JCU Logo
JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 372"
COURSE NAME: "Special Topics in Early Modern Art: The Underbelly of the Baroque"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2022
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Laura Foster
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: One previous course in Art History or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Specialized courses offered periodically on specific aspects of the art of the early modern world. Courses are normally research-led topics on an area of current academic concern.
May be taken more than once for credit with different topics.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course is a close look at the religious and cultural environment of the Counter-Reformation, roughly from the period of 1550-1650, in order to explore the ways in which a culture of discipline and social order affected images and built space. Focused primarily on Rome, the course explores ways in which the papacy and religious institutions sought to categorize and segregate the population, with wide reaching effects. Topics to be discussed include the disciplinary role of images of violence; the representation of subcultures or subaltern populations and the attempt to control them in institutions; the effort to mold social behavior through modeling in images and the shaping of public spaces; and the limitations of artistic creation according to public or private consumption. The course will consider both artworks by protagonists of the Baroque period like Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, as well as lesser-known works in painting, architecture, and printmaking.

The course treats a variety of forms of representation—images, texts, and spaces—without imposing a hierarchy among them.

The examination of urban space and buildings as a process of social segregation will focus on Rome and provide both a foundation for understanding relevant institutions and communities, and as a point of reference for problematics addressed in other contexts through the course. This will be analyzed through the creation of districts like the Jewish Ghetto as well as through institutions like the many convents constructed to prevent women from entering prostitution.

Textual and visual representations will form the basis for discussions concerning the display and production of art in relation to social behaviors and cultural expectations. The course will address scenes, like martyrdom, that were intended to instruct and inspire audiences through

violence; explore the ways in which artists navigated the complex legal system and the social mores it promoted, while producing images that sometimes challenged that system; and it will analyze the links between theories of aesthetic production and the examination of human bodies for scientific, religious and legal purposes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • An in-depth knowledge of the social and religious history of Rome in the early modern period

  • Understanding different methods for analyzing issues of identity in visual representation

  • Skills in undertaking research from primary sources, including direct observation of works of art and architecture.

  • Understanding of how urban space contributes to conditions of social order

  • Historical understanding of modern techniques of social control through visual and

    spatial devices

TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Alterpieces and Their Viewers in the Churches of Rome from Caravaggio to Guido ReniPamela JonesAshgate9780754661795https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/122424319 
The Genius of Rome, 1592-1623Beverly Louise Brown, ed.Harry N. Abrams9780900946943ND620.G46 
Rome: A City Out of PrintRose Marie San JuanUniversity of Minnesota Press9780816637911DG807.6 .S26 2001 

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
In-class reading presentationsStudents will be assigned specific readings (at least 2 during the semester) and will lead discussion on that text. Students will summarize the reading and provide a critical analysis of the author’s approach to the topic, with special attention to methodology (e.g. formal analysis, iconography, discursive analysis). Discussion of the texts will also demonstrate reflection upon the specific works under consideration.15%
Research Paper with Class Presentation The paper of 3000-3500 words (approximately 10-12 pages) may concern a specific site, work of art, or institution (and its patronage of art or architecture) and will analyze it according to some aspect of the course theme. The paper will review existing bibliography on the topic and explore a specific research question. Students will meet individually with the professor in the writing process to discuss research strategies, methodology, and interpretive questions. Material from the paper will be presented to the class through a talk and slide presentation, ideally focusing on one particular aspect of the paper. The final paper is due at the last class meeting (exam period).40%
Midterm ExaminationThe exam will be composed of image comparisons and short essays based on the themes treated in the first half of the semester.20%
Final examinationThe final exam will cover the second half of the semester and follow the same format as the midterm. A final essay topic will be cumulative in scope.25%

-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

Week 1
•Course Introduction and Syllabus Overview
•Site walk from the Ghetto to the Campidoglio: Segregation and public punishment in era of the Council of Trent

Week 2
•Visibility and invisibility in the city: gendered spaces of confinement

•Urban planning as instrument of social control: Rome under Pope Sixtus V

Week 3:
•The deserving and undeserving poor: the Hospice for Poor Mendicants (Ospizio dei Poveri Mendicanti) and the Pilgrims’ Hospice (SS. Trinità dei Pellegrini)
•Poverty, pilgrimage and the problem of decorum: Caravaggio’s Madonna di Loreto

Week 4:
•Chaste bodies: the imposition of modesty in Counter-Reformation imagery

•Forbidden images: Sexuality and sex work in Rome

Week 5:
•Scenes of martyrdom, from Santo Stefano to Santa Susanna

•The religious and social functions of representing violated bodies

Week 6:
•The Case of Beatrice Cenci: between papal justice and martyrdom

•Useful cadavers: artists and the acquisition of dead bodies for study

Week 7:
•Violence and gender: readings of Artemisia Gentileschi’s rape trial

•Violence and gender: virtuous women and physical injury

Week 8:
•Discussion of texts and images for review

•Midterm examination

Week 9:
•Giulio Mancini, from anatomist to art theorist
•Artist’s biographies: Narrating artistic talent and social deviance

Week 10:
•Ethnic representation and genre: The Fortune Tellers and Roma communities

•The Catholic discourse on slavery and its visual representations

Week 11:
•Public spectacle and public order
•Street scenes: the Bamboccianti and other foreigners observing Rome

Week 12:
•The Birth of the Prison: the Carceri Nuove on via Giulia

•Transgression and liberation in practice and patronage

Week 13:
•Research Presentations

Week 14:
•Research Presentations

•Review and discussion for final examination