HONS 3304 H02 Bones, Beetles, Birds: Natural History Illustration

HONS 3304 H02

“Bones, Beetles, Birds:
Science and Natural History Illustration”

SYLLABUS (Fall 2008)

Instructor: Dr. Susan Tomlinson
201B McClellan Hall
742-0036 ext. 239
susan.tomlinson@ttu.edu
Office Hours: MW 1:30-3:00, or by appt
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. This is also a reading and writing intensive course. 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 students’ 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 and fundamental to the health and survival of any society.


Expected Learning Outcomes

The following are the learning objectives for this course:

Students should know painting and drawing basics
students should be able to master the rudiments of the following by the end of the semester:
perspective
shapes
tonal values

Students should know how to draw/paint natural organisms in various formats (e.g, the zoological study, the field guide, “bird art”, etc.)

Students should know about various types of natural history/scientific illustration and be able to produce work in those styles, including any written work that might accompany illustrations (e.g., field guides)

Students should know about the various roles natural history/science illustration has played in scientific and popular culture

Assessment: drawings and paintings (Work will be graded on the basis of accuracy, thoroughness, and artistic merit.)

Assignments and Grading

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

3 natural history studies (20 pts each):
zoological
botanical
entomological
2 pastiches in the manner of 2 natural history/scientific illustrators (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 14
Final project due: December 9, 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.