ART 102 ART HISTORY I                                  

 

Instructor: Elaine Deitchman  

e-mail  edeitchman@oc.ctc.edu

 

TEXTBOOK Stokstad, Art History Third edition.  Volume 1

 

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION

Online over the Internet using Blackboard software.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Art History 102 is an exploration of art beginning in the Paleolithic world, traveling through Ancient Greece and Rome, & through the Middle Ages. Non-western traditions including African, Asian, Native American, and Oceanic art will also be incorporated into class discussions. Students will be required to research (beyond the textbook) and discuss investigations into these traditions each week.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course is intended to be an introduction to concepts, media, and techniques that are basic to developing an understanding and appreciation of art as a form of expression, documentation, and communication.

The main focus will be on developing an understanding of the:

·         chronology of Western and non-Western art traditions

·         major characteristics of art from pre-history through  the Middle Ages

·        social, political and economic factors that contributed to the production, perception and value of art through history

·         familiarizing students with the language of visual art and the blend of media, form, and content that comprises a work of art

·         demonstrating that the visual arts are a vital part of the substance, style, and legacy of everyday life.

·         the  relationship of art history to culture today

 

PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

Students will be able to identify, describe, and produce creative and analytical assessments of subtopics in chapters, online research, and specific discussion material based on each week's overview of material.

Students will be able to:

• Describe an art piece's formal visual elements
• Analyze different forms of art objectively and subjectively
• Identify various styles and the cultures that produced them
• Identify and describe the concepts behind the works of art

Students will be expected to understand:

• The role of artists in their own & different cultures in different time periods
• The universal themes artists express
• The formal elements and principles of art
• The various visual media, and processes of making two and three dimensional art objects

Emphasis will be on:

• Familiarizing students with the language of visual art and the blend of media, form and content that comprises a work of art.
• Introducing students to a wide variety of artists and styles that they will be able to identify, understand & develop a knowledgeable opinion about.
• Demonstrating that the visual arts are a vital part of the substance, style and legacy of everyday life.
• Personalizing the art experience for students and helping them recognize their own creativity.
• After completing the course students will be able to recognize, describe and interpret major works of art from the periods we study. They will demonstrate an understanding of the social, political, religious, historical, and cultural significance of art through participation in online discussions.

IMPORTANT COURSE INFORMATION

• The `tests` in this course are thoughtful, well researched & documented responses to the weekly topics & to the required two responses to postings from other students.
• In addition to responding to both topics each week, you need to post a minimum of TWO responses to posts from other students, one under each topic. This should NOT be something just saying ‘good job’, but an enhancement to the original post. An example of a good response is posted in the `Course Information` folder.
• Our weeks begin on MONDAY & all assignments each week must be completed by SUNDAY at midnight. You are required to respond to atleast ONE topic each week by THURSDAY at midnight or you may forfeit points for the week. Please start posting early in the week. If you don’t, others won’t read what you have to say. I’ve seen in the past that postings on Sundays are read by only one or two people besides myself.  I do not look in previous weekly folders after they are moved to the bottom of the board, so if we have agreed that you may submit a late assignment, you’ll need to email it to me.
• Our textbook is our base resource, but you are expected to utilize other resources for information, & participate in group discussions. There are new archaeological excavations all the time & you never know what may occur during this course that changes our perceptions of the past.
• You are expected respond IN YOUR OWN WORDS to both of the weekly topics. Be careful not to plagiarize the work of another person & DOCUMENT all of your resources. Include links to relevant websites when you refer to information from them. Productive forum discussions result from expanding beyond the assigned topics & constructively analyzing and sharing different personal interpretations & opinions.
• A nice aspect of taking an online course is that you can post to the Discussion Board (DB) 24/7. You will need to spend about 15 hours a week on the course, in reading, thinking, writing, discussing your ideas with others, and in online sessions. It's best to log on every day to look at postings, leave messages, retrieve and/or respond to your e-mail. If you procrastinate and fail to log in for more than a few days, you will begin to get lost.
• Wikipedia is fine for basic information, but please don’t rely on it & copy information from that website as part of your response to topics. ALL postings should be in your own words & you absolutely must credit all your sources. You may include relevant quotes, but only as part of your postings, not as your entire response.
• Please do not use attachments as a means of posting your responses to the topics. You can always cut & past information to the DB.
• It will enhance the discussions to always keep in mind that 'art is a reflection of the time & place in which it is created as well as an expression of the artists’ personal history & interests'. You will find that this aids you in developing a better understanding of our studies.

POINTERS FOR OPENING & READING POSTINGS

• Open a folder & scroll to the bottom of the page & you will see options for sorting messages---check that out if you haven't already.
• Click on the inverted red triangle at the top of your group page, then click in the boxes to the left of the messages you want to read, then hit "collect" they will all show up together so you don't have to open each message individually.
• If you click on the little triangle next to `view all messages` you can hide those you have already read & just see the new ones.
• If you respond directly to another message you can change the subject line so that it is clear to whom & what you are responding to.  

GRADING

WEEKLY POINT SYSTEM

Topics:                                                       20 points each (40 points)

Responses to other posts:                         20 points each (40 points)

                                                                   Total 80 points

You are required to post a minimum of one response to one topic by Thursday night at midnight each week for full credit.

TOTAL POINTS FOR THE COURSE

Points for weekly assignments                 800

Paper 1                                                       100

Paper 2                                                       100

                                                                   1000points

Total 1000 points possible in the course.

The grading scale is shown below.

 

The following will also be considered when grading:

•   comprehension and mastery of course content

•   Individual participation in class discussions, projects, etc.

•   timely completion of assignments

•  neatness of work submitted…please check your spelling & punctuation!

•   attendance (yes, even ‘here’ attendance counts)

•   attitude

 

Grading scale: total points at end of term

 

A    4.0-3.9          950-1000

A-   3.8-3.5          900-949

B+  3.4-3.2          850-899

B    3.1-2.9          830-849

B-   2.8-2.5          800-829

C+  2.4-2.2          750-799

C    2.1-1.9          730-749

C-   1.8-1.5          700-729

D+  1.4-1.2          650-699

D    1.1- 0.9         630-649

D-   0.8-0.7         600-629

F    Below 600

 

Grade	Skills
A	Demonstrates excellence in grasping key concepts; critiques the work of others; provides ample evidence of support for opinions; readily offers new interpretations of discussion material. Completes work in a thorough and timely manner.
B	Shows evidence of understanding most of the major concepts; is able to agree or disagree when prompted; is skilled in basic level of support for opinions; offers an occasional divergent viewpoint.
C	Has mostly shallow grasp of the material; rarely takes a stand on issues; offers inadequate levels of support.
D or  F	Shows no significant understanding of material.

 

I post grades weekly so you can check your weekly average. This will be done no later than Tuesday of each week unless there are extenuating circumstances.

 

ISSUES OF DIVERSITY

This class has been specifically designed to reflect the visual arts from around the world and how the interactions between global cultures affect art and culture.

 

MAJOR STUDY UNITS

1       Introduction

2       Chapter 1   Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age

3       Chapter 2   Art of the Ancient Near East

3       Chapter 3   Art of Ancient Egypt

4       Chapter 4   Aegean Art

5       Chapter 5   Art of Ancient Greece

6       Chapter 6   Etruscan & Roman Art

7       Chapter 7   Early Christian, Jewish & Byzantine Art

8       Chapter 8   Islamic Art

9       Chapter 9   Art of India before 1200

10     Chapter 10 Chinese Art before 1280

11     Chapter 11 Japanese Art before 1392

12     Chapter 12 Art of the Americas before 1300

13     Chapter 13 Art of Ancient Africa

14     Chapter 14 Early Medieval Art

15     Chapter 15 Romanesque Art

16     Chapter 16 Gothic Art

 

WEEKLY OUTLINE

WEEK 1      Introduction

                    Chapter 1   Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age

WEEK 2      Chapter 2   Art of the Ancient Near East

WEEK 3      Chapter 3   Art of Ancient Egypt

WEEK 4      Chapter 4   Aegean Art

WEEK 5      Chapter 5   Art of Ancient Greece

WEEK 6      Chapter 6   Etruscan & Roman Art

                    Chapter 7   Early Christian, Jewish & Byzantine Art

WEEK 7      Chapter 8   Islamic Art

                    Chapter 9   Art of India before 1200

                    Chapter 10 Chinese Art before 1280

                    Chapter 11 Japanese Art before 1392

                    Chapter 12 Art of the Americas before 1300

                    Chapter 13 Art of Ancient Africa

WEEK  8     Chapter 14 Early Medieval Art

WEEK  9     Chapter 15 Romanesque Art

WEEK 10    Chapter 16 Gothic Art

 

CONDUCT

Because this is an online course, there are several issues that must be addressed up front. This is a unique format for learning, and there both similarities & differences between this & the traditional classroom environment. There is sometimes a thin line between the rights of one person to be heard & another not to be subjected to words or ideas they find offensive. This thin line is a wavy one, & I encourage all of you to respect each other’s boundaries without being stifled yourself. My role is not to be a censor, but to maintain a comfortable level of communication for everyone enrolled in the course. A few “rules” that I feel are reasonable are:

• “Yelling” by using all capital letters in a discussion, is offensive & rude and is unacceptable. This does not mean you can’t use caps here & there to emphasize something you feel is important.
• Swearing is not acceptable. Language needs to be kept at an appropriate level for a college classroom.
• Monopolizing a discussion is unfair & unproductive, & good open communication is vital to your success in this course.
• It is imperative that you keep up with assignments, or you will find yourself hopelessly behind. I hope that all of you will see yourselves as an integral part of a research/study group. I firmly believe that online communication can be as effective as being in a classroom if we all do our part, or I wouldn’t be doing this!
• There IS room for tangents—often the most wonderful things begin to happen when you don’t stick verbatim to a given subject but waiver A LITTLE off-track! Don’t overlook those little things that come up that could really enhance the class if you share them! It may be beneficial to divide responsibility between members of your group for different things such as sticking to the subject!
• Assignments submitted to the instructor may be turned in early, but not later than midnight on the Saturday of each week of class.
• Problems with any of the above subjects or something else, please email or call me & I will do everything I can to help you.