Let's just say being back at school is interesting. Oh, how things have changed since I started college 50 years ago; did I mention that the day school started at TxSt (Texas State) it was actually 50 years to the DAY!! that I started at Case.
First, let's set the stage for the three classes I am taking:
Art Studio I:This course emphasizes a hands-on experience with drawing and two-dimensional design. Students engage in a series of short exercises and longer projects that incorporate contemporary art-making methods such as collage, photography, sculptural exercises, digital technologies, collaborative processes and interdisciplinary activities.
Core I: This course introduces practical and theoretical content in disciplinary and interdisciplinary art and design practices. Through thematic collaborative projects, students will engage various 2D, 3D, and 4D materials, methods, tools, and concepts independently and in relation to each other.
College Writing I: Expository writing as a means of exploring and shaping ideas. Emphasis on critical reading and the improvement of essays through revision.
I have Writing and Studio on Tuesdays and Thursday; Studio meets for 3 hours each day and Writing meets for 1.5 hours each day and Core on Fridays (4 hours all at once).
I leave the house 2 hours before classes start since the drive is about 50 minutes long. Note: I leave Boots plenty of food and water so she can nibble through the day. I park in the commuter parking lot on the far east side of campus. Due to all the construction on campus many other lots are closed so they gave us the shitty lot. I then walk just under 10 minutes to get the shuttle stop to take the bus to the Student Center, this is in the middle of the campus. From the there I walk to the Arts building on the far West side of campus. The bus cuts the morning walk in half and a lot of it is uphill. I have time before class starts to get what I need from my art locker and finish the coffee I am carrying with me. After Studio, I walk to either one of the dining halls or the food court restaurants for lunch and I relax before Writing I starts; I have a 2 hour break for lunch and then walk to Writing which puts me about a quarter of the way back to the parking lot. After class I walk downhill and through the park, by the San Marcos river and eventually to my car for the drive home. On Fridays, after Core I, sometimes grab dinner in the dining hall, but walk all the way back to my car.
Here are my FitBit stats from last week. Yes it is a lot of walking! At the end of the first week, I fell asleep in the chair, watching TV, on Friday night. Yes, I am kinda out of shape so that's why I take the bus in the morning; I am aiming to walk both directions in a few more weeks.
How for my thoughts on the classes and school in general.
I found Studio and Core to be frustrating at first because we are sketching things and some of us in class have NO formal drawing experience; there are students who are making wonderful drawings. I spoke to both teachers and they said we are not getting graded on the quality of the drawings but on class participation, grasping concepts, and getting the assignments completed, participating in peer reviews and more which made me feel much better. Below the FitBit picture are some of the drawings I have done; the last one is single point perspective which I had no issue making since I learned this back in Drafting and Mechanical Engineering classes at Case. Writing I, which I have to take because it's a core requirement for Post-Baccalaureate/Graduate students, and which I thought I would be bored in is actually quite enjoyable. We are reading various essays and articles and writing responses, summaries, and whole new essays along with peer reviews.
As for home work - in Studio I we have to do 2 sketches, at home, each week and we share them in class on Tuesdays. We do a larger drawing on Thursdays which we have to finish at home and upload into the assignment web page in the CANVAS system ( Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) used by universities and colleges worldwide to support online teaching and learning). Core hasn't really had homework unless you don't finish what we are working on in class and then you bring it back to class. Next week in Core we are doing peer reviews of all the work we have done for the first three weeks (I don't have pictures) such as Cyanotypes, Negative drawings, and Contour Drawings. For Writing I, we had to read an essay each week and write either a response or a summary. This week we have to write a full essay with sections that are summary, illustration, and response, based upon one of the three essays we have already read. The draft was due Tuesday and the final version is due this week; which we upload into Canvas but have to hand in the draft and the final version too. Let's just say I am busy and glad I did not take more classes.
And finally, here are all my other thoughts.
OH, these kids are sooooo young. There are a few students in my classes that are in their later 20's but most are right out of High School. Even walking around campus there are very few "older" students. I am even older than my teachers; I overheard one student in Core say "my grandfather was born in the 60's.." let's just say I kept my mouth shut. And on the bus the other day, a girl sitting in one of the front seats marked for disabled riders offered me her seat; I thanked her but declined. Now, let's also discuss what these kids are wearing around campus; lets just say OY-VEY. I see people wearing long sleeved sweatshirts with hood up but short shorts barely showing below the sweatshirt; tube tops covered in rhinestones or spaghetti strap t's and all sorts of baggy, ripped, shorts and pants; gym shorts, sweat pants; if you can imagine it, it's here. There are crocs everywhere or slippers, flip-flops, Doc Martens, high top sneakers, Birkenstocks and more for footwear. As for me I wear a T-shirt and shorts with socks and sturdy shoes because with flat feet, I need good arch support for all these miles I am walking.
It's time for me to get some homework completed.
First, let's set the stage for the three classes I am taking:
Art Studio I:This course emphasizes a hands-on experience with drawing and two-dimensional design. Students engage in a series of short exercises and longer projects that incorporate contemporary art-making methods such as collage, photography, sculptural exercises, digital technologies, collaborative processes and interdisciplinary activities.
Core I: This course introduces practical and theoretical content in disciplinary and interdisciplinary art and design practices. Through thematic collaborative projects, students will engage various 2D, 3D, and 4D materials, methods, tools, and concepts independently and in relation to each other.
College Writing I: Expository writing as a means of exploring and shaping ideas. Emphasis on critical reading and the improvement of essays through revision.
I have Writing and Studio on Tuesdays and Thursday; Studio meets for 3 hours each day and Writing meets for 1.5 hours each day and Core on Fridays (4 hours all at once).
I leave the house 2 hours before classes start since the drive is about 50 minutes long. Note: I leave Boots plenty of food and water so she can nibble through the day. I park in the commuter parking lot on the far east side of campus. Due to all the construction on campus many other lots are closed so they gave us the shitty lot. I then walk just under 10 minutes to get the shuttle stop to take the bus to the Student Center, this is in the middle of the campus. From the there I walk to the Arts building on the far West side of campus. The bus cuts the morning walk in half and a lot of it is uphill. I have time before class starts to get what I need from my art locker and finish the coffee I am carrying with me. After Studio, I walk to either one of the dining halls or the food court restaurants for lunch and I relax before Writing I starts; I have a 2 hour break for lunch and then walk to Writing which puts me about a quarter of the way back to the parking lot. After class I walk downhill and through the park, by the San Marcos river and eventually to my car for the drive home. On Fridays, after Core I, sometimes grab dinner in the dining hall, but walk all the way back to my car.
Here are my FitBit stats from last week. Yes it is a lot of walking! At the end of the first week, I fell asleep in the chair, watching TV, on Friday night. Yes, I am kinda out of shape so that's why I take the bus in the morning; I am aiming to walk both directions in a few more weeks.
How for my thoughts on the classes and school in general.
I found Studio and Core to be frustrating at first because we are sketching things and some of us in class have NO formal drawing experience; there are students who are making wonderful drawings. I spoke to both teachers and they said we are not getting graded on the quality of the drawings but on class participation, grasping concepts, and getting the assignments completed, participating in peer reviews and more which made me feel much better. Below the FitBit picture are some of the drawings I have done; the last one is single point perspective which I had no issue making since I learned this back in Drafting and Mechanical Engineering classes at Case. Writing I, which I have to take because it's a core requirement for Post-Baccalaureate/Graduate students, and which I thought I would be bored in is actually quite enjoyable. We are reading various essays and articles and writing responses, summaries, and whole new essays along with peer reviews.
As for home work - in Studio I we have to do 2 sketches, at home, each week and we share them in class on Tuesdays. We do a larger drawing on Thursdays which we have to finish at home and upload into the assignment web page in the CANVAS system ( Canvas is a learning management system (LMS) used by universities and colleges worldwide to support online teaching and learning). Core hasn't really had homework unless you don't finish what we are working on in class and then you bring it back to class. Next week in Core we are doing peer reviews of all the work we have done for the first three weeks (I don't have pictures) such as Cyanotypes, Negative drawings, and Contour Drawings. For Writing I, we had to read an essay each week and write either a response or a summary. This week we have to write a full essay with sections that are summary, illustration, and response, based upon one of the three essays we have already read. The draft was due Tuesday and the final version is due this week; which we upload into Canvas but have to hand in the draft and the final version too. Let's just say I am busy and glad I did not take more classes.
And finally, here are all my other thoughts.
OH, these kids are sooooo young. There are a few students in my classes that are in their later 20's but most are right out of High School. Even walking around campus there are very few "older" students. I am even older than my teachers; I overheard one student in Core say "my grandfather was born in the 60's.." let's just say I kept my mouth shut. And on the bus the other day, a girl sitting in one of the front seats marked for disabled riders offered me her seat; I thanked her but declined. Now, let's also discuss what these kids are wearing around campus; lets just say OY-VEY. I see people wearing long sleeved sweatshirts with hood up but short shorts barely showing below the sweatshirt; tube tops covered in rhinestones or spaghetti strap t's and all sorts of baggy, ripped, shorts and pants; gym shorts, sweat pants; if you can imagine it, it's here. There are crocs everywhere or slippers, flip-flops, Doc Martens, high top sneakers, Birkenstocks and more for footwear. As for me I wear a T-shirt and shorts with socks and sturdy shoes because with flat feet, I need good arch support for all these miles I am walking.
It's time for me to get some homework completed.
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