blog Assignments:
Past work and a paragraph about it should be posted by the end of the first week.
Images and ideas for each project need to be posted after each stage of a project (beginning, leather-hard/bisque, glaze and complete)
Reflective essays (300-500 words) need to be posted for each reading/discussion or visits that we have as a group. If outside sources are used, please link to this information.
Your Presentation images and points needs to be posted to the blog.
Final discussion thoughts complete the blog.
Detail, organization, and completion of all projects will be considered in the grading.
NOTE: Blog Assignments are always due by 5pm the following Friday.

Presentations: Each student will work with a small group of students to give a short 10-15 minute presentation during the course of this class. Each presentation should consist of at least 10 images and should connect the reading or discussion for the day to supporting ideas or artists in order to facilitate a deeper and better informed discussion. These presentations need to be posted to the blog the following Friday.

Weekly Sketchbook
Ideas explored for projects should be reflected in your sketchbook including notes from class and sketches. Items relevant to your project development should be photographed and posted to your blog. Notes on demos and class discussion should be evident in your sketchbook.

Cell Phones: Must be silenced (not placed on vibrate). Text messaging is prohibited. If there is a specific emergency, you must speak to me about an exception (Note: there may be ongoing obligations which may be granted a term long exception, but please try not to be disruptive. An exception will not be made after the fact). Violation of this policy will affect your grade and you may be asked to leave the class and take an absence if the violation persists.

Headphones: Are not permitted during class. This is a communal studio environment and you cannot successfully participate if you are cut off from the class with headphones. Music that is mutually agreed upon can be played out loud during class unless a lecture or demo is taking place.

Expectations:
Timely attendance
Communication via email regarding tardiness or absences
Class participation
Timely completion of assignments
Your best effort
6-9 hours of work outside of class per week (this will vary based on individual needs).

Attendance: “90 percent of life is just showing up" -Woody Allen

Attendance is mandatory and consists of a substantial portion of the grade. It is important to keep in mind that class interaction is key to the learning process in this class and your absence affects your classmates experience in this class. After the first unexcused absence, each following absence will result in a letter grade decrease in your final grade. An excused absence is an unavoidable, documentable occurrence, such as a doctor’s excuse. It is essential in a intensive summer class that you are present both mentally and physically for each class. Missing three or more classes for any reason (even excused) makes it unlikely to receive a passing grade.

Tardiness is an interruption of class and affects your classmate’s experience. Excessive tardiness (Ex: More then 15 minutes late three times) will be counted as an absence and can affect your final grade. Class starts promptly at 8:30am.

PLEASE NOTE: In the event of absence or tardiness it is your responsibility to get notes and directions from classmates. I recommend that you obtain this from at least 2 independent sources for accuracy. Please note that I am unable to supply this information. You will be held accountable for any information given out in your absence. You must show me notes obtained from classmates to receive an excused absence. Leaving early will be treated the same as being tardy.

Grading:
10% Participation: Defined as active listening, a positive attitude through out the term, constructive participation in class discussion and critiques, and cleaning up behind yourself.
10% Presentation
20% Blog
60% Projects (20% to each):
10% Active Participation/Presence in critiques (an absence during a critique will result in a 0 for this portion)
10% Following project guidelines
40% Creative thinking/ Concept
40% Execution of project (quality of craftsmanship, follow through, clarity of intent.)
100% of project grade

Note on cleaning: Leaving an area in a condition to be cleaned by another will result in the loss of one 1% of your total grade per incident.

Note: Late projects will be docked a half letter grade for each class they are late. Failure to show up for critiques will result in a 0 for the participation portion of the grade for the project.

ADA Policy
Students with documented physical, learning, psychological and other disabilities are entitled to receive reasonable accommodations.  If you need classroom or testing accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center (Student Union Building, Room 205, 257-3020).  The DRC will provide forms verifying the need for accommodation. As soon as the instructor receives the form, you will be provided with the appropriate accommodations. Students are encouraged to request accommodations as close to the beginning of the semester as possible.

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty in their college work. Cheating, forgery, and plagiarism are serious offenses, and students found guilty of any form of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Cheating is defined as giving or obtaining information by improper means in meeting any academic requirements. The use for academic credit of the same work in more than one course without knowledge or consent of the instructor(s) is a form of cheating and is a serious violation of academic integrity. Forgery is defined as the alteration of college forms, documents, or records, or the signing of such forms or documents by someone other than the proper designee. Plagiarism is the representation, intentional or unintentional, of someone else's words or ideas as one's own. Since words in print are the property of an author or publisher, plagiarizing is a form of larceny punishable by fine. When using another person's words in a paper, students must place them within quotation marks or clearly set them off in the text and give them appropriate footnoting. When students use only the ideas and change the words, they must clearly identify the source of the ideas. Plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional, is a violation of the property rights of the author plagiarized and of the implied assurance by the students when they hand in work that the work is their own. If a student has any question about what constitutes a violation of academic integrity, it is that student's responsibility to clarify the matter by conferring with the instructor and to seek out other resources available on the campus. The link regarding plagiarism on the Sojourner Truth Library's website is an excellent beginning, http://lib.newpaltz.edu/assistance/plag.html.


Helpful Definitions as they are to be understood in the context of this class:

Active Participation:
Defined as active listening, a positive attitude, constructive participation in class discussion and critiques, and cleaning up behind yourself. It also includes addressing issue in a professional and expedient manner.

Excused Attendance:
An excused absence is an unavoidable, documentable occurrence, such as a doctor’s excuse. It is essential in a intensive summer class that you are present both mentally and physically for each class. To have an absence excused you must also show me notes from a peer from the class that you missed--this is to ensure that you are dedicated to not falling behind before I excuse your absence.

Clean:
Your belongings returned to a proper place. Studio equipment cleaned well (no residue) and returned to the proper location. Trash appropriately disposed. Table, floor and chairs cleaned of all residue. If the the wipe or mop marks can be seen when the surface has dried, IT IS NOT CLEAN. Cleaning Materials (sponges, Mops, Buckets) clean and returned to the proper location and ready for use by the next person.

The difference between Required: Expected, and Suggested
Required: This means that this is mandatory for the completion of the class. You can not pass this class without meeting requirements. The student who meets requirements can expect a C.
Expected: This means that to do well in this class, you need to do this with a positive attitude. It is unlikely that you will get a high grade without graciously completing expected requirements. The student who meets all expectations can expect a B.
Suggested: This means that it would be highly beneficial to do for your own development. The serious dedicated student will graciously complete all suggested materials. The dedicated student can expect an A.

Critique:
noun
a detailed analysis and assessment of something, esp. a literary, philosophical, or political theory.
verb ( -tiques |krɪˈtiks|, -tiqued |krɪˈtikt|, -tiquing |krɪˈtikɪŋ|) [ trans. ]
evaluate (a theory or practice) in a detailed and analytical way : the authors critique the methods and practices used in the research.
ORIGIN mid 17th cent. (as a noun): from French, based on Greek kritikē tekhnē ‘critical art.’
(Apple Dictionary)

*Contrary to popular opinion and usage, a critique is not negative, but rather a constructive analysis that moves one’s work forward.

NOTE: While you are certainly entitled to your own likes and dislikes, a critique is not the space for this. Phrases such as “I like” or I don’t like” or their equivalents are discouraged in crits, however, please feel free to express your personal feelings to your peers on your own time as long as it is respectful--we all feel good when someone likes our work.

Reductive
adjective
1 tending to present a subject or problem in a simplified form, esp. one viewed as crude : such a conclusion by itself would be reductive.
(with reference to art) minimal : he combines his reductive abstract shapes with a rippled surface. (Apple Dictionary) 

Symbolically reductive: A cliche image or symbol that has a concrete simple meaning which most often creates a stopping point for the viewer. Example: A heart. 

Literal
adjective
1 taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory
2 (of a translation) representing the exact words of the original text. (of a visual representation) exactly copied; realistic as opposed to abstract or impressionistic.
3 (also literal-minded) (of a person or performance) lacking imagination; prosaic.
(Apple Dictionary)

The Principle of Charity: when you’re trying to understand what others are saying, assume they are intelligent and reasonable, and if what they are saying sounds crazy, try to imagine what reasonable thing they are trying to say. If their argument is weak, don’t assume that what they are arguing for is wrong; instead ask yourself if a better argument for it is available. This is especially important in dealing with views to which you are opposed. Always construe what your opponent is saying in the strongest, most plausible, fair, and honest version that you can imagine. Remember, we are here to help each other move forward. Personal feelings about an idea are not as important as the clarity of the idea being expressed. If, after engaging in this modality, the argument is found lacking, then that can be addressed.

http://philosophy.lander.edu/oriental/charity.html Calendar
Note: This is a guide only. This calendar is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. All possible efforts will be made to do this in a respectful and expedient manner. A new calendar will be made available to students if this occurs.

Week 1
July 7 Class- Day 1: Introductions. Syllabus. 2 min Slide Slam.
Introduce Blog. Make clay/slip.
July 8 Class- Introduce Project One: Images/Demo/Discussion.
Finish making clay/slip. Work time.
July 9 Blog Creation and initial postings due.

Week 2
July 12 Class- Reinforcing demos Problem Shoot. Work time. Assign reading.
July 13 Class- Glaze demo and mixing/ Work time.
July 14 Class- Introduce project 2/images/demo/discussion. Work time.
July 14 Class- Ted Talk. Presentations. Discussion of Article.
Wet crit project 1. Blog due by Friday.

Week 3
July 19 Class- Reinforcing demo. Problem Shoot. Work time. Assign reading.
July 20 Class- Work day load/fire bisque
July 21 Class- Introduce project 3/images/demo/discussion. Work time.
July 22 Class- Video. Presentations. Discussion of Article.
Wet crit project 2. Blog due by Friday.

July 23 (Friday) Visit to NYC (GHP, Artist studio visit, Exhibition)

July 25 (Sunday) load/fire bisque and glaze

Week 4
July 26 Class- Discuss NYC trip. Reinforcing demo. Problem Shoot.
Work time. Assign reading.
July 27 Class-. Work time.
July 28 Class- Work time. Wet crit project 3.
July 29 Class- Discussion of Article. Presentations. Blog due by Friday.

July 30 (Friday) load/fire bisque and glaze

Week 5
Aug 02 Class- Visit to Clay Art Center
(8am depart, return by 12:30pm)Carpool.
Aug 03 Class- Work time. load/fire bisque and glaze (final bisque).
Aug 04 Class- Work time/ glaze/fire
Aug 05 Class- Work time/glaze/fire. Work time Blog due for
trip. Discussion of trip.
All work due completed to load into kiln.

Aug 07 (Saturday) Class- Final Glaze firing

Week 6
Aug 9 Class- Final Crit
Aug 10 Class- Final Crit/Discussion/Final Discussion
Aug 11 Final CD and Blog postings. Due. 12pm.