COURSE: DANC 3450 20th Century American Dance History
SEMESTER: Fall 2009
COURSE TIMES: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 pm
LOCATIONS: 3127 Dalton Center
INSTRUCTOR: Jane Baas, Professor of Dance, 3123 Dalton Center
OFFICE PHONE: 269-387-5845--Please leave a detailed message if I'm not available and be sure to leave you phone number if you want me to call you back. PLEASE DO NOT call the main office to leave me a message.
HOME PHONE: 269-628-4650 before 9:00 pm, please.
EMAIL: jane.baas@wmich.edu (Best way to get a response quickly!)
WEBSITE: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~baas
Course information, resources and schedule updates are posted on this site. Please check the site weekly. DO NOT use www in the URL.
OFFICE HOURS: You may sign up for a time to meet with me on the faculty appointment forms on the board in the main dance office. Simply write your name in 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment, or just stop in if your business is brief.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Reynolds, Nancy and Malcolm McCormick, No Fixed Points: Dance in the Twentieth Century. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2003.
Gibaldi, Joseph, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed. The Modern Language Association of America, New York, 2003.
Reading assignments will be posted on the website and announced in class. Additional readings may be distributed, sent via email links and/or announced and placed on reserve in the Maybee Music and Dance Library in Dalton Center.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of the purposes, functions and manifestations of American dance forms from the beginning of the Twentieth century to the present. Relationships are examined between dance and general cultural developments in the United States in each decade of this century. Topics covered include: the forerunners and pioneers of modern dance; avante-garde and post-modernists; and artists of jazz, tap, Broadway, movies, and the current media. Students will write several short papers and prepare a research paper. Examinations will emphasize essay writing. This course is approved as a writing-intensive course which may fulfill the baccalaureate-level writing requirement of the student’s curriculum.
COURSE GOAL: To introduce dance students to the innovators, dancers and choreographers who shaped the development of dance in 20th century America. To develop critical thinking and writing skills as they relate to dance history.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To provide study and activities which expand the student's understanding of the trends and developments as well as prime movers of dance in America during the 20th Century.
2. To provide opportunities to view and critically analyze the major dance works of the 20th Century.
3. To provide writing assignments and exams which require synthesis of and application of course information.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
Exams: There will be 3 exams and one comprehensive final exam in this course. All exams will be essay, and will be open-book due to the volume of information covered in the course. References must be cited in MLA format on exams. Exams may only be made up if a written rationale is submitted stating the reason for missing the exam and at the instructor's discretion. Documentation from other sources (e.g., court summons) may be required. Only under these circumstances will a make-up be considered. See course website for dates of exams.
Papers: You are required to submit two major papers for this course which will be graded and assessed based on the Department of Dance Policy for Evaluation of Writing in Dance Courses (see below). Paper content will be discussed in class, and directions and due dates will be posted on the web site. You will also be required to briefly share the results of your research with your colleagues in an informal presentation in class.
You may choose to rewrite a paper to improve your grade/writing skills. If you choose to exercise this option, you must notify me in writing (email preferred) within 5 days of receipt of the returned paper that you wish to rewrite your paper. The rewritten paper and the original paper must be handed in no later than 7 school days after the notification of intent to rewrite the paper. Grades from the rewritten and original paper will be averaged for the recorded paper grade.
Late assignments may be accepted up to one week after the due date, however, points will be deducted at the discretion of the instructor for each weekday the assignment is late. The papers must be presented in typed or computer-printed format with a clean, legible print, double-spaced, and must clearly show paper title and your name on the first page in MLA format.
Readings and attendance: You are expected to keep up with reading assignments posted on the web site and other readings that may be assigned in class. All students will be expected to participate verbally in class discussions. Daily participation will be assessed periodically throughout the semester based on the scale below. These scores will be tabulated to determine the course participation grade based on the published grading scale.
3 = alert and contributing significantly and constructively to class discussion
1= present with minimal or no oral contributions
0 = absent
So as not to disturb the class, you are required to ensure your cell phone is turned off during class time. If there is an urgent reason you must leave the phone on, please notify me in advance, sit in the front row on the aisle so you can easily depart the class to take your urgent call, and put the phone on vibrate mode. Failure to comply will result in you needing to give me the cell phone at the beginning each class for storage in my office during the duration of the class for the remainder of the semester.
Academic Honesty: You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at <http://catalog.wmich.edu> under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
You are encouraged to go to <http://osc.wmich.edu> and <www.wmich.edu/registrar> to access the Code of Honor and general academic policies on such issues as diversity, religious observance, student disabilities, etc.
Students with Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the professor and the appropriate Disability Services office at the beginning of the semester.
DEPARTMENT POLICY FOR EVALUATION OF WRITING IN DANCE COURSES
Students are evaluated on their mastery of language arts skills. Each course will specify assignment requirements. The student who meets all course requirements should expect to receive a grade appropriate to his/her level of mastery.
An "A" student:
- Demonstrates maturity and originality of thought reflected by the ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate.
- Sustains the development of a point or idea over the length of the assignment.
- Uses organized paragraphs and transitional devices.
- Makes conventional use of capitalization and punctuation.
- Uses consistently the grammar, syntax and spelling of standard English, with particular attention to sentence structure and to agreement between subjects, verbs, pronouns and antecedents.
A "B" student's written work shows proficiency in four of the above criteria.
A "C" student's written work shows proficiency in three of the above criteria.
A "D" student's written work shows proficiency in two of the above criteria.
An "E" student fails to fulfill the requirements of the course regardless of his/her language arts skills.
GRADING:
The grading scale for coursework is shown below. The participation portion of the course grade will be based on several areas, including active participation and meaningful oral contributions. Borderline cases will have grades adjusted to the nearest grade on an individual basis.
Assignment points possible
Exam #1 150
Exam #2 150
Exam #3 150
Final Exam 200
Paper #1 120
Paper #2 150
Informal Presentation 20
Daily Participation 60
TOTAL 1000
Grading Scale for the Course
950-1000 = A
900-949 = BA
850-899 = B
800-849 = CB
750-799 = C
700-749 = DC
650-699 = D
Below 650 = E |
