Syllabus

PSY 4025

Psychology of Art

Tuesdays, 6:00 – 8:50

Room 342

 

 

Instructor :                 Dr. Shannon Whitten

E-mail :                       swhitten@mail.ucf.edu

Phone Number :       321-433-7981

Office Number :        227, Palm Bay Campus

Office Hours :

 

Mondays , 4:50 – 5:50

Tuesdays , 2:00 – 6:00 and by appointment

Course Web-site : https://webcourses.ucf.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct (log-in with NID and password)

Course Description : Discussion of the psychological perspectives on art to gain a greater understanding and enhanced appreciation for the process and products of creativity

Prerequisites : General Psychology, PSY 2012 OR ARH 205X

Book : There is no official book for this course, but expect to receive several readings

Lecture Notes : Can be found on the course web-site ( https://webcourses.ucf.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct ). To log in, go to the course home page, click on the “Class login” button, and enter your NID and password. This is the same as the Polaris NID and password.  Lecture notes will be posted each week before class.

Grades:

Grades will come from 4 sources: Discussions, In-Class assignments, Homework & Final exam.

•  Readings and Discussion : Each week there will be a reading. Sometimes this reading will be a scholarly or scientific article. Sometimes you will have to read a poem or look at a painting.  No matter what the “reading” is, you must come prepared to discuss it! You should come prepared with a question or example. Your discussions will reflect 10 percent of your grade!

•  In-class projects: Occasionally, you will have a project or assignment to be completed in class. These cannot be made up under any circumstances. These will account for 20 percent of your grade.

•  Homework Assignments : Many times there will be projects. These projects may be essays or they may be creative in nature (a painting or poem). Your projects will reflect 60 percent of your grade.

•  Essay exam : At the end of the semester, you will be asked to apply what you have learned to a cumulative final exam. This exam will reflect 10 percent of your grade.

Extra Credit

“Show and Tell” : You will get 2 points extra credit if you bring in something that illustrates the topic that week: a newspaper or magazine article, a clip for the nightly news, whatever you've got. You are required to describe this to the class and how it relates to the topic that week. This option is only available one time this semester.

Research Participation : You may also wish to obtain extra credit by participating in research projects through the UCF psychology department. You will be granted one extra credit point for each hour of research participation for a maximum of 10 extra credit points. Sign up for projects by going to the UCF web-site (to be posted on the course web-site).  

Make-up policy : This class relies heavily on attendance. There are no make-ups. If you must miss a class (for a documented reason) you have to contact me before the assignment is due!!! The following are your only options to make up for a missed class:

·          One class is “free” … in other words, one discussion and one class exercise will be dropped. So, you are free to miss one discussion and one in-class assignment without penalty.

·          E-mail or drop off homework to me before it is due.

·          Contact another student or the instructor for missed assignments

·          If you have a documented, university – approved absence, you need to see me as soon as possible to make necessary arrangements! I can work with you in cases of emergency or illness, but I need to know ASAP.

Grading Scale :

 

 

 

  General Policies

Preparation and Attendance. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain missed materials (notes etc.) from your classmates. You will get zero points for missed in-class assignments. Further, it is my experience that students who often miss classes do not perform by far as well as students who attend the lectures. We will often do demonstrations in class which may critically improve understanding of the more complex issues, which are likely to be topic of quiz questions. Thus, my advice is that you keep current with the materials both through reading and regular attendance. You are responsible for both the lecture material and any assigned reading material.

 

Cheating . Cheating is a serious offense . According to the UCF Undergraduate Catalog, cheating occurs when “…non-permissible written, visual, or oral assistance including that obtained from another student is utilized on examinations, course assignments, or projects. The unauthorized possession or use of examination or course related material may also constitute cheating.” It includes, but is not limited to, the copying of quiz and exam answers, assignments, or parts of papers from classmates, or allowing classmates to copy yours, as well as attempts to do this. Such acts constitute theft of intellectual property and violate the rights of the owner. Furthermore, it is unfair towards other classmates who obtain their credit points through their own work. The names of students who cheat are reported to the University's office of judicial affairs, possible resulting in expulsion, and will receive an F in the course. Cheating is NOT worth it!

 

Plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious form of cheating. Plagiarizing means to “take and pass off another's thoughts, writings, etc. as one's own” (Oxford Dictionary). According to the UCF Undergraduate Catalog, plagiarism occurs when “another's work is deliberately used or appropriated without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student's own. Any student failing to properly credit ideas or materials taken from another has plagiarized.” The Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association states under article 6.22, on plagiarism: “Psychologists do not present substantial portions or elements of another's work or data as their own, even if the other work or data source is cited occasionally. “ This code is binding for all psychologists including students majoring in this field. Whenever I suspect that a student's writings are not their own, and are taken verbatim or with only minimal modification (exchange of words, etc.) from another source, I will investigate the matter. Since plagiarism is a serious offense, I will proceed with no mercy when I recognize it. Students will receive an F on the work that they plagiarized for, and will be reported to the board of judicial affairs. In short, do not plagiarize, either from other students' papers, journal papers, web pages, or any other source.

 

Laptop policy : You must see me and sign a consent form before using a lap-top in class.

Students with Disabilities : Students with disabilities are strongly encouraged to approach the instructor about any assistance that is needed for participation in this class. Students are also encouraged to contact Jim Smith, campus life coordinator for the Southern Region, for any questions about policies concerning those students with disabilities.

 

 

***** Dates for topics, assignments, and exams are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor based on the needs of this class and topic completion. Any changes will be announced in class at least one week before the change goes into effect *****

Schedule

You call that art?

8-21       First Day of Classes; introduction

8-28       What is art? Can art be defined?

9-4         Can art be criticized?

9-11 What in the world could that possibly mean? How do we interpret art?

9-18      Speaker?

Art and individual psychology: Creativity

9-25     What is creativity? How can we determine w ho is creative?

10-2     How can we improve creativity? What influences creativity? Can we create under pressure? Do you have to be crazy to be creative?

Art and individual psychology: Personality and other factors

10-9     Who likes what art? Is personality or intelligence a factor? What is the role of emotion in responding to art? Intelligence?

10-16   Do you have to be insane to create Art?

10-23   Perception in Art: How do our eyes and brain work together to understand art? ( or , ears and brain, etc.)

10-30   Film; Halloween!

Art and the Clinician

11-6     Art and therapy: Can art be cathartic? How can art be used in practice?

Art and social psychology

11-13   Can art influence society? Or, does society influence art?

Art and social psychology: communication

11-20   Why are metaphors and stories so powerful?

11-27   Why can I never forget some stories? Archetypes in art in literature

12-4     Exam

***** Dates for topics, assignments, and exams are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor based on the needs of this class and topic completion. Any changes will be announced in class at least one week before the change goes into effect  * ****