Michael R.
Sawdey
About my teaching...
The "what"...
Since I began teaching (at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, in 1968), I don't think I have "ever not taught." But
what I have taught has been all over the board, so to speak. At U of I,
I taught introductory English literature classes (poetry, drama) and,
through the gracious intervention of the late Dan Curley (at least I
think that's how it happened; he never would say), the creative writing
course in narrative fiction. At Greenville College (Illinois) I taught
composition classes (interesting, since I had myself never taken one,
having "placed out" at the University of Michigan), literature
(including Modern British; got some pretty naive students to appreciate
Lady Chatterley's Lover, or at
least to pretend they did), and critical theory. I've taught little
kids (as a Montessori "Directress") and some old fogies (such as I have
perhaps now become, in "community education" classes at Parkland
College). I've taught what one might call pre-remedial English (at
Community College of Vermont) and some classes of unusually talented
students (just about everywhere, by turns). Here at Aurora University,
I have taught, over the years, in Communication (Corporate and
Professional Communication, Computerized Publication Systems, Popular
Culture); Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS1600 Culture, Diversity, and
Expression), and History (HIS3810 Introduction to Native American
Studies); and, of course, in the fine arts.
The "how"...
About the only thing I can say about my teaching is that I never teach
a course the same way twice. Among other things, I'm always looking for
new "objective correlatives" to get a point across, make a concept
clearer, anchor a piece of learning more firmly in the student's mind.
I do believe that a major function of the learning process is to "make
connections" and otherwise set each bit of learning in a larger
context. On a good day, I'll perhaps get students to agree that this is
as important as knowing "what will be on the test."
Current teaching...(Descriptions from the 2008-2010 Aurora
University Undergraduate Catalog)
ART1400 Introduction to Digital
Imaging
3 semester hours
An introduction to basic processes for creating,
manipulating, and utilizing digital images. Includes digital camera
operation,
scanning, image storage and cataloging, image editing, developing
digital
workflow, image printing, and utilizing digital images in
presentations, web
design, and publications.
No prerequisites. Students must have
the use of a
digital camera. Lab fee; students will need to purchase some materials
(paper, CDs/DVDs,
portfolio, etc.).
ART/COM 2670 Photography I:
Silver-Based Black and White
3 semester
hours
Introduction to the
aesthetics and practice of photography; history of photography and its
place in
contemporary culture. Students learn the mechanics of basic black and
white
photography, explore the word and image history of photographic
movements and
major artists, and create a portfolio of original work and essays
integrating a
personal photographic style and vision with historical and contemporary
photographic art. Students must supply an adjustable 35mm single-lens
reflex
camera (may be borrowed during the course—see the instructor), film,
and
mounting/portfolio materials. Materials fee for darkroom.
No prerequisites. Meets
General Education “Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression” B
requirement.
ART3400 Intermediate Photography:
Digital Black and White
3 semester hours
Building on technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities developed in
the introductory photography course, students create a substantial
portfolio of work on a unifying
theme, technique or approach, using the digital camera in
black-and-white mode, followed by image adjustment on the computer and
final printing using
high-quality inkjet technology.
Prerequisite: ART/COM2670 or
equivalent knowledge and skills as determined by the instructor. Lab
fee. Students must provide an appropriate digital camera and are
responsible for purchase of printing paper and other materials for the
final portfolio.
ART3540 Photography and Society
4 semester hours
Exploration of the history of photography, both as an art form and as a
cultural phenomenon that has reshaped our society. Traces major aspects
the technical
and aesthetic development of photography from the early nineteenth
century to the present day and examines the impact of photography on
the development of
the “image-based” society, as well as exploring the interaction of
photography with the other visual arts.
No prerequisites
ART4400 Advanced Photography and
Imaging
3 semester
hours
Advanced digital photography and imaging, together with an opportunity
for students to explore the technical and aesthetic interconnections of
silver and digital
photography. Includes color digital photography, image processing, and
printing; hybrid digital images; image combination and manipulation;
and combining
darkroom and digital techniques. Students create individual portfolios
of work demonstrating mastery of the technical and aesthetic approaches
of the
course, developing themes and approaches through an extended series of
large-format images suitable for exhibition.
Prerequisite: ART2670 and ART3400, or
equivalent course work. Lab fee. Students must provide their own
digital and film cameras and are responsible for purchase of film,
printing paper, and materials for final portfolios.