This course aims at making art and theatre come alive through trips to six museums and four performances. It is designed to be entertaining as well as inspirational. It endeavors to show art as a reflection of its culture, a symbolic representation of the most profound ideals and beliefs of a given people, a testament to its makers' history, philosophy, religion, and politics. It can fulfill any one of the following general education requirements for School of Continuing Education students at the University of La Verne: GEFAa, GEFAb, GEHd, GEA, or GEH2b.

Goals:

• To develop an elementary appreciation of the arts

• To learn the pleasures of visiting museums, attending theatre, and viewing architecture

• To acquire some knowledge of the history of the arts of civilizations and various cultures

• To gain insight into the minds, values, and world views of other cultures through the arts

• To interest each student's family and friends in visiting museums and attending plays

• To lay the foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment and learning through the arts

Requirements:

• Visit a minimum of six California museums containing art and briefly report on them to the class via the Internet. Visits can be made alone, with family or friends, or by joining with one or more of the professor's scheduled class visits. Students send reports through Blackboard, an easy to use software package, at times convenient to and chosen by them.

• Attend at least four theatrical performances and briefly share with the class via Blackboard on the Internet. This assignment can also be completed alone, with friends or family, or with the professor's scheduled play attendance.

• Complete an art and theatre notebook using an outline and handouts supplied by the instructor. The notebook involves the collecting and labeling of illustrations representing the art of every civilization in history and many cultures in the modern world. It also contains questions to be answered with links to cultural sites around the world.

• Complete an aesthetic project inspired by the art or theatre seen in the course. The aesthetic project is designed to allow every student to express his or her creative self. The choice of projects is the student's.

• Take two quizzes on material studied in the notebook.

Special Features:

• This is an opportunity to make education an outing, perhaps even a social event. Enjoy the course, preferably by going to museums and plays with family and/or friends.

• There are no term papers or required textbooks.

Grades:

Ten weekly reports on the six museums and four performances, each worth 10 points, make up one-fourth of the grade (100 points) as do the two 50-point quizzes (100 points). The notebook and the aesthetic project constitute the other half of the grade (100 points each). In general, 90% and above constitute an A or A-; 80-89% earn a B+, B, or B-; 70-79% lead to a C+, C, or C-; 60-69% command a D+, D, or D-; and 59% or produce an F.

Approximate cost:

$55 (plays) + $25 (museums) + $30 (notebook & project supplies) = $110 + gas and postage
Students can obtain discounts at the museums by showing their Univesity of La Verne student I.D. card.

Course Questions:

Al Clark at (909) 593-3511, ext. 4240, or clarka@ulv.edu