Syllabus
AR 232 Ceramics II
Jerry Nevins, Instructor
203 Aquinas, 773-8546
Spring Semester, 2008
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Introduction:
This course is a continuation of the work begun in AR 231, Introduction to Ceramics with more emphasis placed on finishing and firing techniques. Students are expected to have a more fluent command of the medium and should be working toward a portfolio of finished work that extends from an area of individual concern and purpose. In class demonstrations of technique will be balanced with occasional lectures on the history and aesthetics of clay work across the centuries and world. A field trip to the Yale Art Gallery to view examples of Egyptian, Minoan, Mycenaean, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Cultures will be scheduled early in the semester.
Specific topics to include:
Methods of decorating and firing clay work in the low temperature firing range.
The use of underglazes, overglazes, slips and engobes and sgrafitto.
Glaze formulation and testing.
Casting and moldmaking.
Slab construction methods.
Larger scale work.
Advanced techniques on the potter's wheel
Academic Expectations:
You are expected to attend all classes. Your attendance is an extremely important part of your grade. Plan to work in the studio a minimum of 6 hours per week in addition to class time. A portfolio of l5 finished pieces will be due during the final exam period at the end of the semester. Your grade, will be a measure of your progress made in the medium during the semester and your attitude and attendance during the semester. Attendence is crucial. A maximum of 3 absences is allowed, with or without a valid excuse. After that your grade will drop
Tradition of Honor:
As a member of the Albertus Magnus College Community, each student taking this course agrees to uphold the principles of honor set forth by this community, to defend these principles against abuse or misuse and to abide by the regulations of the College. To this end, every student must write and sign the following
Special Needs and Accommodations: Please advise the instructor of any special problems or needs at the beginning of the semester or mod. Those students seeking accommodation based on disabilities should provide a Faculty Contact Sheet obtained through the Academic Development Center in Aquinas Hall, (203) 773-8590.
Bibliography:
Berensohn, Paulus, Finding One's Way With Clay, New York, Simon and Schuster, 1972
Richards, M.C., Centering in Pottery, Poetry and Person, Miiddletown, CT, Wesleyan University Press, 1964.
Leach, Bernard, A Potter's Book, Transatlantic Arts, London, Faber
and Faber, 1960
Leach, Bernard, A Potter's Challenge, New York, Dutton, 1975
Birks, Tony, Art of the Modern Potter, New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold,,
1977
London, Hamlyn, 1976
Coyne, John, editor, Penland School of Crafts Book of Pottery, New
York, Bobbs -
Merrill, 1975
Wildenhain, Marguerite, The Invisible Core: A Potter's Life and Thoughts, Palo Alto, CA, Pacific Books, 1963
Rhodes, Daniel, Clay and Glazes for the Potter, Radnor, Pa. , Chilton, 1973
Magazines:
