FACULTY OF FINE ARTS
ART 3262 YOL: ArtNOW – Spring 2017
Instructor:
Elizabeth Diggon – [email protected]
Course Description:
Art NOW introduces students to contemporary art and to issues surrounding contemporary art
practice. Contemporary art is the art of today, produced by living artists in our own time. The course
is built around the University of Lethbridge’s Visiting Speakers in the Arts Program, one of the
largest and longest running such programs in the country. Guest speakers include artists, art
historians, critics, cultural theorists, curators and filmmakers.
Prerequesites/Co-requisites/Equivalents:
Second-year standing (a minimum of 30.0 credit hours). Art NOW can be taken twice for credit –
once as ART 3261 (Fall) and once as ART 3262 (Spring). Taking either number twice will be
considered a repeat.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:



Identify, describe, and analyze material and conceptual characteristics of contemporary art
Identify and discuss issues that are important to contemporary artists, curators, and art
institutions
Analyze and evaluate course lectures and readings for key points and relationships to other
course materials
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Course Structure:
All course materials are available online through the course Moodle site. Students must have regular
access to a computer with high-speed Internet. The course website can be accessed through the
Moodle link on the University of Lethbridge website. The University of Lethbridge offers student
tutorials on Moodle.
The course is divided into three units: 1) Art Exhibitions; 2) Materials and Methods; and 3) Art and
Society. Each unit is further divided into sections. Students complete quizzes and assignments
related to each unit, and also participate in 3 discussion forums. Students watch up to three different
speakers each week, representing a wide range of contemporary practices. With the help of readings
and coursework, students examine the making and reception of contemporary art, as well as themes
and issues that are important to today’s artists.
Course Communications:
Students must check their University of Lethbridge email accounts in order to keep up to date with
all course communications. Missing course communications sent either through Moodle or directly
to the student’s ULeth email account will not be accepted as an excuse in any circumstance.
Assessments:
Quizzes = 20% (8 quizzes total)
Discussion forums = 20% (3 discussions)
Written Assignments: 60% (20% for each assignment)
Late Submissions:
Quizzes will no longer be available after the due date has passed and credit will not be given for late
posts in the discussion forum. I deduct 1 point when an assignment is submitted after 8pm, and
then an additional 1 point per day.
Quizzes:
Online quizzes will test your familiarity with and comprehension of each section in each unit. It is
not necessary to memorize information included in either the lectures or the readings. You will not
be expected to recall minute details from the lectures and you can refer to readings while taking the
quizzes.
Discussion Forums:
You will participate in 3 discussion forums, one for each unit. Expect to post four times in each
forum. Forum participation will serve as a means of discussion of the course lectures and readings –
think of the conversations as collective responses to the material.
As you participate in the forums, you may wish to consider the following questions:
 What is/are the main point/s of each lecture?
 What points do you find the most interesting/convincing/problematic? Why?
 Are there any strengths of weaknesses in the lecture’s arguments that you wish to comment
on?
 How do the lectures and readings connect to one another? How do they connect to the
previous week’s materials?
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Written Assignments:
You will complete one written assignment at the end of each unit. Specific instructions for each
assignment will be posted on Moodle.
Grades and Policies:
The following table is used to convert grades on written assignments into numerical grades and to
determine final grades for the course:
Letter
Grade
Percent
Mark
Letter
Grade
Percent
Mark
A+
97-100
A
94-96
A-
90-93
B+
85-89
B
80-84
B-
75-79
C+
70-74
C
65-69
C-
60-64
D+
55-59
D
50-54
F
0-49
COURSE POLICIES
1. Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: It is the responsibility of the student to check the Calendarmandated pre/co-requisites for all courses before registration (link to Course Catalogue:
www.uleth.ca/ross/courses). If students are found to be registered in a course where they do not
sufficiently meet its associated requisites and that they have not received prior permission from
the appropriate program chair to register in it, then they will be de-registered. Should this
circumstance occur after the course drop deadline, tuition will not be refunded.
2. Makeup Examinations and Quizzes: Alternative arrangements for writing a missed, non-final,
examination (e.g. in-class test, quiz, or midterm) may be made at the discretion of the instructor.
Deferrals may only be granted in extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control.
3. Final Examinations: Students who are unable to write a Registrar-scheduled final exam due to
extenuating circumstances or for other reasons beyond their control, must: (1) complete a Special
Final
Examination
Request
Form
(link:
www.ulethbridge.ca/sites/default/files/Special%20Final%20Examination%20V%201.pdf) (2)
enclose evidentiary support of legitimate absence (e.g. doctor’s note for severe illness), and (3)
submit all compiled documentation to their respective Academic Advisor for review. The final
decision for the student’s Special Final Examination Request will be made at the Dean’s level.
Requesting an alternate final examination time for personal reasons (e.g. work commitments,
holidays, traffic, the purchase of a non-refundable airline tickets etc.) is not a legitimate reason for
missing a final exam.
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4. Conduct of Examinations: The instructor may articulate regulations for late entry to and early
exit from the examination room. Instructors may also prescribe or restrict materials that may be
used during the exam. No material aids including such items as: mobile phones, computers, or
other digital devices, may be brought into the examination site without prior approval from the
instructor. Please see additional examination policies in the 2016/2017 University Calendar page
82-83 (www.uleth.ca/ross/sites/ross/files/imported/academic-calendar/2016-17/part04.pdf).
5. Student Conduct: Special care should be taken to understand the university’s position on
academic and non-academic misconduct as listed in part 4, sections 4 through 8 of the 2016/2017
Academic Calendar (www.uleth.ca/ross/sites/ross/files/imported/academic-calendar/201617/part04.pdf). It is the responsibility of the student to read, familiarize, and comply with these
policies.
Students will respect the basic standards of intellectual integrity, including, but not limited to,
refraining from plagiarism, cheating or duplicating someone else’s work. In addition, students are
expected to take an active role in encouraging other members of the academic community to
refrain from academic dishonesty, and are asked to advise the instructor if they are aware of any
such violations. This provision applies to any work submitted as a group project.
6. Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism will not be
tolerated and will automatically result in a zero grade for the submission. Any student caught
plagiarizing may also be subject to additional University sanctions.
Do not hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns.
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