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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "AH/LAW 345 H"
COURSE NAME: "Art Crime: Who Owns Antiquity?- HONORS (This course carries 4 semester hours of credits. A minimum CUM GPA of 3.5 is required)"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2024
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Crispin Corrado
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: One previous course in Art History or permission of the instructor.
OFFICE HOURS:
By Appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course examines the complex subject of art and cultural heritage crime, with a particular emphasis on Italy. While examining the international and national normative frameworks determining what constitutes an art/cultural heritage crime, special attention will be paid to the question of what constitutes “ownership” of art and cultural heritage. The course will consider the development over time of ideas of the value of art (both real and symbolic), as well as the ways that ideas of “ownership” have changed since the late 20th century. In addition to examining issues related to the definition, prevention, and punishment of art/cultural heritage crimes, the course will also examine the role of the Italian state in protecting its national cultural artifacts.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course examines the complex subject of art
and cultural heritage crime, with a particular emphasis on Italy. It will
consider issues such as what constitutes an art/cultural heritage crime, how
ideas of value (both real and symbolic) have emerged historically and how have
they changed over time, what constitutes "ownership" in the eyes of
different entities, and how this has changed over the past 50 years, resulting
in the current difficult and controversial issue of the repatriation of
cultural artifacts which have crossed international borders. Themes discussed
include the history of collecting, illegal excavation and the illicit trade in
antiquities, fakes and forgeries, the role of auction houses, the Church,
museums and galleries, ownership and patrimony issues, international laws and
agreements (in particular the Hague Convention of 1954, the 1970 UNESCO
Convention, and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention), recovery and repatriation, and
ongoing problems with the protection and conservation of antiquities. Subjects
that the class will debate may be, for example, the benefits of repatriation
vs. object care and viewership, and the issue of ownership in cases in which
all parties involved had, at some time, "legal" rights to the
artifact(s) in question. The course will end with a review of cultural heritage
laws and the current international situation, as well as a discussion
identifying challenges and providing suggestions for regulating the market of antiquities
in the future. The course includes two mandatory site visits to the Etruscan
Banditaccia Necropolis and the Museum in Cerveteri, and to the Villa Giulia
Museum in Rome. These will take place on the same weekend (see daily schedule).
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the course, students will have
gained a thorough understanding of Italy's ideas of the ownership and display
of artifacts and the conservation of monuments, as well as the challenges it
faces internally and with the world community in these areas. They will have
learned, too, to evaluate and appreciate the many facets of very complicated
legal and moral situations. Finally, students will be very familiar with
ancient artifacts, as well as the Italian entities that protect them.
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TEXTBOOK:
Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
Chasing Aphrodite | Felch and Frammolino | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | 978-0151015016 | | Any format is fine. | | | |
Shaky Ground | Elizabeth Marlowe | Bloomsbury Academic | 978-1474234665 | | Any format is fine. | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
Preparation and Participation | You are expected to show up on time to class, ready to actively participate, and having completed the reading assignment for the day.
| 10 |
Group Museum Presentation | Working in small groups, students will be asked to give a presentation to the class on a prominent U.S. museum. Information presented will include museum history, an overview of the entire collection, a history of the collection and curators of the department of antiquities, and the museum's level of commitment to transparency and the availability of provenance information for their objects, as determined by their didactic labels as well as their online and presence. Museums will be assigned. Student work for the presentation should be turned in (per group) in outline form, with a full bibliography.
| 10 |
Group Provenance Report | Working in small groups, students will be asked to give a presentation to the class on the provenance traditions and practices of different museums in Rome. For this presentation, the group will visit their museum, note the information provided on the small didactic object labels, and prepare a summary of their findings for the class, which should include the group's opinion on their museum's practices. Museums will be assigned. Student work for the presentation should be turned in (per group) in outline form, with a full bibliography. | 10 |
Group Law/Convention Analysis | Working in small groups, students will be asked to give a presentation to the class on an international convention or an Italian law pertaining to cultural heritage protection. Topics will be provided. The presentations should include, above all, a clear overview of the convention or law (i.e. its aims), including timeline, the needs that brought it about, and its success level. Student work for the presentation should be turned in (per group) in outline form, with a full bibliography. | 10 |
Object Description Assignment | This assignment is intended to serve as an exercise in looking and describing, but also in understanding the importance of context and systematic archaeological excavation. For this exercise, students will each choose an object in the Villa Giulia museum that is without context, or that does not have a find spot. An example would be an object that has been repatriated to Italy from another country. Each student will 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 the final part of the exercise, students will attempt to recreate a context for the object, despite the fact that the object's original context is lost to us. In this section, students will discover the limits of what we may know or understand about an object (e.g. original dates, uses, owner, domestic vs. funerary context), when the object's find spot and thus original context is missing. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage students to think about the long-lasting effects of looting and the black market, and the importance of context and the science of archaeology. The finished assignment will be a two-page (single-spaced, 10- or 12-point font size) paper.
| 15 |
Midterm Exam | | 20 |
Final Exam | | 25 |
Research Paper | You will be asked to write a 10-page research paper on a topic of your choice related to the issue of art crime and the protection of antiquities in the country of Italy. Your topic must be approved by the professor before you begin your research. In conducting your research, you should be prepared to consult professionals in the field, as well as written and more traditional sources. The final version of your paper should be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, 10- or 12-point font size, a title page, and a correctly formatted, full bibliography. The research paper will be graded in three stages; you will be required to submit an annotated bibliography and outline, and then a full draft, before turning in the final version. | 100 |
-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 is mandatory. Students may miss up to
two class sessions without penalty. Each absence above this will count
negatively toward the raw final grade for the course. Three tardy arrivals
equal one absence. 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.
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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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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
TBA: SPECIAL Friday Visit
The Banditaccia Necropolis and Museum at Cerveteri and Villa Giulia Museum in Rome
Week 1, Day 1
Course Introduction
Week 1, Day 2
Antiquities: The Love Affair I
Week 2, Day 1
Antiquities: The Love Affair II
Week 2, Day 2
The History of Collecting: Forgers, Looters and the Black Market
Week 3, Day 1
Collecting Antiquities I: The Role of Museums, Auction Houses and Private Collectors
Week 3, Day 2
Collecting Antiquities II: The Role of Museums, Auction Houses and Private Collectors
Week 4, Day 1
What's to Love?: A Lesson on Greek Pottery and Sculpture I
Week 4, Day 2
What's to Love: A Lesson on Greek Pottery and Sculpture II
Case Study: The Getty Bronze
Week 5, Day 1
John Beazley and Attribution Studies/Connoisseurship
Week 5, Day 2
Provenance: What is it, and is it important?
Week 6, Day 1
Tombaroli & Giacomo Medici, Robin Symes, and Robert Hecht: The "Organigram"
Week 6, Day 2
GROUP U.S. MUSEUM PRESENTATIONS today
Week 6, Wednesday Feb. 27
Early Collections and Repatriation Issues: The Oriental Institute's Persian Collection and the Elgin Marbles
Week 7, Monday March 4
Midterm Review
Week 7, Wednesday March 6
MIDTERM EXAM
Week 8, Day 1
Looting and the Black Market
Guest Lecturer: CEO of the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art
Week 8, Day 2
GROUP PROVENANCE REPORTS presented in class today
Week 9, Day 1
Guest Lecture: Italian Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Culture
Week 9, Day 2
International Conventions and Treaties: The Hague, UNESCO, and UNIDROIT
Week 10, Day 1
GROUP CONVENTION REPORTS presented in class today
Week 10, Day 2
Internal National Laws and Bilateral Agreements: Italy and the U.S.
Week 11, Day 1
Italian Property Laws
Week 11, Day 2
Italy's Cultural Entities and Art and Antiquities Squads, and the Repatriation of Objects
Week 12, Day 1
OBJECT DESCRIPTION PROJECT DUE TODAY
Guest Lecture: Carabinieri's TPC Squad
Week 12, Day 2
The American Response: AAM and the Reaction of Museums, Museum Personnel and Archaeologists
Week 13, Day 1
NO CLASS
Week 13, Day 2
The Universal/Encyclopedic Museum: Does it Truly Exist? Should It?
Week 14, Day 1
James Cuno and the Getty: A Last Look
State of Affairs: Cleveland Museum of Art (Read ARCA Blog article together on Moodle)
Week 14, Day 2
NO CLASS
FINAL EXAM: T.B.A.
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