Ceramics I

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General Education Requirements

Arts and Aesthetics

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to ceramic arts. Students develop working knowledge of ceramic materials, tools, and techniques. Students explore concept and design and develop an understanding of and appreciation for traditional, historical, and contemporary ceramic objects. Hand building is emphasized.

Essential Objectives

1. Discuss the nature of ceramic materials, their history, and their uses in different cultures.
2. Incorporate visual considerations such as form, texture, and color to the design of utilitarian and non-utilitarian ceramic forms.
3. Design and construct hand-built ceramic forms using pinch, coil, and slab construction techniques.
4. Demonstrate basic wheel-throwing techniques.
5. Discuss types of glazes and other surface decoration and apply basic glazing techniques.
6. Describe and employ low-fire and stoneware firing techniques.
7. Discuss and apply ceramic studio safety practices.
8. Examine, discuss, and critique artwork that includes the art/design historical, social, and cultural context with emphasis on the impact of global and/or cultural diversity on the development of ceramics as an art form.
9. Design and complete individual projects.
10. Create a portfolio of clay projects.
11. Display finished works in a professional manner.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

In order to meet the objectives of the course and support students in meeting their own goals, I will employ:

• demonstrations of methods, use of tools and equipment, etc.
• project-based assignments to be completed in the ceramics lab in class and on your own during open studio hours
• maintaining a sketchbook and notebook documenting both ideas and completed work
• writing lab reports so that you can repeat processes and use of tools and materials when you are pleased with the results of your experiments and avoid processes and materials that did not produce desired results.
• participating in group critique sessions of student work
• readings, instructional videos, and research
• lectures
• writing artist statements
• individual clay work using hand-building and wheel methods

Evaluation Criteria

Final Grade Calculation

This course uses a weighted categories system to calculate final grades.

Participation and Community =30%
Clay Projects=30%
Lab Assignments=20%
Habits of Work=20%

Clarification of Categories

Participation and Community

Full participation credit is earned weekly by attending each Friday seminar in its entirety. Participation includes active listening, engaging in dialogue that is on-topic and references information from readings and lectures, asking questions that reflect on a familiarity with the assigned readings, and contributing to a respectful learning environment through excellence in studentship and citizenship. In this lab-based class, participation is also a reflection of the additional time you give to practicing in the studio during open hours and your efficient use of time during class to actively work on projects. Cell phones are not permitted during class times. If you have an urgent need to receive calls or text messages, please inform the instructor and then take your phone outside of the lab when you use it. Reserve non-emergency or urgent phone communications to designated class breaks. Getting clay, water, or other lab materials on and in your phone have the potential to quickly damage it beyond repair. Finally, participation includes bringing your sketchbook and notebook along with a pencil to each and every class session. (20 pts. each week)

Community is a weekly grade you will receive for your efforts to support our beautiful time together. These efforts include validating the ideas, concerns, and experiences shared by classmates. Additionally, students receive points for being inclusive, offering one another generosity of spirit and understanding, and providing assistance to classmates. Extra credit for anyone who helps the instructor when her coffee spills all over her lecture notes or her clay flies off the wheel. The extra credit part is a joke, but it is kind to be helpful to your (quite human) instructor too! (10 pts. each week)

Projects

A variety of clay projects that can only be completed while in the ceramics lab will be assigned during the semester. Students will engage in self-evaluation, peer critique, and receive detailed evaluation and suggestions from the instructor. Grades are not based on whether the final product is "good". Grading rubrics will be provided that provide very specific guidelines for each individual project. The grade will evaluate your process, technique, effort and intention, and skill development in the area of the project. There is very little room for perfectionism when working with clay. Even the most experienced, talented, and successful ceramic artists have work destroyed in a kiln firing, by human error/accident (like being dropped by the person loading or unloading the kiln), or just reflect on experimenting with a new material or technique and having it not work out the way you hoped. Artists can not be guided by fear of failure. As long as you document your process and work through sketching, documenting, and detailed lab reports, then even the flops are great lessons as you discover the methods that help you access your unique voice.

Lab Assignments

Students are expected to maintain a lab notebook that is separate from and in addition to the required sketchbook. Lab notebooks are where you will record the measurements and information about your clay projects, glazing notes, notes you take during instruction and demonstrations, and complete specific lab assignments. Students should be in the habit of keeping records of their time in the lab, the dates that they put work on the shelves for firing, and other notes that may be helpful in solving problems or repeating processes when you are happy with the results. Specific labs are worth 60-points each.

Habits of Work

Students are expected to maintain visual records of their ideas, research, and planning for clay projects. In addition to the assigned sketchbook work, students should have a visual record of all projects completed with notes. Each sketchbook assignment is worth a total of 60-points and there will be a midterm review (200 points) and final review (400 points) that all fall into this grading category.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participation Rubric

As you may have noticed, "participation" is 40% of your grade. There are 13 weeks of classes in this semester-long course. Each week you have the ability to earn 40 points in the following ways:

Rubric for Participation

Expectation	Credit Points
Arriving on time and attending class in-person	10
Active participation* in all discussions, activities, and in-class assignments.	10
Return promptly from class breaks	5
Cell phones are off and stored during class. All notifications and vibration settings are OFF. Cell phone use is limited to breaks or urgent calls and texts are taken in the hall or outside of the classroom.	5
Use all materials safely and with respect. Use safe methods to clean the lab prior to leaving. Return all tools, spaces, and work areas to a condition that allows the next artist to come into the space and begin their work with clay.	10
TOTAL POINTS	40
Additional "Community Points" for each class	10

*Active Participation is defined as:

• Awake and active in your learning body by taking notes, asking questions, listening to your classmates and not engaging in distractions such as cell phone use, doing work online for other classes, watching movies, listening to music or podcasts, etc. Documented accommodations that relate to this requirement will be honored.
• Engaging with full attention in classroom discussions and activities.
• Cooperating with peers and instructor in completing in-class assignments and small group activities.
• Actively meeting expectations for creating and maintaining a safe learning environment for everyone. This includes maintaining a learning body that is not creating distracting sounds, engaging in conversation with peers that is not related to an in-class activity, or making rude comments. We hold ourselves to the highest standard of open dialogue and non-violent communication so that we feel welcome to share our questions, thoughts, and ideas without fear of being shut down, made fun of, or left out. You are an important part of our classroom community and are valued as you are. This is true for each and every person in our class.
• Inclusion means seeing the best in others and allowing everyone to bring their authentic contributions to the group. It is up to each and every one of us to shine a light on one another. Differences in opinion, learning styles, and strengths are not seen as negative. Instead, we remain open to the incredible value of learning from one another.

In calculating your grade, your lowest two participation grades will be dropped. Therefore, you certainly have some wiggle room to miss a class, be late, or hang back a couple of times. Perfection is not expected or required. The idea is that you understand and respect that consistent attendance and active participation is required for doing well in this course. There is no way to just "submit the work" and pass the class. There is absolutely no way to make-up missed classes. If you miss three classes, it is unlikely that you will be able to pass this class no matter how well you do in the other aspects of the requirements. Please consult with me if you have any questions about grading, attendance, cell phone use, or active participation.

You will also earn a COMMUNITY grade of up to 10-points in each class. These are points for your efforts to create a physically, emotionally, and creatively safe environment for yourself, peers, and instructor. Be kind to one another. Be gentle in movements and in your choie of words. Include others through invitation. Be helpful in collective cleanup, cooperative activities, or in working on solving clay problems. Support one another in doing your best work by maintaining a regulated body such as walking slowly, speaking softly (inside voices), and staying on-task. Compliment one another regularly when you appreciate someone's work. It is great to ask others how they achieved a certain texture, surface design, shape, etc. Share what you know and ask questions about the work of other students that you admire. Avoid distracting behaviors, unsafe use of materials or tools, fast movements (no dancing, swinging arms, or movements that are outside of your expected personal space). Appreciate the work of others by experiencing it with your eyes or asking to have it described to you. Always ask before touching or picking up someone else's work.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Work that is missing receives 0 points.

Each day that an assignment is missing lowers the available number of points by 10%.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet deadlines by submitting the work they have completed by the deadline. At the instructor's discretion, should signficant adjustments be made to submitted work, students who turned their work in on time with obvious effort to meet all stated assignment standards, may be given opportunities to edit their work and re-submit for full credit. Therefore, it is better to turn in something you may feel is less than perfect on time rather than wait and turn it in late. It is my goal as your instructor to have you experience the benefits of receiving constructive criticism and trying again with a deeper understanding of what is required. What you turn in on the deadline should refect your absolute best personal effort to date.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

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