KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
ART 33: INTRODUCTION TO ART HISTORY: PREHISTORY – LATE MEDIEVAL
COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Megan Leight
Term: Fall 2010
Course Time: Saturdays 9:00am – 12:00pm
Room: S238
PERSONAL INFORMATION
E-mail: [email protected]
OFFICE HOURS
Saturdays 12:00 -12:30pm
COURSE TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
Art 03300 – Survey of Art History: From Ancient to Renaissance Art (3 crs., 3 hrs)
Historical view of Western Art and some non-Western Art designed to survey in chronological sequence
the evolution of style and form in the major arts from pre-history to the Renaissance. Required of Art
Majors in first year.
REQUIRED TEXT
Laurie Schneider Adams, Art Across Time: Prehistory to the Fourteenth Century, vol. 1, 4th ed.
Students should read the appropriate pages that correspond with the scheduled lecture material. The
readings provide critical background information to the time periods discussed by covering social and
historical events in more detail. Failure to keep up in the readings will cause students to fall behind the
pace of the class. This may be purchased at the bookstore on campus. Using another edition is not
permitted as the page numbers will not correspond with the ones listed on this syllabus.
TEXTBOOK ON RESERVE
Copies of all textbooks for all art history classes are placed on reserve at the Circulation Desk in the
Kibbee Library. If you are unable to purchase a textbook, students may borrow the book for a 2-hour
loan for use in the library only. Students must have a valid Kingsborough ID card to use the library.
COURSE GOALS
The goals of the Art 33 course are to provide the student with the following:
1). Familiarity with art terminology necessary for discussion and study of art.
2). Knowledge of specific historical details of selected works of art from Western and non-Western
cultures, beginning with prehistoric art and concluding with art of the early Renaissance. Students are
expected to gain an understanding of the relationships between artistic works and historical events.
3). Knowledge of the roles of artists, their techniques, and the beginnings of the art market and the history
of commissioned works of art over the centuries.
4). The ability to write about a work of art using the knowledge acquired from class lectures and the
assigned readings. The students should be exposed to art historical writing (which can be, but is not
limited to art criticism and/or historical research) so that they have a model on which to create their own
art historical writing projects.
5). The ability to verbally discuss a work of art using the knowledge acquired from the class lectures and
the assigned readings.
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COURSE OUTCOMES
At the end of their studies in Art 33, the successful student should be able to:
1). Demonstrate a working knowledge of art and art history through critical thinking, testing, and writing.
2). Analyze a work of art formally and within a historical context orally and through writing.
3). Formulate intelligent questions and initiate discussion about visual objects.
4). Communicate their ideas about visual objects effectively in writing and speaking.
COURSE PARTICIPATION/ATTENDANCE POLICY
The course participation grade is comprised of attendance and daily discussions. Regular attendance is
necessary for success in this course, and attendance will be taken every class. Students must inform the
instructor via e-mail before the missed class, and any more than 1 missed course will result in lowering of
final grade by one level. It is also the student’s responsibility to obtain class notes and handouts from a
fellow student. In addition to attendance, every day a brief discussion will take place over the mandatory
reading assignments, which should be completed prior to class. Failure to participate in these discussions
may result in the lowering of the final grade.
BLACKBOARD
The Blackboard site for the course is still being set-up, but all course material will be uploaded to the
main website periodically throughout the semester. This is to benefit the students, providing materials
handed out in class available electronically so that you may make extra copies if necessary and at your
leisure. This resource will be used to upload the image lists and PowerPoints for the quizzes
approximately one week before the exams.
E-MAIL POLICY
In all e-mails you send to me, please send respectful and polite email messages that include your full
name and message regarding your question from your preferred e-mail address. In addition, please do not
e-mail papers to me. I will not be accepting these types of submissions. I need hard copies to be turned
in on the day they are due.
PRIVACY POLICY
According to the U.S. Department of Education, “The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA) is a Federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student’s education records. The law
applied to all schools which receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of
Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records;
HOWEVER: These rights transfer to the student, or former student, who has reached the age of 18
or is attending any school beyond the high school level. For a complete statement on FERPA, go to:
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
Therefore, I will not disclose any information about your grades, attendance, or any personal
information to another, including your parents.
ACCOMMODATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
I invite any student with a documented disability to meet with me to arrange for accommodations. You
should also contact the Office of Disability Services, which can be reached at: http://www...studentaffairs.buffalo.edu/ods/
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RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT
Throughout the course you will be assigned a series of three small papers that will become one full length
research paper, approximately 9 pages in length. The paper assignment will be composed of three parts –
a stylistic analysis, a research paper, and a compare contrast paper. These individual papers are to be
handed in at periodic deadlines throughout the semester. These papers will be handed back to you
approximately two weeks after they are submitted to me, with suggestions for corrections to be made for
the final paper. The final paper will be comprised of the three individual papers you wrote throughout the
semester, fully edited, and joined for a cohesive 9 page essay due on the day of the final exam.
Absolutely no late papers will be accepted and all components must be completed and turned in on time
to receive full credit for the assignment. The paper will comprise 40% of your final grade: 10% for each
of the three portions, 10% for the final product. You cannot miss any of the assigned deadlines for these
assignments because you WILL FAIL THIS COURSE. Your assignments, due as mentioned in the course
calendar, will be as follows:
Assignment 1: DUE DATE: OCTOBER 2
Your assignment is to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and examine a work of art from one of the
periods we are discussing this semester (Prehistory – Medieval Art). Your first three page paper is to
write a stylistic analysis of a work you have chosen from the museum. You must see the original
work of art in person for this assignment to be accepted, and you will need to attach proof of your
museum visit to your paper in the form of the entrance ticket, photograph next to the piece, etc. You are
free to choose a work of art of any time period, but given this is an introductory exercise, you will
probably find it easier to work with a fairly realistic work rather than an abstract one.
Begin your paper by identifying the artwork by its title, subject matter, artist, date, medium, and place
of origin (you can get all of this information from the placard next to the work in the museum). Next,
describe the piece in great detail. Write your physical description as if you were describing the work to
someone who has not seen it. Describe the basic appearance of the work, identifying the various things
that you see and how they relate to one another. Then, analyze the style of the work of art, in relation to
the elements of style discussed in class (texture, line, color, size, shape, mass, medium, etc). Some
elements will be more prominent than others so make sure to describe these in detail and consider how
these elements affect the viewer.
Lastly, describe what you think the artist is trying to say in the work. Often the style of the work will give
you some clues as to what the artist felt and was trying to express as he/she made the work, so it is helpful
to explain how the style contributes to its content. Why did you personally find the piece appealing?
I encourage you to put your personal feeling in to paper, but caution you that good organization and
following the instructions above will help guide your writing. While you may use the first person (I
think, I feel), do avoid using everyday jargon or slang. Avoid the passive tense, and do not continually
start your sentences with the words “The” or “This” or “It”. Two things you must plan on doing: 1) write
several drafts of this paper, and 2) have someone else edit it before you hand it in! Remember you are
writing an academic college level paper.
The main point of this paper is to get you to analyze an original work of art and write clearly about it
WITHOUT USING SOURCES. Just provide a written stylistic analysis in this section.
Assignment 2: DUE DATE: OCTOBER 23
Your second assignment is to write a 3 page research paper about your chosen Metropolitan Museum
work of art. Build from your first paper by introducing details about the life of the artist, ideas from that
time period, history of the materials, considerations for the reasons for building or creating this type of
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work, discuss the mythology, or other thoughts behind this piece. It is important that your researched
interpretation of this piece not overlap your initial descriptive interpretation of the work.
The main point of the paper is to get you to analyze an original work of art and write clearly about it on a
research paper level. This is the section where you will need to collect information about your work.
Visit the Metropolitan Museum’s website, researching your piece. The next place you should check for
information is your textbook. Read the relevant section and then seek additional source material from the
bibliography at the back of the book. Also, look for information on your topic by seeking books on that
time period from the KBCC library catalogue on – line. If you have any difficult locating information,
please see me as soon as possible. Visit the Kingsborough Library page and find the Grove Art Online
database that may provide you with additional information about your work. Also be sure to note the
works cited by these online sources that may be texts you can find in the KBCC Library. Another great
source of information is on Google’s Scholar page, where if you are connected to a KBCC computer,
Google will search for academic sources regarding your work.
Because you must use sources in this section of the paper, you MUST include a bibliography stating
which sources you used. I am recommending using FIVE sources for this paper. One of these can be the
MET website, and other your textbook, so you are really only responsible for three additional sources.
When you reference a specific source, please use the appropriate formatting for an in-text citation. We
are going to do a brief overview of how to cite sources in class prior to the due date for this assignment,
but if you are unsure, PLEASE SCHEDULE A TIME TO MEET WITH ME OR EMAIL ME. It is vital
you learn how to properly document the sources you use so you avoid getting caught plagiarizing from
other sources. Plagiarizing is directly coping, borrowing and even paraphrasing from another source
without properly documenting where that information was found. I will only allow scholarly sources to
be used in this paper as well, no websites are to be used. The differences are in using the
NYTIMES.COM and JSTOR.ORG and WIKIPEDIA. Wikipedia is not written by scholars, and is not
considered an acceptable source. DO NOT COPY FROM ANY WEBSITE EITHER. I will find it, and
you will get caught for plagiarizing.
Assignment 3: DUE DATE: NOVEMBER 20
In this class we have discussed how to approach a work of art with an eye to understanding it. This
assignment is designed to have you use these lessons by comparing and contrasting two works of art.
Your assignment is to pick another work of art from any of the artistic eras we have covered in this course
to compare to the piece you have already been writing and researching all semester. You are to write a
three page compare and contrast paper about these works by describing them, analyzing their styles,
and interpreting their content.
Begin your paper by identifying the artworks by title, subject matter, artist, date, medium, and place of
origin. After this, you need to organize your paper to compare and contrast them through discussing the
following questions: How are they alike? How are they different? What accounts for these similarities
and differences? Are they from the same or different artistic eras? What ideas did these paintings
embody and were they in reaction to other artistic eras? How are these ideas reflected? Are they
different in terms of style and composition? Be thorough with your explanation and use all appropriate
terms and their definitions.
You may want to say why you chose the particular works that you did. Describe the basic appearance of
the works, identifying the various things that you see and how they relate to one another. Then, analyze
the style of the work of art, in relation to the elements of style discussed in class including line, texture,
composition, color, etc. (also see preliminary pages of your textbook). Some elements will be more
prominent than others so make sure to describe these in detail and consider how these elements affect the
viewer.
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Lastly, describe what you think the artist is trying to say in the work. Often the style of the work will give
you some clues as to what the artist felt and was trying to express as he/she made the work, so it is helpful
to explain how the style contributes to its content. Why did you personally find the piece appealing? You
may also want to bring in details of the artist’s life in support of your interpretation, although this is not
the main point of your paper. The main point of the paper is to get you to analyze an original work of art
and write clearly about it.
Assignment 4: PUTTING THEM ALL TOGETHER; DUE DATE: DECEMBER 18
Your last assignment is to take all three of the essays you handed in after they have been corrected by me,
revise your initial papers, and put all three of the assignments together for one final 8 to 9 page paper.
This will be difficult as you only need to fully identify the works of art once, so there will be a significant
amount of editing in this process. Make the works fit cohesively together. It may be best if you structure
the paper to be a complete compare contrast of the two works of art, moving through each of the sections
of the stylistic analysis, research and compare contrast to be sure you have addressed each of the areas
fully. This paper above all sound make sense to the reader, and it should not seem like it was written in
three stages. Be sure to take your time, heed my suggestions, and present a well-developed research
paper to me, due on the day of the final exam.
SUBMISSION AND GRADING:
I WILL NOT ACCEPT E-MAILED PAPERS. If for whatever reason you are unable to attend class on
the day of a submission you must get a hard-copy of the paper to the KBCC Art Office, Room S155, to
my mailbox by the Friday before class. I am only on campus on Saturdays, so I will only be checking
that mailbox on Saturdays.
Your grade for each of the assignments is comprised of the following:
50%
50%
Your ability to follow the instruction for writing about the works as described above.
Effective communication of your ideas through organization, clarity, spelling, grammar,
sentence structure, flow, etc.
These papers MUST FOLLOWING THESE DIRECTIONS:
3 to 4 pages in length, Double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman
Include a visual image of your chosen art work(s)
Use citations whenever necessary
A note on citations: please follow a standard format throughout your paper. You may use any style you
choose including MLA, Chicago Manual of Style, and others, it just needs to remain consistent
throughout your paper. Also, please note that this is a research paper. When you use sources, you MUST
cite them or you will receive a U (Unsatisfactory) grade, and you will need to rewrite or rework the paper.
In addition, if you fail to meet the length requirement, you will also receive a U grade until the paper is
long enough to be graded. Each day the paper is late will result in the lowering of your grade by one
grade, so make sure it is handed in on time to receive full credit. If it is not received within three days it
will not be accepted and you will receive an F.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: CUNY STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM
This course and university follow CUNY’S policy on plagiarism, as it is grounds for dismissal from the
college in extreme circumstances. Copies of the CUNY statement on plagiarism are available at the
college’s website at: http://www.kingsborough.edu/academic_integrity_policy.pdf. If you have any
questions or concerns regarding plagiarism, please e-mail me.
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ART HISTORY PAPER TIPS
1. Consider these formal attributes in your paper:
a. Line
c. Light
e. Composition
g. Material
b. Color
d. Form
f. Scale
h. Medium
2. After examining all of these qualities, state what you feel/know to be the content of the work. It is
important to assume you reader knows nothing about this work of art. Be sure you are thorough and
concise.
3. You are required to turn in at least 3-4 FULL pages of text, following these guidelines:
a. 12 pt font
c. 1 inch margins
b. Double spaced
d. Title your work
4. Watch your headings. If you are using MLA style, I suggest you write MORE than 3 pages because your
header is usually HUGE (4 lines long), thus making your paper even shorter. If you use a title page, this
does not count in the amount of written pages.
5. If you choose to use sources on this paper, be sure they are reputable, reliable sources such as Grove Art
Online. Use of Wikipedia and .com sites is not allowed. These are websites based on opinions and do not
contain factual information that can be considered reliable.
6. Take the time to thoroughly proofread and revise your paper. You must be sure to:
a. Spell check. Any time your work is not spell checked is unacceptable. I know Microsoft Word
has a spell checker button. Most often misspelled words are underlined in red. Use it.
b. Check for correct sentence structure (i.e. no sentence fragments, run-ons, long sentences,
comma splices, and missed commas with introductory phases). Also, do not use too many
simple sentences in a row. This reads in a choppy fashion that sounds more like dialogue or
random thoughts than written work (i.e. This piece is Romantic. It is not like Neoclassical. It
has emotion. Neo stuff does not.)
c. NEVER abbreviate the artistic era. ALWAYS capitalize the artistic era. If you are struggling
with the correct endings for these words, please e-mail me or reference your text book for
examples of usage. (i.e. “Neo” is NOT okay for “Neoclassical”, the “romanticism style”
should be “Romantic style” or “style of Romanticism”)
d. Do not start sentences with conjunctions. (i.e. “and”, “but”, “because”) Unless you are a very
skilled writer, often the use of these words at the beginning of a sentence creates sentence
fragments rather than complete thoughts. If you use “however” at the beginning, try first to
incorporate it with a semi-colon (linking it to the previous sentence) for sentence variety. This
will also help keep the same ideas linked within the sentence.
e. Do not use conjunctions. Spell out each word (i.e. can’t = cannot, wasn’t = was not)
f. Do NOT use colloquialisms (i.e. slang: those dudes were all up on each other, them fat girls
crying in the corner, this whole piece is sick, etc.) This paper must be treated as a formal
assignment, and terms like the ones just suggested make your paper weak and affirm an
undeveloped, juvenile writing style.
g. Do not use the 2nd person. Always write in the 3rd and in some cases here the 1st person will be
acceptable.
h. Do not use (parentheses), ”quotations,”, or italics in your work. If it is superfluous, delete it. If
it is important, write it into a sentence.
i. Write out numbers. (i.e. 2 = two)
7. Try not to be repetitive. Redundancy is boring, and it is most often associated with loss of new ideas to
talk about. Be creative. Structure your work so you have enough topics of interest.
8. Please, please turn in a well-written, proofread, logical, not plagiarized, organized paper. If you are
struggling with the assignment, please e-mail or call me for help!
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EXAMS
There will be four exams concerning material covered in class and in the readings. Each exam will focus
on material from the previously covered section and each will be equally weighted in relation to your
grade, at 10% each. Exams are broken down into three parts:
PART I: Visual Identification (40 pts)
Eight works of art or architecture will be projected on the screen. You will need to know their title, artist,
and the artistic era. Afterwards there will be a question concerning the image that you will answer,
directly related to the lecture material. All slides to be covered on the exam will be provided for study
prior to the exam.
PART II: Vocabulary (20 pts.)
This part is multiple choice. At the top of the page, a list of vocabulary terms will be provided. The
definitions are listed below, and you will fill in the corresponding blank with one of the vocabulary
choices. A vocabulary list with the necessary terms for each quiz will be provided prior to the exam.
PART III: Architecture/Labeling (10 pts.)
This part is fill in the plank. You will be asked to memorize a few different types of architectural plans
for the exam, and one of the diagrams will be provided for you to fill in on the exam.
PART IV: Compare & Contrast Essay (20 pts.)
Two works or art will be projected on the screen and in a short, but concise essay you will explain their
similarities and/or differences. All appropriate terms and their definitions should be used. The more
thorough you are in your response the better.
Final Exam
There will be a final exam that must be taken at the end of the semester. It will be the same as the quizzes
prior, and only cover the select material since the third exam.
Make – up Exams
There will be no make – up exams administered for this class. If you miss a test, you should likely think
about dropping the course. Only in the most extreme circumstances will I consider allowing for a makeup exam.
GRADING BREAKDOWN
Course Participation: 20%
Exams:
40%
Paper Assignments:
40%
GRADING RUBRIC
A = 100 – 93
A- = 92 – 90
B+ = 89 – 86
B = 85 – 83
B- = 82 –80
C+ = 79 – 76
C = 75 – 73
C- = 72 – 70
D+ = 69-66
D = 65 – 60
F = 59 – 0
QUICK SCHEDULE FOR COURSE – IMPORTANT DATES
Date
Event
October 2
Paper 1 Due
October 9
Quiz 1
October 23
Paper 2 Due
November 6
Quiz 2
November 20
Paper 3 Due
December 4
Quiz 3
December 18
Quiz 4 and Final Essay Due
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Course Outline
Saturday, September 11
Saturday, September 18
Saturday, September 25
Saturday, October 2
Course Introduction
Syllabus
Introduction: Why Do We Study the History of Art?
Artistic Vocabulary: Style, Shape, Space
NO CLASS – YOM KIPPUR HOLIDAY
Ch. 1: The Art of Prehistory
Window on the World One: Rock Paintings of Australia
(c.75,000/50,000 BCE)
Ch. 2: The Ancient Near East (begin)
**PAPER 1 DUE: Stylistic Analysis
Ch 2: The Ancient Near East (finish)
Ch. 3: Ancient Egypt
Saturday, October 9
**QUIZ 1: Prehistory, Australian Rock Painting, Near East, Egypt
Saturday, October 16
RETURN PAPER 1
Ch. 4: The Aegean
Saturday, October 23
Saturday, October 30
Saturday, November 6
Saturday, November 13
Saturday, November 20
Saturday, November 27
Saturday, December 4
Saturday, December 11
Saturday, December 18
**PAPER 2 DUE: Research Paper
Ch. 5: The Art of Ancient Greece
Ch. 6: The Art of the Etruscans
Window on the World Two: China: Neolithic to First Empire
Window on the World Three: The Indus Valley Civilization and
Developments in South Asia (to the 3rd century A.D.)
**QUIZ 2: The Aegean, Greece, Etruscans, China, Indus Valley
RETURN PAPER 2
Ch. 7: Ancient Rome
Ch. 8: Jewish, Early Christian, and Byzantine Art
Window on the World Four: Developments in Buddhist Art (1 st – 7th
centuries A.D.)
PAPER 3 DUE: Compare Contrast
Ch. 9: The Early Middle Ages
Window on the World Five: Mesoamerica and the Andes (1500 B.C. –
A.D. 1500)
NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
**QUIZ 3: Rome, Jewish, Early Christian, Byzantine, Buddhist,
Early Middle Ages, Mesoamerica
RETURN PAPER 3
Ch. 10: Romanesque Art
Ch. 11: Gothic Art (begin)
Ch. 11: Gothic Art (finish)
pg: 1 - 25
pg: 28 - 49
pg. 40
pg. 50 - 77
pg. 50 - 77
pg. 78 - 111
pg: 112 - 127
pg: 128 - 179
pg. 181 - 192
pg. 193 - 200
pg. 245 - 256
pg. 201- 244
pg. 257 - 286
pg. 293 - 305
pg. 306 - 334
pg. 335 - 352
pg. 353 - 379
pg. 380 - 419
pg. 380 - 419
Window on the World Six: Buddhist and Hindu Developments in
East Asia and South Asia
pg. 420 - 434
Ch. 12: Precursors to the Renaissance
pg. 435 - 463
FINAL EXAM DAY
**QUIZ 4: Romanesque, Gothic, Buddhist, Hindu, ProtoRenaissance
**FULL ESSAY DUE (All compiled sections, approx. 9pgs in
length!)
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