Approved by Faculty Senate March 30, 2009
[Jan 2009 Approved Proposal with Changes to made by V Colaizzi, Interim Chair, Art Dept, to reflect current course]
Summary of Changes: Different text; Homework added in addition to Exams; Exam format amended to include explanation of questions as “factual and analytical”; Notification of Powerpoints posted on D2L
University Studies Course Proposal: Arts And Sciences Core
HUMANITIES: ART 221 Art History I
Requirements and learning activities that promote students' abilities to
a. Identify and understand specific elements and assumptions of Art History as a Humanistic discipline:
ART 221 is designed as a broad survey of the History of Western Art. 221 extending from Prehistory through the Middle Ages. It is aimed at the BA student majoring in Art but open to the interested general student as well.
The class provides a knowledge base in the History of Art fostering an understanding of
1. art as a non-verbal means of communication (as a language of visual forms having its own vocabulary and structure);
2. the role of iconography in establishing the content of works of art;
3. the interaction among a work's iconography and its visual style;
4. the concept of style and attendant iconographies as a means of measuring art-historical changes across time and space among those cultures under investigation;
hence students must be able to
5. identify period styles and works of individual artists and their styles
Performance in examinations, which include essay material, determine the degree to which students have been able to identify and understand this fundamental basis art-historical studies.
b. Understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations:
Students learn via lectures, videos, and their reading assignments, of the means by which these factors fundamentally affect the creation of art: how the visual arts serve as both individual and cultural expression informed by religious, political, social, and economic conditions, as well as artistic traditions; how the artist perceives and processes the world in a given time and place; the circumstances of patronage and audience response, of politics, art politics, and economics; the social purposes of a given work; the intentions of the artist; the impact of prevailing and changing art theories, etc.
More specifically, students in ART 221 are expected to demonstrate their understanding of
1. the role of magic and ritual as a basis for the art of prehistoric peoples;
2. the ancient conventions of artistic representation and their symbolic import;
3. the Humanistic significance of Graeco-Roman forms of artistic representation;
4. the Christian rejection of Humanism in favor of an art embodying the spiritual values of the new faith;
5. the interaction during the early Middle Ages between Barbarian art forms and those surviving from Classical antiquity;
6. the role of women in the ancient and medieval worlds;
7. the formal and structural character of Medieval cathedrals, the role of their sculpture, and the religious values embodied in the total ensemble; and
8. the pictorial innovations of Italian artists of the Middle Ages as a basis for the coming Renaissance.
Performance in examinations, which include essay material, determine the degree to which students have understood how contexts and values inform the creation and interpretation of works of art.
c. Understand the role of critical analysis in interpreting and evaluating works of art:
Iconographic and formal analyses of works of art in class and in the text, reading assignments, study guides, and examination reviews enable the student in ART 221 to
1. develop critical and analytical skills in evaluating works of art,
and to employ
2. such factual information as the broad purposes and functions of specific modes of art, the techniques employed, and general chronologies and dating of style periods and individual works
so as to
3. discern differences and recognize similarities between period styles and articulate them in well written essays
Examination essay questions using slides of works of art measure how well the student has grasped both the role and mechanisms of art-critical analysis.
Art 221 Art History I Syllabus
This course fulfills 3 credits of the Arts and Sciences Core Requirement in the Humanities area of the University Studies Program.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND CONTENT
The following objectives address the learning outcomes for Humanities' courses in the University Studies Program:
A. Identify and understand specific elements and assumptions of Art History as a Humanistic discipline:
Art 221 is designed as a broad survey of the History of Western Art from Prehistory through the Middle Ages. It is aimed at the BA student majoring in Art but open to the interested general student as well.
The class provides a knowledge base in the History of Art fostering an understanding of
1. art as a non-verbal means of communication (as a language of visual forms having its own vocabulary and structure);
2. the role of iconography in establishing the content of works of art;
3. the interaction among a work's iconography and its visual style;
4. the concept of style and attendant iconographies as a means of measuring art-historical changes across time and space among those cultures under investigation; hence the student must be able
5. to identify period styles and works of individual artists and their styles
Performance in examinations, which include essay material, determine the degree to which students have been able to identify and understand this fundamental basis of art-historical studies.
B. Understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations of the world and human experience:
Students learn via lectures, videos, and their readings of the means by which these factors affect the creation of art: how the visual arts serve as both individual and cultural expression informed by religious, political, social, and economic conditions, as well as artistic traditions; how the artist perceives and processes the world in a given time and place; the circumstances of patronage and audience response, of politics, art politics, and economics; the social purposes of a given work; the intentions of the artist; the impact of prevailing and changing art theories, etc.
More specifically, students in ART 221 are expected to demonstrate their understanding of
1. the role of magic and ritual as a basis for the art of prehistoric peoples;
2. the ancient conventions of artistic representation and their symbolic import;
3. the Humanistic significance of Graeco-Roman forms of artistic representation;
4. the Christian rejection of Humanism in favor of an art embodying the spiritual values of the new faith;
5. the interaction during the early Middle Ages between Barbarian art forms and those surviving from Classical antiquity;
6. the role of women in the ancient and medieval worlds;
7. the formal and structural character of Medieval cathedrals, the role of their sculpture, and the religious values embodied in the total ensemble; and
8. the pictorial innovations of Italian artists of the Middle Ages as a basis for the coming Renaissance.
Performance in examinations, which include essay material, determine the degree to which students have understood how contexts and values inform the creation and interpretation of works of art.
C. Understand the role of critical analysis in interpreting and evaluating works of art:
Iconographic and formal analyses of works of art in class and in the text, readings, study guides, and examination reviews enable the student in ART 221 to
1. develop critical and analytical skills in evaluating works of art, and to employ
2. such factual information as the broad purposes and functions of specific modes of art, the techniques employed, and general chronologies and dating of style periods and individual works, so as to
3. discern differences and recognize similarities between period styles and articulate them in well written essays.
Examination essay questions using slides of works of art measure how well the student has grasped both the role and mechanisms of art-critical analysis.
TEXTBOOK
Required Text: Marilyn Stokstad, et al. Art History, Third Edition (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; Prentice-Hall, 2008, 2005).
COURSE FORMAT
Lectures and occasional videos. Class discussion is encouraged and questions are always welcome.
All visual material will be given as Powerpoints. These Powepoints will be available for download on D2L as a study aid. They include mostly images from the text, with a few additional images. These powerpoints often recombine images from the text to illustrate points and compare or contrast works of art.
REQUIREMENTS
Homework assignments:
Formal analyses of works of art of students’ choice, both from the text and from direct observation in local/regional museums/galleries. Formal analyses should include also include discussions of content and context.
A library research assignment in which the student finds sources on a work of art of his/her choosing.
Personal reactions to two departmental events (exhibitions or visiting artist lectures)
Four exams including the final. Final exam is not cumulative.
EXAMS
Will consist of the following:
A. Visual and Non-visual questions such as image identification, multiple choice or short answer, drawn from text and lectures. Questions may be factual or analytical. For example: you may need to tell me if it’s the Pantheon or the Parthenon, or you may need to tell me how we know a particular sculpture is Archaic and not Hellenistic.
B. Essay question based on slides involving matters of style, meaning or interpretation, art-historical or cultural significance, etc.; of a comparative nature.
NOTE: For the specifics of each exam, see next page. A review of the test material will be held prior to each exam, and a study guide in question format will be posted on D2L
-- If you miss a test, I will accept only written documentation to allow you to reschedule.
Each case considered on an individual basis.
GRADING
Grading Criteria for the course: (please don’t ask me to calculate your grade during the course.)
Test One 20%
Test Two 20%
Test Three 20%
Test Four 20%
Homework 20%
COURSE SCHEDULE
The topics that follow embrace those activities and requirements, as stated on page 1, expected of Humanities courses in the University Studies Program. Such activities and requirements promote the abilities of ART 221 students to
A. Identify and understand the specific elements and assumptions of Art History as a Humanistic discipline.
B. Understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations.
C. Understand the role of critical analysis in interpreting and evaluating works of art.
Everything you turn in must be typed and double-spaced.
There may be an opportunity to submit additional homework assignments for extra credit on your homework grade.
READ YOUR SYLLABUS CAREFULLY FOR HOMEWORK DUE DATES.
Policies: (to become effective after the first week of class)
-- Attendance: Every three absences will result in a lowering of your final grade by 5%. In some cases reasonable excuses will be accepted, with documentation, at my discretion.
-- Lateness: Do not come to class late. You are late if you are not present when I take roll. If this becomes a recurrent problem, incidents may be treated as absence, with the consequential lowering of your grade.
-- Turn off your cell phones. If this becomes a recurrent problem, incidents may be treated as lateness or absence.
-- No late writing assignments will be accepted. ½ up to one week.
-- If you miss a test, I will accept only written documentation to allow you to reschedule.
-- extra credit: maybe
Class Schedule with readings, subject to adjustment. A note on readings: when you can, skim the reading before class and revisit afterwards, paying attention to the works and ideas covered in class. It will be necessary to skip a significant amount of material in the book.
MON AUG 25 Intro to class; Use Notes, Starter Kit, and Introduction xxv-xlvii
WED AUG 27 looking exercise, possibly Prehist. Art in Europe, 1-23
FRI AUG 29 Prehist. Art in Europe, 1-23
Last day to clear in-progress (IP) grades from Spring 2007 & Summer 2007 courses
Last day to drop courses with 100% tuition refund
MON SEPT 1
Labor Day holiday (no classes/offices closed)
WED SEPT 3 Ch. 2: Art of the Ancient Near East, 24-41
FRI SEPT 5 Art of the Ancient Near East, 42-51
MON SEPT 8 Ch. 3: Art of Ancient Egypt, 48-69
ANALYSIS ONE
WED SEPT 10 Ch. 3: Art of Ancient Egypt, 70-81
FRI SEPT 12 Ch. 4 Aegean Art, 82-105
MON SEPT 15 Catch up and review
WED SEPT 17 EXAM ONE
FRI SEPT 19 Ch. 5 Art of Ancient Greece, 106-135
MON SEPT 22 Ch. 5 Art of Ancient Greece, 135-157
ANALYSIS TWO
WED SEPT 24 Ch. 5 Art of Ancient Greece, 157-167
FRI SEPT 26 Catch up and review
MON SEPT 29 Ch. 6 Etruscan Art and Roman Art, 168-185
WED OCT 1 Ch. 6 Etruscan Art and Roman Art, 185-213
FRI OCT 3 Ch. 6 Etruscan Art and Roman Art, 213-231
MON OCT 6 Catch up and review
WED OCT 8 EXAM TWO
FRI OCT 10 Student Fall Break Day – Non-Class Faculty Duty Day (no classes/offices open)
MON OCT 13 Ch. 8 Islamic Art, 283-309
WED OCT 15 Catch up and review and/or Ch. 9 Art of India before 1200, 310-341
ANALYSIS THREE
FRI OCT 17 Catch up and review
Midterm: this is a date, not a test.
Last day to clear incompletes (I) from Spring & Summer 2008 courses
DUE ON OR BEFORE THIS DATE: DEPARTMENTAL EVENT REPORT ONE
MON OCT 20 Ch. 10 Chinese Art before 1280, 343-371
WED OCT 22 Catch up and review
FRI OCT 24 Ch. 11 Japanese Art before 1392, 372-393
MON OCT 27 Catch up and review
WED OCT 29 Ch. 12 Art of the Americas before 1300, 394-419
FRI OCT 31 Ch. 13 Art of Ancient Africa, 420-439
MON NOV 3 Catch up and review
WED NOV 5 EXAM THREE
FRI NOV 7 Ch. 7 Jewish, Early Christian, and Byzantine Art, 232-262
MON NOV 10
Veterans' Day Holiday (no classes/offices closed)
WED NOV 12 Ch. 7 Jewish, Early Christian, and Byzantine Art, 262-281
Last day to withdraw from Fall 2008 courses Thursday, November 13, 2008
FRI NOV 14 Catch up and review
MON NOV 17 Ch. 14 Early Medieval Art in Europe, 440-459
ANALYSIS FOUR
WED NOV 19 Ch. 14 Early Medieval, 459-471 Ch. 15 Romanesque Art, 472-494