Wikipedia:Ambassadors/Courses/Rgairolaautumn2011/Course description

Course description
This class ultimately did not contribute to Wikipedia as editors; instead the students had in-class group discussions about the nature of Wikipedia.

The theme for this section of Integrated Studies is to explore how our lived identities shape our creative output. In other words, the goal of the course is to empower students to critically explore identity and art as humanistic supplements of one another. We will begin by asking the following question: how do we define "the arts" and "social identities"? We will look at many modes of art (literature, visual representations, theatre, music, etc.) and ask where and how they intersect with social identities (which include race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability), etc.

In the Fall Semester, students will engage in a general historical survey of various fields of thought, starting from the American and French Revolutions (late 1700s) to the present day "Age of Obama." We will contextualize our lives in previous and ongoing understandings of peoples in our global society while also becoming aware of systems of oppression (slavery, colonialism, militarism, classism, sexism, racism, queerphobia, ableism, etc.) that have shaped the very ways in which we define "visual art," "music," "theatre," and even "the humanities.” The course will emphasize the development of writing and research skills, culminating in the spring term with a final paper drawing on that research and your work for the year. Spring term will further focus on overarching themes like "home," and “nation," yoking together the previous semester’s readings and discussions. Revisions of written work, and peer review workshops will further allow students to read critically and write well, working together as a community of thinkers and artists. We will survey a number of cultural sites like literature, art, music, photography, and online culture, and will also have guest speakers and take visits to local cultural institutions. Special Guest Speakers TBA.

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