Visual Language I
Fall 2006, Massart


Jane D. Marsching email
office 3rd floor south 309 , hours: Mon 1:30-3 Tue 2-3:30 signup sheet is on the door

 

C O U R S E R E Q U I R E M E N T S:

 

syllabus monday

syllabus tuesday

projects

requirements

vocabulary

tools

critique

help

email info

links

Requirements
Your level of work, commitment, challenge, and participation in this class reflects the seriousness of purpose with which you are pursuing your art and the class. If you are over challenged or feel under challenged, it is your responsibility to speak with me to find solutions.

Critiques
Your voice is important.
Actively participate in all critiques.
If you want to get feedback about your work, you must be willing to give feedback to others.
Learning to analyze your own work and the work of others, learning to verbally express the results of your analysis- these are essential skills for artists and designers.

Absence:
Absent = missing class without contacting me more than 24 hours in advance
More than 3 absences = being dropped from the class
3 late = 1 absence
late = more than 1/2 hour late
Absences happen, but you still have to do the work. Contact me or another student through the yahoo group to find out what you missed. Bring both the absent week’s work and the next week’s work to class the next week.

Technology
You are required to purchase a portable hard drive. You have received a letter this past summer that gives the details about the brand and models the tech staff at MassArt recommend. By purchasing the hard drive recommended by MassArt tech staff, you will be able to get technical support for this equipment.

A separate handout indicates which hard drives we can support.
These are available at the bookstore.
You can also use a flash drive (512 mb or bigger), ipod, or laptop to save your work


It is encouraged that students do all VL 1 and 2 projects on Macintosh computers. If you do not own a Mac, students can use the Macs in SF labs during Open Lab nights in South Hall or on the third or 7th floor Open Labs in the Tower.
Tech Proficiency test: this test will be administered in the first couple weeks of the semester to see where you are at in your digital skills and if you need additional help.

Library
The MassArt library has wonderful reference librarians who will help you learn about research skills. Please take advantage of this important and useful resource. The reference librarian is located on your left as you enter the MassArt library on the 12th floor of the Tower Building.

Grades
Two grading systems are used at the college:
1. Letter grades (H, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, D, D, F, Incomplete) are given in courses offered in:
Critical Studies, above the first year, Art Education, Environmental Design, Communication Design
2. Honors/Pass/ No Credit/ Incomplete grades are given in courses offered in:
First year courses,Media and Performing Arts, Fine Arts 2D, Fine Arts 3D, Graduate Program
3. Grades are defined as follows:
A Exceptional work in all respects
B Above average work, distinquished in certain but not all respects.
C Average
D Below average work. This is the lowest passing grade; individual departments may set
standards for the application of "D" grades toward progress in the major.
F Failing work. No credit is given.
H Work that shows the highest distinction, well above the expectations for course credit.
Pass Work meeting all expectations for successful completion of the course.
NC No credit. Work that does not meet the expectations of the course.
Inc. Incomplete. A temporary designation indicating that at least 80% of the course requirements have been met and that the remaining course requirements are expected to be completed, and a permanent designation issues by the subsequent mid-semester. The student is responsible for having an Individual Grade Sheet completed by the appropriate faculty member and filed with the Registrar. If the student does not complete the course work, a non-passing grade will be issued.
Honors is awarded only in instances of exceptional performance in every area.

An honor student is one who
* is self disciplined and is intrinsically motivated to give their absolute best
* understands that inborn talent is only part of the equation and works tirelessly to cultivate the necessary skills and characteristics to be successful
* has an appetite, curiosity, and passion for their own learning and discovery
* shows care and respect for themselves, their peers, and their teacher
* consistently makes connections between the class and the outside world (i.e. library research, museum/gallery visits, personal experience etc) and shares it
* is generous with time and resources (not dominating and controlling)
* always completes work on time (projects, readings and writings)
* may re-work a project based on class feedback and critique just to make it better or to discover something new


‘ PLAGIARISM
Whenever your work incorporates someone else's research, images, words, or ideas, you must properly identify the source unless you can reasonably expect knowledgeable people to recognize it. Proper citation gives credit where it is due and enables your readers to locate sources and pursue lines of inquiry raised by your paper. For further information, see the "Introduction" to the Critical Studies Handbook of Citation and the MassArt Student Handbook

.