Photograph: Protest performance in response to Disapeared Persons. The official number of Missing Persons in Mexico in March 2017 was 30,942, according to the National Registry of Missing Persons.

course overview

 

Theme and approach:

This seminar will be concerned with institutions and practices of public exhibition and display. Weekly readings, screenings and discussion topics will address historical and contemporary forms of display and their social, ethical, political and organizational dimensions. We will consider a range of examples including: public art, monuments, exhibitions of artifacts, modes of commercial display (from store windows to billboards to runway), and the re-conceptualization of these as digital forms. Participants will also visit exhibitions and other sites of display that we will discuss in seminar. While focusing attention on critical analysis of practices of display as a site of research, the course will also consider alternative approaches to curatorial practice and engage participants in exploring exhibition design and display strategies. The core assignment of the course is research and development of a component for an exhibition examining the theme of "Making Publics" that will be installed in Geisel Library. Throughout the quarter we will be critically examining the role of visual and spatial practices in mediating shared and contentious concerns.

Questions addressed include: How have various forms of public visual presentations mediated relationships between among social, cultural and economic groups? What ethical challenges are presented by the representation of others? What are the interrelationships among public exhibition practices and commercial display?

 

Seminar Meetings

Seminar Meetings: Tuesdays 9 - 11:50, MCC 133 or Geisel Library (check syllabus)

Our first few meetings will be held in MCC 133 (in the Communication dept building). Thereafter, we will be holding some of our meetings in the Geisel library, so check the web syllabus for the weekly meeting location. I will email any updates to meeting schedule. There will also be one or two sessions dedicated to field trips. We will discuss arrangements in class.

Office Hours: Tues 12 - 1 pm, Wed 2-3 pm & by appointment in MCC 241

Email: bgoldfarb [at] ucsd • edu

 

Requirements

  • Attendance is mandatory as seminar participation is central to the course. Any unexcused absences will negatively impact your participation grade.
  • Weekly readings (approx. 30-50 pages) and/or film/video viewing (streamed via UCSD film library reserve).
  • Weekly online discussion entries in response to prompts about the readings and/or class projects (on TritonEd).
  • Students will be responsible for researching and developing a component of an exhibition that will be installed in the Geisel Library at the end of the quarter. This will be done in pairs or groups of three. (Specifications to be discussed in class).
  • Visits to museum exhibitions and public display sites (TBA)

Assessment

The main goals of this class are learning and preparation for research, as well as intellectual and creative work in the field. Grades are required, but I hope of secondary concern. Participants will be graded based on attendance, participation, and completion of assignment, as follows:

  • Participation (in-class discussions and site visits): 30%
  • Weekly online discussion entries (TritonEd) and in class quick write assignments 30%
  • Final exhibition component project 40%

Texts

  • class readings will be available via TritonEd or linked to the course website as noted on the syllabus.

Suggested/Optional Texts:

  • Shelley Ruth Butler and Erica Lehrer, eds, Curatorial Dreams:Critics Imagine Exhibitions
  • Bettina Carbonell, ed, Museum Studies: An Anthology of Contexts
  • Karp, Kratz, Swarja, and Ybarr-Frausto , eds, Museum Frictions: Public Cultures/Global Transformations

Disability Accommodations

The professor is dedicated to making this course as inclusive and accessible to all students as possible and working with students to address diverity of learning styles. Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) which is located in University Center 202 behind Center Hall. Students are required to present their AFA letters to Faculty (please make arrangements to contact me privately) and to the OSD Liaison in the department in advance so that accommodations may be arranged.

For additional information, contact the Office for Students with Disabilities:

Course Policies

1.     Courtesy and consideration for others: The position taken in this class is that are no stupid opinions, only uninformed ones. Therefore in disagreeing with others' opinions, it is necessary to provide them with information that might persuade them to think differently instead of simply dismissing their views out of hand. All participants in the class are also required to observe the UCSD Principles of Community which can be found at: https://ucsd.edu/about/principles.html

2.     You are expected to read course materials before class and to participate in all seminar discussions.

3.     Attendance at all seminar meetings is required. Unexcused absences will affect your grade final course grade. NOTE: our Tuesday, May 28th meeting is particularly important as it will be dedicated to installation/presentation of the main course project. Failure to attend without a documented medical or other emergency will significantly impact your course grade. Missing two seminar meetings will result in a course grade reduction of 1 letter grade (your maximum course grade will go from an A+ to B+). Missing three seminar meetings will result in a reduction of 2 letter grades (your maximum course grade will go from an A+ to C+). Missing 4 seminar meetings will result in an F. If you have a legitimate excuse and must miss a class meeting, it is your responsibility to: (a) notify the professor, in advance if possible; and provide a written medical excuse when appropriate (b) obtain notes and information on what you missed from classmates (c) complete the assigned readings for the class. Do not ask the professor about material that you missed before obtaining notes from a classmate.

4.     All assignments must be turned in on the due date indicated on the syllabus. You will lose a letter grade for each day that an assignment is late. This means, for example, that if you get an A on an assignment that is two days late, your grade will drop to a C.

5.     Incompletes will only be given for valid and documented medical or legal reasons (e.g. court appearance). There will be no exceptions to this policy.

6.     You are required to observe university regulations regarding academic integrity. This means no student shall engage in any activity that involves attempting to receive a grade by means other than honest effort; for example:

  • No student shall knowingly procure, provide, or accept any unauthorized material that contains questions or answers to any examination or assignment to be given at a subsequent time.
  • No student shall complete, in part or in total, any examination or assignment for another person.
  • No student shall knowingly allow any examination or assignment to be completed, in part or in total, for himself or herself by another person.
  • No student shall plagiarize or copy the work of another person and submit it as his or her own work.
  • No student shall employ aids excluded by the instructor in undertaking course work or in completing any exam or assignment.
  • No student shall alter graded class assignments or examinations and then resubmit them for re-grading.
  • No student shall submit substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization.
  • No student shall sign attendance sheets for another student, or ask someone else to sign in for her/him. Any plagiarism will result in a grade of F for the assignment or exam, will be reported to the Academic Integrity Office, and may result in an overall course grade of F. To view the UCSD Academic Integrity Statement, visit: https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/academic-integrity/ai-and-you.html

    Maintaining Academic Integrity: Students agree that by taking this course all required papers will be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site.

7.     All cell phones and similar devices must be silenced and put away during class. Laptops, tablets and other networked devices may only be used during class for note taking and web queries relevant to the seminar discussion, NOT for email, social networking, or work not related to this class.