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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 152i"
COURSE NAME: "Foundations in Medieval Art"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2026
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Nicole Constantina Paxton
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MW 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course addresses the skills, methods and issues essential to building the future Art Historian’s tool kit. To this end, it develops simultaneously on three levels: immersing students in progressively complex assignments and exams; getting students to practice art history as an issue-based analysis of objects; providing students with the historical and methodological frameworks specific to the field. The course lays the foundation for looking at, understanding and working in the visual arts. The material corpus that the course draws on is primarily the Medieval Mediterranean and Western Asia, across a period roughly between AD 400-1400.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course, structured chronologically, investigates medieval art through a “pan-Mediterranean" approach. Material covered focuses on contact and cross-cultural exchange between western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic world. Lectures provide students with an overview of key works of medieval art while introducing them to a variety of art historical methodologies as well as to current debates in the field.

 

The primary objective of coursework assignments is the development of skills essential for working with visual material. Students study art through a variety of lenses (e.g., space, viewership, participation, criticism, and reception) and across a variety of media. Assignments progressively increase in complexity to train students in techniques of art historical analysis.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

- Recognize key works & issues

- Develop an understanding of the chronology & developments of the period

- Exercise critical thinking while looking, reading, writing, & speaking about medieval art

- Identify, analyze, & interpret significant themes in the history of medieval art

- Evaluate the ways that art is shaped by dynamic social & cultural interactions

- Recognize key scholarly approaches to the field of medieval art

- Formulate analytical arguments about the production, creation, & reception of relevant works

- Develop technical vocabulary appropriate to the field of art history

- Engage with different critical frameworks to formulate critical & rigorous arguments

- Cultivate research skills

- Structure & effectively communicate ideas & information orally & in writing
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
ParticipationActive participation is essential to students’ success in this course; this includes: 1) on-time attendance at all class sessions, 2) careful study of assigned readings prior to class time and contribution to discussions5%
Visual Analysis Essay500 words; Visual analysis focused on 1 artwork or monument5%
Contextual Analysis Essay1000 words; Visual and contextual analysis based on research of 1 work 10%
Comparative Analysis Essay1000 words; A discussion of 2 artworks analyzed in relation to each other 10%
Midterm Exam3 short comparison essays based on works discussed in class during the first half of the semester20%
Research Paper1500 words; Research paper with thesis that uses composite contextual analyses to discuss a topic relevant to the period 25%
Final Exam3 short comparison essays based on works discussed in second half of the semester; one long essay based on material throughout semester25%

-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 May 9. 
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

Provisional Schedule:

Week 1

1. Introduction & Course Overview

2. Medieval Art: Basic Tools

 

THEME: VISUALIZING GOD

Week 2

3. Religious Pluralities & Sacred Space: The Roman Frontier Town of Dura-Europos (2–3 c.)

4. Monument-in-Focus / Visual Analysis Workshop

 

Week 3

5. Umayyad Architecture & the Aniconic (7–8 c.)

6. Byzantine Art & Iconoclasm (8–9 c.)

7. Insular Manuscripts & Word as Image (8–9 c.)

 

THEME: ART & EMPIRE

Week 4

8. Empire & Renovatio: Carolingian Art & Architecture (9 c.)

9. Empire & Diplomacy: Ottonian Art (10–11 c.)

 

Week 5

10. Object-in-Focus / Contextual Analysis Workshop

11. Empire & Movement: Umayyad Art & Architecture in Medieval Iberia (8–10 c.)

 

Week 6

12. Connecting the Mediterranean: Middle Byzantine Art & Architecture (10–11 c.)

13. Midterm Exam Review

 

Week 7

14. Midterm Exam

15. Research Paper Workshop 

 

THEME: ART & EXCHANGE

Week 8

16. Picturing Conquest: Norman England (11 c.)

17. Expansion & Connection: Norman Sicily (12 c.)

 

Week 9

18. The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem & the Question of “Crusader” Art (12 c.)

19. Replicating the Holy Land: Italian Romanesque Architecture (12 c.)

 

Week 10

20. Medieval Travel & Pilgrimage: French Romanesque Art & Architecture (12 c.)

21. Objects-in-Focus: Christian Imagery on Ayyubid Metalwork (13 c.)

 

Week 11

22. Politics & Innovation I: Mamluk Architecture (13 c.)

23. Politics & Innovation II: French Gothic Architecture (13 c.)

 

Week 12

24. Materiality & Trade: French Gothic Ivories (13 c.)

25. Civic Identity at a Crossroads: Medieval Venetian Art & Architecture (13 c.)

 

Week 13 

26. Figuring the “Other”: Race-making in Medieval Manuscript Illumination (13 c.)

 

Week 14

27. Objects-in-Focus: Word & Image on Italian Altarpieces (13–14 c.)

28. Final Exam Review