Summer Session course gives inside look at Art in the Modern World

John Robinson-Appels, guest lecturer in comparative literature and anthropology at Cornell and artistic director of the modern ballet company Company Appels, is once again drawing on his knowledge of the art world to teach the four-credit, summer anthropology course Art in the Modern World: Expressive Culture and Performance (Anthropology 315).

And the deadline for enrolling in this Cornell Summer Session special-program course is fast approaching.

The six-week course, June 24-July 29, will offer students an opportunity to learn from the visual and performing arts by attending music, theater and dance performances and visiting museums and galleries. It is open to any student interested in developing a feeling for different forms of expressive art.

"Anthropology is the perfect discipline for analyzing aesthetic values, feelings and sensations," said Robinson-Appels. "The point of this course is immersion, so the students can view the interior of the artistic experience and look at art in ways beyond our cultural standards."

Students will work in the field and there will be opportunities to meet with gallery dealers, curators, critics, painters, sculptors, writers, dancers, artistic directors, designers, conductors and musicians.

The course will take advantage of the artistic resources on the Cornell campus, including the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, the Tuesday evening classical music series and the Department of Anthropology Collections. Students also will participate in a weekend field trip to New York City to see museums and performances and a Saturday trip to Saratoga Springs to see the New York City Ballet and the National Museum of Dance.

The fee for the course includes tuition, bus transportation and accommodations in New York City, bus transportation to Saratoga Springs, admission to museums and galleries, and tickets to performances.

To enroll in the course, a nonrefundable tuition deposit is due to the Cornell Summer Sessions office in B20 Day Hall by March 1. The remainder of the tuition is due May 1.

For additional information on the course and on enrollment, contact the Cornell School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions at 255-7624 or 255-2987; John Robinson-Appels at 273-1769 or (212) 242-1664; or visit this Web site: http://www.sce.cornell.edu/sp/html/art_modern_world.php.