Courses I Can Teach
Gerard Bowles
Updated February April 4, 2001
These are the courses I would like to teach, and feel qualified based on my education, years of teaching, and professional experience. I would be happy to provide a list of topics, course objectives, and a syllabus for a course or courses on this list.These are organized into two categories: Lecture and Studio. Clicking on a underlined, suggested course topic/name in the index will take you to my qualifications for teaching that subject, and a rough description where necessary.
It was tempting to strut my script knowledge to make this a wild Web page, but I resisted for the sake of speed, and consideration for the many different systems and software used by readers--communication ergonomics prevail.
IndexLecture Courses
Primarily lecture, some could include demonstration and labArt HistoryTheory, developing, teaching, application
Creativity:
Film History, and Film as Social Commentary (could include lab)
History of Communications
Information Management
Mass-Media Communications, and Advertising
Studio, Lab and Traditional Art Courses
Computer Graphics
- All levels for printing and electronic publication
My Qualifications for Teaching These Courses
Lecture Courses
Primarily lecture, some could include demonstration and lab
Qualifications: I have the 18 credit hours of graduate study in art history, and the terminal M.F.A. degree in art, which satisfies the recommendations of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. I have been approved by the University of South Carolina main campus in Columbia, to teach art history. I have other qualifications.I enjoyed art history, and used my I.A.F.A.C. Fellowship to continue taking courses at the Smithsonian Institution, continuing after completing my M.F.A. I have researched art history topics that interested me over the years, whenever allowed by my heavy schedule.
From 1991 to 1997 I taught Western survey art history twice, and early art history once. These were taught with minimal prior notice allowing no time for preparation, and difficult access to disorganized resources. However, from 1998 to 2001 I have taught Western art history, and African art history at the University of South Carolina Spartanburg, Western art history at Limestone College, and early art history, and Renaissance to contemporary art history courses at the University of South Carolina Union, including their Laurens campus.
I not only enjoy art history, I have enjoyed teaching it. Therefore, I have investigated how art history courses are taught at other colleges and universities, established ongoing communications and share resources with some of these professors, and have discovered some surprising benefits to the art departments and institutions.
While at the Smithsonian, I made slides of art at the Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery, National Gallery, and National Museum of African Art, with permission, which I have maintained along with my course notes. To further improve my instruction I have invested in additional, personally-owned resources including slides and videotapes. My art history slide library exceeds 1500 slides. The Western portion exceeds 750 slides (click to see list), I selectively show based on the course, and I have over 800 digital images stored on other media (which can be shown by transferring to videotape, or computer-to-television if available, and in Web publication), and several videotapes. I have three trays of slides to introduce the history and current practices of photography (click to see list), and a tray to introduce media in mass-communications. I have over 700 slides on African art (click for African slide list). I have 215 slides on Asian art, most on the art of India, China, Japan, and Tibet, and plan to increase this collection.
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Creativity: Theory, developing, teaching, applications
This course would examine the theories and study of factors that generate creativity, a history of creative motivations, those considered the most creative and why, art and other works considered the most creative, the recognition of creativity, and techniques to become more creative, and how to teach others to be more creative thinkers. The course could be general, or directed toward a specific profession such as teaching or business.
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Film History, and Film as Social Commentary
Qualifications: I have taught Film History at two colleges, and Film as Social Commentary three times. The latter was a favorite elective, and attracted over half it's students from the community, including several teachers and students on summer vacation from other colleges. Notification about the course spread by word of mouth in the community. The idea for the Film as Social Commentary course came to me from the many discussions after Smithsonian Institution film presentations and lectures. I included films from these discussions and my own selections to demonstrate the film reflections of a cross-section of American philosophy and culture. My education includes seminars at the Smithsonian Institution. My personal library on film history includes 78 books, and videotapes including 25 documentaries on film history and criticism with clips from famous films, and 14 classic films from North and South America, France, Spain, and Japan (additional tapes of more common classics can be reasonably rented).
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History and Trends in Communications
This course would start with the history, motivations, principles, vehicles and other arts of communications from the ancient world to today. It would include an emphasis on visual communications; re-emerging and recognized as the most important form of mass-media communications in our culture. This information would be beneficial to any major for any field, and could be directed toward an inclusion of practical applications in education, non-profit organizations, or business.
Qualifications: Same as Mass-Media Communications
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About information management:
This is the fastest-growing field in business. Information is crucial to function and competition in business. Information management includes the retrieval of information, analysis, applications, database design, and information communication systems. A course in this topic usually consists of lecture, computer lab, and multimedia presentation.Qualifications: I have used information research and management in advertising, marketing, education administration at three colleges, and in teaching for over 18 years. I am very experienced at information retrieval and management from Internet sources--today's largest resource. I have designed information management databases using popular software applications.
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Mass-Media Communications and Advertising
History and specific topics.
Qualifications: My professional experience in mass-media communications has included television and graphic copywriting and advertising design. I have taught courses using mass-media communications history and theory at 3 colleges for total of 15 years, including teaching a lecture course in advertising for several years. My education includes seminars in mass-media topics at the Smithsonian Institution.
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Studio, Lab and Traditional Art Courses
Qualifications: I Have completed several seminars in computer graphics, have professional experience for 9 years, and taught courses using computer graphics for 12 years. I am proficient in the use of Photoshop and some other drawing and paint programs, and use Pagemaker, Quark, Illustrator, Freehand, Powerpoint, Persuasion, and Infini-D. I am considered very knowledgeable in Web design software.
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Qualifications: I have taught basic 2 and 3-d design courses often over a 10-year period, at 3 colleges. I have included design principles in teaching painting, sculpture, photography and graphic design courses during additional years, including teaching a seminar for the University of South Carolina. I also have extensive, professional experience in graphic design. My M.F.A. theses is on the historical use of design in 20th century fine art, and I completed an advanced seminar in design theory at the Smithsonian Institution. Over the years I have built a bank of slides in art history and mass-communication media to illustrate the application of design principles, problem-solving, and theory in fine and applied arts.
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Graphic Design
All levels for printing and electronic publication
Qualifications: I have 10 years of graphic design experience in work ranging from small businesses to international corporations. Since moving to South Carolina, I have been a consultant in graphic design for studios, advertising agencies, and the University of South Carolina. I have 12 years of experience teaching graphic design courses. The most recent was in 1999, teaching a graphic design course at Presbyterian College.
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I would be glad to provide a summery of course topics and objectives, and even a syllabus for such a course.
Qualifications: Please see below
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Multimedia Communications, and Instructional Media
Qualifications: I can teach several types of instructional media integration courses. I can also set up, train, and support the integration of audio, video, and data resources into the classroom and distance learning environment. I am knowledgeable in video, video-to-computer technology, making digital video presentations with digital audio, and Web digital video. Please see related fields for additional qualifications.
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I have taught all levels of b&w, commercial, studio, digital, electronic, electronic modification, video, and cinematographic lighting. I have not taught color processing. The most recent experience was in 1999, teaching Photography I Fall 1999, and Photography I and II, Spring 2000, at Presbyterian College.Qualifications: I grew up doing lab and field work for my professional photographer mother, whose work has been nationally published. I have 10 years of professional experience, including 2 years as an industrial, commercial, and studio photographer in Washington, D.C., and two years of fashion photography in New York, and taught photography at 2 colleges for 14 years. My education includes numerous professional seminars, courses at the U. S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School, courses at the Smithsonian Institution, and a seminar in cinematographic lighting at Southeastern Media Institute.
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Sculpture
All levels, traditional & non-traditional materials, architectural, and computer design
Qualifications: I have taught sculpture at 4 colleges. For two years I was assistant to Sculptor Pierre DuFayet, helping execute over 30 commissioned works for major cities, some appearing in national publications. My education includes the M.F.A. Degree in sculpture at East Tennessee State University, and seminars in sculpture history and theory at Smithsonian Institution. I can teach sculpture in a simple lab using inexpensive, basic, and non-traditional materials, or in a complex lab using sophisticated equipment. I have been considered an expert on cements, resins, metal casting, and lab safety. I am also comfortable with other metal work including welding, and non-traditional materials that don't require elaborate lab equipment.
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Web Page Design and Communications
including graphics and strategy
Qualifications for Internet Communications, Web Design, and Multimedia Communications: I am currently an Internet communications consultant, a practicing Web page designer achieving 8 awards for design and Web communications, Monitor of a video conferencing reflector at a major university, have been Operator of IRC chat channels, and currently a member of 3 Internet communication associations. I am considered very knowledgeable in computer multimedia Web applications, and generating Web site traffic. In Web design I use several page construction, paint, typography and digital video software applications.
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