Rome City Series - This on-site course will study the monuments of Renaissance Rome: painting, sculpture and architecture produced by such masters as Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo, all attracted to the lucrative service of popes, cardinals and nobles of the Roman court. On-site classes will investigate examples of palace and villa architecture, chapel decoration that encompasses altarpieces and funerary sculpture, as well as urbanistic projects where the city itself was considered as a work of art. In-class lectures will introduce historical context and theory allowing the student to understand artworks studied conceptually and place commissions of painting and sculpture within a socio-historic framework.

Satisfies "the Early Modern World" core course requirement for Art History majors

From the early decades of the 15^th century, the city of Rome began an extended transformation from a neglected output to a leading center of Renaissance innovation. This course will examine the art and architecture produced during this dynamic period until 1527 (the Sack of Rome) to explore several facets, including: the reconciliation of classical ideals and ancient learning with Christian and humanistic beliefs; the re-establishment and expansion of papal power revived, restored, and renewed in a city positioned as "caput mundi’; and the competition and collaboration among artists to define new modes of artistic exploration in painting, sculpture, and urban projects that reflected an image of Rome as an ideal heavenly and secular city.

Classes are organized roughly chronologically and thematically, with a focus on the invaluable opportunity to view firsthand works of art in their original context. Class discussions will be based on the analysis of  monuments and  textual sources from the time period, as well as more recent studies conducted with different methods, but closely related to on-site visits. Familiarity with original works of art and primary sources will  provide the foundation for studying the specific historical and cultural context of the Renaissance in Rome.

Students will obtain firsthand knowledge of Roman Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture within the period's cultural context by viewing, interpreting, and discussing works of art in their original location and via the lens of selected readings. 

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY

Attendance to our course is valuable, not only to grasp the core themes we will cover but also to experience the city via the lens of the Renaissance. Given this, it is expected that students attend every day, however, it is possible that unexpected issues can arise that might impact participation/attendance. In the case you cannot make class, please email Prof C as soon as possible and, for your absence to be excused, please prepare an approximately 500-word summary response to one of our assigned readings that day. This response should highlight the core thesis made by the author, some of the most essential evidence the author uses to support that claim, and the student’s response/reaction to that argumentation. 

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.