E379S Senior Seminar: Responses to Nature: Literature, Art, Music, Architecture

31105 TTH 2-330 Par 104

Jerome Bump, SWC, Computer Assisted

Office: Parlin 132, Hours TTh at 11, Office phone: 471-8747, home: 267-7884, email: bump@mail.utexas.edu

Some class meetings will be outside, devoted to observing and writing about nature at Waller Creek, the Biology Ponds, the courtyard of the Humanities Research Center, the Japanese garden at Zilker Park, etc.; some to discussing famous artistic and scientific responses to nature and what we can learn from them; some to reading each other's writing. The basic premise of the course will be discovery learning: comparing our point of view with those of other people and other creatures. We will write and/or construct web pages about responses to nature in world literature, art [including digital art], music, gardens, and architecture. Students will keep portfolios of their emotional and intellectual responses to nature to compare their responses to those of the artists we will encounter. Students will bring a journal page or two to class the day we discuss a particular work to help initiate discussion. Students may include computerized multimedia in their projects and portfolios. A project comparing responses to nature in at least two disciplines will be due in the middle and near the end of each semester. At times we will use networked computers to achieve more collaborative class discussion and provide more feedback about projects. Students will view the first draft of each other's projects and revisions of the projects will be due a few weeks later. Multimedia web projects from related classes can be seen at http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/critical_tools/309k_spring_1999/discussion/examples/messages/index.html

30% of the grade will be determined by the portfolio, consisting of the journal and related informal writing assignments; 50% by the projects (15% for each first draft, 10% for each revision), and 20% by class participation, which is required, especially on computer days because other people in your group will be depending on you. Projects must be interdisciplinary. Web sites can be projects and can be successively revised and supplemented for subsequent essay grades.

The portfolio consists of the journal and printouts of all your contributions to the sycamore web page, to both Waller Creek web pages, to both Biology Ponds web pages, your comments on projects 1 and 2 of others, and the road map of your journey. The Journal must include a detailed account of your own personal response to the Oriental Garden. In addition, assuming consistent quality, and one page = about 250 words, an A would usually be awarded for 2.5 X 19 reading assignments = 47 pages, a B for 2 X 19 = 38 pages, a C 1.5 X 19 pages = 29 pages.

Class participation consists of showing up in class on time, having read the material assigned for that day, being prepared to talk about it, and handing in your journal pages about the readings if assigned in the syllabus. A "U" for unprepared will be assigned if a journal is not turned in at beginning of class; an "A" will be recorded if one is absent, or very late to class; 2 "U"s = 1 "A." Grading will be as follows: 2 A's = A; 3 = A-; 4 = B+; 5 = B; 6 = B-; 7 = C+; 8 = C; 9 = C-; 10 = D+; 11 = D; 12 = D-; 13 or more = F.

Texts: Slovic and Dixon, Being in the World: An Environmental Reader for Writers; and a collection of xeroxed materials to be purchased from Jenn's, 2000 Guadelupe, 473-8669. Other required materials: at least one 3 1/2" high density self-addressed diskette.

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