ARTH 210: Greek Art & Archaeology

3 credit hours

Spring 2017 | T-TH | EHFA 136

Dr. Elizabeth Baltes |

Course Description

This course surveys the art and archaeology of ancient Greece, introducing the major monuments of Greek architecture, sculpture, and painting from the Iron Age through the Hellenistic period.Special emphasis will be placed on artistic and architectural innovations, as well as on archaeological context.

Textbook

Judith Barringer, The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece (2016)

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, students will have a basic understanding of:

  • The chronological development of Greek art and architecture
  • The different materials, techniques, and technologies of artistic production employed in Greece between ca. 700 BCE and 31 BCE, as well how they were used to articulate meaning and function
  • The major artists, patrons, political leaders, objects, monuments, and sitesof this period, as well as their relationship to the changing political and cultural landscape of ancient Greece
  • The significance of archaeological context (or the lack of it) to our understanding and interpretation of material culture

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify major works of art and architecture from ancient Greece, as well as major art historical time periods, important leaders and patrons, and significant artistic developments
  • Describe, analyze, and compare works of art and architecture produced in ancient Greece
  • Analyze and interpret basic regional trends in artistic style and production using appropriate art historical and archaeological vocabulary

Course Components

  • Weekly quizzes (~2% each; 30% total)
  • Monument reports (15% each; 30% total)
  • Exams (20% each; 40% total)

Evaluation and Grading

Weekly quizzes are designed to help you stay on top of assigned readings and study consistently throughout the semester. Each quiz will cover only the material from the preceding week (i.e., they are not cumulative). Questions may appear in the form of slide identification, fill in the blank, and short answer. No make-ups will be given.

Monument reports will be assessed on both a brief (10 minute or less) in-class presentation on the assigned monument, as well as a written “study guide” that will be turned in. The study guide should include the major features of your assigned monument (who, what, when, where, why), relevant/useful images (crediting the source), and a brief bibliography of 2–3 academic sources (in addition to any other sources used). Monument reports are integrated into class lectures and, therefore, must be given on the assigned due date.

Exams will test your knowledge of individual works of Roman art and architecture, your ability to analyze and compare them, and your command of vocabulary and broader themes discussed in class. Questions may appear in the form of multiple choice, slide identification, unknown slide identification, fill in the blank, and short answer. Both exams will be cumulative. You are expected to take exams on the day they are given. The courtesy of a make-up exam will be offered only in the most unusual (and documented) of circumstances.

Grading Scale

A+ = 100 (exams only) | A = 99–90

B+ = 89–88 | B = 87–80

C+ = 79–78 | C = 77–70

D+ = 69–68 | D = 67–60

F = 59 and below

FX = fail due to academic dishonesty

Attendance Policy

Students are obligated to attend class regularly, and your full participation in class discussion is expected. Both attendance and participation are essential for learning and for intellectual development. Participation, however, requires preparation.You shouldread assignments carefully, take notes, ask questions, and suggest answers. Coming to class having reviewed the text and your lecture notes is the best way to prepare for class.

Absences, excused or not, do not absolve students from the responsibility of completing all assigned work promptly. Excused absences are determined at the instructor’s discretion and are typically limited to unavoidable, documented academic or medical reasons.

As per University policy, an instructor is permitted to impose apenalty, including assigning the grade of F, for unexcused absences in excess of 25 percent of the regularly scheduled class meetings. See the Student Handbook for the University’s attendance policy.

Class Etiquette

Coastal Carolina University is an academic community that expects the highest standards of honesty, integrity and personal responsibility. Members of this community are accountable for their actions and are committed to creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. Courteous social interaction in the classroom is mandatory for maintaining a productive learning environment, and the following policies are intended to promote that environment:

  • Please arrive on time for class.
  • Keep talking and rummaging in backpacks to a minimum during class time.
  • No cell phone or laptop use during class.
  • Class ends on time: please wait until I end the lecture before packing up your notebooks and flipping down tray tables.
  • Please be respectful of other students during class lecture and discussion. When others are speaking, remain quiet and wait until the instructor or student is finished talking if you wish to ask a question/participate in class discussion.
  • Please be respectful of thoughts that maybe different from your own.

If a student fails to observe any of these policies or is disruptive in any other ways, the instructor reserves the right to have them leave class and will be counted as absent for the day.

Academic Integrity

You are responsible for your own work. Using information from another source (book, article, internet site, another student, etc.) without properly crediting the author is plagiarism. Direct quotations, paraphrased information, and the general use of another person’s idea must be referenced in your work. The penalty for violations such as plagiarism, cheating, or other misconduct may result in a failing grade for the assignment and/or in the course and may result in further disciplinary action:

Students with Disabilities

Coastal Carolina University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. If you are seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are required to register with the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services.

To receive academic accommodations for this class, please obtain the proper forms and meet with me to discuss the provisions of those accommodations as soon as possible.

Syllabus Policy

Your continued enrollment in this course indicates that you have read and agree to comply with these policies.

This syllabus—including the schedule and assignments—is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. It is the responsibility of each student to note any changes announced in class or posted on Moodle.

Course Outline

Week 1: Introduction

Introduction

Monument Reports: A How-To Guide

Week 2: Bronze to Iron

The End of the Bronze Age

The So-Called “Dark Age” of Greece

Week 3: The Geometric period

Ceramics, Trade, and Colonization

The Greek Sanctuary

Week 4: The Archaic Period

The Greek Sanctuary

Sculpture

Week 5: The Archaic Period

Pottery

Archaic Athens and the Persian Wars

Week 6: The Classical Period | 5th-Century Athens

The Agora and the Kerameikos

The Acropolis

Week 7: The Classical Period

Looking Beyond Athens: Olympia and Delphi

The Art of Bronze

Week 8: Mid-term

Review

Exam 1

Week 9: The Late Classical Period

Urban and Sacred Landscapes

Sculpture

Week 10: The Late Classical Period and the Rise of Alexander

Vergina, Paintings, and Mosaics

Alexander

Week 11: The Hellenistic Period

Portrait statues

Sculpture

Week 12: The Hellenistic Period

Sculpture (continued)

Architecture

Week 13: The Hellenistic Period and Roman Conquest

Delos

What is Greek? What is Roman?

Week 14: The Afterlife of Greek Art

Conservation, Controversies, Agendas, Threats

Review