COURSE SYLLABUS

 Creative Thinking Experiences

Prerequisites:  

Graduate status

Class Meetings:  

Internet

Text Resources:  

Edwards, Betty (1989). Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain ISBN:0874770882

New York: Putnam Publishing Group ($15.95)

Hill, Napoleon (1937). Think and Grow Rich. ISBN: 1593302002

Aventine Press; Revised edition (October 30, 2004) ($13.57)

Instructor:

 Susan Jacobs

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Catalog description: 2 graduate hours

This course is designed to create an atmosphere where participants will learn to see differently, and change their creative thinking process by changing their perception.  Participants will experience a mental shift, as well as getting personal working skills under better control through the uncovering of drawing abilities.  They will also engage in critiquing media and learning to involve children with their environments.

 

Knowledge Bases Rationale:

Educators can learn to see differently by changing their perception, thereby increasing their creative thinking process.  Participants will experience a mental shift and will possess the ability to creatively problem solve.  Untapped skills, including the ability to draw will be pursued.  Though beginning students may have little or no drawing skills, in the end a high degree of drawing skill and an even higher level of creative thinking will be achieved.  Participants will also engage in critiquing media and learn to teach children to respond to their complex environment.

 

Course Objectives:

  1. Provide participants with a variety of techniques to expand visual and mental perceptions

  2. Introduce participants to the concept of right brain thinking

  3. Provide participants with a progressive set of drawing techniques with which to prove changes in perception produce direct results

  4. Provide participants with skills to find creative solutions to personal and  professional problems and get working skills under better control

  5. Provide participants with skills to incorporate perceptual concepts into their individual subject areas

  6. Provide participants with skills needed to re-evaluate their own subject matter, design an implementation plan to improve teaching techniques to answer the needs of  more students

 

Benefits/skills:

  1. Participants will learn to change their visual perceptions and preconceived ideas, through a more direct way of seeing

  2. Participants will experience an increased awareness of perceptual changes, and the positive effects on personal growth

  3. Participants will learn to draw from simple line drawing to complex portraits, as a means to an end: not an end

  4. Participants will be able to involve students in their own classroom, in the critically recognizing and responding to their complex environment

  5. Participants will experience an increased confidence with regard to their individual artistic and creative abilities

  6. Participants will be able to trouble shoot ineffective teaching techniques used in the past, and have the skills to perceive their subject matter differently, and reconstruct an effective program involving each of their students

Supplies: no. 2 pencils, eraser, drawing sketchpad (larger than 9X12), mirror, color pencils

 

Session:

I.  Sighting

A.      Review sheet

B.       Implementation plan

C.       Perception as selection

D.      Class activity – corner sighting

E.       Class activity – corner sighting 2 or open closet

F.       Think and Grow Rich  -  Chapt. 8 & 9

G.       Take ¾ and frontal self photo and submit for approval

 

II.  Portrait

A. ¾ profile

B. Think and Grow Rich  - Chapt. 10 & 11

 

III.  Problem solving – self portrait using photo and mirror

 

IV.  Color

A.      Finish self portraits – trace a copy

B.       Experimentation with monochromatic color and value scale

C.       Think and Grow Rich  - Chapt. 12 & 13

 

V.  Critique

A.      Reflection

B.       Implementation Plan due

C.       Experiment with tricolor assigning value to each color

D.      Think and Grow Rich – Chapt. 14 & 15

E.       Visitation – Art Gallery or Museum

1.        renewed sense of appreciation

2.    critique with elements and principles

 

Grading policy:

A = 94% - 100%

B = 87% - 93%

C = 80% - 86%

D = 71% - 79%

F = Below 71%

 

There will be a total of 250 points available for this course as distributed below. 

1.  

 Implementation plan  

50 pts.

2.  

 Corner sighting I  

20 pts.

3.  

 Sighting II  

20 pts.

4.  

 ¾ portrait  

50 pts.

5.  

 Self portrait  

50 pts.

6.  

 Color  

50 pts.

7.  

 Report on Visitation  

10 pts.

                

Required study/lab hours:

  1. reading -  12 hours

  2. drawing –  30  hours

  3. research –  19 hour

  4. scanning and submission -  5 hours

  5. posting chapter summaries - 9 hours

 

 

Evaluation:

Each drawing will be evaluated on its on merit, with regard to specifics skills covered in instruction.  Each drawing will also be evaluated as a cumulated approach, with each skill transferring from one drawing to the next, resulting in a high degree of proficiency.

 

Implementation plan will be evaluated on the discovery and appropriate use of the ‘Problem Solving Sequence’ covered in class.

 

References:

Bolles, Richard N., (1995). The 1995 What Color is Your Parachute (Rev. ed.). Berkley: Ten Speed Press

Bourne, L.E. Jr. (1996). Human Conceptual Behavior. Boston: Allen and Bacon

Edwards, Betty (19  ). Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: Tarcher – Pergree

Hayworth, Burne (1990).  Dynamic Anatomy.  New York: Watson Guptill Publications

Ragons, Rosalind and Rhoadeds, Jane (1992). Understanding Art. Illinois, Ohio, California:Glencoe/Macmillian/McGraw-Hill

Romberg, and Rita,  (1990).  Art Today and Everyday.: Park

Rouhes, Nicholas (1982). Art Synetics. Worcester: Davis Publications