[a] Mapping RL
Drawing History and Culture
HIST 211
Autumn 2024
Monday-Wednesday (Friday Research)
8:00-9:45 a.m.
Robert André LaFleur Office Hours: Morse Ingersoll 206 Tuesday 13:45-15:15
363-2005 Thursday 13:45-15:15 lafleur@beloit.edu ...or by appointment (just send me an email message) Required Books Nabokov, Vladimir. Lectures on Literature Edwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain David Brody, How to Draw (televised lectures) *** ***
Reading notebook
Chicago Manual of Style Guidelines
The New York Review of Books (NYRB)
Readings Available in .pdf Format
New York Review of Books essays
Reserve Books All books are on library reserve.
Course Description This textually based course will focus upon skills necessary to build deep knowledge of historical and ethnographic narratives (and beyond). The approach we will take to active reading goes well beyond common practices such as underlining and creating sticky note dividers. We will carefully read a series of brief but significant textual passages during the term, ranging across a diversity of genres, and learn different ways of plumbing the details of those documents, as well as the sequence of arguments surrounding them.
Prominent among these abilities is active "mapping," along with building skills in drawing (from scratch; absolutely no background is assumed). Drawing is a profoundly useful skill for all highly proficient readers, as we will see. The dexterity that comes with this range of abilities is shared by only a small subset of readers, and the goal of this course is to make each student one of them. Needless to say, these techniques are highly transferable to a wide range of sources, from legal documents and theoretical writings to scientific findings. Finally, an ability to map and draw based on close reading can bring significant readiness for active research (from archival to fieldwork), as well.
Evaluation Quizzes 10% Every Session Mountains Letter 15% Week Five
Exam I 10% Week Seven Midterm Assignment 15% Week Ten
Exam II 10% Week Fifteen
Presentation 10% Week Fifteen
Final Essay 30% Finals Week Class attendance and participation is expected.
HIST 211
Drawing History and Culture
Autumn 2024 Week I Tuesday, August 27 Introduction Thursday, August 29 Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Page through the entire book, looking carefully at Nabokov's drawings and "mappings." Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, xiii-xxiii Introduction Brody, How to Draw Lecture 1: An Introduction to Drawing
Week II
Tuesday, September 3
Round and Square Quotidian Quizzes:Introduction (a-h)
Read all eight posts, not just “a.” (You may skim a-d, but begin reading carefully with post "e," or "5", depending on the link (some are listed a-h and others 1-8; they are the same). The last four are crucial; your grade depends on it).Nabokov, Lectures on Literature, xvii-xxvii; Introduction by John Updike (read this very carefully) Introduction
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Search "Austen, Mansfield Park" to learn a bit about the book, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). We will discuss this skill going forward.
Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 1: Drawing and the Art of Bicycle Riding Chapter 2: First Steps in Drawing Brody, How to Draw Lecture 2: Drawing Materials for Line Lecture 3: Drawing Fundamentals and First Exercises
Thursday, September 5 Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Charles Dickens, Bleak House (Search the author and the book to learn a bit about both, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, xiii- Chapter 3: Your Brain, The Right and Left of It Brody, How to Draw Lecture 4: Line and Shape—Line and Aggregate Shape Lecture 5: Line and Shape—Volume and Figure Ground Week III Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (Search the author and the book to learn a bit about both, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 4: Crossing Over From Left to Right Brody, How to Draw Lecture 6: Line and Shape—Positive and Negative Shape Lecture 7: Composition—The Format and its Armature
Thursday, September 12 Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Search the author and the book to learn a bit about both, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). Brody, How to Draw Lecture 8: Composition—How Artists Compose Lecture 9: Line and Shape—Line Attributes and Gesture
Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Marcel Proust, The Walk by Swann's Place (Swann's Way) (Search the author and the book to learn a bit about both, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 5: Drawing on Your Childhood Artistry Brody, How to Draw Lecture 10: Composition—Shape and Advanced Stragegies Lecture 11: Proportion—Alberti's Velo
Thursday, September 19
Nabokov, Lectures on Literature Franz Kafka The Metamorphosis (Search the author and the book to learn a bit about both, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). Brody, How to Draw Lecture 12: Proportion—Accurate Proportion and Measure Lecture 13: Creating Volume and Illusionistic Space
Week V
Nabokov, Lectures on Literature James Joyce, Ulysses (Search the author and the book to learn a bit about both, then read Nabokov's analysis as deeply as you can while still paying attention to time). Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 6: Perceiving Edges Brody, How to Draw Lecture 14: Six Complete Drawing Projects
Thursday, September 26
Nabokov, Lectures on Literature The Art of Literature and Commonsense L'Envoi Week VI Tuesday, October 1
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture
Chapter One: Writing and Time Chapter Two: The Writing Process
Read carefully and don't dismiss it because "it's too hard"
Part xxx: Navigating Grammatical Forests
Read the individual items and quickly skim the examples
Thursday, October 3
No Formal Class Meeting. Do the following assignments, and send them to me. Brody, How to Draw Lecture 15: Linear Perspective—Introduction Lecture 16: Linear Perspective—The Quad
*** ***
Read the Midterm Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 in either MI 206 or Godfrey 106
Week VII
(October 10, 12) Tuesday, October 10Thursday, October 10 Begin work on your midterm assignment (introducing a work of art, broadly defined, in detail, and with drawings and "mappings")
*** *** Read the Midterm Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 in either MI 206 or Godfrey 106 Tuesday, October 22
Review the work you have done in the first half of the course. Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 7: Perceiving Spaces Brody, How to Draw Lecture 17: Linear Perspective—The Gridded Room Lecture 18: Linear Perspective—Ellipses and Pattern
Thursday, October 24 Exam I (in-class) *** *** Read the Midterm Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 in either MI 206 or Godfrey 106 Week X (October 29, 31)
Thursday, October 31
xxx xxx Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain xxx Brody, How to Draw Lecture 21: Value—Drawing Materials for Value Lecture 22: Black and White and a Value Scale *** *** Read the Midterm Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. THIS Sunday, November 3 in either MI 206 or Godfrey 106 Week XI (November 5, 7)
Tuesday, November 5
No Class Today (Beloit and Beyond Conference) We'll discuss everything on Thursday, so pace yourself (don't do it all on Wednesday).
Thursday, November 7Round and Square See separate Round and Square syllabus
xxx xxx Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 9: Drawing a Profile Portrait Brody, How to Draw Lecture 23: Value—Eight Complex Drawing Projects Lecture 24: Value—Side Light and Cast Shadow Lecture 25: Value—Oblique Light and Cast Shadow Lecture 26: Texture—Mark Making and Optical Value *** *** Read the Final Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 (please send as a .pdf file to lafleur@beloit.edu) Tuesday, November 12 xxx xxx Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Chapter 10: Perceiving Lights, Shadows, and the Gestalt Brody, How to Draw Lecture 27: Texture—How Artists Use Texture Lecture 28: Color—Color Theory and Light
Thursday, November 14 xxx xxx Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Using Your New Perceptual Skills for Creative Problem Solving Brody, How to Draw Lecture 29: Color—How Artists Use Color Lecture 30: Color—Color Drawing Projects *** *** Read the Final Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 (please send as a .pdf file to lafleur@beloit.edu) (November 19, 21) See my class attendance and participation policy
Thursday, November 21
xxx xxx Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain xxx Brody, How to Draw Lecture 33: The Figure—Artistic Anatomy Lecture 34: The Figure—Drawing Projects
*** *** Read the Final Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 (please send as a .pdf file to lafleur@beloit.edu)
Week XIV
(November 26)
*** *** Read the Final Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 (please send as a .pdf file to lafleur@beloit.edu) Tuesday, December 3 xxx xxx Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain xxx Lecture 35: Advanced Concepts—Pictorial Space
Lecture 36: Advanced Drawing Projects
Thursday, December 5 Exam II (in class) *** *** Read the Final Assignment Due by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12 (please send as a .pdf file to lafleur@beloit.edu)
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