Course Syllabus
Contact Information
About Your Professor
My name is Alison Fields and I received my PhD in American Studies from the University of New Mexico. I’ve been teaching at the University of Oklahoma for the past thirteen years and currently serve as the Associate Director of the School of Visual Arts. I have taught a range of courses on Art of the American West, visual culture, and museum studies. I’ve published works on topics including atomic memory, Native American art, memorials and monuments, and environmental studies.
Course Details
Taught in conjunction with AT 5913 Professional Project.
This course is a forum for peer feedback on the professional project students produce as the culmination of their degree. Through meetings moderated by the instructor, students discuss their ideas and their practices, developing both greater clarity about their working process as well as a deepened capacity to talk about their work. Students will form small working groups to share technical knowledge and constructive criticism toward the successful completion of creative projects. Additionally, the course helps students to develop language for discussing the work that they are doing and confidence in presenting their work to others.
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Prerequisites
Students in this course should have completed all required and elected techniques, seminar, and production courses in the Art and Technology degree program and be able to demonstrate the skills acquired in those courses. Students must also be concurrently enrolled in the AT 5913 Professional Project course.
Course Materials
There are no required textbooks for this course. However, some reading material will be provided in Canvas.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | Bi-weekly Discussion Board posts, bi-weekly small-group or whole-group Live Sessions, and assignments associated with Live Session presentations | 40% |
| Reflection Assignments & Final Reflection Paper | Techniques and Ideas Inventory, Reflection Assignments, and a 2000-word Final Reflection Paper | 60% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Discussion Board Posts
After you meet in individual Live Sessions with your instructor in the Professional Project course and discuss the ideas, themes, and influences on your capstone project, you will share these ideas with your peers in a Discussion Board format in the Professional Forum course. Some discussion board posts will ask you to share a short piece of writing intended to keep you invested in the upcoming assignment. You will give and receive feedback from your peers on these Discussion Boards.
Small-Group Live Sessions
In the Professional Forum course, you will meet in bi-weekly small-group Live Sessions with your peers to receive feedback on the assignments you are working on in the Professional Project course. You will also help each other troubleshoot technical problems and other challenges in these small-group Live Sessions.
Whole-Group Live Sessions
In Week 1, you will participate in a whole-group Live Session. In the first half, you will meet with the entire class to review course syllabi and structure, discuss how the Professional Project and Professional Forum courses work together, and address questions about the courses, the capstone project, and associated assignments. In the second half, you will break into work groups and discuss themes, ideas, and perspectives for your capstone project.
At the mid-term and end of the Professional Forum course, you will meet in two-hour whole-group Live Sessions with your instructor and peers to present and critique assignments from the Professional Project course.
Techniques and Ideas Inventory
You will complete a Techniques and Ideas Inventory at the beginning of the Professional Forum course. In this assignment, you will identify the skills that you've gained from the program, outline how you use those skills to complete the capstone project, and reflect on potential challenges you may have in completing your capstone project.
Reflection Assignments
In the Reflection Assignments, you will write about your reflections on your progress and process in completing your capstone project.
Final Reflection Paper
The Final Reflection Paper is a 2000-word reflection on your progress and process in completing the capstone project and the program as a whole.
Course Policies
Communication
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me via Canvas message or email. You can expect a reply within 24 hours Monday through Friday. Feel free to address me by my first name in communications and in class.
In general, I will lead our discussions during Live Sessions, and you should be prepared to actively participate, as you will be called on to share your ideas and feedback throughout the course.
Feedback
You should expect feedback on most assignments within one week of submission.
Attendance/Participation
Attendance, active participation, and advance preparation for individual Live Session meetings with your instructor is required. If you will be unable to attend an individual Live Session meeting for a legitimate reason, please let me know in advance. Do not be late for Live Session meetings; continued lateness will have a negative impact on your final grade.
Respect and Courtesy
You will be asked to participate in activities that involve interaction and discussion with your instructor. In doing so, I ask that you be respectful, even if you disagree.
Late Policy
All assignments should be completed and turned in on time. Failure to do so will result in a loss of one full letter grade per day for that assignment.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|