Comn 1011,
Communication through Literature, Fall Quarter 2013
Instructor:
Kate Hoyt
Office
location: Sturm Hall 166 Suite 169
Email:
kate.d.hoyt@gmail.com
Office hours:
Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00pm – 4:00pm and/or by
appointment
Class
days/time: Tuesdays/Thursdays 4:00pm – 5:50pm
Classroom:
Sturm Hall 258
Framing
Thoughts:
In today's Digital Age, new technologies and approaches
to/considerations of aesthetic acts demand that we dissolve the
barriers between what has been done and what could be. I invite you
to rethink the conventional limitations on what is considered
performance, where such an act takes place, and who/what constitutes
an “actor.” Performance as a discipline must be studied bearing
in mind its historical context leading up to our contemporary moment,
and with its future potentialities laid out before us.
“The act of
creation for the new artist is not so much the invention of
new
objects as the revelation of previously unrecognized relationships
between existing phenomena, both physical and metaphysical. So we
find that ecology is art in the most fundamental and pragmatic sense,
expanding our apprehension of reality.”
-Gene
Youngblood
Catalog
Description
This course
emphasizes the analysis and performance of diverse forms of
literature. In addition to the dramaturgical elements of
interpretation that are highlighted in this course, students learn
how to contextualize serious public issues through literature while
developing confidence and skills as performers and public speakers.
Class
Schedule, Resources and Blog
Class
schedule is subject to change; although I will email you with any
pressing changes you are responsible for regularly checking the class
website for updates, supplemental readings and blog-response
assignments.
Course
Learning Objectives
After
successfully completing this course, you will:
1.) Understand
aesthetic communication as temporal, dynamic and emergent acts whose
definitive significance lies in its complexity
2.) Possess
greater sensitivity to aesthetic acts, recognizing their distinct
rhetorical forms and inherent characteristics, while being
comfortable in challenging established conventions pertaining to
performances.
3.) Understand
how to utilize performance as a methodology for examining human
communication and relationships
4.) Increase
critical-thinking abilities to give constructive and thoughtful
critiques of artistic performances in written, oral and mediated
forms.
Required
Texts, Readings and Podcasts
Pelias, Ronald
J. and Tracy Stephenson Shaffer. Performance
Studies: The Interpretation and Aesthetic Texts. 2nd ed.
Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing (2007). Print.
Salter, Chris.
Entangled. Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. 2010. Digital Excerpt
Youngblood,
Gene. Expanded Cinema. P. Dutton & Co., New York. 1970. Digital
Excerpt
Lessig,
Lawrence. Remix. Digital
Excerpt
RadioLab.
Www.radiolab.org
A
video/audio recorder will be required for certain assignments in this
class. You may use smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc. for this
requirement; additionally Flip Videos will be available for checkout
from the library. See
http://library.du.edu/services/computers-tech-availability.html
for more information.
Other
equipment will be up to your discretion, and any (reasonable)
requests for additional technology will be sought by myself in
conjunction with the University of Denver Department of Communication
Studies
Library
Liaison
The
Communication Studies department encourages vigorous and ethical
research as part of information literacy for all of its students. For
assistance with research go to the Penrose Library @ Driscoll.
Dropping and
Adding
You are
responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about
add/drops, academic renewal, and similar topics found at
http://www.du.edu/registrar/regbill/reg_dropadd.html
University
Policies
Academic
integrity
Your own
commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at the
University of Denver, and the University’s
Honor Code (see
http://www.du.edu/honorcode) requires you to be honest in all your
academic course work. The University of Denver expects students to
recognize the strength of personal differences while respecting
institutional values. Students are encouraged to think and act for
themselves, as that is the purpose of higher education. However, they
must also understand that the University has non-negotiable values in
which it believes strongly. The purpose of the Honor Code is to
communicate these values to the University community, and promote an
environment conducive to education, work, recreation, and
study.
Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the
Office of Student Conduct. The policy on academic integrity can be
found at the Office of Student Conduct website at
http://www.du.edu/studentlife/studentconduct/policies.html
You should,
therefore, submit your own, original work for this course. I will
uphold University of Denver’s policy on academic honesty.
Consequently, an instance of academic misconduct (e.g., plagiarism,
cheating, taking credit for others’ work, submitting work for
another course as work for this one, etc.) will likely result in a
failing course grade at a minimum.
University
Disability Services
The Learning
Effectiveness Program (LEP) is a comprehensive, fee-for-service
program that provides academic support services beyond basic academic
accommodations. See
http://www.du.edu/studentlife/disability/lep/index.html for more information.
The
Disability Services Program (DSP) is a no-cost program that
facilitates delivery of basic accommodations to undergraduate and
graduate/law students with documented disabilities. DSP provides
accommodations at no cost to any student who has a documented
disability as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Accommodations afford students
equal opportunity to participate in the University's programs,
courses, and activities. If you need accommodations for this class,
please contact DSP immediately and provide me with the necessary
documentation and information within the first 2 weeks of class. See
http://www.du.edu/studentlife/disability/dsp/index.html for more
information. You may request to meet with DSP staff by calling
303-871-2278 or stopping by the Driscoll Student Center.
Attendance,
Participation and Late Work Policy
Communication
through Literature is a participation-intensive class. Your
willingness remain open to in-class exercises and to take risks will
enhance your mastery of the four course learning objectives outlined
above. Additionally, a large percentage of your grade will be
determined by the frequency, quality and thoughtfulness of your
participation in this class. This means that it is in your best
interest to attend and actively participate in each and every
session. You are allowed two unexcused absences
per quarter if you contact me beforehand; further unexcused
absences beyond the two will result in a 10 percent drop in your
participation grade. Three late arrivals (15 minutes late or more) will
count as one absence. If you miss class on a day in which you are expected to give a performance, you will not be able to make up that performance unless it is a genuine emergency and you contact me beforehand.
Please be aware
that I will only accept late work in cases of extreme personal
emergency; furthermore, such work may be subject to a fifty percent
grade penalty or additional, elaborative, assignments.
You should be
aware of the importance of backing up your work and frequent saving,
as technological failure is not an acceptable excuse for late work.
Electronic
Devices
All
cellphones must be silenced or turned off before the start of class.
Laptops may be used during class discussions for note-taking and looking up references pertaining to class only.
All laptops must remain closed during performances; inappropriate
usage of laptops/smartphones will result in a 10 percent reduction of
your total participation grade.
Email
Protocol
As your
instructor, I am available to you in class, in office hours, and
through email; however, I respond to most emails during my office
hours only. Although I typically receive and read your emails in a
timely manner, I respond most timely during office hours. Please do
not expect an immediate response during nights/weekends.
Although I
welcome thoughtful and pressing inquiries about how to take your work
further, if you are truly stuck on an assignment, please come see me
during office hours, as face-to-face communication is more ideal in
talking through your ideas about your work. Furthermore, your ability
to find answers to your questions about assignments/readings on the
website or in this syllabus will factor in to the priority your email
takes. Please do contact me regarding emergencies, as these emails
will take priority and I have an open-door policy about these
matters.
Grading
Rubric
| Participation | 50 points |
| Blog Response #1 – Peer Analysis | 5 points |
| Blog Response #2 – Ethnography Concept | 5 points |
| Blog Response #3 – Empathy Reading Responses | 5 points |
| Blog Response #4 – Final Performance Concept | 5 points |
| Performance #1 – YouTube Performance | 20 points |
| Performance #2 – Intermedia Performance | 20 points |
| Performance #3 – Cut-Up Performance | 20 points |
| Performance #4 – Ethnography Performance | 20 points |
| Performance #5 –Partner Critique (Midterm Paper) | 20 points |
| Final Performance | 50 points |
| Final Paper | 30 points |
| Total | 250 points |
Grades
Recently,
it has been a focused objective of the University of Denver and the
Communication Studies program to address the issue of grade
inflation. Doing adequate work where you have followed directions and
incorporated necessary items into your assignments constitutes “C”
work. Going above and beyond the baseline of expectations requires
taking ownership of your work, risk-taking and pushing yourself out
of your comfort zone. As a Performance Studies class, the above three
qualities are imperative for both finishing the course with the
necessary skill set to advance within the Communication Studies
program and receiving a competitive grade.
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