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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "AH 143"
COURSE NAME: "World Art III: Visual Culture of the Early Modern World"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2018
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Laura Foster
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 1:30-2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This survey course focuses on the art and architecture of Europe, South and Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and the Americas from the late 1200s to c. AD 1750. The course investigates a range of media including painting, woodcuts, sculpture, and architecture, while considering materials and methods of production. Special attention will be given to the socio-economic and political contexts in which these artifacts were commissioned and produced. The course will also assist students in cultivating basic art-historical skills, in particular description, stylistic analysis, and iconographic and iconological analysis.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The period under consideration was one of new cultural encounter, fostered by religious and economic interests that encouraged travel throughout the world. The first half of the course will concentrate upon the dynamic artistic production of the Renaissance and Baroque in Europe, exploring the concepts and techniques that informed art and architecture. Thursday lectures will focus upon specific artworks, artists and patrons. The second half of the course will introduce the art of India, eastern Asia, the Americas and Western Africa, with a critical examination of art-historical notions of tradition and innovation that have affected the way art from non-Western cultures is viewed. The history of colonialism and religious missions to specific regions and the effect these encounters had upon artistic production will also be discussed.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
•The ability to analyze and describe material artifacts and built form from different cultural and historical environments using the appropriate art-historical terminology
•Knowledge base of major works of art and architecture that have shaped an understanding of culture in the period under consideration
•Familiarity with the historical protagonists who produced and commissioned key works of art (artists, patrons, and other important figures)
•Knowledge of the stories in which many visual works were based (religious, mythological, biographical) and the ability to see differences in how those stories were represented in different times and geographical regions (iconography)
•An understanding of the historical changes in images and built form based in the matrix of religion, economy and intellectual discovery
•The ability to distinguish among different methodological approaches used to interpret works of art and architecture
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TEXTBOOK:
Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History. International Edition. Volume II | Fred S. Kleiner | Wadsworth Cengage | 978-11118277000 | | This textbook also serves World Art AH144. Be sure to select Vol. 2, the International Edition. | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
A Short Guide to Writing About Art | Sylvan Barnet | Pearson | 9780136138556 | | |
From Abacus to Zeus: A Handbook of Art History, rev. 7th ed. | James Smith Pierce | Pearson | 9780131830516 | | |
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
2 Quizzes | The two quizzes test for the memorization of works listed on weekly key monuments lists. Works will be shown on slides and the students are responsible for supplying the artists' or architects' name (when known), the title of the works, and the dates of their creation. | 10% |
3 Writing Exercises | The 3 short papers (approximately 2 pages each) consist of formal analyses designed to hone skills in the first-hand observation of works. Students will select one work of painting, one of sculpture and one of architecture and formulate a coherent essay discussing the work in terms of material, style, and composition using terminology acquired in the course. Students may choose to write about a work seen first-hand in Rome or on travels to other parts of Italy or Europe. | 30% |
Midterm Examination | The examination will test the memorization of key works, an understanding of terminology, and the ability to interpret works according to the themes discussed in class lectures and the textbook. The format of the exam will include a slide quiz, short answer questions and a short comparative essay. | 20% |
Constructing Histories of Art | In this essay of 4-5 pages, students will write a critical examination of a well-known work of art or architecture, connecting subject matter and meaning to formal analysis. Students will discuss the content of the work of art and explain its possible meaning, looking closely how it is that art historians arrive their conclusions. If there are disputed interpretations of a work, the problem of the work’s ambiguity must be discussed. As a beginning research project, students will provide proper bibliography. Detailed instructions for the assignment will be distributed after the midterm examination.
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Final Examination | The format for the final exam will be similar to the midterm, with emphasis on material from the second half of the semester. A final essay question will treat an overarching theme from the semester, permitting the student to select examples to illustrate that theme. | 20% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course. BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments. CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings. DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail. FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Date
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Lecture Topic
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Reading Assignments
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Tests and Assignments
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Jan 16
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Course Introduction and Overview
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Jan 18
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European Visual Traditions and the Use of Space
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Gardner, “Architectural Basics” and “Religion and Mythology” (pp. xxii-xxxi), and “Introduction: What is art history?” (pp. 1-13)
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Jan 23
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Late Medieval Italy
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Gardner, Ch. 14
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Jan 25
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Focus: Giotto’s Naturalism
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Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the Artists (Oxford University 1998): EBOOK
Life of Giotto
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Jan 30
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Late Gothic and Early Renaissance Art in Northern Europe
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Gardner, Ch. 20
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Feb 1
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Focus: The Rise of Portraiture and Jan van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife
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Craig Harbison, Jan Van Eyck: The Play of Realism, EBOOK
Ch. 4 “An Italian Courtier’s Story”
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Feb 6
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Italian Renaissance Art of the 15th Century
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Gardner, Ch. 21
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Feb 8
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Focus: Linear Perspective and Architectural Design
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Michael Baxandall, Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy, pp. 1-55
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SLIDE QUIZ #1
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Feb 13
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Italian Renaissance Art of the 16th Century
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Gardner, Ch. 22
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WRITING EXERCISE 1 DUE BY 5:00 PM
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Feb 15
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Focus: Papal Patronage under Julius II
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George Hersey, High Renaissance Art in St. Peter’s, Ch. 3, pp. 129-141
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Feb 20
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The Renaissance in Northern Europe and Spain
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Gardner, Ch. 23
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Feb 22
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Focus: Experiments in Printmaking. The Dissemination of Woodcuts and Engravings
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David Landau and Peter Parshall, The Renaissance Print, 1470-1550 Library Reserves NE441.5 R44 L35, pp. 1-6; pp. 347-358 “Northern Printmakers: Their Milieu and Market”
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Feb 27
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Review of works and terminology
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WRITING EXERCISE #2 DUE BY 5:00 PM
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Mar 1
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MIDTERM EXAM
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MIDTERM
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Mar 6
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South Asia
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Gardner Ch. 32
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Mar 8
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Focus: Monumental Architecture, Hindu and Muslim Examples
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TBA
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Mar 13
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East Asia: China, Japan and Korea
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Gardner, Chs. 33 and 34
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Mar 15
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Focus: Picturing Nature in Imperial China and Japan
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Michael Sullivan, The Arts of China, Library Reserves N7340 .S92
Ch. 9 “The Ming Dynasty”
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Mar 20
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The Baroque in Italy and Spain
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Gardner, Ch. 24
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Mar 22
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Focus: The Status of the Artist – Diego Velaquez
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WRITING EXERCISE #3 DUE BY 5:00 PM
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Mar 27
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The Baroque in Northern Europe
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Gardner, Ch. 25
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Mar 29
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Focus: Collecting Practices and Genre – Still Life and Landscape
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SLIDE QUIZ #2 IN CLASS
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Spring break April 2-6
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Apr 10
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Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin America
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Gardner, Ch. 35
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Apr 12
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Focus: Adaptation and Exchange in Colonial Christian Art and Architecture
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TBA
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Apr 17
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Rococo to Neoclassicism: the 18th Century in Europe and America
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Gardner, Ch. 26
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Apr 19
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Focus: Architecture and the Creation of Modern Institutions
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ESSAY MUST BE UPLOADED TO MOODLE BY 5:00 PM
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Apr 24
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The Art of West Africa
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Gardner, Ch. 37
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Apr 26
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Section overview and exam review
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