J-TERM TRAVELING SEMINAR
MEDITERRANEAN BASIN: FRANCE, ITALY GREECE
ARH 385
3 CREDITS (45 CONTACT HOURS)
FROM ANTIQUITY TO RENAISSANCE: CLASSICAL ART & ARCHITECTURE
I ACADEMIC OVERVIEW:
IAU’s January Term (J-Term) Traveling Seminar promotes visual literacy in the history, art and archaeology as
well as philosophical literature from the Mediterranean Basin from Antiquity to Middle Ages and the
Renaissance period. It cultivates strong research and critical thinking skills, and develops students’ abilities to
synthetize cultural, historical, political, and social information as it bears upon the visual arts. The academic
component consists of a series of on-site studies made by academic experts from IAU in addition to local guides
and experts in the field of history, art history and archaeology.
II COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Art History 385 and Archaeology 385
a) Improving students’ knowledge of the different periods within Ancient Times from a chronological
viewpoint
b) Learning to study art history and archaeology from a critical perspective by crossing different
viewpoint such as archaeology (lifestyle, economy, activities, and behaviors), art history and art styles,
history (important characters, events) and auxiliary disciplines (hard sciences as humanities such as
literature, psychology, philosophy).
c) Enhancing students’ understanding of the fundamental importance of visual imagery in a largely nonliterate society, especially in relation to how visual imagery may serve to instruct its audience about
cultural values and norms.
d) Recognizing and evaluating masterpieces of art which exemplify the visual culture of the period
covered in the course, students will begin to create a historical framework of artistic monuments with
which to evaluate and classify works of art of the same cultures and periods that they encounter after
they complete the course.
III LEARNING OUTCOMES:
From the time the students finish the course, they should be able to:
• Art History 385
a) List and explain the most important human evolutions from the Ancient Greek and Roman Civilizations
(c. 800 BCE) up to the Italian Renaissance (15th cent. AD).
b) Use a specialized vocabulary inherent in all sciences
c) Analyze an artistic composition
d) Explain archaeological research methods and aims.
e) Link the major social and (pre)historical forces which conditioned the art of each period and/or culture
studied, and to examine these forces in relation to European and French modern cultural and social
issues.
f) Recognize masterpieces of art which exemplify the visual culture of the period covered by the J-Term,
and demonstrate an on-going willingness to use this historical framework of artistic monuments to
evaluate and classify similar works of art that are encountered after he or she has completed the course.
IV INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND ACTIVITIES:
a) Site visits
b) Seminars and Lectures
c) Discussions / Reading Assignments for each place visited
V PRIMARY TEXTBOOK:
During the J-Term Traveling Seminar, students will use a specific handbook provided by their professor. It
includes the reading assignments, a methodological file and fill-in forms related to the visits and the lectures.
Textbooks in common:
1) Chr. Kelly, The Roman Empire. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford. 2006
2) P. Cartledge, Ancient Greece. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford. 2011
+ Reading assignments will be mainly but not only excerpts from:
M. Stokstad, Art History. Volumes one and two; Ward-Perkins, Roman Imperial Architecture; A. Chastel, Italian
Art; C. Christofidès, Medieval Art. A Commentary; R. Wittkower, Art and Architecture in Italy 1600-1750; D.
Talbot Rice, Art of the Byzantine Era; H. Spencer (ed.), Readings in Art History. Volumes one and two. L. de
Blois and R.J. van der Spek, An introduction to the Ancient World; B. Cunliffe, Prehistoric Europe; H.
Chadwick, The Early Church; M. Gerhart (ed.), The Christianity Reader.
VI EVALUATION AND GRADING:
a) Participation during the site visits, seminars and lectures (10%)
b) Three essays related to the visits and the lectures taken all along the J-term (50 %)
c) Final Exam – A critical reporting on a specific transversal topic defined with the
professor (40%)
Exams are expected to be due on time. Any paper given later than the day / time expected will see
the grade lowered.
VII ATTENDANCE:
Students are expected to attend all the site visits, seminars and lectures.
General Travel Advisory: This trip is a serious one, both academically and culturally. Students are expected to
be prepared for intellectual, linguistic, social, and travel challenges. We are traveling as a team, and each
member must be prepared, punctual, cautious, and professional. With those important caveats, the trip promises
to be an incredible experience, including fun and adventure.
Attendance and Short Papers: Students are expected to attend and participate in every scheduled event,
barring sickness. Students who miss sessions during the trip normally write papers to compensate.
VIII TOPICS COVERED:
Art History 385
a) Birth and Evolution of the Greek Architecture, Sculpture and Vase painting (from the Mycenaeans to
the Hellenistic period)
b) Greek Influences on Roman Art and Roman Specificities
c) Classical Art and Society in Rome and Greece
d) Classical Art and Greco-Roman Religion
e) From Pagan Art to Early/Medieval Christian Art (mainly related to architecture and sculpture):
Influences, Specificities and Symbiosis
f) Painting and Architecture in Rome from the Renaissance period (15th cent.) to the Baroque (18th cent.)
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