.Syllabus – SOUND ART

FALL 2024
IA 230
Sound Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Wednesday – 4pm -10pm
PROFESSOR: JASON SLOAN
ELECTRONIC MAIL – jsloan@mica.edu
OFFICE HOURS: Thursday – 2-4pm or by appointment.

DOWNLOAD FULL SYLLABUS + WEEKLY SCHEDULE HERE

REQUIRED SUPPLIES/MATERIALS:
• Portable hard drive or something to back up your work with.
• Adobe Audition and Ableton Live
• Over ear headphones. No earbuds. (Shure SRH440 gen 1 or 2 are great studio headphones in their price range.)
• Students must have a working e.mail account that you check daily.

SUGGESTED SUPPLIES/MATERIALS:
• Portable digital audio recorder such as a Zoom H4n Pro or Tascam DR-40x

COURSE INTENT:
Sound Art is a studio introduction to the development of sound as an expressive, sculptural, environmental, networked & musical medium. Students will be introduced to a broad range of historical, contemporary and hybrid techniques, ideologies and creative approaches used by artists working in the field. The course will also survey such pivotal genres of sound art and the avant-garde as: Musique Concrète, Tape music, Industrial & Noise music, Sound Sculpture, Sound Installation Art, etc. Artists and Composers who helped define these genres will be introduced through lecture and discussion. Concepts of acoustemology, deep listening, networked music and sound in relationship to video and video synthesis will also be covered.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/ OUTCOMES/ CONCEPTS:
Upon completion of Sound Art you will be able to:

• Record and edit sound in most Digital Audio Workstations (DAW).
• Successfully define the concept of Sound Art as a medium and its history in contemporary art.
• Understand the application for various types of microphones: ie: binaural, hydro, etc..
• Designing a Sound Installation artwork.
• Develop skills for basic audio editing and mixing.
• Understanding the concept and application of sound displacement.
• Work with and understand sound sculpture (tactile).
• Create a mobile sound installation.
• Work with the sonic possibilities of physical objects.
• Conceptualizing sound as a visual medium.

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS:

I. PROJECTS:
There will be 4 projects given throughout the semester. Each assignment will have a due date and is to be completed by the assigned due date. Late work will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made and/or discussed with your professor.

II. READINGS & LISTENINGS:
There will be various listenings and a couple readings distributed via the course web site throughout the semester which will supplement the course content. These readings and listenings will be discussed in class. Students are expected to have any reading and/or listenings completed before the next class meeting.

III. PARTICIPATION:
Participation during class discussions and critiques is critical. This is where a great deal of learning can occur. As an artist, you should be able to talk about your work and the work of your peers. The ability to give feedback is important. i.e.: what’s working, what may not be working etc. The point of a critique is to help you become a better artist through discussion and analysis of your work while examining the work’s strengths and weaknesses.

IV. ATTENDANCE:
Students are expected to attend all meetings of each class in which they are enrolled and engage in the work of the course in its entirety. They are expected to be ready to start work at the opening of class and to remain for the entire class session. Students who miss more than 20% of the semester’s engagements (or the equivalent 3 out of the 15 standard class meetings) will earn a failing grade. Being late to class or leaving early without the professor’s permission will count as 1/2 an absence.

GRADING:
CLASS PROJECTS: (Projects 1, 2, 3) – 75%
FINAL PROJECT – 20%
PARTICIPATION – 5%

GRADING GUIDLINES:
A 93-100%
A- 0-92.9%
B+ 87-89.9%
B 83-86.9%
B- 80-82.9%
C+ 77-79.9%
C 73-86.9%
C- 70-72.9%
D+ 67-69.9%
D 63-66.9%
D- 60-62.9%
F 0-59.9%

CONTACTING YOUR PROFESSOR:
I will be available in my office on Thursdays 2:00pm – 4pm EST or by appointment. All other questions or communication can be directed to: jsloan [at] mica [dot] edu

Monday through Friday, I will respond to emails/messages within 24–30 hours (usually much faster, but understand the window is up to 30 hours). You will know what is due well in advance; it’s your responsibility to stay on schedule and prioritize your time. Don’t wait until the last minute to message me about something that’s due in a few hours or the next day because I may not get back to you in time.

Do not contact me through Facebook, Instagram, Threads or other social networking sites for things relating to MICA. All communication through social networks relating to class will be ignored.

CELL PHONES:
Please make sure your phone is on silent or vibrate before entering the classroom. Do not answer calls in class. If you must take a call, please excuse yourself quietly and step outside the classroom.

INSTALLATIONS IN PUBLIC SPACE ON MICA CAMPUS:
All installation art that is designed to be installed on the MICA campus in public space, for even one class session or an extended period requires the written authorization from the MICA Office of Events. Proposals must be submitted to the Office of Events at least two weeks prior to the installation date. Forms are available on the Office of Events website and in the Office of Events in Bunting. The Office Events can be also contacted with questions at 410.225.2516.

MICA ACADEMIC POLICY STATEMENTS –

ACCESSIBILITY AND DISABILITY SERVICES:
MICA makes reasonable accommodations for qualified students with documented disabilities. The Office of Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS) facilitates equal access for students who self-identify as having a disability and provide appropriate documentation. All accommodations must be approved through ADS. If you are a student with a disability who needs accommodations in this class, please contact ADS to schedule an appointment. ADS is located in Bunting 110 and can be reached at 410-225-2416 or ads@mica.edu. Once accommodations are authorized by ADS, please provide me (your instructor) with your approved accommodation memo as soon as possible. It is the student’s responsibility to make an accommodation request in a timely manner. Accommodations are not retroactive.

STUDENT OUTREACH AND SUPPORT (SOS)
SOS works directly with students experiencing extreme, short-term, extenuating circumstances that are impacting their academics and/or health and wellbeing during their time at MICA. While no documentation is required to meet with SOS for non-clinical case management support, advocacy to faculty regarding an extenuating circumstance (with the exception of bereavement-related absences) does require supporting documentation. SOS also supports students requesting a Medical Withdrawal and/or Leave of Absence (LOA). SOS is located in the Bunting Center, Student Affairs Suite 260. Students can schedule to meet with SOS staff using the meeting links on the SOS webpage.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (EHS):
Students are responsible to follow health and safety guidelines relevant to their individual activities, processes, and to review MICA’s Emergency Operations Plan and attend EHS training. Students are required to purchase personal protection equipment (PPE) appropriate for their major or class. Those students who do not have the proper personal protection equipment will not be permitted to attend class until safe measures and personal protection are in place.

PLAGIARISM:
Each discipline within the arts has specific and appropriate means for students to cite or acknowledge sources and the ideas and material of others used in their own work. Students have the responsibility to become familiar with such processes and to carefully follow their use in developing original work.

PLAGIARISM POLICY:
MICA will not tolerate plagiarism, which is defined as claiming authorship of, or using someone else’s ideas or work without proper acknowledgement. Without proper attribution, a student may NOT replicate another’s work, paraphrase another’s ideas, or appropriate images in a manner that violates the specific rules against plagiarism in the student’s department. In addition, students may not submit the same work for credit in more than one course without the explicit approval of all of the instructors of the courses involved.

CONSEQUENCES:
When an instructor has evidence that a student has plagiarized work submitted for course credit, the instructor will confront the student and impose penalties that may include failing the course. In the case of a serious violation or repeated infractions from the same student, the instructor will report the infractions to the department chair or program director. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the department chair or program director may then report the student to the appropriate dean or provost, who may choose to impose further penalties, including expulsion.

APPEAL PROCESS:
Students who are penalized by an instructor or department for committing plagiarism have the right to appeal the charge and penalties that ensue. Within three weeks of institutional action, the student must submit a letter of appeal to the department chairperson or program director, or relevant dean or provost related to the course for which actions were taken. The academic officer will assign three members of the relevant department/division to serve on a review panel. The panel will meet with the student and the instructor of record and will review all relevant and available materials. The panel will determine whether or not to confirm the charge and penalties. The findings of the panel are final. The panel will notify the instructor, the chairperson, division, the student, and the Office of Academic Affairs of their findings and any recommendations for change in penalties.

TITLE IX NOTIFICATION:
MICA faculty are committed to helping create a safe and open learning environment for all students. If you (or someone you know) have experienced any form of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking, know that help and support are available. The College strongly encourages all members of the community to take action, seek support and report incidents of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Office. Please be aware that under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, I am required to disclose information about such misconduct to the Title IX Office.If you wish to speak to a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, you can contact the Student Counseling Center, counseling@mica.edu, 410.225.2367. For more information about reporting options at MICA, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/mry3ue26

STUDENTS WITH EXTENDED ILLNESS OR CAUSE FOR LEGITIMATE ABSENCE:
In the case of extended illness or other absences that may keep the student from attending a class for more than three meetings, undergraduate students must contact the Student Development Specialist in the Division of Student Affairs or have an official disability accommodation letter issued by the Learning Resource Center that specifically addresses class absences. For students who have not been approved for academic disability accommodations, the Student Development Specialist will work with the student to determine the cause and appropriateness of the absences and subsequently notify instructors as necessary. Graduate students must contact the instructor, director, and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. Students in professional studies programs must contact the Associate Dean for Open Studies. The appropriate administrator will facilitate a conversation with relevant faculty to determine whether the student can achieve satisfactory academic progress, which is ultimately at the sole discretion of the faculty member.