Home
Syllabus
Schedule
Policies
Students
Discusion List
USEM Info

Resources
Resources
Assignments
Bibliography
Links
Glossary
FAQ

Archive
Showcase

Syllabus

Seminar grade will be based on the following:

20% Class/Lab Attendance and Participation
30% Weekly Assignments
25% Response Papers
25% Projects

» grade breakdown and rubric are here »

» student grades are available here via the course Collab site (requires login) »

Prompt attendance at all weekly Seminar meetings and scheduled Lab times is required. Absences or continual lateness will significantly affect final seminar grade. Each absence after the first will reduce final seminar grade by one full letter. Necessary absences should be discussed with the instructor in advance.

A successful discussion depends upon the active participation of all members of the seminar. Students should come prepared for discussions having read, viewed, or researched weekly assigned material. (The instructor may assist students with this preparation by providing outlines or discussion questions with assigned material.) Preparation for some discussions will include response papers or short research assignments due in the next class (see Weekly Assignments below).

In lab sessions students will work hands-on with lighting equipment to explore its operation, function, and artistic/image creation possibilities. Most lab sessions will be devoted to the preparation of group or individual student projects (see Projects below). Scheduling options for lab sessions will be discussed in class. Total required out of class lab/project work time for the semester will be less than 15 hours.

Weekly Assignments:

Students will be assigned reading, viewing, or short textual, image, or video research assignments on a weekly basis in preparation for seminar discussions. Assignments will include discussion questions to assist students with reading/research. Students should expect to spend approximately two hours each week outside of class in preparation for the next week's seminar. See Class Schedule for individual assignments and due dates. Assignments will be available on the course Collab site and should be submitted electronically by the due date (ususally by Monday 2am before the next Wednesday seminar). Assignments should also be brought to class in hard-copy format to facilitate use in discussions.

Response Papers:

Four of the weekly assignments will take the form of a short (2-4 page) paper in response to class projects or assigned topics. See Class Schedule for individual assignments and due dates. The preferred method of submission is in electronic form as a Word doc attachment.

Students have the opportunity to participate in four hands-on projects during the semester. It is understood that the scope and scale of individual or group projects may vary by individual student interest and available time commitment. Individual student evaluations will be based on a short self-evaluation for each project. See Class Schedule for individual projects and presentation dates.

Project 1: Psychedelic Light Show
Students will work in groups of 5 or 6 to produce a "light show" to a short (2-3 minute) piece of psychedelic rock music from 1968-1971. Students will explore the hands-on techniques described in Rothschild: Live at the Fillmore East: The Joshua Light Show and in Edmund Scientific: Unique Lighting Handbook. Projects will be created and presented in the Light Lab. Each group will have approximately three two-hour sessions to create and rehearse this project for performance in class.

Project 2: Live Project
Students will work in pairs to create short (less than 1 minute) lighting presentations to music. These projects will be operated "live" from the lighting consoles by two operators. Projects will be created and presented to the class in the Light Lab. Each pair will be limited to two one-hour sessions to create this project.

Project 3: Recreate a Concert Image
Students will work in pairs to create a static lighting image based on a still image of a rock musician at an actual concert. Image sources include: magazine/print media, web image, video/DVD still. Project work time will be limited to one one-hour work session per pair.

Project 4: Final Music Project
Students will work individually or in small groups to produce short (1-3) minute light shows to a piece of music of their choice. Details, work times, and procedures will be discussed at mid-semester. Students will also have the opportunity to hang and focus the light plot that will be used for this project. Projects will be created and presented in the Helms Theatre.