DEPARTMENT OF ART STUDIES

College of Arts and Letters

University of the Philippines

 

INSTITUTION OF A G.E. COURSE IN ART STUDIES

I. Course Number, Title, Description

Course Number: Art Studies 2

Course Title: Art Around Us: Exploring Everyday Life

Prerequisites: None

Course Credit: 3 u.

Domain: Arts and Humanities

Justification:

The course revitalizes the notion of art as an integral and dynamic part of lived

experiences as distinguished from art as high culture.

II. G.E. Objectives Met by the Proposed Course
  1. Broaden Intellectual and Cultural Perspectives

    2. The course aims to expand the discussion of artistic production and reception in various

    economic, social, political, and cultural settings.

  2. Nationalism Balanced with Internationalism

Philippine artistic practices and productions, as well as foreign examples, will be used, bearing in mind their contexts.

C. Awareness of Various Disciplines

The course uses a multidisciplinary approach involving such disciplines as the social sciences, architecture, urban planning, and media studies.

D. Integration of Knowledge and Skills

The course encourages students to discern how their lives are affected by artistic practices and

productions around them.

III. G.E. Modes of Inquiry
  1. Interpretive and Aesthetic Modes

The evaluation and comprehension of art in everyday life necessitate the use of interpretive and aesthetic modes of inquiry.

IV. G.E. Competencies

  1. Independent and Critical Thinking

    2. The course demands from the students a keen sense of awareness of their milieu in order to confront or challenge issues pertaining to artistic processes.

  2. Communication (Oral and Written)

    3. The course expects students to express their aesthetic and analytical views through oral and written forms of communication.

  3. Creative Thinking

The course encourages students to be creative in their perception, analysis, and evaluation of various aspects of the artistic process.

V. Number of Sections to be Offered for the Proposed G.E. Course

Initially, ten sections (five in Filipino and five in English) of 25 students each will be offered per

semester.

VI. Availability of Resources to Offer the Proposed G.E. Course

There are 22 faculty (eight of them with PhD) who can readily teach the course. The Department has

the laboratory, consisting of audio-visual and library resources, needed to offer the course.

VII. Proposed Course Syllabus
  1. Course Objectives
    1. to experience art as an integral part of human life;

2. to study art in an everyday setting in various contexts; and
    1. to understand how art makes sense in and of everyday life.
  1. Course Outline

I. Art in Everyday Life (2 weeks)

    1. Redefining the concept of art
    2. Broadening the domains of art

II. Contexts of Production (3 weeks)

A. Who makes the art?

B. Who receives the art?

C. What forces sustain and weaken the art?

III. Exploring Art in Various Places (6 weeks)
    1. Natural Environment
    2. Festivals
    3. Public Monuments and Spaces
    4. Galleries and Museums
    5. Popular Culture
    6. Household

IV. Valuing the Presence of Art: Issues (5 weeks)

    1. Ecology
    2. Cultural Life
    3. Historical Memory
    4. Consumer Culture

VIII. Course requirements

Course requirements will include:

1) two long examinations;

2) group projects or reports; and

3) class recitation (participation in group discussions)

4) reaction papers, quizzes, attendance

IX. Reading List

(Faculty may draw their reading requirements from this list or may add their own.)

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: BBC, 1972.

Datuin, Flaudette May, and others. Art and Society. Quezon City: U of the Phils Pr, 1999.

Dela Paz, Cecilia Sta. Maria and Patrick D. Flores. Sining at Lipunan. Quezon City: Sentro ng Wikang

Pilipino, 2000.

De Leon, Felipe Jr, ed. On Art, Man and Nature: Readings in the Humanities. [Manila]: G. Miranda,

[n.d.].

Dewey, John. Art as Experience. New York: Capricorn Bks, 1958.

Dudley, Louis and Austin Faricy. The Humanities. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973.

Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality: Essays. San Diego; New York; London: Harcourt Brace, 1983.

Karp, Ivan and Steven Lavine, eds. Exhibiting Cultures. Smithsonian Institutions, 1991.

Layton, Robert. The Anthropology of Art. 2d ed. Cambridge: Cambridge U Pr, 1991.

Mulder, Niels. Inside Philippine Society: Interpretations of Everyday Life. Quezon City: New Day, 1998.

Newman, Thelma R. Contemporary Southeast Asian Arts and Crafts. New York: Crown Pub, 1997.

Torres, Emmanuel. Jeepney. Quezon City: GCF Bks, 1979.

X. Activities

The course will involve the following activities: slide viewing, listening to music, watching films or

videos, visits to galleries and museums, experiencing actual artistic structures and works in "everyday"

contexts (eg, one’s own home, sculptures in parks and plazas, billboards, others). A whole-day field trip

to artistic sites is recommended.