Syllabus

SPRING 2008

Rock n Roll

Click Here for a downloadable copy of the syllabus.

M 6:00-7:15, Freshmen
T 6:00-7:15, Sophomores

Office Hours: M/T 5:30-6, 7:15-7:45
Office Location: 1110 Bel Air Hall
Office Phone Number: (301) 405-0522

E-Mail Reflectors:
Freshmen Reflector: cpsarts-2007@umd.edu
Sophomore Reflector: cpsarts-2006@umd.edu
Student Leader Reflector: cpsarts-fair@umd.edu

Peter Beicken
beic@umd.edu
record producer
David Solomon
david@umd.edu
radio DJ
Chris Hartten
Zz2282@yahoo.com
electric bassist
Len Mancini
lmancini@umd.edu
Elvis impersonator
Meaghan Fahey
mfahey@umd.edu
lead dancer
Rich Resch
rresch@umd.edu
air guitars
Ben Broder-Oldach
bbroder@umd.edu
lead vocals
Eitan Freedenberg
ebf@umd.edu
groupie
Andrew Grossman
agrossm4@umd.edu
accordion player
Celia Sceff
cscheff@umd.edu
fan club president
Rhea Smirlock
rhea@umd.edu
drums
Rachel Weissman
rew26@umd.edu
keyboards

To contact student leaders, go to Student Leaders.

Check this web page regularly. We will post field trip information, sign up information, answer registration questions and, most importantly, we will post photographs from our activities and events on this page.

Please note: check e-mail daily – we are an e-campus and much information, including syllabi updates, will come over e-mail. It is your responsibility to make sure that the e-mail address that you use most frequently is the e-mail address that is in our class reflector. If you have questions about the reflector, please contact Peter or David. Each week, a weekly bulletin will arrive in your mailbox by Sunday night. The weekly bulletin will contain the schedule for the week – be sure to read it! If you have announcements for the weekly bulletin (upcoming shows and concerts that you are in, for example), send them to Rachel Weissman (rew26@umd.edu) to be included, or you may send them to the reflectors directly.

GOALS

The bulk of the semester will be dedicated to working on the Spring Arts Fair. This is a semester-long (and, in the case of the student leaders, a year-long) project. We hope to give you the experience of working on a large-scale project in a group setting. You’ll discover that the arts are a collaborative experience. You’ll also find that sometimes creativity and budget ($$) work against each other (though sometimes a limited budget can foster extremely creative end-results). And, you’ll come face to face with the trials and tribulations in planning and managing an arts-oriented event. We view this project as a service project: the Fair will take place on Saturday, April 29th, Maryland Day, open to the entire community, a chance to share our talents with others.

In addition, you will all attend one field trip. Like last semester, only students who attend a given field trip need to attend the corresponding post-field trip discussion. Additionally, you will add more entries to your Arts portfolio (see portfolio page).

ABSENCES:

Unexcused absences hurt your grade since participation figures such an important part of the Scholars experience. Excused absences are fine but must be approved in advance and/or accompanied by appropriate documentation. Attendance may be taken by signing your name on a sign-in sheet. We will begin class promptly at 6 PM. Excessive lateness can also hurt your grade. Rule of thumb: let us know in advance if there are any problems.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

As artists, we are always looking to be original. However, we are often inspired and/or responding to other artists. It is important to give credit where credit is due. Be sure to read the University's Code of Academic Integrity since you are responsible for the information it contains.

GRADES:

Portfolio Write-ups 25%
Attendance, Attitude, Commitment and Enthusiasm throughout the semester, at the fair, on a field trip and other Scholars activities 75%

GRADE CHECKLIST

IN ORDER TO GET AN “A” YOU MUST:
• Attend one of the required field trips
• Attend the post-field trip discussion of your field trip.
• Attend the Fair on Saturday, Apr. 26, 2008 (unless otherwise approved)
• Have NO absences from Colloquia, Workshops, Labs or other required Scholars activities. If you do have absences, you must make up the hours by working during an extra help session (set-up, publicity, clean-up, etc.).
• Complete the Portfolio requirements at a satisfactory level
• Show obvious energy, commitment and a positive attitude throughout the semester.

THE FOLLOWING WILL LOWER YOUR GRADE:
• Absences and/or not making up the hours
• Missing the Fair, in part or in whole (unless otherwise approved)
• Not attending a required field trip
• Not attending your post-trip discussion
• Completing the Portfolio requirements at a level beneath what is expected from a Scholars student.
• Not completing the 3 hours of work per week requirement
• Having a poor or lazy attitude, low level of commitment or completing the workload at a cursory level.
• Being difficult or unpleasant to work with; being ambivalent about the work at hand

IN GENERAL:
• A “C”, “D”, or “F” grade (to be determined by the instructor) will be given to a student with absences or whose work (or lack of work) detracted from others’ accomplishments. Other students may have had to pick up for this person’s slack.
• A grade of “B” will be given to a student who has one, maybe two, absences, and generally got the work done at a collegiate level.
• A grade of “A” will be given to a student with no absences (or a student with absences who has made up the workload) and has completed the workload at a Scholars level. If it weren’t for this student, the Fair would not be a success.

WORKLOAD

As the university stipulates, one-credit courses require 3 hours of outside work. We will abide by that policy. While some weeks may require less work, and other weeks require more, on the average you will be working (practicing, painting, writing, etc.) 3 hours a week. Labs, when in session, count towards the 3 hours of outside work.

Portfolio Assignment

Over the course of the year (two years for freshmen), you will be creating a portfolio of your experiences in the arts. We see this as a way to document the variety of opportunities you will have. Additionally, this is a chance to articulate your personal and academic developments so that you will be able to talk about them down the road when you apply for a job. Each semester, you will check in with your advisor and show him/her your portfolio.
Each paper should be dbl-spaced with 1 inch margins and attempt to include the THEMES:
Community * Leadership * Creativity * Diversity * Service *Self Development

Look on the Portfolio link to see the portfolio requirements.