FA 150 01: Introduction to the Fine Arts

This course is designed to introduce you to the fine arts and how they interact with humanity. You will explore art, music, theater, and dance, and look for connections to your life and the world around you. After successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

• Build an understanding of basic concepts and terminology for art, music, theater, and dance, and use these concepts and terms appropriately.
• Describe, interpret, and evaluates arts in several ways, including making informed personal choices in the arts over a broad range of forms.
• Develop an understanding of how the arts interact with other areas, including culture, religion, politics, and economics, throughout history, and draw connections to how these areas affect the arts.

Janero, R. P., & Altshuler, T. (2016). The art of being human: The humanities as a technique for living (11th ed.). Pearson.

This is an eText using the Peason/REVEL platform.

To join our course, you must use the Blackboard link to Pearson. There is no instructor code to sync the platform to our course. Be sure to use the Open Pearson link located in the Textbook folder on Blackboard.

You will use Microsoft Word to complete assignments (files created using Pages in Apple can be saved as a Word file before submitting). Students are expected to use their official UND email in the course. Visit the Office 365 Email webpage for information on your UND email and how to download/install a free version of Microsoft Office. For technical assistance, please contact UND Technical Support at 701.777.2222. Visit the University Information Technologies (UIT) website for their hours, help documents and other resources.

You will use Pearson's REVEL platform for all readings and quizzes. Please see the technical handout for REVEL for additional information on how to connect and access this platform through Blackboard.

In order to succeed in this course, at a minimum, you should be able to:

• Navigate in and use basic Blackboard functions
• Access readings through REVEL
• Download and open electronic documents
• Create, save, and upload/attach electronic documents
• Send, receive, and manage email

Visit the Knowledge Base for additional supports and information about general tech requirements for students including information about devices, operating systems, software, internet connection, and major-specific tech requirements.

Access and Log in Information

This course was developed and will be facilitated utilizing Blackboard. To get started with the course, please go to: http://blackboard.UND.edu and log in with your NDUS.Identifier, Username and Password. If you do not know your NDUS Identifier or have forgotten your password, please visit Your NDUS Account page on the UIT website.

Course Overview

The course content is organized into 12 weeks for the semester. Each week contains readings, checks for understanding, and assignments designed to help students engage with the fine arts. Weeks are grouped into modules culminating with exams designed to assess comprehension and application of the materials.

What Should Students Do First?

Before class begins, please review the course Blackboard site, ensure you have read the syllabus and acquire your textbook, including access to the Revel platform. Familiarize yourself with Revel and Blackboard. Download the course calendar and set deadlines/reminders for due dates.

Where Do I Find Information in Blackboard?

On the left side course menu in Blackboard, there is a “Weekly Folders” tab. Inside “Weekly Folders,” you will find all the learning objectives, to-do list, required readings, videos, and assignments/activities for the week. A course calendar for each week can be found on Blackboard under the Syllabus and Schedule tab.

Resources

Many services are available to UND students such as writing assistance from the UND Writing Center, free online tutoring from Smarthinking, and more. Visit the Student Resources page for more information. Students also have access to the UND Student Resource Site via Blackboard. It is recommended that you become familiar with the tools and tutorials within the site to better equip you in navigating the course.

Course Requirements/Expectations

To be successful in this course:

1. The student will review the syllabus and course schedule posted on Blackboard.
2. The student will access and follow all course instructions found in the Blackboard course.
3. The student will complete all assigned readings, and complete and submit assignments, exams, quizzes, etc., by the date noted in Blackboard and on the course schedule. We will use Central Daylight Time for due dates and times.
4. The student will participate fully and promptly to get the benefit of learning from the instructor and/or peers.
5. The student will communicate any questions or issues with the instructor promptly via email.

Credit Load

This 100-level course carries a 3-hour credit load. As such, students should expect to spend at least 6 hours each week preparing, which includes reading, practicing, studying, and completing assignments. Some weeks will require more time outside of class than others, and actual time spent may vary depending on previous experience and knowledge.

Always use professional language (no netspeak) in your assignments and emails. Please always be respectful of others, even if you disagree with their ideas or do not get along. Here are a few basic points to remember when communicating in this course:

• Be scholarly. Use proper language, grammar, and spelling. Explain your thoughts, justify opinions, and credit the ideas of others by citing or linking to scholarly resources. Avoid misinforming others when you are unsure of the answer.  When discussing something and supplying a guess, clearly state that.
• Be respectful. Respect the privacy of others. Do not share personal or professional information about others unless granted permission. Respect diversity and opinions that differ from their own. Be tactful when you communicate.
• Be professional. Everyone should strive to give their best impression online. Truthfulness, accuracy, and running a final spell check are appropriate expectations for university students. Writing in a legible font and limiting the use of emoticons is considered professional behavior. Profanity and participation in hostile interactions are unprofessional as well as disruptive.
• Be polite. Students should address professors and instructors by the appropriate title or requested name. Students should interact online politely, just as they would be expected to do in a physical environment. Sarcasm, rudeness, and writing in all capital letters should be avoided.

For more information, read the Top 12 Be-Attitudes of Netiquette for Academicians.

Email

Because our course is an online asynchronous format, our primary mode of communication will be email. Students are expected to check their UND emails daily (excluding weekends) and should promptly respond to class-related emails. Professional communication is expected (no netspeak or text-like communication).

As the instructor, I will also check my email frequently and work to respond within one-two business days. Please note that I will only check/respond to emails before 8 pm CST during the week and may not respond during weekends. I will share assignment feedback via email within one week following the assignment and will communicate when those timelines may be varied due to holidays, conference travel, or other circumstances.

Blackboard

Many resources will be available on Blackboard. All assignments will be submitted via Blackboard. Download and review materials. Announcements may also be made via Blackboard and email. Please make sure you have easy access to this and check it regularly.

Technology and Video Conferencing

We are all challenged these days by the ways in which our digital devices—including laptops, tablets, phones, and watches—can steal our attention away from our immediate surroundings. Technology should be used for educational purposes only when working on course activities. All video recordings used in this class are for class purposes only and may not be shared outside of class for any reason.

For individual appointments, we will utilize Zoom. When interacting with peers or instructors online or through video conferencing, it is important to consider your environment and interact professionally. Students should follow the Code of Student Life while interacting virtually or in person.

Sharing personal experiences and opinions is an important part of the learning process. Please respect the privacy of your peers by not sharing their personal experiences outside of our class context.

This course is comprised of a series of assignments and assessments to assist you in achieving the course learning objectives/outcomes.

Assessments

In this course, your learning will be assessed in the following ways:

• Weekly Assignments (120 pts)
• Attendance Reports (100 pts)
• Quizzes (160 pts)
• Exams (300 pts)

Weekly Assignments

Each week, you will have a short task(s) to engage your understanding of the readings and course material. These activities will be posted to Blackboard with specific instructions for completion. Each weekly activity is worth 10 points and is due by Friday at 11:30 pm CST.

Attendance Reports

You will complete two reports based on novel fine arts experiences: one visual art and one musical experience. For these reports, you will need to attend an event that is new to you (e.g., if you are familiar with classical music performances, you would need to attend something else). Complete descriptions for these reports will be posted to Blackboard. Formal writing guidelines should be followed. Your work should be free of grammatical errors, misspellings, run-on sentences, contractions, etc. Each report is worth 50 points.

Prior to attending an event, you should email Dr. Mayo for approval to ensure your event meets the criteria for the report. The report should then be completed and submitted no more than 72 hours after the event so it is fresh in your mind. Report deadlines are posted on Blackboard and will not be extended without prior communication.

Quizzes

For each chapter of the text, you will have a brief quiz designed to check your understanding of the material. These quizzes will be housed on REVEL. Each quiz is worth 10 points and will be due by Friday at 11:30 pm CST on the week the chapter was assigned.

Exams

There will be four (4) exams throughout the semester. These exams are designed to assess your summative understanding of course materials. The exams will have a 90-minute time limit. During the exam, you are welcome to use your notes and materials. However, you will not have time to look up all the exam information. Take notes and understand the material well. Each exam is worth 75 points. Review the course calendar for exam dates. Please note these exams cannot be taken late.

Grading Scale

A       612-680 pts

B       544-611 pts

C       476-543 pts

D       408-475 pts

F    below 407 pts

For more information on grading review UND Grading Policies.

Course Evaluation

Near the end of the semester, you will be asked to complete an online course evaluation form (SELFI). Your feedback on the course is extremely valuable to me. I read my students’ comments carefully and use them to improve the course the next time I teach it.

• When the time comes, please let me know which aspects of the course helped you learn—and which aspects might be modified to help future students learn more effectively. 
• Please note that the course evaluations are anonymous and that I won’t see the results until after the grades for the course are submitted, allowing you to provide honest and constructive feedback. 
• Throughout the semester if you have concerns or feedback, please reach out to schedule a time to discuss

Assignments and Late Work Policy

Due dates for each assignment or activity will be posted on Blackboard and within the course calendar. All assignments must be submitted by the due date and time posted in the course. All times are posted in the Central Time Zone. All assignments will be open on Blackboard so you are welcome to work ahead of deadlines. Please plan accordingly for summer events.

The acceptance of late assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. If extenuating circumstances arise, it is your responsibility to you contact the instructor prior the due date and request an extension. All requirements for this course must be completed during the course dates.

Class Participation

Your participation with course materials and assignments is critical to your success in this course. All students are required to log in to Blackboard regularly. Read and engage with the assigned chapters, complete assignments thoroughly, and ask questions when you have them.

Incompletes

It is expected that students will complete all course requirements during the course's time frame. For reasons beyond a student’s control, and upon request by the student or on behalf of the student, the instructor may assign an incomplete grade when there is reasonable certainty the student will successfully complete the course without retaking it. The mark “I,” Incomplete, will be assigned only to the student who has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work up to a time within four weeks of the close of the semester, including the examination period, and whose work is incomplete for reasons satisfactory to his or her instructor. More information regarding UND’s Incomplete policy can be found on The Grading System Webpage.