Common Course Description: A chronological analysis of the historical and cultural contexts of the visual arts from prehistoric times to the 14th century.

Common Course Rationale:  The purpoise of Art History I is to introduce students to the development of period styles from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages.  Students will acquire knowledge of important examples of art and architecture from different cultures of this period.

This class fulfills the Creative Arts requirement of the Core Curriculum outline.

Common Course Learning Outcomes:  Upon completion of this class students will be able to:  

• Identify and describe works of art based on their chronolgy and style, using standard categories and terminology.
• Investigate major artistic developments and significant works of art from prehistoric times to the late Middle ages..
• Analyze the relationship of art to history by placing works of art within cultural, historical, and chronological contexts.
• Critically interpret and evaluate works art of art.  

Discipline Specific Program Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course students will:

• Write meaningful formal descriptions and critical analysies of art works.
• Explain how formal and compositional properties express and convey content.
• Recognize, comparatively analyze, and contextualize differences in artistic styles.
• Gain insight to diverse perspectives and relate art history to broader life experiences.

General Education Oucomes:

• Civic and Cultural Awareness - Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society; comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differneces and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.
• Critical Thinking - Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.
• Personal Responsibility - Identifying and applying ethical principles and practices; demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.
• Interpersonal Skills - Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.
• Written, Oral, and Visual Communication - Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.
• Technology Skills:  Using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information.

Prerequisites: College level reading and writing requirements.  Students will need strong, college-level reading, writing and study skills to succeed in this course. Students are expected to read approximately 450 pages of textbook and may be obliged to read outside articles and write essays.  Students are expected to observe standard English grammar and spelling rules in writing assignments.

Course assignments:  Course assignments:  Four exams covering assigned textbook readings over the duration of the semester, two postings on the discussion board, weekly quizzes.

Required Textbook:

Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Global History, 15th or 14th edition, volume 1. Edited by Fred S. Kleiner. ISBN: 9781111771584 (or ISBN-10: 111177157X ;  ISBN-13: 9781111771577 )

Students may use an earlier edition of the textbook such as the 13th edition, Volume 1 (ISBN-10:0495500313 or ISBN-13: 978-0495500315) or the 12th edition  (isbn: 0-534-64095-8).  

Be careful not to get the version called Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: the Western Tradition-- the Western Tradition version omits the chapters on India, China and Japan. We are covering those chapters.

Week 1: discussion of what art historians do and overview of course.  Begin Chapter 1: prehistoric art.

Week 2: Finish prehistoric art; chapter 2: Ancient Near East art.  Begin ancient Egyptian art.

Week 3: Finish Egyptian art.  Chapter 4: Ancient Aegean art.

Week 4: Exam 1 (chapters 1-4).  Begin chapter 5:  Ancient Greek Art.

Week 5: Finish Ancient Greek art.  Begin chapter 10:  Ancient Roman art.

Week 6: Finish Ancient Roman art.  Begin chapter 11: the art of Late Antiquity.

Week 7 Finish the art of Late Antiquity.  Exam 2 (chapters 5, 10, 11)

Week 8: Chapters 6 and 7: The art of India and China.

Week 9: Chapter 13: Islamic art.

Week 10: Chapter 12: Byzantine art.

Week 11: Exam 3 (chapters 6, 7, 12, 13).  Chapter 15: Early African art.

Week 12: Chapter 16: Early Medieval Western European art.

Week 13: Chapter 17: Romanesque art.

Week 14: Begin chapter 18: Gothic art.  Thanksgiving Holiday.

Week 15: Chapter 18: Gothic art.

Week 16: "Catch up" day.  Exam IV (chapters 15, 16, 17, 18)