Wednesday, August 31, 2011

EVHM 2302 "The Literature of Place" Fall 2011

SYLLABUS (Fall 2011)




T 2-4:50



Instructor: Dr. Susan Tomlinson

201B McClellan Hall

742-0036 ext. 239

susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu

Office Hours: TBA

Teaching Blog: http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



Required texts:

Goodbye to a River by John Graves

The Survival of the Bark Canoe by John McPhee

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit

Like Water for Chocolate Laura Esquivel







Course Description:

This course covers literature related to a sense of place, nature, and the environment. Through reading, discussion, writing workshops, and self-directed research, students will learn how to tell the story of place. Field trips are required.

Competency Statement:

Students in this Natural History and Humanities course should be able to: construct and present creative works, and defend critical and aesthetic judgments of works in the creative arts.



Expected learning outcomes for this course are:

1) Identify, describe, and/or create elements of place in literature.

2) Analyze elements of place within cultural and historical contexts.

3) Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works as they relate to place.

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

1) Identify, describe, and/or create elements of place (individually and collectively). 1) Note from field research

2)short creative works

3) Tutorial discussion

2) Analyze elements of place within cultural and historical contexts. 1) short creative works

2) Tutorial discussion

3) Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works as they relate to place. 1) short creative works

2) Tutorial discussion







Tutorials:

The class will be divided into two small group writing tutorials that will meet once each week for an hour and twenty minutes, in addition to the regular weekly hour and twenty minute full class meeting. Weekly short writing assignments will be edited and presented in workshop format in the tutorials. Students will be expected to demonstrate how the class discussion on the selected readings informs their work.



Field research:

Students will be expected to identify and attend places, people, and events in and around Lubbock and the Southern High Plains for the purpose of writing about them. Students will be expected to draw on the literature we are discussing in class for ideas about essay structure and style. Students are expected to identify at least six field research projects on which to work during the course of the semester, from which students will craft their weekly responses, as well as their midterms and final (more than one weekly paper can be drawn from each field research project). The field research will also form the basis for the Midterm and Final papers.



Examples of topics for field research include:



Apple Butter Festival in Idalou

The Agricultural Museum

Lubbock wine industry

Jimenez Bakery

Oral histories with local artisans

Slaton Bakery

Pep Thanksgiving

Tractor competitions

Bee keeping

Prairie restoration

Cowboy Symposium



A canoe trip down the Brazos River is also an option, and this trip would be worth three field research credits. We will discuss this in class.



Students are expected to keep detailed, outlined notes about story ideas and development. These notes will be handed in at the end of the semester for grading, so they must be presented in an organized manner.



Short creative works:

Students are expected to have work available for workshopping during the weekly tutorial. These short essays will be between 3-5 pages and based on the field research. Students may choose to turn one in for workshopping each week, or may choose to work on an essay in more than one workshop. However, there must be a total of six short creative works available for grading at the end of the semester; these may the six best short works from the whole semester, or the students may choose to work on only a total of six. Furthermore, if a student choose to work on a piece for more than one workshop, there must be demonstrable evidence that there is something on which to work (in other words, students must have something on which to work in the tutorial each week). All sources must be properly cited.



Assignments and Grading



Students will be assigned and expected to complete the following:



Field research (at least six projects; presented in outlined notes) (40%)

Weekly short essay responses field research (the 6 best) (40%)

Tutorial (20%)



Work will be graded on the basis of accuracy, thoroughness, and creative merit.



Final project due: Monday, December 13, 1:30 pm



Students are expected to check the teaching blog before each class for updates and assignments.

http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



_________________________________

Accommodation for Disabled Students:

Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note: instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, please contact Student Disability Services in West Hall or call 806-742-2405.



Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days



A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.



Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)



Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.



Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Mother Earth Chronicles, Fall 2011

HONS 1301 H03


“The Mother Earth Chronicles”

First Year Experience Seminar









Dr. Susan Tomlinson

201B McClellan Hall

742-1828

susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu

Office Hours: W 2-5, or by appointment



Link to the course website can be found on this homepage: http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



Required reading:

Books:

Hannah Nyala (Point Last Seen)

Sue Hubbel (A Country Year)

Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees)

Pam Houston (Cowboys Are My Weakness)



Course Description

“The Mother Earth Chronicles” is a fun, gentle, thought-provoking exploration of literary works about nature, environment, and landscape. In this course, you can expect to cover a wide and diverse range of topics about living with “Mother”—everything from bees, to homesteading, to white water rafting—and the cultural ideas and values that spring from the human relationship to nature. We will focus our efforts on literature written by women, a traditionally underrepresented source of nature writing.



This is also an excellent opportunity to practice writing in a workshop/tutorial format; if you’ve always thought that writing is a boring, excruciating, mind-numbing, pointless exercise in formulaic drivel and pap, well then, you’ve never done any writing like this. This is a reading and writing intensive course focused on developing writing skills through workshops and/or tutorials.



This course satisfies the Texas Tech University core curriculum requirement in humanities.

From the TTU catalog: “The objective of the humanities in a core curriculum is to expand the student’s knowledge of the human condition and human cultures, especially in relation to behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought. Through study in disciplines such as literature and philosophy, students will engage in critical analysis and develop an appreciation of the humanities as fundamental to the health and survival of any society.”

Course Purpose Statement: Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to: think critically, demonstrate an understanding of the possibility of multiple interpretations, cultural contexts, and values.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to;



Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

• Evaluate events, ideas, and artistic expressions in terms of multiple cultural contexts and value systems.

• Guided discussion

• Written work (see below)

• Think critically about the human relationship to the natural world

• Guided discussion

• Written work (see below)

• Read and discuss in a scholarly manner (courteously and critically) works by woman that present ideas about the human relationship to the natural world

• Guided discussion

• Written work (see below)

• Write clearly and critically about these works and this relationship

• Written work (see below)

• Editorial workshop participation





Format/Schedule

The course will be divided into themes about the natural world and our relationship to it. We will explore what people have to say about each of these by examining and imitating various genres. There usually will be short weekly writing assignments which we will read and discuss in workshop format, followed by more intense discussions and readings in small group tutorials (time to be arranged for each group). Students will be responsible for providing copies of their writing for each member of their tutorial group, as well as a copy for the instructor. These are due at the beginning of each tutorial.



Students are expected to check the course website for each week’s assignment. A link to the course website can be found on this homepage: http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



Grading:

Grades will be weighted in the following manner:



40% Weekly written work (includes tutorial work)

20% Midterm and final papers (10% each)

20% Discussion

20% Workshop participation



Late work:

Because we will be having workshops each week, work that is turned in past deadline (Tuesday of each week) can’t be discussed by the group the following week. I will accept late work for a grade, but there will be an automatic deduction of 20% if it is turned in anytime during the week following the deadline. Late work will not be accepted later than one week following the deadline.



Discussion and workshop participation:

After the second week of class, students will be selected at random each week to lead the class in discussion. The student is expected to have read the material thoroughly and prepared with questions. If a student is found unprepared to lead when chosen, it will result in an automatic grade of 0 for that day’s discussion grade.



All students are expected to contribute to the discussion and workshop. At the end of each class period, I will assign a grade for that day’s work.



Midterm and final papers:

Students will select a weekly paper to expand and polish for each of their midterm and final assignments. Students are encouraged to submit a preliminary draft of the work for suggestions/edits from me no later than ten days before the due date for the final draft.



Midterm papers due: Tuesday, October 18, beginning of class

Final papers due: Monday, December 12, 7:30 AM









Accommodation for Disabled Students:



Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor at her office (McClellan Hall 201 B) as soon as possible to request necessary accommodation. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services (Access TECH). No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of the approved university process.



Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days



A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.



Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)



Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.



Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

NHH 3350 "Community and Sustainability"

NHH 3350


Spring, 2011



“SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMUNITY”





Dr. Susan Tomlinson

201B McClellan Hall

Office Hours: R 2-5, or by appointment

susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu



Required text:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver



Required equipment:

Bicycle helmet

Bicycle (can be rented at the OPC)



Course Description:

The world is a complicated place, and the map to a sustainable future is often murky and fraught with conflicting values, needs, and information. How should we then know the way to proceed? This seminar is designed to help the student develop his or her own visions of sustainability and community and to understand how to act on them. Some of the topics we will explore include:



What is a “locavore?” Is wind power an entirely good thing or does it come with costs? What are victory gardens and why are they making a comeback? What does it actually mean—in personal and economic costs and benefits—actually to live sustainably, particularly as it relates to the ecosystem of the semi-arid Southern High Plains?



We will use the controversial book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver as a spring board to discuss issues related to water in the west, energy, sustainable agriculture, gardens—both ornamental and food-producing, and how all of this fits into the environment and the culture of community. The instructor will provide additional supplementary readings, materials, and lectures.



Students can expect to take several field trips over the course of the semester to see various economically successful sustainable ventures. They will also learn to grow their own organic victory gardens.



This course is writing intensive. THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE HONORS SEMINAR REQUIREMENT FOR NON-NHH MAJORS.







Learning outcomes:

At the conclusion of this course, student should be able to:



• write clear, effective expository and personal narrative essays

• Read literature critically for comprehension, retention, and improvement in writing skills

• Discuss the readings critically (both content and techniques)





Syllabus:

This course focuses on sustainability and community and how they are intertwined. We will cover the following topics in class (sub-topics follow each category; some may be repeated):



• Energy

o Oil

o Wind

o Hydroelectric

o Alternative energy sources

o Transportation



• Water

o Agriculture

o Ogallala Commons

o Gardening/Lawns

o Food



• Community

o Food

o Ogallala Commons

o Neighborhoods

o Transportation





Assessment:

Project Sustainability/Community: Students are required to design an experiment in sustainability and/or community and keep an online journal about the process. Experiment must be approved in advance by the instructor. Students must post about the progress on the experiment at least once a week.



Research papers: Students will be required to write two research papers related to topics discussed in class. Topics must be approved by the instructor. First drafts are required to be handed in.



All papers and information/data in the online journal must be properly attributed to a source. Students will receive only one warning from the instructor if they have failed to properly attribute a source; any violation of attribution after that will result in a lowering of the final grade by one letter.



Grading scheme:

Project/Online journal 50%

Research Papers 25% each



Experiment/online journal proposal due: January 25

Experiment/online journal begins: February 1



Proposal, paper one due: February 8

Draft one, paper one due: March 1

Final draft paper one due: March 22



Proposal, paper two due: March 29

Draft one, paper two due: April 19

Final draft, paper two due: May 3





Class Deportment



• Late work will not be tolerated. I understand that occasionally things happen, and in extreme circumstances exceptions can be made, but please do not abuse my good nature by being late.



• Attendance is mandatory. Exceptions may be made for university related activities, family emergencies, personal illness, and religious holidays or observances, and other unforeseen forces of nature. Please do not abuse my good nature, and please notify me in advance.



• Academic Dishonesty: Cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Punishment will be meted out according to the severity of the infraction, and may include but not be limited to: grade reduction, failure on an assignment, failure in the course, and a report to the academic dean.



• Plagiarism: The Texas Tech University Student Affairs Handbook asserts that plagiarism is “The use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement,” and, “the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials” (22).



• Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Punishment will be meted out according to the severity of the infraction.









Accommodation for Disabled Students:



Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the

course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary

arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide

classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability

Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability

Services office at 335 West Hall or 806-742-2405.



Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days



A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.



Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)



Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.



Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Literature of Place

NHH 2302 H01




“The literature of place”



SYLLABUS (Fall 2010)



W 2-4:50



Instructor: Dr. Susan Tomlinson

201B McClellan Hall

742-0036 ext. 239

susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu

Office Hours: TR 3:30-4:30; TWR 12:30-1:30

Teaching Blog: http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



Required texts:

A Great Plains Reader (Quantic and Hafer, eds.)

The Writer’s Harbrace Handbook







Course Description:

This course covers literature and film related to a sense of place, nature, and the environment. Students how learn how works were created and discuss their meaning and influence. They will also explore the subject through a series of workshops, which will include photography, visual arts, writing, and performance.

Competency Statement:

Students in this Natural History and Humanities course should be able to: construct, present, and defend critical and aesthetic judgments of works in the creative arts.



Expected learning outcomes for this course are:

1) Identify, describe, and/or create elements of place in literature and film (individually and collectively).

2) Analyze elements of place within cultural and historical contexts.

3) Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works as they relate to place.

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

1) Identify, describe, and/or create elements of place (individually and collectively). 1) mid-term and final papers/projects, with analysis

2) short creative works

2) Analyze elements of place within cultural and historical contexts. 1) mid-term and final papers/projects, with analysis

2)short creative works

3) Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works as they relate to place. 1) mid-term and final papers/projects, with analysis

2) short creative works









Assignments and Grading



Students will be assigned and expected to complete the following:

3 short essay responses to weekly readings/films and discussion* (10 points each)

1 oral story about a discussion place* (10 points)

Each student is responsible for selecting a place for the class to meet for discussion of the readings, and relating a story about that place before the discussion begins

Midterm project/paper* (25 points)

An essay/project about a local place

Final project/paper* (25 points)

An essay/project about place as “other”

*Topic and format must have prior approval from the instructor



There will also be a required class field trip to Caprock Canyon on October 16th. (10 points)



Work will be graded on the basis of accuracy, thoroughness, and creative merit.



Midterm due: October 14

Final project due: Monday, December 13, 1:30 pm



Students are expected to check the teaching blog before each class for updates and assignments.

http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



_________________________________

Accommodation for Disabled Students:

Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note: instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, please contact Student Disability Services in West Hall or call 806-742-2405.



Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days



A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.



Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)



Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.



Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

HONS 1301 H03 "The Mother Earth Chronicals" (MEC)

Books and the course packet ares in. You may purchase the course packet at Copytech.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

HONS 1301 H03 "The Mother Earth Chronicles" Fall, 2009

HONS 1301 H01
“The Mother Earth Chronicles”
Sophomore Seminar




Dr. Susan Tomlinson
201B McClellan Hall
742-1828
susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu
Office Hours: TBA

Link to the course website can be found on this homepage: http://www.webpages.ttu.edu/sutomlin

Required reading:
Books:
Janisse Ray (Ecology of a Cracker Childhood)
Sue Hubble (A Country Year)
Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees)
Pam Houston (Cowboys Are My Weakness)

Course packet (available from Copytech)

Pattiann Rogers (‘Suppose your Father Was a Redbird;” “Geocentric”)
Gretel Ehrlich (“The Solace of Open Spaces”)
Mary Oliver (Wild Geese;” In Blackwater Woods”)
Annie Dillard (“Heaven and Earth in Jest;” “Chapter Three” from The Writing Life)
Rebecca Solnit (“The Blue of Distance”)

Course Description
“The Mother Earth Chronicles” is a fun, gentle, thought-provoking exploration of literary works about nature, environment, and landscape. In this course, you can expect to cover a wide and diverse range of topics about living with “Mother”—everything from bees, to homesteading, to white water rafting—and the cultural ideas and values that spring from the human relationship to nature. We will focus our efforts on literature written by women, a traditionally underrepresented source of nature writing.
This is also an excellent opportunity to practice writing in a workshop/tutorial format; if you’ve always thought that writing is a boring, excruciating, mind-numbing, pointless exercise in formulaic drivel and pap, well then, you’ve never done any writing like this. This is a reading and writing intensive course focused on developing writing skills through workshops and/or tutorials.

This course satisfies the Texas Tech University core curriculum requirement in humanities.
From the TTU catalog: “The objective of the humanities in a core curriculum is to expand the student’s knowledge of the human condition and human cultures, especially in relation to behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought. Through study in disciplines such as literature and philosophy, students will engage in critical analysis and develop an appreciation of the humanities as fundamental to the health and survival of any society.”
Course Purpose Statement: Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to: think critically, demonstrate an understanding of the possibility of multiple interpretations, cultural contexts, and values.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to;

Learning Outcomes
Assessment Methods
· Evaluate events, ideas, and artistic expressions in terms of multiple cultural contexts and value systems.

· Guided discussion
· Written work (see below)
Think critically about the human relationship to the natural world

· Guided discussion
· Written work (see below)
Read and discuss in a scholarly manner (courteously and critically) works by woman that present ideas about the human relationship to the natural world

· Guided discussion
· Written work (see below)
Write clearly and critically about these works and this relationship

· Written work (see below)
· Editorial workshop participation


Format/Schedule
The course will be divided into themes about the natural world and our relationship to it. We will explore what people have to say about each of these by examining and imitating various genres. There usually will be short weekly writing assignments which we will read and discuss in workshop format, followed by more intense discussions and readings in small group tutorials (time to be arranged for each group). Students will be responsible for providing copies of their writing for each member of their tutorial group, as well as a copy for the instructor. These are due at the beginning of each tutorial.

Students are expected to check the course website for each week’s assignment. A link to the course website can be found on this homepage: www.webpages.ttu.edu/sutomlin

Grading:
Grades will be weighted in the following manner:

40% Weekly written work (includes tutorial work)
20% Midterm and final papers (10% each)
20% Discussion
20% Workshop participation

Late work:
Because we will be having workshops each Tuesday, work that is turned in past that deadline can’t be discussed by the class. I will accept late work for a grade, but there will be an automatic deduction of 20% if it is turned in anytime during the week following the deadline. Late work will not be accepted later than one week following the deadline.

Discussion and workshop participation:
After the second week of class, students will be selected at random each week to lead the class in discussion. The student is expected to have read the material thoroughly and prepared with questions. If a student is found unprepared to lead when chosen, it will result in an automatic grade of 0 for that day’s discussion grade.

All students are expected to contribute to the discussion and workshop. At the end of each class period, I will assign a grade for that day’s work.

Midterm and final papers:
Students will select a weekly paper to expand and polish for each of their midterm and final assignments. Students are encouraged to submit a preliminary draft of the work for suggestions/edits from me no later than ten days before the due date for the final draft.

Midterm papers due: October 15, beginning of class
Final papers due: December 14, 1:30 PM




Accommodation for Disabled Students:

Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor at her office (McClellan Hall 201 B) as soon as possible to request necessary accommodation. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services (Access TECH). No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of the approved university process.

Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days

A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.

Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.

Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.

HONS 3304 "Bones, Botanicals, Birds: Natural History Illustration" Fall, 2009

HONS 1304 H01




“Bones, Botanicals, Birds:

Science and Natural History Illustration”



SYLLABUS (Fall 2010)



TR 2:00-3:20



Instructor: Dr. Susan Tomlinson

201B McClellan Hall

742-0036 ext. 239

susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu

Office Hours: TR 3:30-4:30; TWR 12:30-1:30

Teaching Blog: http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/







Materials:

Required:

tracing paper pad

Bristol board pad

(smooth paper)

Art kit from Varsity Bookstore



Course Description:

This course is an introduction to the history and tradition of illustrating nature and science, including the contributions of John James Audubon, Titian Peale, Roger Tory Peterson, and others. We will also learn and practice basic illustration techniques, ranging from initial sketches in the field and lab to final product in the studio. This course focuses on drawing and painting techniques as associated with science and nature illustration; students are expected to draw and paint. Required field trips. Satisfies Visual and Performing Arts core curriculum requirements.



Visual and Performing Arts Core Curriculum Objectives (TTU Catalog)



The objective of the visual and performing arts in a core curriculum is to expand the student’s knowledge of the human condition and human cultures, especially in relation to behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought. Through study in disciplines such as the visual and performing arts, students will engage in critical analysis, form aesthetic judgments, and develop an appreciation for arts as fundamental to the health and survival of any society.



Competency Statement:

Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to: construct, present, and defend critical and aesthetic judgments of works in the creative arts.





Expected learning outcomes for this course are:

1) Identify and describe a body of works (individually and collectively) in the creative arts.

2) Explain and differentiate creative works as expressions of values within cultural and historical contexts.

3) Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works.

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

1) Identify and describe a body of works (individually and collectively) in the creative arts. 1) discussion-directed journal entries

2) mid-term and final papers/projects

3) short analysis responses

2) Explain and differentiate creative works as expressions of values within cultural and historical contexts. 1) discussion-directed journal entries

2) mid-term and final papers/projects

3)short analysis responses

3) Analyze and summarize aesthetic principles that structure creative works. 1) discussion-directed journal entries

2) mid-term and final papers/projects

3) short analysis responses

4)Demonstrate drawing basics such as: perspective, proportion, tonal value Drawing, paintings, and journal entries

5)Draw organisms in various formats (i.e., botanical illustration, field guide pages, ecological study) Drawings and paintings





Assignments and Grading



Students will be assigned and expected to complete the following illustration projects:



• 2 natural history studies (20 pts each):

o zoological

o botanical



• 2 pastiches in the manner of 2 natural history/scientific illustrators, accompanied by a short essay response for each, detailing how they are “in the manner of” that illustrator (20 pts each)

• Field sketchbook/notebook (20 pts)

• Midterm: Sample field guide plate with corresponding natural history/identification notes (40 pts)

• Final: a final painting/drawing project of an organism in an environmental setting (40 pts)



Work will be graded on the basis of accuracy, thoroughness, and artistic merit.



Midterm due: October 12

Final project due: Tuesday, December 14, 1:30 pm



Field Trips:

We will be going outside from time to time to do some field drawing. Students are expected to check the teaching blog for each week’s assignment and location of the class.



http://doctortteaching.blogspot.com/



Please check the weather forecast and dress accordingly.

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Accommodation for Disabled Students:



Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor at her office (McClellan Hall 201 B) as soon as possible to request necessary accommodation. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services (Access TECH). No requirement exists that accommodations be made prior to completion of the approved university process.



Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days



A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.



Academic Integrity (TTU O.P. 34.12)



Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give unfair academic advantage to the student or the attempt to commit such an act. The university definitions of academic dishonesty and policies for dealing with it are laid out in the Code of Student Affairs and in University Operating Policy 34.12. You should be familiar with these definitions.



Cheating of any form, but especially plagiarism (i.e., the representation of someone else’s work or ideas as your own) will be dealt with harshly. At a minimum, the offending essay will receive a grade of 0, which will be averaged into your overall grade. Flagrant or repeated cases of plagiarism may result in a grade of F for the course. All cases of cheating will be reported to the appropriate academic dean and to the Honors College dean, who may take additional disciplinary action as they see fit.