ARTH 1000: Art History Survey I: Prehistory through the 14th century
Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays 2:15-3:15
Fall 2013
Dr. Amy E. Johnson
Associate Professor of Art History, Otterbein University
Office: A-121, Arts & Communication Building
Phone: (614) 823-1260
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Mondays 3:30-4:30 and by appointment.
Course description:
Before human beings wrote anything, they painted, drew, sculpted, and built
works of art. In this course we consider what this means for the nature of human
existence as we examine art produced between roughly 30,000 bce and 1400 ce
in various locations and cultures around the world. What does art-making
contribute to human lives and our search for meaning and understanding? Is it
different now than in ancient history? We explore these questions by studying
art from the ancient period and by looking at our own culture’s continued
fascination with humankind’s distant past.
Learning outcomes:
ARTH 1000 is an approved INST substitute for the INST 2600 Creativity &
Culture thread. INST learning outcomes are in parentheses next to the
corresponding ARTH 1000 outcomes.
Throughout our course-long discussion, you are expected to:
 Understand and use correct vocabulary to discuss and describe works of
art according to form, technique, and content.
 Compare and contrast art from different cultures and time periods in
order to gain deeper understanding of the diversity of human beliefs,
ideas, and practices. (INST goal 2, outcome 1: students gain enhanced
understanding of the diversity of ideas, beliefs and practices across
cultures and throughout historical eras.)
 Consider how art engages with enduring and contemporary questions of
human meaning and purpose, such as mortality and immortality,
spirituality, remembrance, power. (INST goal 3, outcome 3: students
explore enduring and contemporary questions about human meaning
and purpose.)
 Understand and articulate the meaning and significance of art for various
peoples and cultures in the ancient world. (INST goal 4, outcome 4:
students recognize and engage with that which is other or unfamiliar to
them.)
 Analyze methods for interpreting art and studying human beings and their
communities. (INST goal 5, outcome 1: students demonstrate the
intellectual and practical skills necessary for meaningful work and active
participation in the local community and the larger world.)

Recognize the value and significance for studying and preserving cultural
heritage from around the world. (INST goal 5, outcome 5: students come
to see themselves as responsible, engaged and informed person, capable
and willing to act in ways that will improve or reshape the world.)
Course requirements:
1. Attendance and participation are very important for your success in this
course and account for 10% of your overall course grade. Participation includes
completing all reading, worksheets, and in-class assignments on time. More than
three absences and you will lose that full 10%. Chronic tardiness also leads to
significant reductions of this grade, as does leaving early, sleeping in class,
leaving to get food, drink, bathroom breaks, etc. N.B.: Attendance is important
because you are tested on all the material we cover in class, not just what is in the
reading assignments.
2. Everyone participates in one group project, worth 10% of the course grade.
Working in groups of 3-5, you will develop a project for presentation (15-20 min.
max.) to the class between November 4-22. You must be present for your group’s
presentation in order to receive credit for this project.
3. There are two in-class tests each worth 20%. Each exam includes a section
on term definitions and three short essay questions.
4. The final exam, worth 25% of the course grade, takes place on Tuesday,
December 10 at 2 pm, ending at 4 pm. The final is NOT comprehensive; it
includes a section on term definitions and four essay questions.
5. There is one take-home essay worth 15%, which will discuss an assigned
prompt.
INST Requirements
If you are NOT an art major and are taking this course as a substitute for the
INST 2600 thread you must also:
 Identify 2-3 class artifacts for inclusion in your e-portfolio which
demonstrate your competency with the appropriate integrative learning
outcomes. (Eportfolios will be staged into use in INST courses beginning
with first-year students in 2011-12.)
 Attend a minimum of two events on campus and turn in a brief (1 page,
typed) response for each event. Acceptable events include art exhibits in
Miller or Fisher galleries as well as INST-approved campus events. Event
responses must be submitted by the last day of class.
Grading:
1. Attendance & participation, including completing all reading, worksheets, and
in-class assignments = 10%
2. Group project = 10%
3. 2 in-class tests = 20% each, 40% total
4. Final exam = 25%
5. 1 essay = 15%
A = 93-100; A- = 90-92; B+ = 88-89; B = 83-87; B- = 80-82; C+ = 78-79; C = 7377; *C- = 70-72; D= 60-69; F= below 60
* N.B. Art majors are required to earn a “C” or above in courses required for the
major. This includes this course, ARTH 1000.
Reading assignments:
All reading assignments must be completed by the start of class for which they
are assigned.
The required text for the course is Gardner’s Art Through the Ages by Fred S.
Kleiner. You may use either the 13th or 14th edition; the 13th edition is available on
library reserve (ask at the circulation desk).
Additionally, a number of journal and newspaper articles are assigned. These are
available either on library reserve, on blackboard, or as class handouts – see the
course outline for details of each reading assignment and where to find it.
Blackboard
There is a blackboard site for this course. I will post the class powerpoint lectures
on Blackboard so that you may study the images outside of class. Other
announcements and assignments can also be found on Blackboard. If you
haven’t used Blackboard before, you access it from the Otterbein intranet. Your
username is the same as your Otterbein e-mail username; your default password
is either your social security number OR your Otterbein id number. Any
problems logging in, contact the Blackboard help desk.
Students with Disabilities
Otterbein College is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have
access to an education. In order to receive appropriate accommodations in my
class, you must first be registered with the Office for Disability Services. Contact
Kera Manley at 823-1618 for information about Disability Services. I strongly
encourage you to schedule an individual meeting with me as early in the quarter
as possible to discuss your needs and accommodation requests. If necessary, we
can work cooperatively with the Disability Services Coordinator to determine
optimal accommodations in this course.
Course Schedule (subject to change)
Aug. 26
28
30
Introductions
Prehistory: Paleolithic, read Gardner ch. 1;
On bb: “Furs for Evening…” AND “Spitting Images” (on blackboard)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
*Sept. 2
Labor Day: no classes
4
Prehistory: Neolithic, read Gardner ch. 1
6
Mesopotamia, read Gardner ch. 2 AND “Life on the Edge of the
Marshes” (on blackboard)
9
Mesopotamia & Persia, read Gardner ch. 2
11
Ancient Americas before 1300: read “Ball Courts” on blackboard
AND Gardner ch. 18 (14th ed.) OR ch. 14 (13th ed.)
13
Ancient Egypt, ch. 3
16
18
20
Egypt, cont., ch. 3
Egypt, cont., ch. 3
Ancient China, ch. 16 (14th ed.) OR ch. 7 (13th ed.)
23
wrap up and test review
*25 Test #1
27
The Prehistoric Aegean, ch. 4 AND “ Snake Goddesses, Fake
Goddesses” on blackboard
Oct.
30
2
*4
The Aegean, cont., ch. 4
Ancient Greece, ch. 5
Group project workday: no class meeting
7
Ancient Greece, ch. 5 AND “Elgin Marble Argument in a New Light”
on blackboard
9
Ancient Greece, ch. 5
11
Etruscans, ch. 6 (14th ed.) OR ch. 9 (13th ed.); AND “Etruscan
Sexuality and Funerary Art” on blackboard
*14 & 16 Fall break: no classes
18
Rome, ch. 7 (14th ed.) OR ch. 10 (13th ed.)
21
23
*25
28
*30
Nov. 1
Rome, ch. 7 (14th ed.) OR ch. 10 (13th ed.)
Rome, ch. 7 (14th ed.) OR ch. 10 (13th ed.)
Group project workday: no class meeting
wrap up and review
Test #2
Late Antiquity: Judaism & Early Christianity, ch. 8
4
6
8
Early Christianity, ch.8 (begin group project presentations)
Early Buddhism, ch. 15
Byzantium, ch. 9
11
13
Early Hindu Art & Architecture, ch. 15
Islam, ch. 10
15
Early Medieval, ch. 11
18
20
22
Romanesque, ch. 12
Gothic, ch. 13
Gothic, ch. 13
25
Gothic
*27 & 29 Thanksgiving break: no classes
Dec.
2
4
6
The Middle Ages in Italy
The Middle Ages in Italy
Wrap up and review
Final Exam: Tuesday, Dec. 10 2-4pm