Visual Culture and Society awards one credit for experiential learning that gives students the opportunity to expand on what they have learned in the classroom. You cannot pass the class without completing the EL component. In the experiential learning component of the course, students put knowledge to work in a real-world setting and expand their knowledge of theory by exploring visual culture in a variety of settings.Each student must complete a total of 45 hours of experiential learning during the semester. Every student must present two applied theory exercises and participate in at least one of the field trips.
Applied theory presentation (Min 10 hours)
Field Trip Options (min 10 hours)
Other Field Study Options (min 10 hours)
TOTAL 45 hoursMid-term Experienial Learning Paper
(min 10 hours)
As of the beginning of class, we have two days set aside for field trips. Each of these will be equivalent to 5 hours of your Experiential learning for the class. Everyone is required to attend at least one of the field trips and preferably both. If you cannot be at both, you will need to do 5 more hours of the other field study options. Please speak to me soon if you forsee conflicts with this requirement.
At some point in the semester your group will meet to tour one of the museums in the Washington D.C. area.
On Friday, November 19 your group will meet at the Ballston Common Mall to experience the visual stimuli of the Christmas season.
Writing up your experience
Reflection is one of the major components of experiential learning. In the case of these field trips, in addition to providing some general reflection on them in the portfolio, you should do a minimum of a 500 word blog for each directly after the visit and include the following:
- Description of
site visited/event attended OR work/tasks performed
- Reasons you chose
this site/event or tasks
- Connection to course
with examples from the site.
- Assessment of work
experience or field study using cultural theory
- Ideas that emerged from the experiences
(min 10 Hours)
The Washington metropolitan area is replete with opportunities for observing and studying visual culture and for reflecting on and applying the theory you will be learning in class. The list below will get you started finding art films, museum and gallery exhibitions, contemporary art and photography shows, and theater and performance pieces. Don’t stop with this list. Follow the links on the web sites, check The Washington Post, and City Paper. You may also use critical TV viewing as part of your field study. As you watch TV—especially music videos and commercials—pay close attention to such elements as set and clothes design, camera angles and technologies for special effects. Some important events to think about...
- Performance Artist, Playwright, Gender Theorist, etc. etc. Kate Bornstein,
"Hello, Cruel Desire: Enjoying Sex, Desire, and Identity in a Sex-Negative Culture." Tues Oct 17th Johnson Center Cinema 4:30-6:30 pm
- Independent documentary screening: The Ground Truth JC Cinema Wed. Oct 25 @ 3pm. Discussion to follow.
[related panel on Human Costs of War: US Policy in the Middle East, with speakers:
Phyllis Bennis , Institute for Policy Studies Fellow on the Middle East
Tia Steele, Gold Star Mother
Iraq War Veterans
GMU Middle Eastern Students
Scott Camil , Vietnam Veterans for Peace and Counselor to Iraq War Veterans
and clips from the film, Mason Hall, Edwin Meese Conference Room, Thu Oct 26, 2006. two programs with same speakers but some variation in content 4:15-7:00 & 7:20 - 10] (EL can be for film screening or use of film clips in panel discussion)
- Guerrilla Girls, feminist performance artists, Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD. Friday, Nov. 3. $5 reservations recommended. More info
Important Web Sites to Know
- American Film Institute
- Smithsonian Institution
- Library of Congress
- Hirshhorn Museum
- The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- National Gallery of Art
Area Museums
(see also, list on resources page; and note the )
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- National Gallery of Art
- Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture
- Library of Congress and National Archives: “William Henry Jackson’s Photography”
- Corcoran Museum
Other Activities to Consider
- ArtBus to New York City. Each month, the Institute of the Arts at GMU sponsors a trip to New York. The cost is relatively inexpensive (approximately $40), and it provides an opportunity for students to visit galleries and museums. (A much-acclaimed Alice Neel retrospective exhibit is on display at the Whitney Museum until late September.) Since NYC is considered the center of the American art world, viewing contemporary art in SoHo and Chelsea will provide valuable insight into the culture of the US art world
- First Fridays in Washington. The first Friday of every month, the galleries at Dupont Circle hold opening receptions. Free food and drink, plus you get a look at what local artists are producing. Metro to Dupont Circle. Galleries are along R Street. Gallery guides are available.
- Third Thursdays in Washington. The third Thursday of every month, the galleries in downtown Washington (near MCI Center along 7th Street between F and Pennsylvania) hold opening receptions. Free food and drink, plus you’ll see new art by local artists.
Possibilities on the George Mason CampusCalculating Your Hours
- Fine Arts Gallery, Johnson Center. Several new exhibits are mounted each year. Check out the art and sign the book.
- Fine Arts Gallery, Fine Arts Building (B104) Several new exhibits are mounted each year. Check out the art and sign the book.
- Gallery Talks, Fine Arts Building (B104) Watch for notices of these talks by artists exhibiting in the gallery. Gallery Talks are always on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m.
- Pre-Performance Discussion. A behind-the-scenes look at the performance. Held on the third floor of the concert hall in the grand tier lobby 45 minutes before most shows.
- Pre Approved movies at Johnson Center Cinema. Shows are at 6 and 9 p.m. and are FREE to students. If you want to use a movie not listed, it must be approved by me first
October
10/5 An Inconvenient Truth
10/12 Thank you for Smoking
10/19 Internet Poll Winner (if City of God or Brick)
10/27 - 10/28 Lady in the WaterNovember
11/2 Skins
11/9 Scanner Darkly
11/16 United 93
11/17 - 11/18 World Trade Center
11/30 Devil Wears Prada- Movies that are in the top 15% (i.e. 85% or above) in theatres or recent DVD releases on Rotten Tomatoes website are pre-approved. Others run by me first.
- Any film showing at Cinema Arts (discount w/ GMU ID), AFI Silver, AMC Loews Shirlington, AMC Dupont 5, Landmark's E Street or Bethesda Row,
- Center for the Arts. Music, opera, dance, theater. Tickets are free to full-time students, but you do have to pay a modest, refundable deposit for the privilege of reserving tickets. Request one free ticket for as many performances as you wish to attend, and you can purchase one companion ticket at half the full ticket price. (Sometimes you may be able to get a second ticket free!)
Activity/Event Number of Hours
- Museum Exhibition --Four hours (event and writing up observations)
- Art Films -- Four hours (event and writing up observations)
- Live Performances (music, dance, theater, opera, etc.) -- Four hours (event and writing up observations)
- Art Gallery visit -- Two hours (event and writing up observations)
- First Fridays or Third Thursdays Gallery Exhibits -- Four hours (event and writing up observations)
- Gallery Talks or Pre-Performance Discussions -- Two hours (event and writing up observations)
- Art Bus to New York -- Ten hours (event and writing up observations)
- Other activities/events -- To be negotiated
Writing up your experience
Reflection is one of the major components of experiential learning. The paper due at the mid-term and final should help you clarify your thinking about your experiences within specific settings and allow you to integrate your out-of-class and in-class learning. These papers demonstrate to your instructors the depth and breadth of your knowledge. Each of these papers should contain the following:
- Description of site visited/event attended OR work/tasks performed
- Reasons for choosing this site/event or tasks
- Connection to course
- Assessment of work experience or field study using cultural theory
- Ideas that emerged from the experiences
