SYLLABUS FOR An Appreciation of the Performing Arts

 

 

Term:  Summer 2006 (June 16-July 15)

Course Number: MFA 200W

Instructor:   Mr. Walter Skiba         

Office:  524

Office Phone: 473-4270

E-mail:           wskiba@ccsj.edu                            

Home Phone: 219-659-2492

Office Hours:  TW:  6-7 p.m.

           

Instructor Background: Education: Bachelor of Arts in speech and theater, St. Joseph’s College Calumet Campus; Master of Arts in Theater, University of Connecticut; Master of Music, Roosevelt University.

Positions at CCSJ:  Associate Professor of speech, music and theater; chairperson, Department of Liberal Arts.  Length of service: 1971-present.  Regular contributor to the Times—previews and reviews of art, music and theater events; people, book and travel articles.  Cantor at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.    Activities:  vegetable gardening and swimming.  Residence:  Whiting.  Wife—Mary; children—Frank (25), Jessica (18).

 

Course Time: Friday, 6:30-9:30 p.m.,

Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

 

Course Description:

This course integrates music and theater, examining both in a social and historical context and drawing connections with other arts.  Students study important elements, forms, and styles, including some examples from non-Western cultures.  Attendance at live performances is required.

 

Textbook:  Hast, Coudery, and Scott.  Exploring the World of Music:  An Introduction to Music From a World Perspective.  Dubuque, Iowa:  Kendall-Hunt Publishing Co., 1999.

 

Package includes three CD’s.  Half-hour videotapes that accompany Chapters 1-10 will be shown in class.   An additional set of tapes is on reserve in the Specker Library.

 

Wilson and Goldfarb.  Anthology of Living Theater, second edition.  McGraw-Hill Co., 2001.

 

Supplement

 

Blackboard is used as an online supplement.  Go to www.ccsj.edu/blackboard and follow login procedures.

 

 

Gen. Ed. Competencies addressed:

 

1.      Interpret works of art (visual, performing, and literary) and relate them to one’s experiences.

2.      Analyze works of art in terms of form, content, and style.

3.      Analyze major writers’ and artists’ representations of human experience.

4.      Interpret the works of major writers and artists within a historical and social context.

5.      Write a clear, well-organized academic essay.

 

Additional competencies:  Students will be able to:

 

1.      Give definitions and characteristics of such elements of music as melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, form, tempo and dynamics.

2.      Give characteristics of musical instruments and selected ensembles.

3.      Give important facts and characteristics of musical styles and major composers from the Middle Ages through the 20th Century, including jazz.

4.      Give important facts and characteristics of some non-Western styles.

5.      Recognize elements, forms and styles of music through listening.

6.      Discuss selected plays in terms of purpose, dramatic structure, characters, and staging.

7.      Articulate the roles of the director, actors, and other play production staff.

8.      Give some examples of connections between music, theater, and the visual arts.

9.      Write thoughtful reports/reviews of performances.

 

Learning Strategies: Reading of text, listening to CDs, and watching videotapes; writing answers to chapter questions; attending live performances and writing reports; small and large group discussions of chapter questions; large group discussions of music and play outings; supplementary lectures on music and theater and in-class listening/viewing; in-class reading of plays.

 

Assessment:

 

1.  Written responses to specified questions, Chapters 1-10—5 points each, 50 points total (5—answers questions with completeness, clarity and specificity, competently written;   4-3—has many but not all characteristics of 5, may lack, for example, completeness, clarity, specificy or some elements of good writing; 2-1—doesn’t answer question directly, too general, not developed enough, or hard to follow.  Responses are due on the date assigned.   

 

2. Take-home final—17 points

 

3.  4 concert/play reports/reviews—7 points each,  28 points total

 

5.  Attendance and participation—5 points 

 

Bonus opportunity—7 points for a 5th concert/play report

 

Grading scale:

 

            A—93-100 points

            B—85-92

            C—70-84

            D—60-69

            F—below 60

                       

Format for Written Assignments:

Assignments done outside of class, both concert and play reports and answers to study questions, should be typed and double-spaced, using 12 or 14 pt. font.  Name, assignment, and date should appear in upper right hand corner.  

 

Class Participation:

Includes watching tapes and taking notes, listening to music, answering questions, and joining in class discussions and play readings.

 

Class Policy on Electronic Devices: Cell phones, beepers, and pagers are to be turned off during class.  Exceptions for unusual circumstances must be cleared with instructor ahead of time.

 

Classroom decorum:  Classroom decorum is a necessary component of group dynamics and participation.  Students should act toward each other in a cooperative, respectful manner.  Comments and questions are encouraged, but only one person talks at a time.  Sidebar conversations are not allowed.   Students are expected to arrive on time for class.  Leaving and re-entering the room during class is not allowed except in unusual circumstances.  Socializing or sleeping is out of place during class.  Students are required to bring a textbook and any other needed materials to class and use them as directed.

 

The instructor will give a student who engages in any disruptive behavior a verbal warning.  (Disruptive behavior interferes with normal operation of the class.)  If the offending behavior persists, the instructor will ask the student to leave the class.  To be allowed back into class, the student must first meet with the instructor, acknowledge the inappropriateness of the behavior, and agree not to engage in it again.  If disruptive behavior continues, the instructor will request that the student withdraw voluntarily or be withdrawn administratively from the class.  The instructor reserves the right to take away class participation points for repeated minor infractions that may not warrant withdrawal from class.

 

Class Date                Topic-Assignment

 

Weekend One

 

June 16—Introduction to course; Unit 1: Sound, Music, and the Environment  (written responses to study questions nos. 2 and 6, p. 20); music and film

 

June 17—Unit 2:  The Transformative Power of Music (questions 5 and 6, p. 48)

 

—Unit 3:  Music and Memory (questions 2 and 5, p. 72)

 

--Berlioz and his Symphonie Fantastique

 

-- Antigone and Greek drama

 

Written responses to chapter questions due June 24.

 

Weekend Two

 

June 23—“A Tibetan Mozart Requiem,” Grant Park Music Festival concert, 6:30 p.m., Jay Pritzker Pavilion, between Randolph and Monroe Sts. (in Millennium Park), Chicago (accessible on South Shore).   No admission charge.  For more information, visit www.grantparkmusicfestival.com.

 

June 24--Unit 4:  Transmission:  Learning Music (questions 1 and 3, p. 96 )

 

-- Unit 5:  Rhythm (questions 4 and 5, p. 118)

 

—Unit 6:  Melody (questions 1 and 6, p. 138)

 

--film The Glass Menagerie

 

            --possible class outing to Theater on the Lake production of The Glass Menagerie, 6:30 p.m., Sunday, June 25, Theater on the Lake historic building, Fullerton Ave. and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.  Student tickets:  $17.50.

 

Written responses to chapter questions due July 8.

 

Weekend Three

 

July 7--class outing to play Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?  8:00 p.m., Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Rd., Munster.  Student tickets with ID--$12.50.

 

July 8—Unit 7: Timbre (questions 1 and 4, p. 167); Theatre process: auditions through rehearsals

 

—Unit 8—Texture (questions 9 and 10, p. 190)

 

--film Tartuffe or A Doll’s House

 

Written responses to chapter questions due July 15.

 

Weekend Four

 

July 14—Class outing to Man of La Mancha, 8:00 p.m., Towle Community Theatre, 5205 Hohman Ave., Hammond.  Student group tickets:  $12.

 

July 15— Unit 9: Harmony (questions 2 and 3, p. 214)

 

—Unit 10:  Form (questions 1 and 5, p. 241)

 

--Ttake-home final distributed, due July 29, along with written responses to chapter questions.

 

            --film A Doll’s House or Our Town

 

This schedule is subject to change, with notice given in class.  Due dates for written assignments will not change.

 

Supplementary materials on Western classical periods, jazz, and backgrounds of plays will be presented.

 

Attendance at live music programs and plays is an integral component of the course.  Some events are scheduled during class time. Two-page reports/reviews of a total of FOUR concert/play performances, attended during the current semester, are required.   Programs and ticket stubs should accompany reviews of plays, films or concerts that are NOT class outings.     Alternatives—recordings, videos, TV specials, WFMT or WBEZ radio programs, written responses to questions from Chapter 11 or 12, readings of plays from anthology not covered in class—may be submitted in unusual circumstances with prior instructor approval.  Reports are due the weekend following the event.  Events on the last weekend are due July 29.

 

Students are expected to become familiar with FM radio stations WFMT (98.7) and WBEZ (91.5)

 

Center for Academic Excellence:

Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), to make an appointment at 473-4287. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better. Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.

 

Statement of Plagiarism:

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances.

 

Please note: Calumet College of St. Joseph subscribes to Turnitin.com and all papers can and may be submitted for checks on plagiarism from the Internet/Electronic sources/Databases.

 

Documented plagiarism will incur a grade of “F” for this class.

 

Citation Guidelines:

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.).  All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore.  These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.

 

Withdrawal from Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. The Registrar must receive written request for withdrawal by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed.

 

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript.