ART 111:ThePaleolithic Era through the Middle Ages
Course Syllabus
Bronze handle attachment in the form of a mask, Late Hellenistic or Early Imperial, 1st century B.C.E. – 1st century A.D., Greek or Roman, bronze, 10 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
Instructor: Sarah Shirk, M. Liberal Studies
E-mail:
Course Description:
Students enrolled in ART 111 will study works of art and their aesthetics within the framework of their original social, political and spiritual contexts. Western theories of art, aesthetics, value and use will be defined. Course activities may include, but are not limited to, field trips, discussions, writing assignments, exams, small-group work, and presentations. As well, online collections of art will be frequently visited, including those at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City and the British Museum of Art of London.
Textbook:
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Concise Global History, Third Edition.
Author: Fred S. Kleiner, Boston University.
ISBN-10: 0495503460. ISBN-13: 9780495503460.
Publisher: Pearson.
Copyright: 2012.
Course Goals:
1.)Understand aesthetic experience and artistic creativity. (Associate Degree Outcome 6)
2.)Work in small groups in order to facilitate an atmosphere of respectful and productive discussion and collaboration. (Associate Degree Outcome 9)
3.)Trace the on-going development of art and architecture.
4.)Recognize the critical components of each style, period, and canon of art history.
5.)Understand the cultural/social and technological forces that shaped artifacts, aesthetics, and functions.
6.)Articulate connections between macro histories and case studies.
7.)Develop visual literacy.
8.)Analyze art and architecture for their essential formal elements.
9.)Use vocabulary terms to discuss and describe art and architecture.
10.)Demonstrate interpretation and critical analysis skills through discussion and in writing.
Student Responsibilities:
Be mindful of the course calendar, and remember that late work is not permitted.
Be aware of the required parameters of each assignment, and work within those parameters.
Allow yourself to seek assistance from the instructor or the College whenever you need it.
Resist any urge to plagiarize on any assignment (including weekly discussion boards).
Manage your time mindfully, particularly in relation to assignments that require self-regulation.
Course Activities and Methods of Evaluation:
Participation in Online Discussions: Online discussions will be the primary mode of learning and communication in this class.
Students have been assigned to one of the small groups listed below, and will work with their assigned group in weekly discussions over the course of the semester.
Group A / Ruben Kroll, John Imperial, Corey Klavon, Lisa Yuhas, Stephanie LaytonGroup B / Kaitlin Mitchell, Renay Smith, Bethany Semora, Kelly Stewart, Jennfier Campbell
Group C / Nichole Murphy, Elaina Myers, Angela Stevens, Christopher Brown, Brooke Ellsworth
Group D / Kristen Dahlin, Nicole Wisnewski, Jennifer Celtrick, Traci Holland
Group E / Autumn Moore, Barbara Slayton, Lisa Carroll, Stephanie Heckaman, Tiffany Terrill
Every week, discussions will open on Monday morning, and will close on Saturday at 11:55 pm.
It is important that everyone participatesregularly (e.g. - every other day, at a minimum) and contributesquality content every time.
The success of each discussion is ultimately in your hands; I can provide you with the materials to study, but you are the only one who can commit to engaging in meaningful, directed, and inquisitive discussions.
Each Sunday, your participation in discussion will be graded using the following rubric, and award up to 20 points.Late posts will be deleted and will not receive credit.
Discussion Board Rubric
5 / 3 / 0Factual Accuracy / Posts contain factually accurate information / Posts contain 1 or 2 minor errors pertaining to factual accuracy / Posts contain 3 or more factual errors, or appear to lack a basis in fact-based academic study
Personal Opinions, Ideas, and/or Insights / Posts incorporate the personal opinions, ideas, and/or insightsof the students in a polite, respectful manner / Posts either do not incorporate substantial personal opinions, ideas, and/or insights, or do so in a manner that is less than polite or respectful / Posts lack personalization through the inclusion of opinions, ideas, and/or insights, or contain disrespectful or hurtful language
Analysis / All relevant works of art are analyzed in terms of their formal traits as well as their historic/cultural significance / Analysis of works of art is insubstantial or inaccurate, or fails to consider both formal traits and historic/cultural significance / Analysis of formal traits and historic/cultural significance is missing
Research Contribution / Students locate, study, and share one online academic resource each week / Research contribution is poorly presented (indicating it was not adequately studied) / Research contribution is missing, or is not appropriate for academic study
Vocabulary Quiz: A vocabulary quizwill be released each Monday, and must be completed by Wednesday at 11:45 pm. Students may open the quiz only once, and have 45 minutes in which to complete the quiz.The rationale behind the early deadline is to give you the opportunity to applyvocabulary terms in that week’s Discussion Board posts. Vocabulary quizzes are worth up to 10 points.
Field Trip:Between the days ofJuly 17-20, students will need to travel toAnn Arbor and visit the Street Art Fairand theUniversity of Michigan’s Museum of Art. I will leave from JCC’s North Campus at 9:30amon Wednesday, July 17th and drive to the Art Fair; anyone who wants to caravan into Ann Arbor is welcome to meet me in room 107 at 9:15. Friends and family (including children) are welcome to attend.
While visiting the Art Fair and the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art, students will compose two informal essays identifying and examiningone work of art from the Street Art Fair and one work from the Museum’s collection.Identify both works completely, and provide a thoroughanalysis of each. Take notes on your initial impressions, how the works impact you emotionally, and the way the artists organized the formal elements to lead you toward a specific response. Each informal essay should be one page long. Include well-developed sketches as visual evidence to support your essays. (Don’t be afraid to draw. Sketching makes you look more closely at the art and allows you to see things you missed before. It will help you understand aspects of the work the artist wanted to emphasize.)
Both informal essays are to be submitted by 11:55 pm on Sunday, July 21st, and must be accompanied by photocopies of all notes and sketches from the trip, as well as a relic of some sort. A relic may be a pamphlet that you pick up at the museum, or a photograph of yourself at the museum. (If students don’t have access to a scanner at home, they can go to the JCC library on main campus and use the scanner there.) Essays, notes, and sketches will be graded according to the following rubric, and will award up to 40 points.
Informal Essays and Sketch Rubric
Complete Identification / 10The works are identified completely, including the date, location, type of art, medium, scale, and brief visual analysis. / 5
The identification of the works are missing 1 or 2 elements. / 0
The works are not identified according to type of art, medium, scale, or visual analysis.
Impact on Viewer / 10
The appeal and impact on the viewer is described in detail, showing evidence of self-reflection and awareness for the way that the works of art inspire an emotional experience in the viewer. / 5
The appeal and impact on the viewer is briefly alluded to, but not elaborated upon. / 0
The appeal and impact on the viewer is not discussed.
Evidence of On-Site Note-Taking / 10
Substantial notes and a relic are included, which were taken during the student’s on-site experience with the works. / 5
Notes and a relic are included, but are either insubstantial or appear to have been taken after the field trip. / 0
Notes or relic are missing.
Sketch / 10
One detailed sketch of each work of art is included, and demonstrates careful analysis of the artist’s use of composition. / 5
Sketches are included, but appear off-the-cuff, underdeveloped, and/or does not indicate an analysis of the composition. / 0
One or more sketch is missing.
Article Summary:Students will write a 2-page summary on an art historical article, The Cult of the Virgin and Gothic Sculpture: Evaluating Opposition in the Chartres West Façade Capital Friezeby LauraSpitzer (1994). The article is available for you to download at any time. Summaries must be properly formatted according to the MLA style of writing and include a Works Cited page. Here is a resource on how to properly use MLA:
Images may be included following the Works Cited page. All summaries are due no later than 11:55 pm on Sunday, August 4th. The following rubric will be used to grade the paper, and will award up to 40 points.
Article Summary Rubric
Clarity / 10Writing is clear and logical / 5
Writing is somewhat clear and/or logical / 0
Lacks clarity and/or logical structure
Identification of Thesis and Evidence / 20
Uses adequate information from article in identifying the thesis and evidence used by the author / 10
Uses some information from article in identifying the thesis and evidence used by the author / 0
Inadequate use of information from article in identifying thesis and evidence
Format / 10
Writing is free of errors and meets all format requirements / 5
Writing is mostly free of errors and meets format requirements / 0
Writing has errors and does not meet all format requirements
Research Paper: Over the course of the semester, students will write a2-page paper on a topic of their choice that is related to the content of chapters 1-7. Choose a topic related to a work of art that you are interested in.(Helpful Hint: As the semester progresses, keep an eye out for possible topics for your research paper. Once you decide on a topic, begin searching for academic sources.)
Papers must place works of art within their proper historical and cultural context, and provide a formal and conceptual analysis of at least one work of art.
Papers must be properly formatted according to the MLA style of writing, and include a Works Cited page containing no less than three academic resources (Wikipedia is not accepted). Images are welcomed to be included in the paper following the Works Cited page, but must also include MLA citation.
Papers are due no later than 11:55 pm on Saturday, August10th. Final drafts will be graded according to the following rubric, which will award up to 40 points.
Research Paper Rubric
Clarity and Format / 10Writing is clear, logical, is free of errors and meets format requirements / 5
Writing is somewhat clear, logical, is mostly free of errors and meets format requirements / 0
Lacks clarity and logic in structure, has errors and does not meet all format requirements
Use of Evidence / 10
Uses adequate information in answering questions raised by the artwork / 5
Uses some information in answering questions raised by the artwork / 0
Inadequate use of information about questions raised by the artwork
Reading Proficiency / 10
Demonstrates thoughtful and careful reading of the available information / 5
Writing reflects a moderate understanding of the available information / 0
Writing does not reflect an understanding of the artwork
Depth of Analysis / 10
Writing and thinking go beyond restatement of facts and demonstrate depth through formal and conceptual analysis of artwork / 5
Writing and thinking restate facts and demonstrate some depth through formal and conceptual analysis of artwork / 0
Writing and thinking simply restate facts and demonstrate no depth through formal and conceptual analysis of artwork
Plagiarism Policy:
If any student writing contains data, quotations, or paraphrases from other sources without adequate documentation in MLA, the assignment will be issued a grade of ‘zero’, with no further opportunity for resubmission. In addition, the student’s name will be reported to the Dean. Students who plagiarize may be failed from the course. Furthermore, if an assignment has been graded by the instructor and is then discovered to contain plagiarized content, the grade will be revoked and replaced with a zero, with no further opportunity for resubmission, and a report will be issued to the Dean.
* The instructor is more than willing to help a student understand what constitutes plagiarism, and also how to avoid it through the proper use of MLA citation. If feelings of uncertainty regarding citation occur, students are encouraged to contact the instructor priorto beginning or submitting any writing assignment.
Writing Skills:
As stated in the JCC Catalog, “(c)ollege courses often demand strong writing skills. To ensure your success you may receive assistance with your papers, essays, lab reports, documentation of sources and other written assignments. Find help to get you started with your writing assignments including brainstorming topics, organizing ideas, writing rough drafts, editing, proofreading, citing sources and more. Reference materials, encouragement and computers are available. Both faculty and peer tutors are available on a drop-in basis or by appointment” (22).
Academic Help:
The Center for Student Success is located in Burt Walker Hall Room 123. The Center’s phone number is 517.796.8415, and offers free tutoring, a drop-in learning lab, the Writing Center, assistance with study skills, time management, online class orientation, homework deciphering, and academic advising.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Center for Student Success located in Burt Walker Room 123 or call 517.796.8415 as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Tutoring
Free tutoring is available for this class as well as most courses at JCC. If you would like to work with a tutor please contact visit the Center for Student Success located in Burt Walker Room 123or call 517.796.8415. Faculty and student tutors are available to help you succeed in your studies.
Recommend a tutor
Did you know CSS employs students to serve as peer tutors? We value your opinion and often look to faculty for student tutor recommendations. If you know of a student who excels academically and whom you believe would serve other students well, please submit your recommendation to Kelley Emerson at . Please note, not all recommendations will result in hiring. If we do not have a current need for that course we will keep their name on file for future semester.
Late Work:
Late work is not accepted.
Final Grade Breakdown:
4.0100-93%
3.592-85%
3.084-80
2.579-75
2.074-70
1.569-65
1.0 64-59
0.058-0
Calendar:
April 29-May 5: Introduction to Course and Textbook
May 6-12: The Venus of Willendorf
May 13-19: Paleolithic Cave Art
May 20-26: Ancient Near Eastern Art
May 28-June 2: Egyptian Art (No classes Monday, May 27.)
June 3-9: Classical Greek Art
June 10-16: Hellenistic Greek Art
June 17-23: Roman Art
June 24-30: Byzantine Art
July 1-7: Islamic Art (No classes Thursday, July 4.)
July 8-14: Early Medieval and Romanesque Art
July 15-21: Field Trip
July 22-28: Article Analysis
July 29-August 4: Article Summary
August 5-11: Research Papers
August 12: End of the Semester
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