BREVARD COLLEGE

Brevard, NC

AH 201 Art History I                                                                        Fall 2005

Dr. A. Chapin                                                                                                        Fine Arts Media Room, Sims

Office: 216 Sims Art Building                                                                             TTh  11:30 am – 12:45 pm

Email: chapin@brevard.edu

http://www2.brevard.edu/chapin/annewebpage/

Office Hours:  TTh 9-11 am, Tuesdays 2-3pm and by appointment

Prerequisites: None.

What is Art History?

                Art history throws light on the evolution of human society.  While history provides written records of past events, art objects preserve the actual result of past investments in human imagination, labor, and wealth.  Every art object raises questions: who produced it?  Why?  What was its function?  What does it tell us about that period of human society?  The answers to these questions involve the study of the social, religious, intellectual, and historical contexts of art and form the basis of art history.

Goals and Objectives:

                The goal of this course is to present an introduction to the history of Western art from its earliest appearance in the Paleolithic period of the last Ice Age to the rise of the Renaissance in the fourteenth century AD.  Art objects form many cultures and periods are discussed, including the Egypt, Ancient Near East, the Aegean Bronze Age, Greece, Rome, the Early Christian and Byzantine periods, the Early medieval era and Islamic art, the Romanesque and Gothic periods, and the earliest years of the Italian Renaissance.  Individual art objects—paintings, sculptures, and architectural monuments, drawings, ceramics, and even textiles—are discussed in detail within their social, religious, intellectual, and historical contexts.  The objective is to explore the meaning of an art object within the context of the culture that produced it.  The result is an ever-evolving picture of human society.

Implementation:

                AH 201 is primarily a lecture course with a discussion component.  Individual objects are presented to the class in a lecture setting, but students are frequently asked to participate in group discussions about the objects themselves, about the cultures that produced them, and about comparisons between monuments.  Questions and discussion are greatly encouraged by the professor. 

The students practice many skills in these discussions.  Visual analysis—the process of analyzing what is seen in a work of art—is the foundation of art history and is developed with both the spoken and written word.  Regular quizzes also test knowledge and understanding of the monuments.  Learning to recognize the art objects provides a working visual “vocabulary” while memorizing their dates provides the students with a lasting grasp of historical periods.  Testing develops skills to think and analyze quickly, and paper writing offers the student the opportunity for greater reflection into the meaning of a monument while practicing writing skills.

Teacher's Education: This course meets the following requirements for Art Education Majors. 

•  Standard 1 (Teachers know the content they teach)

Course Requirements:

1.  Attendance

                Class attendance is mandatory.  Students are expected to attend all classes.  Attendance will be taken at every class starting in the second week of class.  Each class attended is worth 4 points for a total of 100 points.  The total attendance grade is equivalent to a midterm exam.

2.  Completion of Reading Assignments

Text:  Art History, 2^nd ed., vol. I, by Marilyn Stokstad.  It is available in the student bookstore.  This book comes with a CD.

3         Quizzes and Exams.

                There will be three exams.  There are also regular quizzes designed to help students keep up with the material.

Quizzes (50 points each).

                Quizzes are designed to test objective information, and consist of slide identifications, definition of terms, multiple choice and true/false questions, etc.  Students may be required to identify important cities and towns on maps.  The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

Exams

There are three essay exams, 100 points each.  Students will be asked to write essays that synthesize the artistic and historical material covered in class.  Possible essay topics are provided before the exam.

Summary of grading:

                Attendance                           100   points

                Midterm exams                     300

Quizzes                                  250

                                                Total       650

                Grades are assigned on a curve.

POLICIES:

Missed exams and quizzes will be counted “0”.  No make-up exams or quizzes are given without compelling reason and without documented proof.

Missed classes will be counted “0” except for documented absences due to athletic events or illness.

Written papers will not be substituted for a missed exam.

Exams not picked up in class on the day that they are handed back can be picked up during the professor’s office hours.

Papers are due on their due date.  Any papers turned in late will be lowered one letter grade for every 24 hours (or part thereof) that the paper is late.

Cell phones and other electronic devices need to be turned off during class.

All students will follow the Honor Code and adhere to its guidelines.  Any student who has not signed the Honor Code pledge may get a form at the office of the Registrar.  All students should be particularly aware of the rules in the Honor Code regarding plagiarism and cheating.  Plagiarism is the submission of another person’s work or thought as one’s own, either by direct copying or by insufficient acknowledgment of the source.  Borrowing from web sites without acknowledgement is considered plagiarism.  Cell phones and other electronic devices need to be turned off and put away when taking exams and quizzes. Cheating is the use of any form of assistance while taking a quiz or examination.  Brevard College takes the infringement of these rules very seriously and carries out the appropriate academic and disciplinary actions.

Students with learning disabilities or special needs (including emergency medical information) should speak with the professor as soon as possible about any special arrangements that are necessary.  The student with a learning disability should go to the Learning Enhancement Center to obtain an accommodation letter.

The professor will attempt to adhere as closely as possible to this syllabus but details are subject to change.