Beginning Syllabus/Policy

Beginning Photography
Art 20743

Professor: Dick Lane                                               Office: 013N Moudy (Inside of the Photo Lab, 018MN)
Email: r.lane@tcu.edu                                             Phone: (817) 257-7670
Office Hours: By Appointment

Statement of Purpose & Policy

This is a basic class in photography. No prior knowledge or Prerequisites are necessary. In this class you will have an opportunity to learn the basics of the art and craft of photography.

The three main objectives of this course are as follows:
(1) To learn to use the medium of photography as a means of personal artistic endeavor.
(2) To begin developing an aesthetic stance and an appreciation of photography.
(3) To develop the basic technical skills necessary to achieve the previous two objectives.To accomplish these goals demonstrations, lectures, readings, discussions, papers, and critiques may be used to instruct you in technical and aesthetic matters. You are also encouraged to seek aid during the supervised lab period for any problems encountered concerning photography.

Important Policies Grades:
During the course of the semester your progress will be ascertained by various projects, tests and assignments. There will be 3 Portfolios. You will receive a grade each time you turn in a portfolio so that you may assess your progress. Each portfolio grade will supersede the previous one. You will also receive grades for class participation and exams. The final portfolio is the most important grade. The final portfolio will contain 12-15 of your best works from the projects and outside work. As the semester proceeds, I will identify, through discussions and critiques of projects the criteria used to evaluate your photographs.

Evaluation for your Final Grade will be based on the following:
(1) Your ability to deal visually with the world through photography and the evident growth in that ability.
(2) Your ability to control the materials and processes of photography.
(3) Your attendance and participation at all scheduled class functions.

Additionally:
To receive a “C” in this course, you must produce well-printed, well-crafted photographs that show you’ve learned how to use your camera and how to present photographs.

To receive a “B” in this course, you must do all of the requirements for a “C” plus you must produce photographs that are inspired a lot of the time.

To receive an “A” in this course, you must do all of the above plus you must produce excellent, inspired photographs most of the time.

The Final Portfolio will count 60% of your Final Grade. Participation (attendance in class and participation in critiques) will count 20%. The Mid Term Exam will count 10%. The Slide presentation will count 10%.

I would highly recommend that if find that your GPA is a concern for you that you do extra credit work. Extra credit is given for each Photographic exhbition that you visit and followed up with a one page report (single spaced) handed in to me. You will be given .1 credit for each report that you turn in.

You should also note that I do not give Plus/Minus grades for the Final Grade.

Expectations:
I expect you to shoot a minimum of 72 images per project. To learn photography, it is essential to shoot a lot of pictures. I WILL look at your computer from time to time to confirm that you are doing the minimum amount of work required. YOUR expectations for yourself should be set high. If your expectations are low you will probably meet them but you may not learn very much. If your expectations are high you may not meet them but I am certain that you will learn a more than you thought. You may not use any photographs that you have shot prior to the first day of class in this course. You are expected to do work that is entirely yours and entirely new for this course. You are not allowed to use images that are made prior to the start of the semester.

Readings:
We will not have an official text book for this class. If however, you find that a book is helpful to your studies I highly recommend the following text: Photography by London, Stone and Upton. 9th edition. You can probably find a used copy online. If you’d like a more in depth look at Adobe Photoshop I can highly recommend the video tutorials on Lynda.com (requires at least a $25 membership)

Attendance:
The university attendance policy states that regular and punctual class attendance is essential and that no assigned work is excused because of absence, no matter what the cause. Records of class attendance are kept by faculty. Missed demonstrations will not be repeated. Missed critiques will lower the final grade.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: A student missing 6 classes or more will automatically be given an F for the class for failure to progress academically regardless of previous grades the student might have received.

Due Dates:
Unless otherwise stated, all Projects are due at the beginning of the class period during which it was scheduled to be turned in. This is very important so that we may proceed with class instead of having to wait on someone to complete a project, which they have already had ample time to finish. A word to the wise would be that deadlines are a reality for all of us. Budget your time carefully and you will have no trouble completing the assignments in this class.

Additional Important Information:
Due to the constraints of mass-education I give out the information which I feel will do the most good for the greatest number of you. However, I am aware that some of you may have special interests which are not being addressed by the normal classroom information. If this is so, then you must make me aware of these interests. I can't read your mind, so I must rely upon you to come in and talk to me. This is part of what I get paid for and certainly must be part of your reason for taking a class as opposed to learning photography out of a book - take advantage of this opportunity.

Objectionable Material:
For sound pedagogical reasons, there will be times in this course when it will be necessary to use course materials that some students may find objectionable. This could include classroom discussions and from time to time the showing of slides containing images of the unclothed human form.

Statement on Disability Services at TCU:

Disabilities Statement:

Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 1010. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-6567.

Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability_documentation.asp.

Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.

Academic Misconduct (Sec. 3.4 from the Student Handbook)
Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life. Specific examples include, but are not limited to:
Cheating: Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files and listings; Using, during any academic exercise, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without permission; Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; Substituting for another student or permitting another student to substitute for oneself;
Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit therefore.
Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.

Netiquette:
Communication Courtesy Code. All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate or offensive, I will forward the message to the Chair of the department and the online administrators and appropriate action will be taken, not excluding expulsion from the course.

TCU Campus Resources for Students:
Many resources exist on the TCU campus that may be helpful to students: Mary Couts Burnet Library (257-7117); Center for Academic Services (257-7486, Sadler Hall. 11); the William L. Adams Writing Center (257-7221, Rickel Bldg. 244); Student Development Services (257-7855, Student Center Rm. 220); and University Ministries (257-7830, Student Center Rm. 111).

Email Notification:
Only the official TCU student email address will be used for all course notification. It is your responsibility to check your TCU email on a regular basis.