Tuesday, November 6, 2001

An Online Seminar Teaches Students About Art They Experience Firsthand By BROCK READ William J. Kelly says that one of the main goals of the arts course he teaches every semester at Pennsylvania State University at University Park is to familiarize his students with art they would not normally see. Through the general-education course, which merges on-campus events and Internet discussion, he hopes to move students out of the lecture hall and into the art gallery. The course's topic changes from semester to semester -- this fall, it's "The Arts of Japan and China" -- but the way Mr. Kelly teaches it remains the same. Students in the course don't go to lectures, read online texts, or flip through course packets. Instead, they attend films such as The Seven Samurai and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; watch performances by the National Ballet of China and the Wadaiko Drummers of Japan; and visit an exhibit of artifacts from two 11th-century Chinese tombs at the university's Palmer Museum of Art. The course's Web site then becomes a forum for students to discuss their reactions to the works they see -- and to the cultural questions those works raise. Exposing his class to a smorgasbord of events changes "the kind of response that you normally get, which is, 'I don't like to watch movies with subtitles,'" according to Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly teaches the seminar every semester. In the spring, the topic will be Indian art and African-American experiences, incorporating the exhibits and events that the university's museum and performing-arts center have scheduled. According to Mr. Kelley, the course's top priority is heightening students' interest in art and culture, not schooling them in film or ethnic studies. Course: "The Arts of Japan and China" Institution: Pennsylvania State at University Park Instructor: William J. Kelly, head of the university's department of integrative arts Course content: The course asks students to explore and respond to film, performance art, and artifacts, with a particular emphasis on the cultural mores that the artworks reflect. "It's really about the commentaries," says Mr. Kelly. "What we really want to discuss are the issues, not criticism of an individual film." How delivered: The semester-long course consists of weekly events, which are accompanied by Web pages that contain background information, reviews, and commentary. The pages take the place of lectures. Course requirements: Students are required to respond to each week's event or exhibition by contributing to an online discussion group. They also write and post three sets of three-to-five-page papers that prompt further discussion and debate. Mr. Kelly chooses parts of the papers to start in-depth discussions that last five days. After a set of papers about The Seven Samurai, for example, he asked his class to consider two students' conflicting opinions of the movie's implications for American film -- one appealing to American heroism, the other to romantic naiveté. Attendance at the performances and film screenings is mandatory. Enrollment: Fifty students are enrolled in this semester's class, but Mr. Kelly expects more in the future. He hopes soon to accommodate 200 students, divided into four sections of 50 each. When offered: The course is offered every semester, focusing on a different subject each time. Instructor comment: Mr. Kelly says he's glad to push students toward "movies different than what they play at the cineplex," and the results are sometimes gratifying. After one showing of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, his students actually applauded. He also praises asynchronous online discussion, which he says allows students to take the time to write intelligently, and encourages wider participation. "I think online discussion is one of the great discoveries," he says. "The kids write! I'm very excited about that." URL: http://www.inart.psu.edu/inart100w/home.html Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

Jury awards $927,000 to former institute director who was fired by Towson U. 12 new chief executives announced Japan sees 23% increase in foreign college students Law student warns that professors' quest for rights to lectures could backfire An online seminar teaches students about art they experience firsthand