*Visual and Environmental Studies 3abr. 3-D Artmaking and Design: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 0442 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Patrick Strzelec
Half course (spring term). M., 6–9 p.m., Tu., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Students will work with an assortment of tools, techniques, and materials to solve specific 3-dimensional problems and basic sculpture concerns. The course will be based on spatial thinking that deals with point, line, plane, mass, balance, and form.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 4aar. Color and Meaning: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4682 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stephen Mueller
Half course (fall term). F., 9–12, Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 2, 3, 4, 15, 16, 17
A basic study of two-dimensional design and the optical and psychological effects of color. The class will focus on the basics of mixing and using color. Historical theories of color as well as contemporary semiotics of color content will be explored. The emphasis will be on interaction of color in the most basic aspects of proportion and direction rather than drawing. Through exercises in observation and recording of color and use of color as vocabulary, students will explore this sometimes unpredictable aspect of visual communication. Assignments and studio work will be done in water-based mediums. Basic tenets of good two-dimensional design will be explored.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 7abr. Design of the Page: Graphic Design and Typography: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 0502 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Lorraine Ferguson
Half course (spring term). M., 6–9 p.m., F., 9–12. EXAM GROUP: 2, 3, 4
Students will learn to use type expressively so that it both is an image and powerfully communicates a message. Beginning with basic elements, we will gradually add levels of complexity (variable type weights, sizes, styles, color, and other elements, including illustrations). We will analyze historical examples of “page” designs (as in books, posters, banners, tickets, labels, signs, maps, advertisements, etc.) that are content-driven, taking into account message, function, and audience, and will critique formal qualities of composition, proportion, contrast, and color as they relate to the overall concept and visual and semantic effectiveness.
[*Visual and Environmental Studies 10aar. Fundamentals of Drawing: Studio Course]
Catalog Number: 7057 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
William P. Reimann
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Studio problems develop the draftsman’s way of knowing through observation, formulation, and articulation. Class discussions develop visually oriented critical ability. Numerous drawing media are introduced. Outside assignments are a regular part of the course, extending studio projects to encourage independent experiment and individual exploration.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 10aaxr. Fundamentals of Drawing: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4704 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Paul Stopforth
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Using a variety of graphic media, this course will develop responses and explore possibilities in the process of drawing. A diverse range of hand made and found objects will function as source materials for much of the course in which observation, structural principles, and expressive procedures will be articulated in the making of drawings. Individual and group discussion will focus on work in progress. There will be occasional slide presentations and museum visits.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 10abr. Fundamentals of Drawing: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 5332 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
William P. Reimann
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 8:30–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 10, 11, 12, 13
Studio problems develop the draftsman’s way of knowing through observation, formulation, and articulation. Class discussions develop visually oriented critical ability. Numerous drawing media are introduced. Outside assignments are a regular part of the course, extending studio projects to encourage independent experiment and individual exploration.
[*Visual and Environmental Studies 10b. Intermediate Drawing.: Studio Course]
Catalog Number: 1763 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
William P. Reimann
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Continuation and extension of VES 10a. Studio problems are viewed against drawing traditions and conventions, raising questions of value and interpretation. Field trips and required independent work demand selectivity and judgement to compose using more complex media. Emphasis on individual growth and cultivation of self-critical ability.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Prerequisite: VES 10a or equivalent preparation (to be validated by portfolio presentation and interview).
*Visual and Environmental Studies 11abr. Fundamentals of Figures Study: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 7311 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
William P. Reimann
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Study of the figure by drawing from the model and from other sources. The basis for further work includes, but is not limited to, simplified ostoelogical drawings, elementary studies in three dimensions, from observation of human and other skulls, parts, assemblies, concluding with the whole skeleton. A unit on gross topographic anatomy will follow. Daily outside related assignments are designed to build skills in graphically managing mass, achieving a degree of control over landscape space, and in designing and composing the page. Students should bring a portfolio of previous work to the first class. Recommended preparation: minimum of a term’s work in basic drawing.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 15aar. Fundamentals of Printmaking: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 8651 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
H. Peik Larsen
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
A hands-on investigation of transfer processes and use of printmaking materials. Woodcut, intaglio, photoetching, and monotype will be explored, mostly in black and white.
Note: No previous printmaking experience required.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 15abr. Silkscreen: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 0844 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Annette Lemieux
Half course (spring term). M., W., 9–12. EXAM GROUP: 2, 3, 4
For the student who is interested in the manipulation of found and original imagery. Students will create monotypes on paper and other surfaces utilizing the silkscreen process. Via slide presentations the class will be introduced to the work of artists such as Rauschenberg, Warhol, Polke, and others who use the silkscreen process.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 20aar. Painting with Attitude: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4153 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Nancy Mitchnick
Half course (fall term). M., 1–5 and 6–8 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8, 9
This is a foundation level painting class. This semester the emphasis is on Landscape Painting. We will work with other traditional subjects as well, (the body and objects) working through the 20th century to learn how to handle space, light, and color in painting. This is a demanding studio course using demonstrations, slide talks, critique, paint handling exercises, and problem solving.
Prerequisite: A college level drawing class or portfolio.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 20abr. Grounds for Painting: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 3106 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Paul Stopforth
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Through a range of explorative processes this course will function as a ground within which a variety of painterly possibilities are constructed. The emphasis will be on the practice of painting in developing relationships to material, mark, surface, color, pictorial ambiguity, and meaning. Individual and group discussions will focus on work in progress; there will be occasional slide presentations and museum visits.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 20bbr. Painting with Attitude Again: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 2204 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Nancy Mitchnick
Half course (spring term). M., 1–5 and 6–8 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8, 9
This is a continuation of 20aar. Using the second half of the 20th century we will begin with DeKooning and Gorky and work our way through the edicts of modernism to contemporary issues. This is a hands-on painting course with a reader and very specific assignments, with an emphasis on interior space and the body. Slide talks, critique, demonstrations, and amazing studio assignments will make this class demanding.
Prerequisite: VES 20aar or another college-level painting class.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 30aar. Fundamentals of Sculpture: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 6594 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Patrick Strzelec
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Students will explore traditional and non-traditional methods of sculpture making. The focus will be on working in the studio with various materials, techniques, and processes, utilizing a hands-on approach in order to develop a personal vision. Museum and gallery visits will be included, providing a broader context and understanding of the medium.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 30abr. Fundamentals of Sculpture: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 7185 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Patrick Strzelec
Half course (spring term). M., W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Same as VES 30aar above.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 40ar. Fundamentals of Still Photography: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 2010 Enrollment: Limited to 50.
Chris Killip
Half course (fall term). W., at 11, with three hours lab and three hours section each week to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 4
Introduction to still photography through individual and group exercises, with an emphasis on the medium as a vehicle for expression, documentation, and personal vision. Covers necessary technical, historical, and aesthetic aspects of the medium.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 40b. Photography: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 6256 Enrollment: Limited to 24.
Chris Killip (Section 2) and Sage Sohier (Section 1)
Half course (spring term). Section I: M., W., 1–4; Section II: Tu., Th., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Designed to extend the student’s understanding of the process through which meaning is produced in photography. Examines differing approaches to format, context, and presentation through a series of set projects.
Prerequisite: VES 40a or equivalent preparation (portfolio presentation).
*Visual and Environmental Studies 50. Fundamentals of Filmmaking: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4907 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Robb Moss and Alfred F. Guzzetti (fall term only)
Full course. M., W., 1–5; or Tu., Th., 1–5. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Introductory exercises in live-action filmmaking culminating in the production of a nonfiction film as a group project in the spring term.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 51ar (formerly *VES 51a). Small-Format Video: Introductory Studio Course
Catalog Number: 7526 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Richard P. Rogers
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 1–5. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
A series of nonfiction projects, both individual and collaborative, designed to introduce and explore the range of expressive possibilities in small-format video.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 51br (formerly *Visual and Environmental Studies 51b). Small-Format Video: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 3838 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Richard P. Rogers
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 1–5. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
Continuation of VES 51a but may be taken separately with permission of the instructor. Each student plans, shoots, and edits a video tape of his/her design. Readings, screenings, and class exercises augment individual work.
Note: Students seeking to enroll should come to the first class meeting with an idea and a production plan for a video tape to be completed in the course.
Prerequisite: Prerequisites for admission are VES 51a, or another course in live action film or video.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 53a. Film Animation: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 1360 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Wendy Tilby
Half course (fall term). Tu., 7–9 p.m., Th., 1–5. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17, 18
An introduction to a wide range of animation ideas and techniques through screenings, discussions, and projects. Emphasis will be on concept, aesthetics, and experimentation. Students will produce a series of short works with synchronized sound and learn ways to use frame-by-frame filmmaking as a means of creative expression and communication. Course includes presentations from visiting artists. Drawing skills not necessary.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 53b. Film Animation: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 5284 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Wendy Tilby
Half course (spring term). Tu., 7–9 p.m., Th., 1–5. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17, 18
Each student will complete a short animated film. Emphasis will be on concept, storyboard, projection strategy, and editing. Exploration of animation ideas and techniques through discussions and screenings will continue.
Prerequisite: VES 53a.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 107. Studies of the Built North American Environment since 1580
Catalog Number: 7883 Enrollment: Limited to 40.
John R. Stilgoe
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
North America as an evolving visual environment is analyzed as a systems concatenation involving such constituent elements as farms, small towns, shopping malls, highways, suburbs, and as depicted in fiction, poetry, cartography, television, cinema, and advertising and cybernetic simulation.
Note: Offered jointly with the Graduate School of Design as 4105.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 111aar. Figure Drawing: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 1265 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Susan Hauptman
Half course (fall term). M., 1–5, 6–8. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8, 9
Intensive studio concentration in the analysis and representation of the human form with an emphasis on the formal and abstract properties of depiction and the defining role of light. Narrative and metaphor are explored and a series of slide talks address the genre with a particular emphasis on contemporary representation of the body, from Lucien Freun to Cindy Sherman.
Prerequisite: VES 10a and 10b, or portfolio presentation.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 112aar. Mixed Media: Beginning Studio Course
Catalog Number: 8268 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Annette Lemieux
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 8:30–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 10, 11, 12, 13
For the student who is interested in creating works on paper using a variety of materials and methods. Via slide presentations the class will be introduced to the work of artists who work with mixed media.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 120abr. Ideas in Paint: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 8087 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Alexis Rockman
Half course (spring term). W., 6–9 p.m., Th., 8:30–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 10, 11, 12
A studio painting course that will address the issues of light, space, color, and structure in painting. Discussion and slide presentation, trips to museums, and a few Art Historical texts will form the basis of the class. This course is geared for students beginning to develop their own studio practice.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 122aar. Landscape Painting: Intermediate Studio
Catalog Number: 3230 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Stephen Ellis
Half course (fall term). W., 1–5, 6:30–8:30 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8, 9
This course will combine painting both in the studio and outdoors with an examination of the character and evolution of some of the major traditions of landscape painting in Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Prerequisite: VES 20 or presentation of portfolio.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 130aar. A Course in Obstacles: Sculptural Objects that Change Culture. Intermediate Sculpture Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4186 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Charles Long
Half course (fall term). M., 6–9 p.m., Tu., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16, 17
In the studio we will begin with exploring sculpture’s elemental identity, the object, by discovering the associations latent in materials, forms, and context as a way of constructing and/or deconstructing ideas. Through slide presentations, readings, and critiques, we will survey modern sculpture in the last century as it develops into the expanded field of cultural practices such as installation and actions. Students will follow this trajectory in the studio as we work with such situational contexts as site and the body while questioning our relationship as artists to the present cultural landscape of spectacle and entertainment.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 130abr. Inside Out. Intermediate/Advanced Sculpture Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4596 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Joel Shapiro
Half course (spring term). W., 9–12, Tu., 6–9 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 2, 3, 4
We will explore the possibility of translating thought into form. The course will focus more on process, less on technique, and will consist of individual assignments and group endeavors that support the realization that abstract form can communicate. The course is intended for more advanced students and admission will be based on interview and portfolio review.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 131. Designing for the Stage: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 1116 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
J. Michael Griggs
Half course (fall term). M., W., 2–3:30. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
Students prepare and present for criticism stage design projects based on play texts that suggest varying interpretive and stylistic problems. Focus is on examining ideas through research of visual material and analysis of text. Through their design projects, students also complete assignments in perspective drawing, drafting, model making, and lighting design. Students at all levels of skill are welcome.
[*Visual and Environmental Studies 132. Projects in Stage Design: Studio Course]
Catalog Number: 7533 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
J. Michael Griggs
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The class will complete projects that explore the techniques of the stage designer. Projects may include large scale scene painting, drafting, and CAD, advanced model making, and working with wood and metal. Some projects will be based on interpretations of dramatic literature to examine both conceptual issues and the practical problems of designing for the stage.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 140ar. Color Photography: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 0842 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sage Sohier
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
A comprehensive introduction to photographing in color. The emphasis on the course will be on producing a body of photographic work using color, negative, and print technology. Attention will also be paid to color transparency materials, color theory, and the history of color photography over the last 25 years.
Prerequisite: VES 40ar or 40br or portfolio presentation.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 143r. The Photographer as Auteur: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 2835 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Boris Mikhailov
Half course (fall term). W., 6–9 p.m., Th., 8:30–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 10, 11, 12
Explores the ways in which some photographic practitioners have questioned accepted photographic conventions and are rejecting the historical orthodoxy in favor of a more subjective statement. Each student is expected to complete a major photographic project that reveals his or her own personal photographic style and preoccupations while still retaining a direct and discernible relationship to the subject.
Prerequisite: VES 40a and 40b or portfolio presentation.
Visual and Environmental Studies 144br. A History of Photography: The 19th Century
Catalog Number: 6161
Jim Dow
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
A one-semester general survey of photography from its pre-history to World War I. All aspects of the medium will be covered, with an emphasis on the vernacular in content and the visual in presentation. In addition to encyclopedic coverage of the period, there will be considerable reference to recent practice. While all students will be expected to do visually-based projects (not necessarily photographic), as well as papers, the class is intended for a university-wide audience.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 146br. Contemporary Photographic Practice
Catalog Number: 5743 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Chris Killip
Half course (spring term). M., 6–9 p.m. additional hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
This course will examine the practical, sociological, historical, and aesthetic issues surrounding contemporary photography in parallel with the active participation of each student in his/her own photographic project.
Prerequisite: VES 40ar, VES 40b, or portfolio presentation.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 147ar. Large Format Photography: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 1578 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Chris Killip
Half course (fall term). M., 6–9 p.m., Tu., 8:30-11:30. EXAM GROUP: 10, 11, 12, 13
A comprehensive course in large format photography, i.e., formats other than 35mm. Particular emphasis will be placed on the constructive photograph and contemporary strategies relating to the portrait and landscape photograph.
Prerequisite: VES 40a, VES 40b or portfolio presentation.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 150ar. Film Production: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 4692 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Mani R. Kaul
Half course (fall term). M., W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
Working individually or in small groups, students will make their own documentary, fiction, or experimental films, exploring the nature of a cinematographic event beyond conceptions of its converging spatial closure. The question of duration as suggestive of part-whole relationship will play a more decisive role than the traditional structuring of space. In addition there will be a group project consisting of rounds of exchange of short film-haiku’s between students, equivalent to call and response in music, revealing possible poetic ways of organizing brief cinematographic events
Prerequisite: VES 50.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 150br. Film Production: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 3934 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Mani Kaul
Half course (spring term). M., W., 1–4. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8
A continuation of the work of VES 150ar.
Prerequisite: VES 150ar.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 151ar. Narrative/Collage/Performance: Intermediate Video Studio Course
Catalog Number: 7965 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Yvonne Rainer
Half course (spring term). Tu., 6–9, W., 1–5. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8, 9
Using body and voice we will attempt to extrapolate performative, visual, and graphic fragments from film/video screenings and readings informed by post-structural feminism, queer and post-colonial theory, as well as from daily life, autobiography, the news, and interactions between participants in the course itself. Emphasis will be on collaboration, culminating in a hybrid video show that will replicate, reconstruct, or reconfigure the materials, minutiae, and issues covered or that may spontaneously arise during the sessions. Participants will be expected to engage as readers, writers, performers, videographers, spectators, editors of each others’ contributions, and creative consultants. “Keep in mind the value of mistakes, failures, interruptions, breakdowns, interferences, accidents, incompletions, muddles, mix-ups (not to be justified later as chaos or entropy).”
Prerequisite: VES 51a or 51b.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 151br. Experiments in Video: Studio Course
Catalog Number: 6247 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Alfred F. Guzzetti
Half course (fall term). F., 1–5:30. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7, 8, 9
Small-format video opens the prospect of new pathways into many aspects of our experience: the subjective, the intimate, the unconscious, the remembered, the simultaneous, the political. It invites and allows us to devise new structures for our expression. The course will explore these possibilities through short experiments, exercises, and analyses leading to an extended individual or collaborative project.
Prerequisite: One VES half-course in video production.
[*Visual and Environmental Studies 152ar. Women and Film: Production and Criticism]
Catalog Number: 3161 Enrollment: Limited to 40.
Giuliana Bruno
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A survey of film history and aesthetics that highlights the contribution of women, from the origin of cinema to recent production. How do women make, and write about, cinema? How does this change the way we look at, and read, images? Comparative analysis of filmic texts is combined with a study of film history and theory, including feminist theory. This work questions image making in relation to film making, film viewing, and film criticism.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02. Expected to be omitted in 2002–03.
[*Visual and Environmental Studies 152br. Italian Cinema]
Catalog Number: 8324
Giuliana Bruno
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the creative impact of Italian cinema in relation to other national cinemas, in the context of Italian culture. What is the place of Italian cinema in film history? What defines a “national” cinema? Begins with the aesthetic and political canons of Neorealism and moves toward contemporary times. Analyzes, among others, the innovative and unconventional views of Rossellini, Fellini, Antonioni, and Visconti, and the film theory and practice of Pasolini, and contemporary independent film.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
[*Visual and Environmental Studies 153br. The Poetic Documentary: Lecture/Seminar Course]
Catalog Number: 5580 Enrollment: Limited to 40.
Isaac Julien
Half course (spring term). W., 1–4; Screenings: Tu., at 5.
This class utilizes cultural theory to look at documentaries with a specific emphasis on their politics of race and representation and the importance of experimental aesthetic strategies. We look at a range of documentary genres including ethnographic, (Flaherty, Rouch); auteurist (Marker, Ivens); postcolonial (Akomfrah, Julien, Minh-Ha); gay/lesbian (Marshall, Livingstone) as well as the British documentary movement (Jennings, Wright), and the Soviet and German avant-gardes (Vertov, Ruttman), which were the foundations of this strategy. These films problematize conventional distinctions between documentary “fact” and narrative “fiction,” using fantasy to present history, race, and sexuality.
Note: Expected to be given in 2001–02.
Visual and Environmental Studies 154br. Frames of Mind: Introduction to Film Theory and Film Analysis
Catalog Number: 0648
Giuliana Bruno
Half course (spring term). Th., 10–11:30; Screenings: W., at 6:30 p.m.; Additional section F., at 10 or 11. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
A basic introduction to the language of film theory, aimed at developing analytic skills to interpret films. We offer a historical survey that spans from turn-of-the-century scientific motion studies to the emotion studies of Hugo Münsterberg, and reaches the virtual movements of our new millennium. We consider Eisenstein’s theory of montage, the cultural history of the cinematic apparatus, and the body of physical existence, going from Kracauer to gender studies. Different theoretical positions open up our understanding of films, and guide us in reading them. Particular attention is paid to theories that enable close analysis of films. In considering cultural transformation, for example, we test Walter Benjamin’s view of the age of mechanical reproduction vis-à-vis its contemporary representation in the film The Matrix.
Note: Recommended as preparation for VES 155ar and VES 155br.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 155ar. Film Architectures: Seminar Course
Catalog Number: 6864 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Giuliana Bruno
Half course (fall term). W., 2–4; Screenings: Tu., at 7 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
What is our experience of architecture in cinema? Considering the relation of these two arts of space, we look at how film and architecture are linked in history on the “screen” of the modern age. Highlighting the interaction of modernity, urban culture, and cinema, we explore the architecture of film in relation to the architectures of transit and the culture of travel. Emphasis is on readings as well as analysis of case study to pursue research projects and make presentations to the seminar. Case study centers on the cine city, with focus on the architecture of theatres, starting from the era of the movie palace.
Note: Active participation in seminarial endeavors is required. Ideally followed with VES 155br.
Prerequisite: A course in film studies or the equivalent course in cultural studies.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 155br. A Cultural Study of Film: Mapping and Fashioning Space: Seminar Course
Catalog Number: 7760 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Giuliana Bruno
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4; Screenings: Tu., at 6:30 or 7 p.m. (to be arranged.). EXAM GROUP: 7, 8
The impulse to map (ourselves) is a major drive of contemporary visual culture. Since Fredric Jameson’s call for “cognitive mapping”, and artists’ return to the art of mapping, cultural studies regard mapping as a critical navigational route. Our cultural history of film looks at this moving field. How does the moving image participate in the shifting architectonics of visuality, space, and the body? How is the body “fashioned” in inner and outer space? Emphasis on readings and case study of relevant films to pursue research projects and make presentations to the seminar. Case study includes the culture of fashion in film.
Note: Active participation in seminarial endeavors is required. May be taken as a continuation of VES 155ar.
Prerequisite: A course in film studies or the equivalent course in cultural studies.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 156ar. Film Animation Workshop: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 5211 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Wendy Tilby
Half course (fall term). Tu., 7–9 p.m., W., 2–5, and additional hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
Advanced animation ideas, techniques, and exercises which will lead to the conception and pre-production of a short film. Course includes screenings, in-depth discussion of ideas, and presentations from visiting artists.
Prerequisite: VES 53a or 53b, or equivalent preparation.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 156br. Film Animation: Intermediate Studio Course
Catalog Number: 3477
Wendy Tilby
Half course (spring term). Tu., 7–9 p.m., W., 2–5, and additional hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 7, 8, 9
The production and completion of a film with ongoing class discussions and individual review.
Prerequisite: VES 156ar or equivalent preparation.
Visual and Environmental Studies 157ar. New German Cinema: Oppositional Energies and Utopian Designs
Catalog Number: 8774
Eric Rentschler
Half course (fall term). M., W., (F.), at 11; Screenings: M., 4-6 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 4
In 1962 twenty-six angry young German directors announced their resolve to revive a moribund national film culture. “New German Cinema” would gain acclaim in the 1970s for interventions marked by subversive narrative strategies and unique formal approaches. We will examine features, shorts, and documentaries by Fassbinder, Herzog, Kluge, Schlöndorf, Straub/Huillet, von Trotta, and Wenders, probing these films’ aesthetic shapes as well as their socio-political and theoretical implications.
Note: Expected to be omitted in 2001–02.
Prerequisite: No knowledge of German required. Readings, films, and discussions in English.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 158ar. The Films of Robert Bresson
Catalog Number: 9389
Mani R. Kaul
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 11:30–; Screenings: Tu., at 5 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
A study of Robert Bresson’s films from the perspective of his seminal book, Notes on Cinematography, students will explore the “pragmatic spirit” behind Bresson’s aphorisms to discover the cinematographic techniques, in particular the use of sound, he evolved for his films. Students will be expected to attend screenings, participate in class discussions, and submit a paper.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 158br. A History of American Independent Film
Catalog Number: 8339
Bruce Jenkins
Half course (spring term). M., W., 4–5:30; Screenings: Tu., at 5 p.m.; Section: F., at 10 or 11. EXAM GROUP: 9
This survey course examines the history of alternative practices in narrative cinema in the U.S. produced outside the context of the studio system and often in opposition to dominant forms. Examples from this discontinuous history will be analyzed against the backdrop of the commercial cinema and shifting social, political, economic, and cultural trends across the century. Beginning with the independent movements of the late silent era and continuing through the various “off-Hollywood” and “underground” cinemas of the 1950s and 1960s to the independent feature movement of the 1980s and early 1990s, the course will focus on such topics as the articulation of sexual and racial difference; the influence of artistic movements such as Pop, Beat, Arte Povera, and Minimalism; and challenges to realism in documentary and autobiographical forms.
Visual and Environmental Studies 159ar. The Moving Image: Film and Visual Representation
Catalog Number: 2874 Enrollment: Limited to 40.
Giuliana Bruno
Half course (fall term). Th., 10–11:30; Screenings: W., at 7:00 p.m. and sections F., at 10 or 11. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
A survey aimed at developing visual literacy, this introduction to film history looks at major 20th century ideas on art and perception. We examine the invention of film in relation to significant cultural changes in our experience of visual space, and follow the evolution of film as a technique of spatio-visual observation. Addressing socio-sexual space, we see the moving image as product of the age of industrialization and conquest, element of urban culture, and means of imaginary transportation, on the brink of inside-outside. As we analyze case-study films on the subject of home(land), cityscape, and voyage, we provide analytic tools for understanding the language of cinema, and its impact on visual culture.
Note: Recommended as preparation for VES 155ar and VES 155br.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 160. Modernization in the Visual United States Environment, 1890–2035
Catalog Number: 6668 Enrollment: Limited to 40.
John R. Stilgoe
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Modernization of the United States visual environment as directed by a nobility creating new images and perceptions of such themes as wilderness, flight, privacy, clothing, photography, feminism, status symbolism, and futurist manipulation as illustrated in print-media and other advertising enterprise.
Note: Offered jointly with the Graduate School of Design as 4303.
Prerequisite: VES 107 or permission of the instructor.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 166. North American Seacoasts and Landscapes, Discovery to Present: Seminar
Catalog Number: 5873
John R. Stilgoe
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3, and an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Selected topics in the history of the North American coastal zone, including the seashore as wilderness, as industrial site, as area of recreation, and as artistic subject; the shape of coastal landscape for conflicting uses over time; and the perception of the seashore as marginal zone in literature, photography, painting, film, television, and advertising.
Note: Offered jointly with the Graduate School of Design as 4304.
Prerequisite: VES 107 and VES 160, or permission of the instructor.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 167. Adventure and Fantasy Simulation, 1871–2036: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4902
John R. Stilgoe
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Visual constituents of high adventure since the late Victorian era, emphasizing wandering woods, rogues, tomboys, women adventurers, faerie antecedents, halflings, crypto-cartography, Third-Path turning, martial arts, and post-1937 fantasy writing as integrated into contemporary advertising, video, computer-generated simulation, and private and public policy.
Note: Offered jointly with the Graduate School of Design as 4305.
Prerequisite: VES 107, VES 160, and VES 166, or permission of the instructor.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 175. Design Science: Studio/Seminar
Catalog Number: 6285
Arthur L. Loeb
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Explores inductively the arrangement of three-dimensional space. The symmetries and transformations of polyhedra are investigated by constructing and deconstructing study models. Stability, mobility, tensegrity, and dome structures are evaluated, and students are encouraged to apply the principles learned to architectural and sculptural designs. Students experiment with pencils, paper, compasses, straight edges, scissors, exacto-knives, sticks, and joints, to discover concepts before they are named. Rote memorization of definitions is thereby discouraged and seemingly disparate concepts become unified into fundamental principles. Stress on method, experiments, and risk taking. VES 175 and 176 together constitute the fundamental grammar of two- and three-dimensional space.
Note: VES 175 and 176 may be taken independently, and in either order. Offered jointly with the Graduate School of Education as T-126.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 176. Visual Mathematics: Studio/Seminar
Catalog Number: 5793
Arthur L. Loeb
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Concentrates on the fundamental parameters of structure, primarily in two dimensions. Symmetry theory (e.g., designs by M.C. Escher), dynamic symmetry, the golden section, the Fibonacci series, and spirals are presented visually rather than verbally, but nevertheless rigorously. Students experiment with pencils, paper, compasses, straight edges, scissors, exacto-knives, sticks, joints, and computer graphics, to discover concepts before they are named. Rote memorization of definitions is thereby discouraged and seemingly disparate concepts become unified into fundamental principles. Stress on method, experiments, and risk taking. Students are expected to create a portfolio of their own visual exercises. VES 175 and 176 together constitute the fundamental grammar of two- and three-dimensional space.
Note: VES 175 and 176 may be taken independently and in either order. Offered jointly with the Graduate School of Education as T-127.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 180br. Dolly, DNA, and Identity: Seminar/Workshop
Catalog Number: 3316 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Carrie Mae Weems
Half course (spring term). M., 6–9 p.m., Tu., 10:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13, 14
The essential truths of DNA evidence has freed some and condemned others: it has historians rewriting history. We stand before the cloning of Dolly awe-struck, increasingly mindful of the potential power of biogenetic research. In the wake of this development, how do we as artists respond? In this techno stage where all things are knowable and wondrous are the works of men, what happens to the body? Or has it already smashed to smithereens, leaving behind only a floating intellect as Foucault might suggest? What happens to the issues of race and representation of gender and identity? Or have these issues simply lost all relevance? Using these questions and issues as the sub-text, students in this course are asked to make works of art that explore this insistent imposition of technology on nature. We will also examine the works of other contemporary artists, filmmakers, and composers—and anybody else we can get our hands on—engaged in mapping the human response to this new technology and the human genome project
*Visual and Environmental Studies 98r. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 1411
Nancy Mitchnick (fall term), Peik Larsen (spring term), Peter Schjeldahl (spring term) and members of the Department.
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). To be arranged.
Note: Optional for junior concentrators. Letter-graded.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 99. Thesis/Senior Projects -- Senior Year
Catalog Number: 7531
H. Peik Larsen (spring term), Nancy Mitchnick (fall term), Peter Schjeldahl and members of the Department
Full course. Spring: Th., 7–9 p.m. EXAM GROUP: Spring: 18
Note: STUDIO concentrators enrolled in VES 99 are required to attend a weekly seminar with Peter Schjeldahl on Thursdays 7-9 p.m. in addition to working with the advisor. A pragmatic seminar about the world of art for prospective participants. Aims are sophistication and inspiration. Writing assignments emphasize description and style. What is an artist? What does an artist do? What good is it? Who cares? Why? Seminar is not limited to studio concentrators and may be taken for credit by non-VES students by registering for VES 190r. Projects and Research. Presumed to be a full-year course, but may be divided. Permission of Head Tutor and instructor required.
*Visual and Environmental Studies 190r. Projects and Research
Catalog Number: 8371
H. Peik Larsen (spring term), Nancy Mitchnick (fall term), Peter Schjeldahl (fall term) and members of the Department
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Open to a limited number of students who wish to carry out a special project under supervision and who obtain the signature of the Head Tutor and a member of the Department. Applications available in the department office. Letter-graded. Peter Schjeldahl’s seminar, listed above, can be taken for credit by non-VES concentrators by registering for VES 190r. Permission of Head Tutor and instructor required.