Syllabus

0. Welcome

Dance 200: Dance Appreciation:

Intersections: Dance, Place, and Identity

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: n/a

For Whom Planned: Undergraduate students seeking fine arts and global marker credits.

Additional Information: GE Core: GFA GEC Marker: GL

Instructors: Ali Duffy (abduffy@uncg.edu) and Loren Groenendaal (lmgroene@uncg.edu)

Available by appointment

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to:

· Experience him or herself more fully as a moving, thinking, feeling person, as evidenced in written assignments.

· Demonstrate an understanding of information and ideas presented in course activities, as evidenced in discussions, tests, written assignments, and the composition of online dances.

· Interpret dance movement in online discussion and writing assignments in a way that makes it personally, socially, and culturally meaningful and demonstrates sensitivity to cultural differences on a global scale.

· Demonstrate, through online discussion and writing assignments, an understanding of the similarities and differences between dance practices in differing regions of the world and an understanding of the interconnections between dance and social and political change.

· Recognize and recall information about the history and contemporary practice of dance in diverse global cultures.

· Locate, interpret, and evaluate information on diverse global cultures found in the readings. This should be evident in your discussions and writing.

Required Text

Intersections: Dance, Place, and Identity. Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing UNCG Bookstore.

You may also be able to order it online through such sites as amazon.com.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS COURSE

· Submit all of the assignments on or before the required date and time and post in the appropriate area. Late postings will not be graded.

· Your writing must reflect the course materials and answer the required questions. NOTHING replaces doing the reading, doing the video observations, thinking through the questions at hand, and writing a thoughtful response. This is the challenge of the online format. If you do additional research, you must cite your sources. If your writing is a quick rewriting of established sources (for example, from online encyclopedias or Wikipedia) as opposed to a thoughtful consideration of the course content, you will receive minimal credit for the assignment. In other words your grade will reflect not only the completion but also the quality of the assignments you turn in.

· Please let us know if you have questions or need additional information. We can’t promise to answer within 24 hours, but we will do our best to answer quickly. The best way to reach us is through email as we check it often.

· In the following weeks, you will spend a great deal of time in a small group discussing what you've seen and read, sharing ideas, and building a written response to questions posed in the course. Everyone has a valid point of view. You are expected to respect your peers and instructors through the quality of your work, by communicating often and in appropriate language, and through cooperative work on assignments.

***Technical Help If you have issues with technology, do not contact your instructors. Contact:

Accounts and passwords Email: 6-tech@uncg.edu Phone: 6-TECH (or) 336/256-8324

Blackboard and course content:

Website Email:onlinehelp@uncg.edu Phone: 336/256.CALL (or) 336/334.5414

Online Forms: Online tech help form Instant Message: (AIM) ihelpuncg

The area marked "Discussion Lobby" is reserved for your Ice Breaker and Questions for the Professor; that is, information everyone in the group will want to know.

***There are several readings and activities on the class pages that we will not be doing this semester. Please pay careful attention to this syllabus and the calendar to ensure you are completing the assignments for this semester and section of DCE 200 online. EMAIL QUESTIONS or you can always ask each other questions in the Discussion Lobby.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF COURSE ACTIVITIES AND GRADING

Activities for the course consist of the following:

Group Discussion

ALL Group Discussion ASSIGNMENTS are carried out through the GROUPS link in blackboard. Submit all posts in the GROUPS area of Blackboard. You will see that these assignments are called Discussion Lobbies on the class pages and Group Discussions on the calendar. They are the same.

Since we do not have an opportunity for classroom discussions, much of this course will be spent in small online groups sharing insights and information with other students. (This may make the course feel writing intensive, but keep in mind the absence of classroom time). For each Group Discussion exercise you should provide an initial, thoughtful response to each question and then engage in an online conversation, which deepens and broadens the initial answers. You are expected to post more than one response for each discussion group assignment. In these assignments, you will also collectively arrive at an investigative dialogue about the questions posed. It is important that you show leadership in these discussions as well as support others in their answers. While you need to do all assignments, readings and respond in a meaningful way to each question, the discussion your group carries will also be evaluated and reflected in your individual grade. So, put into the conversation as much as you expect to get out of your group members. You will be learning from each other. Through the conversation your understanding and insights will deepen.

NOTE: A meaningful discussion furthers investigation of the question, going beyond "I agree" or "I disagree." We will notice if somebody is not participating fully so please keep up and stay engaged. The group depends upon the participation of each member.

The most important aspect of the group discussions is the depth and quality of thought in all responses- not length, wordiness or regurgitation of facts. We are most interested in your having the fullest, richest, most comprehensive conversation you can. We won't be counting words. Instead, content, depth of thought, and an evolving conversation are the things we'll be looking for.

Your initial individual responses are due by 9AM on the Friday of that week (or 9AM of the due date). The group discussion should be wrapped up by Saturday at noon. We will read all the Group Discussions and participate at times. See the calendar for more specific due dates.

DANCE-O-METER:

The Dance-o-Meters are a way of expanding your awareness of dance and different dancing cultures. In these exercises, you are asked series of questions about the dances you have just viewed. You are NOT required to post these answers anywhere. They are for your own consideration and reflection. You will be graded on the completion of the Dance-o-Meter, but NOT on the questions posed in it.

DISCUSSION, CHOREOTOOLS AND ABSTRACTION EXERCISE:

There are three opportunities to create online dances in the course and an "abstraction" project in Unit 3. In grading your project, I will consider whether you met the requirements of the project description and whether or not your work evidences an understanding of the course content. All project descriptions can be found on the corresponding class page.

Tests: Pay attention to any prompts within the Units that let you know what information and ideas will be on the tests. These will be automatically graded. Tests and quizzes will be found on blackboard and completed online.

Go Dance: The Go Dance assignment should be fun and can be done with friends/ classmates, but the reflective writing must be done individually. At some point during the semester you must attend and participate fully in a dance function. I have listed below several possibilities- you may select a different activity that happens in the community. However, I must approve it in order to get credit for this assignment. This can be done via email or snail mail. The event must be focused around dance. Thus, going out with friends on the weekends and dancing to a couple of songs at the bar or someone's house does not suffice. You must seek out a dance opportunity. If you are already involved in dance practices, classes or groups you need to find a different event to attend. You must attend the lesson attached to the event!

Examples of Appropriate Events:

-Any dance hosted by the Piedmont Swing Society. See the website below for a calendar of their events: http://www.piedmontswingdance.org/membership.html

-Latin Dance Night at the Speakeasy in Winston Salem

-Contra Dancing at the Vintage Theater in Winston Salem Tuesday at 8

-Latin Dance at Artistika Concert Café on S. Elm St. Greensboro Saturday 8-10 with Salsa lesson.

-Rumba Latina Salsa Lessons from 7-9 on Wednesday nights N. Davie Street Greensboro.

-Most events listed under Dance in the Relish weekly publication.

-Any event that you are qualified to attend on the dance calendar at Go Triad's website http://calendar.gotriad.com/

After you have participated in an evening or afternoon of dancing write a 2-3 page reflective, descriptive essay. You should discuss the format of the event; describe the movement and your somatic experience of it. This needs to be a well thought out, articulate description of your experience and what you learned. Please submit the flyer, listing, program, or ticket you receive at the event you attend.

Final: The final exam is a five-page essay. Throughout the course, prepare for the essay by keeping notes about the ways in which dance and place intersect.

Grading Scale

Exercises and Discussion Lobbies: 50%

Chore-o-Tools and Abstraction Project: 15%

Go Dance 10%

Tests (5% each)

Final Essay (15%): 25%

UNCG Dance Concert Calendar

All performances take place in the UNCG Dance Theatre located at the corner of Walker Avenue and Kenilworth St.

Evening performances begin at 8PM. Matinees begin at 2PM.
Tickets are reserved through the UNCG Box Office: 336-334-4849.

I understand that many of you may be distance students and unable to attend any of the following concerts. I encourage you to seek out live dance performances in your area.

February

FRI, 2/15 at 8PM and SAT, 2/16 at 2PM and 8PM - Prime Movers Concert This concert consists of auditioned graduate and undergraduate student choreography. Prime Movers is a student-led organization that serves as the voice of the Department. This is their annual concert production.

FRI, 2/29 at 8PM and SAT, 3/1 at 8PM - MFA Concert: Work by Emily Quinn Culminating thesis works by MFA graduate student

March

FRI, 3/28 at 8PM and SAT, 3/29 at 8PM - MFA Concert: Works by Kerrie-Jean Hudson Culminating thesis works by MFA graduate student

April

FRI, 4/4 at 8PM and SAT, 4/5 at 8PM - MFA Concert: Works by Julia Edwards and Sara Geffert Culminating thesis works by MFA graduate students

FRI 4/11 at 8PM and SAT, 4/12 at 8PM - MFA Concert: Work by Madeleine Reber Culminating thesis works by MFA graduate student

FRI 4/18 at 8PM and SAT, 4/19 at 8PM - MFA Concert: Work by Jen Guy Culminating thesis works by MFA graduate student

FRI 4/25 at 8PM and SAT, 4/26 at 2PM and 8PM - Departmental Concert This concert is composed of new works by faculty members in the Department of Dance

May

FRI 5/2 at 8PM and SAT, 5/3 at 2PM and 8PM - BFA Senior Thesis Concert This concert consists of works created by graduating senior dance majors in the Department of Dance

Good Student Credit

You can receive 3 points extra credit on your lowest grade for attending an APPROVED dance concert and writing two to three paragraphs on the differences between watching dance live and watching dance on video. How would seeing live versions of some of the dance clips included in this course change your thoughts about them?

You may also complete a second Go Dance assignment for 4 points extra credit on your lowest grade. See the Go Dance assignment for details and prompts.