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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
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:

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.
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.
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
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History. International Edition. Volume IIFred S. KleinerWadsworth Cengage978-11118277000 This textbook also serves World Art AH144. Be sure to select Vol. 2, the International Edition.    
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
A Short Guide to Writing About ArtSylvan BarnetPearson9780136138556  
From Abacus to Zeus: A Handbook of Art History, rev. 7th ed.James Smith PiercePearson9780131830516   
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
2 QuizzesThe 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 ExercisesThe 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 ExaminationThe 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 ArtIn 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. 20%
Final ExaminationThe 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 ____________
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.
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.

SCHEDULE

  

Date

Lecture Topic

Reading Assignments

Tests and Assignments

Jan 16

Course Introduction and Overview

 

 

 

Jan 18

European Visual Traditions and the Use of Space

Gardner, “Architectural Basics” and “Religion and Mythology” (pp. xxii-xxxi), and “Introduction: What is art history?” (pp. 1-13)

 

 

 

Jan 23

Late Medieval Italy

Gardner, Ch. 14

 

 

Jan 25

Focus: Giotto’s Naturalism

Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the Artists (Oxford University 1998): EBOOK

Life of Giotto

 

 

Jan 30

Late Gothic and Early Renaissance Art in Northern Europe

 

Gardner, Ch. 20

 

Feb 1

Focus: The Rise of Portraiture and Jan van Eyck’s Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife

 

Craig Harbison, Jan Van Eyck: The Play of Realism, EBOOK

Ch. 4 “An Italian Courtier’s Story”

 

 

Feb 6

Italian Renaissance Art of the 15th Century

 

Gardner, Ch. 21

 

Feb 8

Focus: Linear Perspective and Architectural Design

Michael Baxandall, Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy, pp. 1-55

 

SLIDE QUIZ #1

Feb 13

Italian Renaissance Art of the 16th Century

Gardner, Ch. 22

WRITING EXERCISE 1 DUE BY 5:00 PM

 

Feb 15

Focus: Papal Patronage under Julius II

George Hersey, High Renaissance Art in St. Peter’s, Ch. 3, pp. 129-141

 

 

Feb 20

The Renaissance in Northern Europe and Spain

 

Gardner, Ch. 23

 

 

 

 

Feb 22

 

 

 

Focus: Experiments in Printmaking. The Dissemination of Woodcuts and Engravings

 

 

 

 

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”

 

 

Feb 27

Review of works and terminology

 

 

WRITING EXERCISE #2 DUE BY 5:00 PM

Mar 1

MIDTERM EXAM

 

 

MIDTERM

Mar 6

South Asia

 

Gardner Ch. 32

 

Mar 8

Focus: Monumental Architecture, Hindu and Muslim Examples

 

TBA

 

Mar 13

East Asia: China, Japan and Korea

 

Gardner, Chs. 33 and 34

 

Mar 15

Focus: Picturing Nature in Imperial China and Japan

 

Michael Sullivan, The Arts of China, Library Reserves N7340 .S92

Ch. 9 “The Ming Dynasty”

 

 

Mar 20

The Baroque in Italy and Spain

 

Gardner, Ch. 24

 

Mar 22

Focus: The Status of the Artist – Diego Velaquez

 

 

WRITING EXERCISE #3 DUE BY 5:00 PM

Mar 27

The Baroque in Northern Europe

 

Gardner, Ch. 25

 

Mar 29

Focus: Collecting Practices and Genre – Still Life and Landscape

 

 

SLIDE QUIZ #2 IN CLASS

Spring break April 2-6

 

Apr 10

Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin America

 

Gardner, Ch. 35

 

Apr 12

Focus: Adaptation and Exchange in Colonial Christian Art and Architecture

 

TBA

 

Apr 17

Rococo to Neoclassicism: the 18th Century in Europe and America

 

Gardner, Ch. 26

 

Apr 19

Focus: Architecture and the Creation of Modern Institutions

 

 

ESSAY MUST BE UPLOADED TO MOODLE BY 5:00 PM

Apr 24

The Art of West Africa

 

Gardner, Ch. 37

 

Apr 26

Section overview and exam review