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Texts & Materials

Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses
Victoria Finlay, Color: a natural history of the palette
Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried
Readings from James Hughes' Altered States and other e-reserve material
UW Oshkosh's TBIS Handbook

 

Course Description

We learn early how important sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing are to humans, but we often take for granted how the five senses enrich our lives and inspire our creativity. In this course we will rediscover the five senses, talk about how and why they have evolved, and explore the ways in which creative people such as artists, musicians, writers, painters, and inventors have employed the senses in their work. We will also study the secret life of color--in particular the primary colors red, yellow, and blue--and discover the ways in which color has acted to influence culture, from art to sports. In addition, we'll explore the creative process and its logical and illogical components. Besides writing essays and reading responses, students will design a group presentation incorporating sensation and color. Texts will include books, articles and essays as well as poetry and film. About the UW Oshkosh TBIS Program

 

Attendance Policy

Attendance is especially important in TBIS courses. Attendance is taken each session, and absences are "excused" according to the COLS Dean's policy, with medical documentation and/or documentation from a coach or other "official" source. Missing five classes (1.5 weeks) will lower your grade. Missing more than six classes will constitute failure in the course, and leaving class significantly early or arriving significantly late will count toward "absent" time. Missing class on a group workshop or presentation day is not an option. Students who miss class often should not expect extra help from their classmates or their professor.

Please make every effort to get to class on time.

 

Submission Guidelines

All work submitted in this course should be typed, clearly printed, and double-spaced, to provide room for written comments.

Two assignments (such as reading summary/responses) may be submitted late with no penalty. Late assignments must be submitted by the beginning of the next class period. Final presentation materials can not be submitted late.

All work should be labeled with name, class, and date, and according to assignment (for example, "Ackerman, chapter 1 response"). Please staple assignments of more than one page.

Submission of file attachments is strongly discouraged.

 

Working on the Web

This page will provide links to class assignments and websites related to the course. We will spend a significant amount of time in the Radford Teaching Lab, working online and in the Web Board discussion format. Students should check this page regularly for schedule updates. Students should always use their UW Oshkosh e-mail account for correspondence with UW Oshkosh faculty. Academic Computing provides detailed information about using the Novell account.

Tentative Syllabus

The timeline below is tentative, subject to change according to the needs of the class.
It should, however, provide a general outline of what to expect, and when.

Week 1: Ackerman, Smell
Week 2: Ackerman, Smell/Touch
Week 3: Ackerman, Touch/Taste
Week 4: Ackerman, Taste/Hearing
Week 5: Ackerman, Hearing/Vision
Week 6: Ackerman, Vision/Synesthesia
Week 7: SPRING BREAK
Weeks 8-10: O'Brien/Creativity
Weeks 11-13: Color/Creativity
Week 14: Presentations

Grading

Final grades will be based on the point scale below:

1. Writing Assignents, including short essays, summary/responses to reading and films, and the individual written component of the final project (50% points)
2. Final Group Presentation--REQUIRED--(spoken & interactive, including a written
component from each participant (20%)
3. points awarded for attendance, class engagement, & participation (30%)