The scrim and orchestra pit before the Eugene Opera's Nixon in China
Writing About the Arts
Instructor: Suzi Steffen • Follow me on Twitter
Office hours: 1-2 p.m. W. in Agate Hall “touchdown” space & by appointment Email: ssteffen at uoregon dot edu
Times: Spring Quarter 2012 • Mondays/Wednesdays at 8 a.m. Places: Cascade 202 & arts sites around town
Purpose: To write about various arts using journalism’s forms, principles and ethics; to be artful within those journalistic boundaries; to talk about pushing the boundaries, exploding the boundaries and doing excellent work.
Required texts and materials:
• Best Music Writing 2011, ed. Alex Ross
• The Crisis of Criticism, ed. Maurice Berger
• New York Times Reader: Arts and Culture
• Why Architecture Matters, by Paul Goldberger
• Silicon Sasquatch, by Nick Cummings, Aaron Thayer and Doug Bonham
• The Thursday and Friday Life sections of the Register-Guard; the arts sections of The Oregonian; some alt-weekly (you pick — Willamette Week, Portland Mercury, The Stranger, Eugene Weekly, etc.); The New York Times’ arts coverage
• ArtsJournal.com and its associated blogs and articles
• Other arts blogs and Twitterers and arts sites on Facebook
• Various readings – classic arts writing and more recent – as handouts/links throughout the terms
• A Twitter account, a Facebook account, membership in the #J463Arts FB group
• A WordPress account
• Access to the libraries of the UO/Eugene
• A handwritten/collaged/letterpressed/etc. (in some way hand-created) arts journal
• A lively curiosity; attendance at various arts events; pens and pencils; etc.
• Several events have required out-of-class attendance, including the Thursday, April 26, Eugene Symphony. Talk to me very soon if this is a problem, and we’ll figure something out.
Course Objectives
• That you understand the idea of an arts beat;
• That you write many arts stories;
• That you find a community of arts writers within the J-school;
• That you attend and write about the artistic life of Eugene and farther afield;
• That you enjoy and challenge yourself;
• That you use social media and various internet platforms to promote your own work;
• That you talk with professionals in the field and learn from them;
• That you read and produce smart, critical, thoughtful, funny, sad, appreciative, ruminative, manic, ironic, earnest and other work and learn from your reading and your writing.
Main Assignments and Their Due Dates and Values
- Short/long reviews, due April 9 and 23; May 7 and 21 (25 points apiece) 100 points
- Journal, due April 4 and 18 & May 2, 16 and 30, about anything arts-related (20 pts per jrnl) 100 points
- Profile of someone* associated with the arts in Eugene, draft due April 27; final due May 4 200 points
- Think piece about anything* arts-related, draft due May 9, final due May 16 200 points
- Feature story package*, pitch due May 18; draft due June 4; final due June 15 300 points
- Participation/attendance/questions of guests/behavior during tours**, all term 100 points
Total 1000 points
*Topics must be approved by Suzi
**Participation includes attendance, Facebook group, small group work, doing the reading, attitude and more.
Grading: The usual scale
100% = A+ 93-99% = A 90-92 = A-
87-89 = B+ 83-86 = B 80-82 = B-
77-79 = C+ 73-76 = C 70-72 = C-
Course Calendar, Which May Change Depending on Our Class Ethos, Probably Not Too Much Though
Week Date What/What’s Due/What We’re Reading
1 April 2/4 INTRODUCTION TO WRITING ABOUT THE ARTS
Intros/passionate about art
Short/long reviews; think pieces; previews; profiles
Read for Wednesday:
1. Preface/Chapter One, NYT Reader: Arts & Culture
2. Introduction, Crisis of Criticism
3. Introduction, Why Architecture Matters
Journal due Wednesday
Required attendance/tweeting: First Friday Art Walk, 5:30 p.m., New Zone Gallery, 164 W. Broadway (continues to five different stops; go to at least three)
2 April 9/11 POP MUSIC
Due Monday: Short/long review of an album you love (100 words/750 words)
Read for Monday:
1. Chapter 2, Popular Music, in NYT Reader, pp. 17-40
2. Jonno Seidler, “Excursions in Pop Music”
3. Ann Powers, “Rihanna’s ‘Birthday Cake’: Reasons to Listen“
4. Mike Haring, “5 Things You Do Every Day That Are Actually Addictions” (#5 required; feel free to read the rest)
5. Maura Johnston, “How Not To Write About Female Musicians: A Handy Guide”
Read for Wednesday:
1. Intro to Best Music Writing 2011 by Alex Ross
2. Kelefeh Sanneh, “Word,” Best Music Writing, p. 80
3. Amy Klein, “Tour Diary Day Four: Rock and Roll Is Dead,” BMW, p.100
4. Jessica Hopper, “Making Pop for Capitalist Pigs,” BMW, p. 115
5. Chris Richards, “The Mothership: Lost in Space,” BMW, p. 53
Wednesday Guest Skyper: Nekesa Mumbi Moody, music editor for the Associated Press
Required attendance: Any Cinema Pacific movie or event, April 15-22
Optional attendance/review: Eugene Ballet’s Stravinsky Gala, April 14-15
Optional attendance/review: Lord Leebrick’s Northwest Ten, April 13-15 & 20-22
3 April 16/18 VISUAL ARTS
Read for Monday:
1. Chapter 4, Visual Arts, NYT Reader, pp. 65-89
2. Michael Brenson, “Resisting the Dangerous Journey: The Crisis of Journalistic
Criticism,” The Crisis of Criticism, pp. 100-131
3. Jen Graves, “You May Be Infected Already”
Possible guest Skyper on Monday
Journal due Wednesday
Profile pitch due Wednesday by 11:59 p.m. over email
Wednesday: Meet at back door of Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 8:30 a.m. for
tour and meeting w/photographer Russel Wong
Required attendance/tweeting: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art opening, 6 p.m. April 20
Required attendance/review: University Theatre’s Arabian Nights April 20-21; 26-29; May 4-5
Optional attendance/review: Very Little Theatre’s Completely Hollywood April 20-22; 26-29
4 April 23/25 ARCHITECTURE/CLASSICAL MUSIC AND OPERA
Due Monday: Short/long review of one exhibit at JSMA
Listen to for Monday:
“Chinese Architect Wang Shu Wins The Pritzker Prize,” by Edward Lifson
Read for Monday:
1. Alexandra Lange, “How to Be An Architecture Critic”
2. Knute Berger, “Why Don’t Architects Speak English?”
3. Why Architecture Matters, by Paul Goldberger:
Everyone: “Meaning, Culture, and Symbol”
Group one: “Challenge and Comfort”
Group two: “Architecture as Object
Group three: “Architecture as Space”
Group four: “Architecture and Memory”
Group five: “Buildings and Time”
Group six: “Buildings and the Making of Place”
Group presentations on the chapters
Guest Skyper: Edward Lifson, award-winning journalist & architecture critic
Read for Wednesday:
1. Chapter 3, NYT Reader, Classical Music/Opera (skip dance), pp. 42-51; 56-63
2. Alex Ross, “Listen to This”
3. Anne Midgette, “I Dare You Not to Cry“
4. Sarah Rothenberg, “Measuring the Immeasurable,” The Crisis of Criticism, pp.147-168
5. Justin Davidson, “Beethoven’s Kapow,” Best Music Writing pp.1-5
6. Marcia Adair, “Meet Your #operaplot2010 Winners,” Best Music Writing pp. 74-76
7. Jeremy Denk, “Jetlagged Manifesto,” Best Music Writing 108-114
8. OPTIONAL but I’d *love* to talk to you guys about this one:
Guest Skyper: Douglas McLennan (@AJDoug), founder and editor of ArtsJournal.com
Journal due Wednesday
Profile draft (600-1200 words) due Friday, April 27, by 11:59 p.m., over email
Required attendance: Eugene Symphony, April 26, Hult Center
Required attendance: DisOrient Asian Film Festival, April 27-29 (pick two films), Bijou
5 April 30/May 2 THEATER/THEATRE & MUSICALS
Read for Monday:
1. Chapter 5, NYT Reader, Theatre, pp. 91-114
2. Brendan Kiley, “Ten Things Theaters Need To Do Right Now to Save Themselves“
3. Wendy Rosenfield, “‘Body Awareness’: A domestic tale, from kitchen table to pillow talk”
Guest Skyper: Wendy Rosenfield, theater reviewer & arts writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer
Meet at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in the lobby of the Miller Theatre Complex for a tour of the UO theaters
Journal due Wednesday
Profile due Friday, May 4 by 11:59 p.m., on blog, with images & tags etc.
6 May 7/9 DANCE
Due Monday: Short/long review of Arabian Nights, Northwest 10, Completely
Hollywood or Stravinsky Gala
Read for Monday:
1. Chapter 3, NYT Reader, Dance, pp. 52-56
2. Arlene Croce, “Discussing the Undiscussable,” The Crisis of Criticism,
pp. 15-29
3. Joyce Carol Oates, “Confronting Head-on the Face of the Afflicted,”
The Crisis of Criticism, pp. 30-40
4. Homi Bhabha, “Dance This Diss Around,” The Crisis of Criticism, pp. 41-50
Read for Wednesday:
1. Joan Acocella, “The Harder They Fall,” New Yorker blog
2. Joan Acocella, “Chance Encounter,” 1/16/12 New Yorker, HANDOUT
Think piece draft due Wednesday, May 9, over email
Required attendance: Lord Leebrick’s Lie of the Mind May 9-20 (previews May 7 & 8)
Optional attendance/review: Ballet Fantastique’s Cinderella May 12-13
7 May 14/16 FOOD AND WINE
Read for Monday:
1. MFK Fisher, HANDOUT
2. Ruth Reichl, HANDOUT
3. Colum McCann, “Desserts,” 9/12/11 New Yorker , HANDOUT
4. James Alan McPherson, “The Threat of Downsizing at the Soul of the City,” from
Crabcakes, HANDOUT
5. Jeff Weinstein, “Learning to Cook Meatloaf”
6. Any two articles on Oregon Wine Press
Monday: Guest Skyper Lindsay Christians of the Madison (Wisc.) Capital Times
Wednesday: Guest speaker Serena Markstrom of the Register-Guard. Class begins at 9
a.m. Be on time!
Think piece due Wednesday, May 16, on the blog, with images, by 11:59 p.m.
Journal due Wednesday
Pitch for final story package due over email by Friday, May 18, 11:59 p.m.
Optional attendance: Eugene Symphony, May 17, 8 p.m., Hult Center
Don’t forget you’ll need to watch a movie or T.V. show over the weekend. For class.
8 May 21/23 FILM AND TELEVISION
Due Monday: Short/long reviews of any 2012 movie or new T.V. show/or two newest
episodes (must be from late 2011 or, preferably, 2012)
Read for Monday:
1. Chapter 6, NYT Reader, pp. 117-148
2. Any two movie reviews at the A.V. Club
3. Any two movie stories or reviews from Racialicious
4. Any two film reviews by Ian Buckwalter, either at NPR or Atlantic
On Monday, our guest Skyper will be Ian Buckwalter
Read for Wednesday:
1. Chapter 7, NYT Reader, pp. 150-169
2. Nancy Franklin, “Anything Goes,” 2/28/11 New Yorker
On Wednesday, we’ll probably have a tour of the Cinema Studies facility at the library. Stay tuned
for details.
Wednesday: Detailed discussion of final story package
Required attendance: University Theatre’s I Ain’t Yo’ Uncle May 24-27 & 31; June 1-2
Optional attendance: Very Little Theatre’s Almost, Maine May 25-June 9
9 May 28/30 BOOKS AND GAMES
Optional extra short/long reviews due May 28 (to replace worst grade)
Read for Monday:
1. Chapter 8, NYT Reader, Books, pp. 171-201
2. Heather Havrilesky, “How to be a Pioneer Woman Without Ever Leaving the Couch”
3. Any two reviews/stories from Bookslut
Guest speaker: Mandi Harris and/or Laura White, Literary Duck bloggers
Read for Wednesday:
1. Silicon Sasquatch, selections TBA
2. Lesley Kinzel, “Male Games for Male Gamers: A Case Study“
Guest Skyper(s): Nick Cummings and/or Aaron Thayer
Final journal due Wednesday.
10 June 4/6 Class brunch Monday, June 4. Details TK.
NO CLASS JUNE 6. Please work on your feature stories!
Draft of story package due Monday, June 4, at 11:59 p.m. over email
• Final feature stories package due on blog by 10:15 a.m. Friday, June 15 (earlier is fine!).
The J463/563 Arts Journal
Be as inventive as you want to be with this journal. I want 1 or 2 entries per week on things you’re thinking about the arts. I prefer handwritten even if you think your handwriting is horrific. Make the outside artful if you want; paste in scraps of found art or photos or … whatever you want. Yes, even if you have a gorgeous WordPress arts blog, I want a hand-created journal for this class. A bound paper (notebook, spiral, hardcover) version is fine, as long as you decorate it … somehow.
Except — please no dried macaroni on the cover. Thank you.
****
Academic Integrity and Great Expectations:
I expect you to do your own work and to conform to high standards of academic integrity. I expect you to respect yourself enough that the idea of plagiarizing or cheating is ridiculous. Therefore, plagiarizing and/or cheating will not be tolerated. Students who do so will likely fail the course. Read Chapter 2 in the MLA Handbook immediately and review it often. The UO libraries offer an excellent primer on plagiarism here.
You should also familiarize yourself with the provisions of the UO Student Conduct Code about cheating. They will be enforced. For more information, consult this page.
Classroom Protocol: I expect you to give me your full attention when I am speaking to the class and to give your classmates your full attention when they are speaking to the class. Turn your cell phone to vibrate even if you’re using it for a story that I’ve approved. Put down your smartphones, cells and iPads, and don’t turn on your laptop unless I say it’s OK. Chew gum quietly (& I’ll attempt to do the same). No chatting, except when you are participating in a group discussion, which is pretty common. This extends to blogging and Twitter: Stay focused and appropriate. Remember: Don’t post anything to Twitter that you wouldn’t want your parents or your boss to see!
When we have guest speakers, we’ll likely use Twitter to report about what they’re saying, but sometimes we may not. You must not be on the computer or your cell if the guest speaker requests no Twittering. And yes, I actually *can* see and hear that.
If your inattention, consistent tardiness, talking or other activities unrelated to the course are disruptive to me or to others, you will be instructed to leave the classroom, and 20 points will be deducted from your final grade. You will be required to meet with me and possibly with Julianne Newton to determine if you will be allowed to return.
For more information on University of Oregon policies regarding disruptive behavior, see this page.
Building and Maintaining a Diverse University Community
Discrimination of any kind, disrespect for others, and inequity in educational opportunity are not acceptable. I expect you to help maintain the School of Journalism and Communication’s high standards of ethical and compassionate conduct at all times.
The School of Journalism and Communication is committed to assisting students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodation, let me know. I encourage you to ask for assistance at any time.
The goal of building greater social, political, cultural, economic and intellectual diversity among our students, staff and faculty — as well as in our curriculum, public scholarship and communities — is central to the mission of the School of Journalism and Communication. Only by achieving this goal can we become professional communicators, critical thinkers and responsible citizens in a global society. In this course, we will study and learn from a world in which people’s experiences, identities, communication styles and viewpoints have been shaped by the history and culture of the communities in which they live.
The promotion and practice of freedom of expression and intellectual inquiry is an integral part of the School of Journalism and Communication’s long tradition of academic excellence, which is defined in part by a climate of respect for various points of view.
The School of Journalism and Communication welcomes inquiries and discussion on its policies and procedures. The SOJC web site, jcomm.uoregon.edu, offers a complete student resource guide as well as a directory of faculty and staff contacts for students with questions or comments on specific issues.
