New York State College of Human Ecology

Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853-4401FSAD 1250

Art, Design and Visual Thinking

12:20-1:10 MWF

Room: MVR 280

Listserve: FH-FSAD-1250-Students@groups.cornell.edu

Instructor: Alana Staiti

Office: HEB T-41

E-mail: als89@cornell.edu

Office hours: W 11-12; Th 1-2

TA: Mary Claire Nemeth

Office: HEB 150

Email: mn468@cornell.edu

Office hours: TBA

An introduction to visual arts and design which stresses the components of visual thinking and visual language that underlie design and the fine arts.

Required readings and supplies: The readings are online (See information below). Some materials will need to be purchased for some projects, estimated cost $35 maximum.

Course Objectives: At the end of this course, students should:

1. have enhanced their ability to think visually, and communicate ideas in visual ways.

2. be familiar with the components of design and fine arts, and be able to use design language to discuss and evaluate designed objects.

3. understand major developments in fine arts, decorative arts, and design as they have occurred since the beginnings of modern design in the later 19th century.

4. be familiar with the most important media of fine arts and design, and understand the limitations and opportunities offered to the designer by various materials and techniques.

Course grade: Your grade will be based on the following:

Assignments (5) 25%

Paper 25%

Prelim 25% October 24, 7:30-9:00 PM Room 280 MVR

Final exam  25% December 17, 7:00-9:00 PM Room TBA

Please note these exam dates. Makeup exams will be available only in the event of University-created scheduling conflicts. Airline reservations do not constitute a valid excuse. If you cannot meet this exam schedule, you should not take this class. Persons taking this course S/U must achieve a final average of 70% to pass the course. Assignments will be graded as received and may not be revised after grading. Following instructions and meeting deadlines is expected professional behavior that has a bearing on your grade. However, the instructor and TAs will be happy to consult with you on your assignments before they are due.

Attendance: Since this course is heavily dependent on visual material, attendance is essential if assignments are to be understood and completed correctly. Slides and other visual materials shown in class will be incorporated in the exams. The visual materials (slides and other visual examples) presented in class are not available at any other time. Images available for study via the Web Textbook are not necessarily the images you will see in class. The outside readings are not substitutes for the lectures, and you are responsible for information presented in both lectures and readings. The exercises are opportunities to demonstrate that you have grasped concepts presented in class by means of lecture and visual examples.

The Web Textbook: An online textbook has been created for this course. It includes the basic textbook, study guides for the exams, and will have all assignments posted, as they are announced. The first assignment is now on line.

The URL for the online textbook is: http://char.txa.cornell.edu/

If you don't have the URL handy, you can also reach the Web Textbook through a series of mouse clicks, via the Cornell Home page which can link you to the FSAD Department Home page/ FSAD course web sites.

Electronic mailing list: An electronic mailing list has been established for this course. The purpose of this mailing list is to answer course-related questions and make announcements important to the whole class. Essential course information will be distributed via the electronic mailing list, and you will be held responsible for that information. The list will be activated at the end of the course add period, in about two weeks.

Once you are subscribed, a message will be sent out to you. To send a message to the instructor or everyone on the list, you can send a message to FH-FSAD-1250-Students@groups.cornell.edu .

The mailing list is intended for course related discussion and questions. If you wish to discuss a matter of a personal nature, to maintain confidentiality you should contact the instructor at her personal email address (above), in person, or by phone.

Assignments: Half of the grade is dependent on five individually graded exercises and a paper. The other half will be dependent on two machine scored exams. The paper and the two exams will each cover roughly a third of the material in the course-- that is, the final is NOT cumulative. The exams involve slides.

All assignments in this course are designed to test directly your ability to handle visual material. You will be asked to select images, visual components, and style features and/or manipulate, compare, and/or analyze them. You do not need to have any previous experience or special skills to complete these assignments well. Much of the course material is devoted to the language of design and the fine arts; demonstration of your understanding of the terms and concepts presented in class is crucial to success in any assignment.

Late work: THIS IS IMPORTANT! All work is due at the beginning of class (ie. 12:20 PM) on the day stipulated. Work turned in to the teacher after class is late. This includes work brought to the classroom at the end of class by persons not attending class, and work simply not handed in by attending students until the class is over.

Remember that getting work in on time is YOUR responsibility. Please keep in mind that if you ask a friend to turn in work for you and they fail to do so on time, it will be counted as late.

Do NOT slide work under the professor's door or put it directly in her mailbox! Any work left in the instructors mailbox or office will be considered received at the time found by the instructor. Work turned in to the office must be turned in to the administrative assistants in T57 HEB to be dated. Work turned in to the office after the class begins on the day stipulated (ie. 12:20 PM) is late.

Assignments may not be submitted electronically, only in the format described in each assignment.

The exercises will be accepted up to two weeks late, but not thereafter. No exceptions will be made.

The mid term paper will be accepted up to the last day of class.

In any case, lateness will affect the grade.

Exams: Exams will be multiple choice, machine scored, and will involve slides. Sample questions and a detailed study guide are available on the web site (see table of contents at left).

A makeup exam may only be arranged for students with a University-generated conflict (another prelim or a course-related field trip, for example). Permission of the instructor is needed to take the makeup. In the event of a dire medical emergency, an exception may be made, providing that documentation of the medical emergency (such as hospitalization) is provided, and the instructor is notified in a timely manner- that is, in most cases, BEFORE the exam occurs. Airline schedules and the like are not an acceptable excuse for missing an exam. If you know at the beginning of the semester that you will be unable to meet exam dates, you should not take this course.

Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity. Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student’s own work.

FOR FIRST ASSIGNMENT- BRING TO CLASS FRIDAY AUGUST 30:

Find a head shot photo of yourself in which the head is about 2" x 4". You can use someone else's picture if you don't have one of yourself. The photo MUST have good contrast and detail.

Using a photocopy machine, blow up the photo until the just the head alone (chin to forehead, not including hair) completely fills an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper. DO NOT SET THE PHOTOCOPIER IN PHOTO MODE. You want a grainy image– Find an old, bad copier; try the ones at Olin. Bring the enlargement to class on Monday. Do not do this on a scanner! as this will not give the desired result.

To complete this project, you will also need a pencil with an unused eraser on it, and a rubber stamp pad in any color, available at the campus store or any office supply store.