Creativity and Diversity in American Culture: Art and Narrative in Response to Place

REVISED

Fall 2013 and Winter 2014 quarters

Faculty

Gail Tremblay visual arts, creative writing, poetry , Rebecca Chamberlain literature, writing, yoga

Fields of Study

cultural studies, literature and visual arts

Preparatory for studies or careers in

literature, education, art, and cultural studies.

Description

How does culture affect the visions and worldviews of writers, artists and filmmakers? How does place affect culture? We will explore these questions and connections through careful reading and analysis of literature, film, and art history from a multicultural perspective. As students of culture, we will examine the way in which place and migration from place shapes cultural production of texts and art, as well as how our connection to the natural world affects creativity.

Over the course of the program we will read books by African American, Native American, Asian American, European American, Chicano and other Latino writers, and will take field trips to museums, and cultural events in Washington and Oregon. There will be guest speakers from diverse communities sharing their perspectives about their practice as writers, artists, and scholars.  Workshops in writing composition, poetry, and art will provide the opportunity to develop a creative practice and create art, poetry, and various forms of narrative. Weekly response essays will provide opportunities for reflection and integration.

Fall quarter, we will study works by a diverse group of American writers, artists, and filmmakers. The first book will be Linda Hogan's novel, Power. Early in the quarter, a multi-day field trip to the Makah Nation in Neah Bay on the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula will allow us to study the artifacts from Ozette, a 14th village on the Pacific Ocean. We will meet with artists, and cultural experts from the Makah culture and learn about their relationship to place. 

Winter quarter, we will continue to explore creative works by diverse writers, artists, and filmmakers, which will include essays by multicultural American naturalists that speak to our human connection to earth and place. In addition to field trips and workshops on poetry and art, students will write two five page expository essays, and one ten-page research paper. During the second half of the quarter, they will also do a creative project that grows out of our work over the past two quarters. 

Advertised Schedule

Schedule will change for field trips and other class activities off campus.

Campus Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Off Campus Location

We will take field trips to the Makah reservation, to Museums, galleries, cultural performances, readings, and other events in Seattle and Portland.

Required Fees

$120 in fall and $75 in winter for museum entrance fees, overnight field trips, and supplies.

Offered During

Day

Program Revisions