JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 294"
COURSE NAME: "Renaissance Rome and its Monuments"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2013

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Lila Yawn
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 9:00-13:00
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: On-site; activity fee: €25 or $33
OFFICE HOURS: Before or after class by appointmnet

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course aim is to gain a good knowledge of the art and architecture of Rome between 1420 (return of the pope from Avignon captivity) to 1535 (first Council of Trent).

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course will cover the art and architecture of Rome from the return of the Pope from Avignon around 1420 to the Council of Trent in 1545, with particular attention to the renovated papal majesty and its visual expression. Successors of Peter, heirs of the emperors, and yet akin with many other Biblical as well as classical figures, the Renaissance popes created the basis for an ideology which had an immediate impact on the physical structure of the city. The rediscovery of ancient sculptures, the classical topoi of pictorial description (ekphrasis), the concepts of architectural symmetry, axiality, and focus and the revival of the rhetoric of “praise and blame” became the ideal means of communication for the restoration of the capital of Christendom. Artists such as Masolino, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Melozzo da Forli, Perugino, Pinturicchio, Bramante, Raphael and, above all, Michelangelo came to Rome, at the service of popes, cardinals and nobles for the renovatio urbis, a monumental project that aimed to restore the city of Rome as a universal mirror of the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian civilizations. Renaissance artists, with the help of humanists, orators and theologians, gave visual form to traditional dogmas and piety with a more affective language. Patrons sought to revive the imperial prestige of Alexander the Great or the Caesars while recommending their souls to the saints in Paradise, and artists were thus seen as new Apelles or Praxiteles, even though their work was mainly intended to glorify the Church. Slowly Renaissance Rome (New Troy or New Jerusalem) arose with its marble facades, order, and monumentality above the chaotic medieval town marked by glorious fragments of antiquity and surrounded by the monumental basilicas of early Christianity. Altarpieces, tombs, chapels, churches, villas, palaces, and urban projects designed between the 15^th and the 16^th centuries testify to the birth of a revived Golden Age in a city which, as an ark of salvation, awaited the last Judgement.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The basic texts for this course are: Loren Partridge, The Renaissance in Rome and Howard Hibbard, Michelangelo. Beside these books, you are required to read attentively a series of weekly readings from selected periodicals and books gathered in a reader in the JCU Library. In adition, there will be suggested readings that you can find in the reference library. Reading at the art history library of Palazzo Venezia (Piazza Venezia) is strongly recommended for the preparation of the oral presentations.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
, The Renaissance in Rome	Loren Partridge	prentice hall	13: 978-0131833401

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
oral prsentation, Exam, Particpation	Grading will be based on an oral presentation (30%), a final exam (50%), and participation (20%). Participation refers to presence, questions, answers, interest, attention, enthusiasm, note-taking, punctuality. Those hoping to get a full “A” should not neglect the participation percentage for it can decrease your mark of a full letter.	30, 50, 20%

-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 is mandatory unless excused by medical certificate

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

Revised Calendar

Week 3

Tuesday, june 4

on site lecture: meet at jcu entrance at 9.30 (class ends around 1.00)

rome in the cinquecento

ponte sisto, via giulia, san pietro in montorio, tempietto, villa farnesina

thursday june 6

in-class lecture meet at 9.40 (class ends at 1.00)

michelangelo’s sistine ceiling and the last judgement

readings: l. partridge, michelangelo: the sistine chapel ceiling; b. barnes, michelangelo’s last judgement. The renaissance response

homework visit: tomb of julius ii in san pietro in vincoli

week 4

tuesday june 11

in-class lecture meet at 9.40 (class ends at 1.00)

raphael’s vatican stanze

readings: t. verdon, “pagans in the church: the school of athens in religious context”; i. rowland, “the intellectual background of the school of athens: tracking divine wisdom in the rome of julius ii”

thursday june 13

on-site lecture. meet at the borghese museum entrance at 9.30 (class ends at 1.00)

painting and poetry: selected paintings at villa borghese

readings: d. summers, “maniera and movement: the figura serpentinata,”

week 5

tuesday june 18

on-site lecture: meet at the vatican museum entrance at 8.00 (exit around 12.30-1.00)

visit of the vatican palace

thursday june 20

in-class lecture meet at 9.30 (class ends at 1.00)

tba oral presentations

friday june 22

final exam

final exam 60% oral presentation 25% participation 15%

Calendar

Week 1

Tuesday May 21

In-class lecture

Rome in the Quattrocento

Thursday May 23

In-class/on-site lecture

Altarpieces and the Pieta’ at Saint Peter’s

Readings: J. Shearman, Only Connect; A. Nagel,”Humanism and the Altar Image”;

Brandt Kathleen, “Michelangelo’s Pieta for the Cappella del Re di Francia”

Week 2

Tuesday, May 28

On-site lecture. Meet at Piazza Venezia (in front of Palazzo Venezia main entrance) at 9.00 (Quiz 1)

Renaissance Palaces

Palazzo Venezia, Palazzo della Cancelleria, Palazzo Farnese, Piazza del Campidoglio

Readings: J. Ackerman, The Architecture of Michelangelo

Thursday, May 30

On-site lecture. Meet at Santa Maria del Popolo (near the gate of the Piazza) at 9.00

Renaissance Chapels

Santa Maria del Popolo, Sant’Agostino, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Readings: Brandt Kathleen, “Cosmological Patterns in Raphael’s Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo”

Homework visit: Castiglione Chapel in San Clemente, Bufalini Chapel in Santa Maria Ara Coeli

Week 3

Tuesday, June 4

On site Lecture: Meet at JCU entrance at 9.00

Rome in the Cinquecento

Ponte Sisto, Via Giulia, San Pietro in Montorio, Tempietto, Villa Farnesina

Thursday June 6

In-class lecture

Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling and the Last Judgement

Readings: L. Partridge, Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling; B. Barnes, Michelangelo’s Last Judgement. The Renaissance Response

Homework visit: Tomb of Julius II in San Pietro in Vincoli

Week 4

Tuesday June 11

In-class lecture

Raphael’s Vatican Stanze

Readings: T. Verdon, “Pagans in the Church: The School of Athens in Religious Context”; I. Rowland, “The Intellectual Background of the School of Athens: Tracking Divine Wisdom in the Rome of Julius II”

Thursday June 13

On-site Lecture: Meet at the Vatican Museum entrance at 9.00

Visit of the Vatican Palace

Week 5

Tuesday June 18

On-site lecture. Meet at the Borghese Museum entrance at 9.30

Painting and Poetry: Selected Paintings at Villa Borghese

Readings: D. Summers, “Maniera and Movement: The Figura Serpentinata,”

Thursday June 20

TBA

Friday June 22

Final Exam