After the Hashtag, BLM Panel Discussion, TODAY, 1 pm

Join Student Services and the Black Student Union (BSU) as we host a panel discussion about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement and moving forward as a community on Tuesday, September 29th at 1pm! Our distinguished panelists for "After the Hashtag" include Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr., Erica Blake, Johana "J" Gourdin, and Charde' Hollins! To join in this timely discussion, join the zoom link below!

 

 Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/96371314606?pwd=RFVlN05BZnRiQSs1bVdIQ3ZBQi9qUT09

Early Mid-Term Assessment

Hello Students! Welcome to Week 5 of AWL. Remember, that first Tuesday of the semester followed the Monday schedule, so after today we will officially be 1/3 of the way through the class.

As you know, the class is more of a workshop than a formal class. For instance, I really like using this slot of time for us to write, revise, and critique your 250-word Reflective Writing assignments for FYE. However, this week there is NO FYE reflective essay due. You just need to click the links and learn about the conceptual artist John Baldesarri (who sadly died last year).

Today in class we're doing the ungraded assessment that I mentioned earlier in the semester. Some students in AWL are doing marvelous work in their other writing classes (R&C and FYE). For these students, we're going to give the option to withdraw from AWL, even though we're encouraging everyone to stay in it. 

Now for the writing assessment itself. Please follow these directions carefully. Choose option A, B, or C below, and write a formal college-level essay in miniature. I think three full paragraphs would be the minimum, but I'm not putting any strict guidelines on the number of paragraphs or the total word count. Remember to make a singular argument and to support it with specific examples and details. Please also remember to revise and copyedit your essay before uploading it to the assignments tab on our Populi page. You can use spell-check, Grammarly, and other online tools if you want to, but you don't have to. It's your choice. 

I think you can tell that none of the three options below are meant to trick or misguide you. If you desire to opt-out of the class you don't have to choose option A. Maybe you can write a better essay if you choose option B or C.  All three seem very clear to me, but you can either come back to our Zoom room and ask me questions, or you can send an email to me at csmith@dcad.edu.

Lastly, you have up to 90 minutes to write, revise, and edit your brief essay. Some of you might only need half this time. It's your choice. Once you're finished and your essay is uploaded, class is over for you. We will not be meeting altogether on Zoom at the end of class. 

A) Make a compelling argument for why you should be eligible to withdraw from AWL if you choose to. Use specific examples.

B) Is voting in political elections important for young people like you? Why or why not? Use specific examples.

C) It's easy to think of the disadvantages of remote learning in art college (what we're doing via Populi, Zoom, and other digital platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic). However, what are some potential advantages of this kind of educational delivery and community? Use specific examples.  

 

You Can Vote!

Click Here:  How to Vote

 

Reviewing Your FYE Reflective Essay on Grit

 

Gritty is the name of the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers. I am not sure what Gritty's preferred pronouns are. It's kind of a silly question.

In any case, today in AWL we're going to review several of your brief (250 words, 2-3 paragraphs) essays. Here's how the session is going to work:

10:50 -11:00 ==> Zoom Introduction

11:00 - 11:45 ==> Drafting, Revising, Editing on your own (No Zoom). This should be enough time to complete a solid draft. If you have a question, come back in the Zoom room and we'll talk, or you can write me an email message: csmith@dcad.edu.

11:45 -12:15 ==> Everybody back on Zoom to look at some examples from volunteers in the class (screen share enabled).

Remember that you need to upload this piece to the FYE Populi page no later than 7 pm tonight. Here are the exact directions:

WRITE: A Reflection on Being Gritty (RR4). In composing your reflective essay, consider the following:

In the video shown in class, Grit was defined as "the sustained application of effort towards a long term goal." In your Discussion Group, you further explored the ideas of being gritty, persevering, and sticking with your future.

So, what do you think? Do you have Grit? How Gritty are you? Do you have goals? Do you think your goals will stay the same or evolve with time? How do you plan to "grow your Grit" and sustain your effort towards achieving your goals?  Use your answers to these questions as the basis of your reflective response.

• This essay requires a minimum length of 250 words.
• Please write complete, grammatically-correct sentences.

Thursday Talk with JaQuanne LeRoy

Curious about what steps to take to sell your art? Join Student Services this Thursday, Sept. 10th at 12:45pm for the "Lunch Break" with local Delaware artist and DCAD Student Gallery Advisor, JaQuanne LeRoy! He will be discussing his journey as a local artist and tips on what ways he has been able to gain exposure in the art community! This is a conversation that you do not want to miss, so mark your calendar!  Zoom link to Join Below!

Join Zoom Meeting 

Lunch Break with JaQuanne LeRoy 

Meeting ID: 913 4273 7873 

Passcode: DCAD

Chromati at the Delaware Contemporary

 

Learn More!

https://www.decontemporary.org/theresa-chromati

FYE Chromati Interviews Reflection

 1. PREPARE: Classwork for your specific Workshop Rotation, if applicable.

2. READ: Below are links to two interviews with DCAD alum, Theresa Chromati. One was conducted by FLAUNT magazine and the other, by Juxtapoz.  Please read through both conversations before considering the questions that follow.

Questions: How do the answers given by Theresa Chromati to her interviewers' questions help you understand her motivation and personal style? What ideas, issues, or experiences seem to motivate Chromati's surrealist paintings? What repeated shapes, objects or motifs does she use to represent ideas or issues that interest her? What aspects of Chromati's art are most unique and recognizable?

3. WRITE: A Reflective Response (RR2) to the interviews, the art, and the corresponding questions above .

Format:

• Combine your thoughts and responses into a brief (approx. 200 words) essay.                                    
• Type in paragraph form, using complete, grammatically-correct sentences.

 

4. SUBMIT: Turn in your Reflection on Theresa Chromati Interviews (RR2) through the assignment link below, no later than 7:00 pm, Tuesday 9/8.

Many Students Failed to Submit Their Entrance Essay for AWL

 I guess you know who you are. If you go to the assignments tab on our Populi page, you should see the right place to upload your essay. Please write the easy and upload it as soon as you can. Thanks.  

-- Casey

Entrance Essay

ENTRANCE ESSAY

In an essay written in your own voice (I, me, my, etc. are encouraged), write about your ideas on the role of art and design in 2020 and beyond. In the past six months our world has literally changed: Covid-19 was unknown this time last year. Police brutality and murder against Black people in America has brought to the front of our consciousness the stark fact that racial equality has not been achieved. The economy, all across the world, is in tumult: poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and income inequality are all on the rise. 

How should artists/designers/poets/etc. respond? Do artists have a responsibility to address these issues and attempt to make them better? Maybe you think that artists are only responsible to their own vision and practice. Maybe it's a little bit of both? Maybe it's another approach that I'm not mentioning?

You are free to tell stories about your own experiences in this essay. Be sure to take a position.  

Before you submit it, be sure to give it a good proof-read. 

This is one of only two out-of-class assignments all semester. You will have another essay due on the second-to-last-class of the semester on the morning of Tuesday, December 1.

Questions: csmith@dcad.edu

Welcome New Academic Writing Lab Class, September 1, 2020

Hello Students!

This is the very simple blog that I used last year and plan to use again this year for AWL, also known as Academic Writing Lab. The posts below this one are from last year's class. 

We will be using this website for information and also our "official" Populi page. Please bookmark this blog for easy and quick reference.

https://caseysmithsacademicwritinglab.blogspot.com

Sometimes, like today, I'll post news and information that relate to the subjects we'll be studying this semester. 

Here's an article in this morning's Guardian online newspaper:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/01/dictionarycom-revises-definitions-eliminate-prejudiced-language?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other 

Old material below, New material above

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