Course Syllabus

Syllabus.pdf 

IDS 2935: Gardens to Read and Visit 

Quest 1: Nature and Culture 

 

I. General Information 

Class Meetings 

• Tuesdays periods 5 and 6; Thursdays period 6 
• Architecture Room 213
• Course Format: primarily classroom; Enrollment Capacity: 35 residential students. 
• "Field Trips" meet in our classroom and are always to destinations on the UF main campus. Field trips are announced; be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. If you need accommodation, please let the instructor know at the beginning of the semester, and accommodations will be made

This is a course with one section. It is offered only to residential students and all required meetings are at the same time for all registered students. The class meets 100% in person, and there are no graduate teaching assistants. There is an undergraduate peer teaching assistant.

Instructors 

• Victoria Pagán, PhD, "Dr. pah-GAHN" (not pagan)
• 115C Dauer Hall, enter at 125 Dauer 
• Office Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday period 5 and by appointment 
• 352-273-3696 
• Please email me using the "Mail" feature in Canvas. Emails sent to my ufl.edu risk getting lost
• Be advised I generally do not check email between 8 pm and 8 am. You can expect a response within 24 hours.
• Hattie Johnson, Undergraduate Peer Teaching Assistant
• 115 Dauer Hall, enter at 125 Dauer
• Office Hours: 2:00-3:00 Tuesdays
• johnson.hattie@ufl.edu

Course Description 

Why do we create gardens? Such a question invites investigation from a variety of disciplines: landscape architecture; art history; history; literature; philosophy. Gardens are cultural artifacts that are embedded in the natural world; they exist between nature and culture. While gardens may seem permanent, and even eternal (think of Eden or Paradise), they are in fact ephemeral spaces that change with every passing moment. As places where life blooms and decays, gardens remind us of the essential fact of our mortality even as they promise eternity. In this course we will discover that gardens are beautiful and emotional, but also political and ideological. Above all, gardens are enclosures, and so they continually invite transgression and beg the questions, who is allowed in the garden, who are gardens for? Drawing on Homer’s Odyssey, Vergil’s Georgics, select writings by African American women and others, the many gardens on the University of Florida campus, and objects at the Harn Museum of Art, we will explore the essential question: why do we create gardens? 

 Quest and General Education Credit 

• Quest 1
• Humanities 

This course accomplishes the Quest and General Education objectives of the subject areas listed above. A minimum grade of C is required for Quest and General Education credit. Courses intended to satisfy Quest and General Education requirements cannot be taken S-U. 

Required Textbooks 

1. Fallon, Peter, translator. 2006. Virgil: Georgics. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford. 

2. Emily Wilson, translator. 2017. The Odyssey by Homer. W. W. Norton. 

All other readings provided in Canvas. Materials and Supplies Fees: n/a 

 

II. Graded Work 

Description of Graded Work Assignment	Description	Requirements	Points
Comprehension Questions	To help prepare for class discussion, you will answer questions on select readings before the class meeting.	5 @ 20 points each	100
UF Garden	Visit a garden on the UF campus and compose a “Spark Story” in which you (1) describe the physical features that make the space a proper garden as per the definition developed in discussion based on the essays by St-Denis and Hunt; (2) describe your emotional response to the garden; and (3) conjecture about the meaning of the garden to the UF community. In what ways is the garden a site of contest as defined by McKay?	Spark Story	150
Wilmot Garden	Based on our class visit to Wilmot Garden compose a “Spark Story” in which you (1) describe the activities that take place in the garden; (2) identify the labor force(s) that maintain the garden; and (3) discuss the social and even political impact of the garden on the immediate community. Connect the horticultural therapy program to our readings.	Spark Story	150
Harn Visual Analysis	Based on our class visit to the Harn Museum, find a work in the museum that is a visual representation of a garden. Using what you’ve learned in class, write a 500-word analysis of the representation of time. How does the work of art convey the temporality of the garden? Connect the artifact to our readings.	500 words	150
Georgics  Analytical Essay	What does Vergil’s Georgics have to do with gardens? What themes in the poem contribute to our understanding of the gardens? Drawing on our theoretical readings, be sure to back up your thesis with evidence from the text.	1000 words	300
Final Reflection	Write a personal statement for admission to graduate or professional school, or a cover letter, in which you describe how this class has prepared you for your future career. What practical applications, writing skills, social applications, critical thinking or other abilities have you developed this semester that contribute to your professional development?	250 words	50
Attendance	Attendance will be taken using “Roll Call” in Canvas. Your grade is based on the number of times you attend divided by the number of times our class meets. The UF policy on absences will be followed.		100
Note on Weekly Reading	Readings are drawn from books, scholarly journal articles, chapters in books, and works of literature. Although the number of pages will seem high, please note that the Odyssey and Georgics are poems, so that much of the page is “white space.” All of our readings are richly illustrated, which also adds to the page count.
TOTAL			1000

 

Grading Scale 

For information on how UF assigns grade points, visit: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/grades-grading-policies/

A	94 – 100%	C	74 – 76%
A-	90 – 93%	C-	70 – 73%
B+	87 – 89%	D+	67 – 69%
B	84 – 86%	D	64 – 66%
B-	80 – 83%	D-	60 – 63%
C+	77 – 79%	E	<60

 

III. Weekly Schedule

All readings available in Canvas, except for Vergil and Homer

*indicates walking to a location on campus

WEEKS 1-2 DEFINING GARDENS

January 10: Introduction; Read St-Denis

January 12: *Yardley Gardens

January 15: Comprehension Question 1 due

January 17: Read Hunt

January 19: *Grebe Garden

January 22: Comprehension Question 2 due

WEEKS 3-4 POLITICAL GARDENS

January 24: Read McKay Intro, Chapter 1, 2

January 26: Read McKay Chapters 3-4

January 31: *University Gardens

February 2: Read McKay Chapter 5

February 5: First Spark Story due

WEEK 5 INTERSECTIONS

February 7: Read Kincaid, Walker, Sills, hooks

February 9: *Divine Nine: National Panhellenic Council Garden

February 12: Comprehension Question 3 due

WEEKS 6-7 REPRESENTATIONS

February 14: Harn Museum of Art

February 16: Read Hunt, Pagán

February 21:  Harn Museum of Art

February 23: present your objects in class VIA PADLET

February 26: Harn Visual Analysis due

WEEKS 8-9 HORTICULTURAL THERAPY

February 28: *Wilmot Gardens

March 2: Read Deihl article, and two chapters

March 7: Read Harrison

March 9: Class discussion

March 10: Second Spark Story due

SPRING BREAK

WEEKS 10-12 VERGIL'S GEORGICS (required textbook)

March 21: Book 1

March 23: *Cross Over Event: Turlington Plaza with Dr. Dedenbach

March 28: Books 2 and 3

March 30: Book 4

April 4: *Library Special Collections with PADLET activity

April 6: Book 4 and Hadestown

April 8: Analytical Essay due

WEEKS 13-15 HOMER'S ODYSSEY (required textbook)

April 11: Books 1-6

April 13: Books 7-12

April 18: Books 13-18

April 20: Books 19-24; Comprehension Question 4 due

April 26: Reflection due

 

 

IV. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) 

At the end of this course, students will be expected to have achieved the Quest and General Education learning outcomes as follows: 

Content: Students demonstrate competence in the terminology, concepts, theories and methodologies used within the discipline(s). 

• Students will be able to identify, describe, and explain the concept of a garden as a cultural artifact embedded in the natural world, and the different modes of visual and verbal representation used by artists and poets; identify and critique political and social contexts in which gardens are created; perceive, beyond the artist’s aesthetic intentions, the hidden costs of gardens, the exploitations of gender, race, and class that gardens are built on. 
• Student competencies will be assessed through discussion board posts and the First Spark Story. 
• These competencies achieve UF Quest and Humanities Student Learning Outcomes for Content. 

Critical Thinking: Students carefully and logically analyze information from multiple perspectives and develop reasoned solutions to problems within the discipline(s). 

• Students will be able to analyze and evaluate works of visual art and poetry in their social and political contexts; make connections between individual gardens and garden representations and the larger theoretical frameworks that guide the study of gardens; create for themselves frameworks for interpreting any and all gardens that they will experience for the rest of their lives. 
• Student competencies will be assessed through the Harn Visual Analysis; the Analytical Essay; and the Reflection Essay. 
• These competencies achieve UF Quest and Humanities Student Learning Outcomes for Critical Thinking. 

Communication: Students communicate knowledge, ideas and reasoning clearly and effectively in written and oral forms appropriate to the discipline(s). 

• Students will be able to develop and present clear and effective responses in oral, visual, and written form, to the theoretical readings, visual arts encountered at the museum; the physical spaces on the University of Florida campus; and the poetry of Vergil and Homer from the ancient Mediterranean world. 
• Student competencies will be assessed through the Harn Visual Analysis; Analytical Essay; Discussion Board Posts; Spark Stories. 
• These competencies achieve UF Quest and Humanities Student Learning Outcomes for Communication. 

Connection: Students connect course content with meaningful critical reflection on their intellectual, personal, and professional development at UF and beyond. 

• Students will be able to connect course content with critical reflection on their intellectual, personal, and professional development at UF and beyond 
• Student competencies will be assessed through the Reflection Essay. 
• This competency achieves UF Quest Student Learning Outcome for Connection. 

 

V. Quest Learning Experiences 

1. Details of Experiential Learning Component 

Together as a class we will visit the Harn Museum of Art for two class periods to explore exhibits relating to gardens. One visit will be guided, the other will be open. We will attend a special presentation about the history and contributions of Wilmot Garden, by Leah Deihl, master gardener and curator of Wilmot Garden. We will take walking tours in central campus to visit Yardley Gardens, the Bird Garden, and the Plaza of the Americas. 

• For students who need special accommodations for the walking tours, please register with the DRC (see “Required Policies” below) and accommodations will be made for virtual, on-line tours. 

For students whose course schedules make travel to and from the Harn prohibitive, alternate times will be arranged for visits with the professor together with other classmates. 

2. Details of Self-Reflection Component 

Write a personal statement for admission to graduate study or professional school in which you describe how this class has prepared you for your future career. If you do not plan on applying to graduate or professional school, you can frame the essay as a personal reflection, or you can frame the essay as a letter, addressed to someone to whom you wish to explain what you learned in this class. 

I admit that the question assumes a fair degree of satisfaction on your part. You might rather play "devil's advocate," and reflect on how "useless" the course proved to be. If this is the case, then I ask you to include a procataleptic refutation based on this quote from Pliny the Elder: "No book is so bad as to not have something of use in some part of it" (Pliny, Epistles 3.5.10). 

 

 

VI. Required Policies 

Attendance Policy 

Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance

Students Requiring Accommodation 

Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the disability Resource Center by visiting https://disability.ufl.edu/students/get-started/. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester. 

UF Evaluations Process 

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/. 

University Honesty Policy 

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Honor Code (https://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/ ) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class. 

Counseling and Wellness Center 

Contact information for the Counseling and Wellness Center:http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/ , 392-1575; and the University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies. 

The Writing Studio 

The writing studio is committed to helping University of Florida students meet their academic and professional goals by becoming better writers. Visit the writing studio online at http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/ or in 2215 Turlington Hall for one-on-one consultations and workshops. 

In-Class Recordings 

Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor. 

A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session. 

Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.