Course Description

From visual arts to literature, music to filmmaking, flamenco dance to public sculptures, and more, Places of the Present: Creative UNM offers an immersive exploration of how creative works in multiple media around the UNM campus experience reflect the rich tapestry of our university’s evolution and connection to the broader community of New Mexico and beyond. Through experiential, hands-on, interdisciplinary investigations, we will study how UNM reflects its own evolving story and resonates with wider audiences, from the New Mexico taxpayers who fund it to global visitors here for only a short time. Instead of simply admiring enchanting or challenging creative works passively, we will delve actively into how creativity is woven into the fabric of UNM’s Albuquerque campus to examine its sociocultural history, present vitality, and future potential. We will, of course, acknowledge and incorporate historical contexts into our studies, but our primary focus will be on listening to the voices of living, contemporary creative workers reflected in our university’s surroundings. It offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in the creative process and understand the deep connection between UNM’s place, people, and creative expression,

Our work in this course will feature experiential learning through observation, action, inquiry, and reflection. We will observe public art on campus, visit art galleries, attend literary readings and performances (music, theatre, and dance), and view new films by local filmmakers. You will engage in lively, interdisciplinary discussions with local artists and creators, participate in workshops, and even conduct original research on a UNM-related artist or creator through the unique collections in UNM’s Center for Southwest Research. Our whole class will sometimes attend such excursion experiences together, while other times you will visit places and attend performances in small groups or by yourself. Although some limits will apply, all admission fees or ticket costs will be free to students enrolled in this course. Through the journey of this course, we will emphasize active learning, critical thinking, and personal interpretation that will empower you to deepen your skills in close observation, communication, community engagement, and creative thinking.

Texts

Anne Hillerman, Lonely Birds
Amaris Ketcham, Poetic Inventory of the Sandia Mountains
Anna Nogar, Sisters in Blue/Hermanas de Azul
Betsy James, Breathing Stone: Living Small in a Southwest Village
Other topics to be studied available online may include: music compositions by Raven Chacon; art by Federico Vigil; murals, mosaics, and sculptures on the UNM campus; flamenco and other dance performances; theatre performances by or produced at UNM; violin-making at the New Mexico Musical Heritage workshop; films by UNM FDMA students; and experimental music.

Requirements

About the Instructor(s): Leslie Donovan

Leslie Donovan completed the Honors Program and her BA and MA at UNM before earning her PhD in Medieval English Literature from the University of Washington in Seattle. She has published works on J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf, Old English women, and honors teaching. Dr. Donovan has been honored with multiple outstanding teaching awards, including UNM’s Presidential Teaching Award. Her most recent courses tend to revolve around creative expression, the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, future studies, and others.