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Courses in Art History
ART
2500
Survey of Ancient and Medieval Art
*Offered in alternate years.
4
SEMESTER HOURS
Description:
This course traces the development of art from prehistoric
times through the late Gothic period, exploring some of the
major themes, questions, and problems related to the changes
in artistic style and purpose. Primary emphasis will be on
the painting, sculpture, and architecture of western civilization.
Instructor:
Elise
Smith
Syllabus
We'll
explore in this course the historical development of painting,
sculpture, and architecture in early Western civilization,
concentrating on works from the prehistoric period through
the Middle Ages. We'll look for the differences in style and
technique which help to distinguish one art-historical period
from another, as well as the underlying similarities of 'great'
art through the ages. We'll think about the question, "What
makes 'great' art?", and we'll also make an effort to
understand the cultural significance of the so-called 'minor'
arts. Although this is primarily an art history course, we'll
try to place the visual arts in the context of a broader cultural,
religious, and historical framework. You should acquire through
this chronological survey a knowledge of the styles and influences
at work in the major art-historical periods, in addition to
an ability to discuss and analyze individual works of art.
TEXT.
The text is Marilyn Stokstad's Art History, Volume 1,
revised edition (New York: Prentice-Hall & Abrams, 1999).
Notice that there's a very useful glossary at the back of
the book. You'll want to get in the habit of referring to
it on a regular basis.
GRADES.
Each of you will be evaluated on the basis of the following:
class
participation (10%)
three exams (including a non-cumulative final) (15%, 15%,
20%).
two short analytical papers (3-5 typewritten pages each) (20%,
20%)
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION. Regular class attendance is
especially important in this art course since it won't be
possible to duplicate the experience of class discussions
simply by reading along in the book. You can't learn without
engaging with the material, so I strongly encourage all of
you to ask questions and talk freely in class about the art
works.
Included in your class participation grade will be a few reading
journals. Whenever articles are assigned (outside of the regular
reading in Stokstad), you are required to write a reading
response of about two handwritten pages in which you summarize
the major thesis of the article and analyze and respond to
the argument. Two articles are specified on the weekly schedule
at the end of this syllabus, but there may be a few additional
ones. Two copies of each article are on reserve in the library,
and you should make your own xeroxed copy to read, annotate,
and bring to class discussion.
Absences
for whatever reason after the first three will adversely affect
your final grade (I will count off one point from your final
grade for each absence after the first three). If you are
absent for an extended excused illness or family emergency
or school sports, you may be able to make up those absences
by doing additional writing assignments (please consult with
me about this if the need arises).
EXAMS.
These will be slide identification and essay exams. The essays
will mainly consist of analysis and comparison of selected
works of art from your slide lists. Most of these works on
the slide lists will be images that we discuss in class, but
I'll also choose some additional works from the text on which
you may be tested. The complete identification of an art work
for the purposes of this course includes the following information:
name of artist (if known), title of the work of art, nationality,
period, and approximate date. The final exam will include
some images from earlier in the semester, although it won't
be completely cumulative (a study guide will be handed out).
No make-up
exams will be given unless you have a serious medical or other
emergency reason and have notified me in advance of the reason
for your absence.
PAPER
#1 (due Nov. 3):
This paper
(4-5 typed pages) should be a unified essay centered around
the question of what makes an effective pediment design. It
should include the following components, although not necessarily
in this order:
1) a list
of what you consider the general characteristics of a good
pediment design (at least three criteria);
2) a consideration, based on your criteria, of the five Greek
pediments which will be handed out in class;
3) an analysis of the main pediment at the New Capitol in
Jackson (how well does this pediment work compositionally,
in your opinion, and how effective is it iconographically
-- i.e., can you make any sense of the subject, of who or
what those figures are supposed to represent?);
4) your own pediment design, based on a story from Greek mythology,
from the Bible, from history, or from another narrative that
would work well on a pediment. You should include not only
the design itself, but also an explanation of your choice
of narrative and your compositional approach.
Note: The New Capitol is located in downtown Jackson, bounded
on the north by High St. and on the south by Mississippi St.
(in between President and West Sts.). You can reach it by
traveling south on State St. and turning to the right on either
High or Mississippi. If you don't have a car you can take
a bus south on State St. The phone number is 359-3114. There's
a brochure entitled "The New Capitol" with close-up
photos, that you can usually pick up inside. If you use information
from this brochure, remember to document your source and be
careful to use your own words (see the information on plagiarism
in this syllabus).
PAPER #2 (due Dec. 8):
Write
an essay of 3-5 typed pages in which you analyze the architecture
of St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral here in Jackson. How does
it compare with basilicas from the Early Christian, Romanesque,
and Gothic periods (both inside and outside, front and side)?
Cite specific examples of churches we've studied this semester
in your essay. What evidence of traditional Christian symbolism
can you find in the structure and/or decoration of this cathedral?
St. Andrew's
is located downtown at 305 E. Capitol, the corner of Capitol
and West Sts., three blocks south of the New Capitol and three
blocks west of State St. If you don't have a car take the
bus south on State St. to the Old Capitol and walk three blocks
west on Capitol St. The church is open from 9:30-4:30 (either
through the front door or one of the side doors--you may need
to explore one of the two courtyards, one opening onto Capitol
St., the other onto West St., to find an open door that'll
lead you to the main sanctuary). There's a service in the
small chapel just off the main church every weekday at noon,
so try to avoid that time. You might call the church before
you go (354-1535) to make sure it's open and there's not a
special service planned.
* * *
Late assignments
will be marked down 1/2 letter grade for each 24 hours that
they're late unless prior arrangements are made (a serious,
legitimate, justifiable reason is needed for me to consider
granting a student extra time for these papers, so plan ahead
and budget your time wisely).
PLAGIARISM
- A Reminder
Always
be careful about plagiarism, even in take-home exams. Plagiarism,
as you know from LS1000, is the use of another person's ideas
or words without proper acknowledgement. There are times when
your sources might include not only various published books
and articles, but also friends or colleagues or professors.
Get in the habit of thinking about where your ideas and words
originate, since that is one of the responsibilities of being
a member of the academic community. Some students think they're
solving the problem by using quote after quote, but that can
turn into a pastiche of other people's work rather than a
genuine essay.
To be
more specific about what plagiarism is, in case you're uncertain:
two of the most common forms of plagiarism are defined by
Diana Hacker in The Bedford Handbook for Writers (Boston:
St. Martin's, 1994) as "(1) borrowing someone's ideas,
information, or language without documenting the source and
(2) documenting the source but paraphrasing the source's language
too closely, without using quotation marks to indicate that
language has been borrowed" (477).
When should
you document a source? In addition to citing the source of
a direct quote, you should give a citation when you refer
to an idea, opinion, hypothesis, or conclusion from one of
your sources, or when you summarize or paraphrase a section
of your source, or when you rely on one of your sources for
a fact that would not be considered common knowledge for the
audience of your paper (Hacker 477-78). The point of all this
is to help the reader (and yourself as writer) to distinguish
between your own ideas and those with whom you are entering
into scholarly conversation.
What is
meant by paraphrasing a source too closely? This is probably
the kind of plagiarism that I most often see in student papers.
It has often been considered "unintentional", but
is nonetheless clearly recognizable as plagiarism. With the
Honor Code now in place at Millsaps, and with a concerted
effort being made by faculty and students alike to clarify
the boundaries of academic dishonesty, you will no longer
be able to plead lack of understanding. If you're uncertain
about plagiarism, I encourage you to read Hacker, pp. 467-79,
on the process of taking notes in order to properly paraphrase
your sources and on constructing and writing your essay in
order to maintain a strong, clear voice.
You should
be aware of the use and acknowledgement of your sources at
all levels, from defining your thesis to organizing your ideas
to writing individual sentences. Here is an exercise to help
you think about plagiarism at the sentence level, excerpted
from Hacker, pp. 478-79:
Which
of the following, if any, are plagiarized from the original
sentence, and which, if any, are acceptable? Put a "P"
by what you consider a plagiarized sentence, and an "A"
by what you consider an acceptable sentence.
Original
version: "If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling
for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists."
Davis, Eloquent Animals, p. 26
a) The
existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled
animal behaviorists (Davis 26).
b) If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing
for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to
scientists studying animal behavior (Davis 26).
c) According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists
were unprepared for the news that a chimp could communicate
with its trainers through sign language (26).
d) When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language,
both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise.
e) When they learned of an ape's ability to use sign language,
both linguists and animal behaviorists were taken by surprise
(Davis 26).
Answers:
Acceptable paraphrasing and documentation: c, e
Acceptable paraphrasing, but no documentation: d
Unacceptable paraphrasing (words and/or sentence structure
borrowed too closely): a, b
* * *
HONOR
CODE: The honor pledge signed by all students upon entering
the College is as follows:
As a Millsaps
College student, I hereby affirm that I understand the Honor
Code and am aware of its implications and of my responsibility
to the Code. In the interests of expanding the atmosphere
of respect and trust in the College, I promise to uphold the
Honor Code and I will not tolerate dishonest behavior in myself
or in others.
Please
pledge all your written work for this class with the written
pledge: "I hereby certify that I have neither given nor
received unauthorized aid on this assignment [Signature]."
The abbreviation "Pledged" followed by your signature
has the same meaning and is acceptable on assignments other
than final exams.
LEARNING
DISABILITIES: If you have a learning disability and need special
arrangements you must discuss it with the designated person
in Student Affairs as well as with each of your instructors.
In order for me to be able to accomodate your needs you must
inform me within the first week of the semester (or within
one week of entering the class).
* * *
TENTATIVE
AND PROVISIONAL COURSE CALENDAR
Week Subject
1 8/30-9/1
Prehistoric Art
2 9/4-9/8
Prehistoric and Mesopotamian Art
3 9/11-9/15
Mesopotomian and Egyptian Art
4 9/18-9/22
Egyptian Art
5 9/25-9/29
Egyptian Art; EXAM #1, FRIDAY, 9/29
READ by
Mon., 9/25: Vincent Scully's "The Sacred Mountain in
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Aegean" (make your copy from
the reserve copy in the library)
6 10/2-10/6 Minoan and Mycenean Art
7 10/9-10/13 Early Greek Art
8 10/16-10/20
Classical Greek Art; NO CLASS 10/20 (I'll be presenting a
paper at the Southeastern College Art Conference)
9 10/23-10/27
NO CLASS MONDAY, OCT. 23 (FALL BREAK)
Classical Greek Art
READ by
Fri., 10/27: Nanette Salomon's "The Venus Pudica"
(make your copy from the reserve copy)
10 10/30-11/3
Late Greek Art
DUE Nov.
3: Paper #1
11 11/6-11/10 Roman Art
12 11/13-11/17 Roman Art; EXAM #2, FRIDAY, 11/17
13 11/20-11/22
Early Christian Art (NO CLASS FRIDAY, 11/24, THANKSGIVING)
14 11/27-12/1
Romanesque Art
15 12/4-12/8
Gothic Art
DUE Dec.
8: Paper #2
16 12/11 Gothic Art
EXAM #3 will be given during the final exam period: Thursday,
Dec. 14, 9:00 a.m.
* * *
ANCIENT
AND MEDIEVAL ART
Paper Assignments for those students who took History of Architecture
Each paper
will be centered around a single work of art, and will consist
of a stylistic and iconographic analysis of that work. An
important aspect of these papers is to focus narrowly, and
to make a point. Avoid simple summary. Learn as much as you
can about the topic, and then figure out what question or
thesis you want to pursue. Your paper should include a well-focused
thesis statement, sufficient supporting evidence drawn from
your own analysis of the image as well as from your research,
and a convincing conclusion. It should also be accompanied
by parenthetical notes or endnotes, and a bibliography in
the correct MLA format. Also include xeroxed illustrations
when needed. Carefully consult the handout "Tips on Writing
Art History Papers" for more information.
Format:
Each paper should be about 3-5 double-spaced typed pages (with
a font size of 10 or 12, one inch margins, and numbered pages).
There should be a separate title page, unnumbered, that includes
the title of the paper, your name, the number and title of
this class, the date of submission, and your honor pledge.
Revision:
I strongly encourage you to go through a rigorous and extensive
revision process for each paper, which would ideally include
one or two visits to the Writing Center as well as various
peer readers. I would be glad to be one of the readers for
your first draft, if you turn it in to me at least one week
before the final due date. Once the paper is submitted on
the due date, however, there will ordinarily be no further
revision and the grade it receives will be final.
Late assignments
will be marked down 1/2 letter grade for each 24 hours that
they're late unless prior arrangements are made (a serious,
legitimate, justifiable reason is needed for me to consider
granting a student extra time for these papers, so plan ahead
and budget your time wisely).
Due:
Paper #1
Topic
Proposal and preliminary bibliography Oct. 2
Final Paper Nov. 3
Paper #2
Topic Proposal and preliminary bibliography Nov. 10
Final Paper Dec. 8
* * *
This syllabus is subject to change at the disgression of the
instructor.
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