Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 299-A"
COURSE NAME: "Special Topics in Art History: East Asian Art"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Crispin Corrado
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Specialized courses offered periodically on specific aspects of concern in the field of Art History. 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:

EAST ASIAN ART: ART FOR THE HEREAFTER IN ANCIENT CHINA

The course is an introductory course on East Asian art, with particular focus on the funerary art and architecture of China’s ancient dynasties from the Shang (1600 BC – 1050 BC) through to the end of the Tang (AD 618 – 906). It combines a comprehensive survey of Chinese culture with in-depth investigation of the rich artistic investment in funerary art of individual periods including architecture, painting, and objects. It will investigate aspects such as monumentality, display, and embodied expression in context of contemporary political and philosophical interests.

The course addresses the arts of ancient and medieval China, in particular, the periods from the Shang to the Tang dynasties (1600 BC-AD 906). By adopting a chronological format, the course will investigate both the continuities that characterizes Chinese culture and the particular approaches that characterize individual dynasties. The primary focus of the course will be on funerary art, reflecting the investment and importance placed on this context. Discussions will concern all aspects of this: tomb architecture and adornment, choice and form of grave goods, artistic media and their influence on artistic expression, and the motives and values for investing in funerary art. It will also consider theoretical and conceptual issues related to the making and display of works for the afterlife: intersections of painting and monumentality, relationship between man and nature, and physicality and spirituality within the funerary realm. Each of the periods examined with be framed by investigations of their historical contexts across aspects such as political frameworks, changes in philosophical and spiritual thought, and scientific technologies – all of which shaped artistic expression. Reflective comparisons with ancient funerary and artistic practices in the West will assist gaining familiarity with views on death and the afterlife. Depending on travel restrictions, the course may include two field trips that will require a fee: to the Museo Nazionale d'Arte Orientale 'Giuseppe Tucci' in Rome, and the to the Museo d’Arte Orientale in Torino, together the most extensive collections of East Asian art in Italy.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students will have obtained:

• a thorough knowledge of ancient Chinese culture

• a familiarity with the chronology and rulers of China’s ancient dynasties

• an understanding of the development of (and changes in) Chinese political, philosophical, spiritual and artistic thought, per dynasty

• a comprehension of ancient Chinese artistic expression in the funerary realm, specifically a mastery of the particular types of architecture, symbols and art forms and the intentions behind their use

• an understanding of the ways in which ancient Chinese funerary practices and beliefs were similar to and different from those of contemporary cultures in the West

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Chinese Art and Culture	Vinograd and Thorp	Prentice Hall	978-0130889690		Please buy/read the most recent edition of this book.
The Arts of China	Sullivan	The University of California Press	978-0520294813		Please read/buy the most recent edition of this book (2018)

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments
The Wu Liang Shrine: The Ideology of Early Chinese Pictorial Art	Wu Hung	Stanford University Press	978-0804715294
Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting	Barnhart	Yale University Press	978-0300094473

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments
Cambridge Illustrated History of China	Patricia Buckley Ebrey	Cambridge University Press	978-0521124331

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Attendance and Participation	Students are expected to show up on time to class, ready to actively participate, and having completed the reading assignment for the day.	5
Quizzes	There will be four short chronology and map quizzes, throughout the semester. These are announced, and appear on the schedule, below. Each quiz is worth 5% of the final grade.	20
Short Paper 1	Students will write a short research paper of 1200 – 1500 words, on a topic to be assigned.	10
Object Description Assignment (Short Paper 2)	This assignment is intended to serve as an exercise in looking and describing, as well as conducting research. For this exercise, students will choose an object in one of the museums we visit, and then complete an exercise on that object, which will include sketching the object, writing a physical description of the object, and researching the object, in order to place it into an overall context for the reader. The finished assignment will be a two-page paper(single-spaced, 10- or 12-point font size).	10
Midterm Exam		25
Final Exam		30

-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

Attendance and active participation is required. Students are allowed two absences without penalty. Telephones should be turned off and put away during class sessions, and computers, if used for note taking, should not be connected to the internet.

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

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1

Tuesday

Course Introduction:

Syllabus and Requirements

Thursday

Course Introduction, Continued:

Maps, Sources, Other Resources, Historical Approaches to the Topic

Week 2

Tuesday

Introduction to Ancient China: Topography and Landscape; Overview of Periods of History, Development and Change

Thursday

Chinese Culture I: Earthly Existence, Nature, and Spirituality

Week 3

Tuesday

Chinese Culture II: Thoughts on and Preparations for Life in the Hereafter

Thursday

Chinese Culture III: Overview of Artistic and Calligraphic Materials, Media, and Significance

Week 4

Tuesday

Description of First Research Paper Assignment (due on Tuesday of Week 7)

China in the Neolithic Age: Archaeology and Topography

Thursday

The Legendary Xia Dynasty (c. 2070 – 1600 BC)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Introduction to the Yellow River

Week 5

Tuesday

The Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 – 1050 BC)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Thursday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Shang Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

Week 6

Tuesday

The Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046 – 256 BC)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Thursday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Zhou Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

Week 7

Tuesday

First Research Paper Due at midnight, uploaded onto the Moodle

The Qin Dynasty (221 – 206 BC)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Thursday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Qin Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

Week 8

Tuesday

Review for Midterm Exam

Thursday

Midterm Exam

Week 9

Tuesday

The Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Thursday

The Han Dynasty, Continued

Week 10

Tuesday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Han Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

Thursday

Funerary Shrine of the Confucian Scholar Wu Liang (AD 151)

Week 11

Tuesday

Six Dynasties Period (AD 220 – c. 589) and the Sui Dynasty (AD 581 – 618)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Thursday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Six Dynasties Period and the Sui Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

Week 12

Tuesday

The Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 906)

Period Overview: Developments in Politics, Science, Culture, Funerary Traditions and the Arts

Thursday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Tang Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

WEEKEND: Field Trip to Torino

Museo d’Arte Orientale

Choose object for Second Short Essay Paper (Object Description), due Tuesday of Week 14

Week 13

Tuesday

Tomb Art and Architecture of the Tang Dynasty

Discussion of Examples

Thursday

Guest Speaker: TBA

FRIDAY: Field Trip to Museo Nazionale d’Arte Orientale ‘Giuseppe Tucci, in Rome

Week 14

Tuesday

Second Short Essay Paper Due at midnight, uploaded onto the Moodle

Funerary Practices after the Tang Dynasty

Course Conclusions

Thursday

Review for Final Exam

Final Exam: TBA