Course Catalog

This course is designed to provide students with the ability to integrate professional studies of technical and conceptual content knowledge with pedagogical content knowledge in dance to allow for a deeper, critically informed engagement with issues and debates in the delivery of dance curricula. Students will gain an understanding of how particular topics, problems, or issues within the teaching and learning of dance are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction. Topics studied include curriculum design, teaching strategies, creativity, assessment and learning perspectives within practical teaching sessions. Learning Objectives Present a statement of philosophy for teaching dance based on personal beliefs and values. Become aware of how multiple social, political and historical issues shape dance and its teaching. Critically reflect and constructively respond to one’s own and other students’ teaching practice by engaging in constructive communication and collaborative learning. Become familiar with the process of curriculum creation. Construct  a relevant, sequential, and aesthetically driven dance education experience (syllabus).

11. COURSE CONTENT : Course Description: Design, defined most broadly is intentional change (Nelson & Stolterman, 2012) or “changing existing situations into preferred ones” (Simon, 1996, p. 112). In the modern age, design has moved away from products to goods, information and interfaces, with not users in mind so much as consumers, and in a sense, audiences. Dance also in the broadest terms, can be construed as intentional movement of the human body in space and time. Many contemporary dance practices are not concerned with technique but with the possibilities of movement. Both dance and design involve the imaginable as well as the realizable, discipline and undiscipline. The student, by examining and inhabiting the space at their intersection, will participate in a dynamic, embodied interaction with the environment to create the artifact, in this case, the performance. The work of art becomes the tool, the functional object to which the design method is applied, remembering, to paraphrase Alva Noe that ‘tools like the rake extend our bodies; tools like dance extend our minds’. 13. ASSESSMENT SCHEME: Quizzes, Class participation and discussion: 30% Creative process journal: 10% Final performance: 30 % Critical summary based on two readings or performances: 30%

Odissi Nrutya Paddhati I

- The course is intended to introduce the fundamentals of product design i.e. Involved methodology, different approaches as well as salient achievements in the field of product design. Content: Definition, History, Attributes of product design, Product design and engineering design, Product design methodology- Divergence, Transformation and Convergence. Different phases in product design- Problem identification, Problem analysis, design brief and specifications, conceptualization, selection, embodiment, Detailing and evaluation. Approaches in product design: Top- down and Bottom- up. Paradigms in product design. Case study of award winning designs Analysis and redesign of simple product around. Theory will be followed by practical assignments.

Foundation course for Design Preamble- The course is intended as an introduction to the domain of Ergonomics – the science of man – machine interface and its importance to the Design. Content: Definition and background of Ergonomics/human factors, Human machine compatibility and its limitations – physical (related to anthropometric, physiological, bio mechanical characteristics, etc.), cognitive (related to perception, memory, reasoning, motor response, etc.) and psycho- social (related to behavior, emotions, etc.), Consideration of ergonomics principles in design (work tool and equipment design, workstation design, furniture design, etc.), evaluation of work environment, tasks, equipment and work training methods. Theory would be followed by practical demonstration and assignments.

Course Description: This course is designed to give students a broad overview of dance in India since Indian Independence. Students will read excerpts from the Natyashastra in light of its pivotal role in constructing dance in India as ancient, authentic, continuous and ‘traditional’ while examining a range of textual, sculptural and epigraphic evidence that was co-opted to this project. Now Bollywood and contemporary dance in India continue the dialogue between dance and identity, addressed to a global audience. The course traces our “embodied way of knowing” within a social, artistic, religious, political and cultural context, and formulates a critique of dance discourse today. Objectives: to introduce students to dance as an academic subject, examining how history, politics and philosophy intersect with dance at a critical juncture in the formation of ‘India’. KNOWLEDGE:  gain a broad overview of dance in India, leading from the 1930s to Indian Independence and up to the present day; identify some main philosophical issues regarding dance; recognize regional styles and histories.  SKILLS: ability to define, synthesize and analyze course material in order to write about dance from multiple perspectives.

This course is a fundamental course for any student interested in the moving body. Available to students with different, little or no prior dance experience, this course aims to equip students with a deep experiential understanding of anatomical principles as a starting point for dance training. The course focuses on movement foundations such as dynamic alignment, body awareness, integration, depth of physical engagement and clarity of initiation as fundamental to the development of a sensitive and reflexive dance practitioner. It aims to equip dancers and those who want to understand movement with key skills in movement creation and analysis. The course will provide a focused palette of movement practice that allows the participants to build articulation, sensitivity and resilience through a curious and investigative approach. The course encourages students to challenge their existing movement patterns, interrogate intention, heighten awareness of their own bodies as well as the space around them and expand the range and quality of their movement capacity.  Learning Objectives Basic movement anatomy and Kinesiology to foster an embodied understanding of dynamic alignment.  Basics of Strength, Conditioning and Nutrition for Dancers. Safe Movement practices (warm-ups/ cooling down, injury prevention etc.) for dancers. Using Movement analysis like Laban to understand movement initiation and sequencing. Using Reflective practice and Imagery for creating and initiating movement.  

Placing ‘Practice’ at the heart of research, this course introduces students to the emerging fields of Practice Based and Practice Led research methods. The elaboration of the methodologies, contexts and outcomes of artistic research discussed here are aimed at promoting a wider understanding of the value of practice as research. The course will engage with questions like: What knowledge can studio-based enquiry reveal that may not be revealed by other modes of enquiry? What implications does artistic research have for extending our understandings of how knowledge is produced? How can the outcomes of artistic research enhance understandings of practice beyond the discipline?     Learning Objectives Students will be able to recognize, create and articulate the dialogic relationship between acquired and expressed knowledge and studio practice in various disciplines such as design, dance, film, painting etc. Students will become familiar with the range and flexibility of research methodologies and methods that constitute Practice as Research and Practice Based Research. Students will engage with the idea of understanding and producing an exegesis (a combination of creative and written work) in various artistic fields. Students will be able to develop and record an historical, critical, cultural and/or professional research framework pertinent to the development of their practical work.    

Highlighting the primacy of Body in dance, this course aims to address the many lenses through which the Body may be understood in Dance studies. The focus is to address the historical, cultural and political body through questions around identity, gender, pedagogy, power and discipline.  Through critical readings the course uses dance to look at the ways in which the body is generated in and is generative of discourse. It begins to look at dance as a critical dialogue, as a means of addressing the theoretical and political problems of how dance is perceived and produced.  Learning objectives 1.    Investigate and think critically about how dance is performed and understood. 2.    Study dance at the intersections of multiple issues like globalisation, tradition, gender and pedagogy etc. 3.    Begin to make connections between students’ own dance practice and theoretical concepts. 4.    Make a comprehensive academic argument about an aspect of dance drawing from both practice and theory. Readings Relevant readings will be posted on BlackBoard. Assessment 1.    Class Participation/ attendance: 30% 2.    Mid-Term exam: 20% : Will be posted on Black Board. 3.    In class presentations: 15% In-class presentations are individual. They are 10 minutes long and should be based on an object/performance of study along with the reading(s) of the student’s choice. 4.    Final Presentation (Paper or Project): 35% The final paper will be an essay on a topic chosen by the student, something that interests him/her and can be explored further. The essay should have a clear argument and an object/performance of study. Alternatively, the student can make a video (performance) project (with one other student). The video must be at least 3 minutes and have a clear form and script/outline. Please check with instructor before starting. The video should be accompanied by an artist’s statement in the form of a written script/ outline and a concept note.

The class will be a combination guided improvisation and set movement tasks, lessons will also involve some video presentation, reading and working on a presentation by the end of the semester. Aim of the course is to give an overview of contemporary dance practices and an introduction to movement composition. Practical sessions encourage the students to reflect and explore the possibilities of movement. Emphasis is placed on breath, alignment, joint articulation, and the use of gravity and momentum to facilitate movement. Creative sessions allow students to explore creating short movement sketches which will demand them to think, question and investigate body and its politics. Theory sessions will give students a brief about the history and development of modern and contemporary dance. Learning Objectives Introduction to body alignment through somatic movement practices like yoga, tai-chi, and kalaripayat. Examine the body in place outside of the proscenium while looking at the stage audience perspective, the relationship to the architecture the safety issues in a public space and the act of getting art on to a public space. Investigate the skills of choreography for a camera. Create and perform a solo dance piece.  

Interdisciplinary, Variety and Self

This course introduces the students to the basic movement vocabulary of Odissi, providing insight into the main banis or styles that comprise this dance form. Through a balanced presentation of both theoretical and practical components, students will engage with the physical practice of Odissi while reflecting upon the philosophical, political and cultural forces which have shaped the dance form.

Hidden From Plain Sight

The Daily Photograph

Independent Study

Politics of the Popular

The class will be a combination guided improvisation and set movement tasks, lessons will also involve some video presentation, reading and working on a presentation by the end of the semester. Aim of the course is to give an overview of contemporary dance practices and an introduction to movement composition. Practical sessions encourage the students to reflect and explore the possibilities of movement. Emphasis is placed on breath, alignment, joint articulation, and the use of gravity and momentum to facilitate movement. Creative sessions allow students to explore creating short movement sketches which will demand them to think, question and investigate body and its politics. Theory sessions will give students a brief about the history and development of modern and contemporary dance. Learning Objectives Introduction to body alignment through somatic movement practices like yoga, tai-chi, and kalaripayat. Examine the body in place outside of the proscenium while looking at the stage audience perspective, the relationship to the architecture the safety issues in a public space and the act of getting art on to a public space. Investigate the skills of choreography for a camera. Create and perform a solo dance piece.  

This course offers a critical introduction to the concepts of modernity, modernization and modernism. It explores the emergence of modern subjectivities and multiple manifestations of modernism in various parts of the world. Considering the extent to which all modernisms can be viewed as part of a network of alternatives to tradition, realism, representation, mass culture, and even each other, this course will introduce recent theories and approaches for studying modernisms. Part I of the course traces the origins of modernism in Western society, examining some seminal texts and artist manifestoes that shaped this discourse and surveying the major ‘isms’ and defining moments between the late 19th Century and the mid-20th Century.  Initially rooted in specific socio-historical contexts, modernity was transferred to other parts of the globe through commerce, colonization and monetized economy, and transformed by local experiences of nationalism, globalization, urbanization, large-scale industrialization and migration. Part II of the course contests the still- dominant notion of a normative, univocal Western modernism to take a closer look at alternative modernisms in non-Western contexts. This module will investigate how modernist artistic expression variously developed in the new economic, social and political environment of the emerging industrialised world, through specific case studies from Latin America, Africa and Asia, with a special emphasis on modernism in Indian Art. Visual-intensive class lectures will anchor the course. Classroom interactions equip students with tools to analyze mediums, styles, technologies and techniques, as well as relevant art historical and interpretative texts. Students will be required to select topics for class presentation based on their specific interests. Credit will be awarded on the basis of class participation, presentations and two written assignments.  

By examining the works of selected artists and artistic developments in post-Independence India, this course will introduce Indian art to students in terms of the wider context of the ‘art world’ – a network in which art is mediated by institutions, exhibitions, markets, collectors, and publics. This course will also study ‘folk’, ‘tribal’, ‘popular' art and ‘craft’ practices within the broader framework of contemporaneity. Central to this framing would be historical and contemporary debates around modernity and tradition, the art and craft divide, and the various modalities of referencing, appropriation, and collaboration in art. Taking cognizance of the proliferation of media and sites of art throughout the second half of 20th century, Art After Independence will be an advanced theory course aimed at analyzing and critiquing the boundaries that are produced between different visual cultural practices. A prior knowledge of art history is required, along with credits obtained for the second semester theory course - Modernity, Modernization and Modernisms. In addition to lectures, the course includes assignments by students on a topic of their choice, and class presentations to exchange ideas with peers. This course will include visits to local museums, galleries, exhibitions and artist studios.

Painting Painting and Drawing are explored as language and disciplinary framework, and in addition re-defined in terms of their changing function within different contexts and times, and in relationship to other art forms. Further, they would provide a basis for explorations in other media, or could be incorporated into other forms of practice. Through active engagement with the medium in all its aspects, a combination of perspectives unique to each student would emerge during the first semester, which would enhance not only their knowledge of the visual world but also their capacity to interpret and comprehend it. Short, intensive workshops based on folk, classical and street/popular/traditions would also be organized in addition to interactions with contemporary artists. Apart from the learning experience that this entails, it would build an understanding between different kinds of practitioners, extending beyond art into community. The studio component of the course would be complemented by adequate theoretical support. Talks, relevant reading, consultations with other faculty etc. would form an intrinsic part of the instruction. In addition, the course would offer occasional refresher sessions in Life Studies, Portraiture, Landscape and Still Life; both faculty and students could avail of the facility.  Drawing To widen an understanding of Drawing today, in addition to the formal sessions mentioned above, an attempt will be made to compile the different methods and applications that have come into being over time.  Short modules that would explore forms of drawing which find extensive application outside of its hitherto prescribed realm would be invaluable. Experienced visiting faculty from the disciplines of architecture, engineering, botany, the digital media, etc. could conduct short modules on ways in which drawing supports most forms of research. At the end of every year, the course material would be put together as a growing body of knowledge that spreads beyond the boundaries of its specific disciplines, and which would in turn create a new curriculum for Drawing. Students would gain perceptions to do with space, scale and dimension as seen from varying perspectives, and could put it to good use in creating their own propositions. It needs to be said that this is as yet an uncharted area of research and that our department would be one of the very few, if not the only, that might offer such possibilities. Cross-Media Project Equally important is the fact of being located within a landscape and among communities;             to find ways of building networks through projects, investigations, and friendships.  It would involve field trips related to local histories/sites, or any subject of the student’s choice, carried out with a range of investigative visual media.  It is believed that these explorations could, apart from exposing and sensitizing students to the multiple realities that surround them, create practices that would go beyond the homogeneity of an exclusive ‘art school’ language.  It further creates a genuinely engaged viewership – with a breadth of scope and agency that would continue to grow with each exchange, beyond the currently prescribed boundaries of what constitutes art.  Students would be encouraged to re-imagine cultural and economic frameworks for practice, either collectively, individually or through institutional/organizational affiliations; there is a need at the present time to re-create and extend contexts for art and its supporting structures. The course is seen as complementing the core area of Drawing and Painting and is experimental and process-based. The notion of Praxis is central to the module, and the emphasis is on finding a grammar that binds medium (explored in the earlier module), concept and subject-matter in an integrated approach to the excavation of meaning.  Theoretical support that could expand and enrich the field of inquiry would be provided by core/visiting faculty and by other departments. It will be expected that the students would produce a dissertation pertaining to their choice of project, or to reflections on their own practice. Articulation through speaking and writing about one’s work and related concerns would be encouraged throughout the course. Students would present their work to an audience at the end of each year.

The course lays emphasis on the advancement of individual students concerns and engagements. Students will work in three dimensional space integrating sound/ mechanics/ new media etc. They will deal with making objects by carving/ assembling/ readymades. The students develop their practice benefiting from one on one critiques with the mentors as well as joint student critiques. Intra and inter school cross-disciplinary collaborations will be encouraged.

This course explores through practice, the historical, expressive, critical, representational, formal, conceptual and technical aspects of this very varied, fluid, and pervasive medium through experimentation and research within the student’s own practice as a means of personal expression. An aesthetically based medium, photography, will be explored and discussed along with reading into the practice and work of other artists who use photography directly or as an take off point. Some potential subjects discussed will be appropriation, authenticity, truth, quality, performativity and transcendence. Also discussed will be some of the following: the problems of making judgments and issues of quality; the content of art and photography; the shifts in the definitions of 'mainstream,' and  'outsider, ‘and the role of the photographic image. Learning Outcomes: The students would be able produce conceptually mature and visually dense works with a criticality to examine appropriation, authenticity, truth and quality. Display and exhibition making along with addressing  artistic survival concerns  are also addressed . The students’ further build an ability place their own and works of others within certain art historical and contemporary art lens based contexts and practices.

Aesthetically based mediums, photography and film will be explored and discussed along with reading into the practice and work of artists who have been influenced by or who appropriate found footage/stills directly or indirectly within the frame of pain grief and desire. Important films will be shown in class and students asked to take off from the films to execute visual project either as stills or videos. The course will also attempt to discuss the issues of problems quality; the content of art and photography and video. This course will push students to explore expressive, critical, representational, formal, conceptual and technical aspects of these very varied, fluid, and pervasive mediums of film and photography. Unconventional experimentation and research complementing the student’s own practice as a means of personal expression will be thoroughly encouraged. Learning Outcomes: The students would be able produce conceptually mature and visually dense works with a criticality to examine appropriation, authenticity, truth and quality. Display and exhibition making along with addressing  artistic survival concerns  are also addressed . The students’ further build an ability place their own and works of others within certain art historical and contemporary art lens based contexts and practices.

This course introduces students to the moving image, working with film and video to develope creative ideas. The focus will be on the fundamentals of the moving image and time-based media, towards developing an informed perspective that is abstract/ conceptual/ narrative/ personal/ political. Technical demonstrations and lectures along with viewing and discussions of a range of films and video works by other artists and projects made by  students will be included. The course includes developing concepts for moving image work- making storyboards/ narrative structure, capturing and importing video, editing- working with effects and transitions and sound. The discussion will be furthered by an analysis of video, moving media installation art, and works researched by students

Happenings, performance, body-art, interventions: the artist has been using his body as subject and as actual material. The artist's body has throughout history been the subject of art -- primarily through painted self-portraiture. From the western post-war period and in India Post 90s, however, artists began using their bodies as the subject and the actual material of the artwork. We shall be looking at how the artist’s body is/has been an important tool for intervention in contemporary Indian and world art. Students in this course are introduced to various aspects of the “performative”, the body and related art practices, exploring the historical background, and current issues within contemporary art. Technical expansiveness, theoretical development and the role of the body as medium will be explored through individual and collaborative projects and research. Learning Outcomes; The students would be able produce conceptually mature and visually dense works with a criticality to examine appropriation, authenticity, truth and quality. Display and exhibition making along with addressing  artistic survival concerns  are also addressed . The students’ further build an ability place their own and works of others within certain art historical and contemporary art lens based contexts and practices.

The course lays emphasis on the advancement of individual students’ concerns and engagements. Questions of responsibility and sensitivity, methods and medium, poetics and politics while working outside the secure space of a gallery will be deliberated upon. It could involve travelling to realize in-situ projects. The students develop their practice benefiting from one on one critiques with  mentors as well as joint student critiques. Intra and inter school cross-disciplinary collaborations will be encouraged.

Art+ Ecology is an interdisciplinary, research-based course engaging contemporary art practices. Graduate students shall develop land and cultural literacy with a conceptual foundation in field based research art making and a wide range of production skills, including sculpture, installation, social practice, and new/digital media. Advanced coursework includes working on and in various collaborative and interdisciplinary fields with departments across SNU from environmental engineering, economics, anthropology, sociology, and natural sciences. Art+ Ecology course will encourage students to investigate, question, and expand upon inter-relationships between natural and cultural systems.. Art will be viewed as an agent of analysis, critique and radical change. The course would be less bound to traditional media and is towards to stimulating ideas and new forms of public engagement and aesthetic experience in the public domain. Learning Outcomes: The students would be able produce conceptually mature and visually dense works with a criticality to examine appropriation, authenticity, truth and quality. Display and exhibition making along with addressing  artistic survival concerns  are also addressed . The students’ further build an ability place their own and works of others within certain art historical and contemporary art lens based contexts and practices.  

Course description not available.

Approaches to Art: Themes and Theories II

Art After Independence II

Sculpture and Installation 03

The Moving Image- Form and Function II

Independent Study III