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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AS 110"
COURSE NAME: "Drawing - Rome Sketchbook"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session II 2023
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Michele Tocca
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 9:00 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course makes use of the unparalleled resource that is the city of Rome itself; each class meets at a different site around the city. Students work in sketchbook form, creating over the course of the term a diary of visual encounters. Instruction, apart from brief discussions of the sites themselves, focuses on efficient visual note taking: the quick description of form, awareness of light and the development of volume in space. With practice and growing experience, students become capable of producing drawings governed by conscious intention.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Within a long lineage of itinerant sketchers from the XVII Century via the Grand Tour, this short course aims at an introductory understanding of the multiple possibilities of sketching as a tool per se. Students will be presented with a number of cultural and historical references as well as with technical processes to come to term with the variety of the visual world onsite. Every place visited will therefore become a way to deal with aspects or material approaches along with wider philosophical ideas implied in sketching from life in order for the students to start discovering their own personal responses. The course offers the opportunity to immerse in Rome's complex history, delving into the layers of its urban and artistic developments.

 

Additional information:
1. The course involves working from direct observation. Working from photographs is not permitted.
2. The course may include visits involving an entry fee.  These visits are held to a minimum and should not cost you more than a total of 25 euros over the course.
3. The core activity is drawing directly from observation. You will not be able to meet the requirements of the course without working many hours outside of class.
4. The class meets rain or shine.
5. The course is meant to be a framework allowing very free individual artistic choices. The lessons are meant to help students get started, but there is always room for creative alternatives and development.
6. Students must come to class on time because that is when the site is explained, and the day's drawing problem and other announcements are given. 
7. Students need to dress appropriately. Rome is very hot in the summer but remember to carry something to cover your shoulders and knees  in churches. Proper footware, hats and sunscreen are recommended. Decorous behaviour in public spaces.
8. No earbuds allowed during class time, as they diminish concentration and impede communication.

 

Materials:
Students buy their own art supplies. A sketchbook (minimum size 24 x 34 cm) is required on the first day. This can be purchased from Art supply stores. Poggi (three locations, one in Trastevere on Via Merry del Val, just off Viale Trastevere, and the other on Via Pie’ di Marmo, near the Pantheon and a third on the via di Ripetta), also Vertecchi, near Piazza di Spagna.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Demonstrate a basic understanding of fundamental cultural traditions and formal possibilities implied in onsite sketching and apply these with growing skill.

Demonstrate a growing ability to experiment and use sketching techniques and strategies within the work.

Demonstrate an ability to add a personal touch to the use of sketchbook as a tool and a source for your own experiences and research.

Demonstrate an ability to critically reflect upon your own work and the work of others via group critiques and visits to museums and galleries.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Final SketchbookStudents are required to present a sketchbook that reflects their personal view of what a sketchbook is, an awareness of their identity and potential as practitioners, giving evidence of their commitment to their specific areas of interest. Evaluation criteria include: experimentation, resourcefulness, inventiveness, expressiveness, acuity of observation, concision, complexity, improvement, intentionality, clarity, awareness of historical models, and other aspects of technical skill and artistic quality. 50%
Midterm Group CritiqueAssignments and independent projects will be given throughout the course and will be presented and assessed during a midterm group critique. Students will be required to present their work to the class and to answer questions about their work by the professor. Students will be encouraged to comment on the work of their classmates. Attendance is mandatory. Failure to be present will result in a significant drop in assessment at the end of the term. 30%
Attendance, participation and independent work Attendance is mandatory. Students should expect to spend at least three days a week on developing and finishing projects. Participation and involvement in group critiques is essential for finals.20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality shows excellent mastery of the course content along with exceptional levels of technical skill, artistic awareness, originality, resourcefulness, commitment, quantity of work and improvement. There has been excellent collaboration and leadership in group projects, and there have been no attendance problems.
BA highly competent level of performance with work that directly addresses the content of the course, with a good quantity of work produced.
CAn acceptable level of performance: the work shows awareness of the course content, but is very limited in quantity, quality, commitment and skill.
DThe student lacks a coherent grasp of the course material and has failed to produce much work.
FNegligent in attendance, academic honesty, engagement with the course content, or production of work.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Week one

1.July 3

Introduction to course –  Rome Sketchbook: History and Developments in the Arts (We meet in studio)

Drawing exercises with different materials on sketchbooks.

2. July 5

View-finders and perception. The making and use of grids and mirrors to frame and sketch perspectives: the fragment and the distant - We meet in the studio and we walk around the immediate surroundings.

Week two

3.July 10

Roman Ruins: positive and negative spaces (Meet at Colosseo Metro Station)

4.July 12

Orto Botanico: Observing nature and texture (Meet Outside Guarini Campus; entry fee 4 euros)

Week three

5.July 17

Midterm Review and Identification of individual final ideas

6.July 19

Sketching Architecture - meet at the Pantheon

Week four

8.July 24

Capitoline Museums: Sketching statues - The Marcus Aurelius Exedra (meet at the Musei Capitolini entrance - Entry fee 15 euros except if owning a Roma Pass Card)

9. July 26

Sketching People Challenge in Central Rome (Meet outside Spagna Metro Station by the palm trees to the right when you exit the underground station)

Week five

10.July 31

Vedutas(Meet outside Circo Massimo Metro Station)

11.August 2

 Drawing Memories and the Caprice (location to be agreed with students)

August 4

Final Critique