Faculty Syllabus

ARTS-1303 Art History I (Prehistoric to the 14th Century)


Anastasia Rees


Credit Fall 2026


Section(s)

ARTS-1303-026 (36937)
LEC DIL ONL DIL

Course Requirements

   Museum Project                      = 60% 

         

           Museum Midterm  30%

            Museum Final         30%

  Quizzes, Discussion Posts, Powerpoint Responses = 35%                                               

                                                       

Museum Project

By midterm of the semester you will need to submit the first part of your museum.  You will have to create 5 rooms that covers 5 cultures that we had discussed up to that point.  In each room there must be an introductory essay and 4 works inside each room that have descriptive text known as tombstones. Two works must come from powerpoints while the other two will be of your choosing and research.  By the end of the semester, you will add 5 more additional  rooms following the same guidelines.  It is up to you what format you use (Prezi, Google Slides, Adobe, or Powerpoint) and the thematic content of each room.  

Quizzes, Powerpoint Responses, Discussion

Quizzes will cover module content. You have one week to complete the quizzes.

Powerpoint responses cover each powerpoint lecture. The questions will also appear in your exams. Doing them prepares you for your exams. You will see many of the same questions in your exams.

Some of your modules will have you participate in a discussion with your classmates based on topics that I assign.

 


Readings

Required Textbook: There are no textbooks for the course.  All readings are available in the modules.   


Course Subjects

The course will cover the following subjects:

Prehistoric and Neolithic Art and Architecture

Mesopotamian Art and Architecture

Egyptian Art and Architecture

Roman Art and Architecture

Indian Art and Architecture

Chinese Art and Architecture

Pre-Columbian Art and Architecture

Christian, Byzantine and Islamic Art and Architecture (Age of Faith)

Medieval and Gothic Art and Architecture


Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Students will analyze the motivation of artists and how art expresses important aspects of time and culture.
  • Students will accurately identify and describe works of art, their styles and historical time periods using standard categories and terminology.
  • Students will demonstrate comprehension of major cultural diversities and general stylistic characteristics from Prehistoric times to the Renaissance.
  • Students will differentiate among general concepts of media and techniques in the visual arts.

Course Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Apply art historical vocabulary to describe major stylistic transformations in art for the period covered by the course.
  • Identify works of art by artist/culture, style, date, medium and technique.
  • Analyze how art reflects its contexts (historical, cultural, political, religious, and philosophical contexts).
  • Write brief but meaningful comparisons of art works.
  • Interpret symbolic messages conveyed by art.
  • Communicate views with others and gain insight to other perspectives.
  • Relate art history to broader life experiences and the contemporary world.

 

General Education Learning Outcomes

  • Critical Thinking: Students will gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information.
  • Cultural Awareness: Students will compare, contrast, and interpret differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.
  • Written, Oral and Visual Communication: Students will communicate effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.
  • 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.
  • Technology Skills: Using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information.

Course Description

This online course offers a critical and analytic study of the great historical works of art in architecture, painting, sculpture, and minor arts from prehistoric times to the 1400. Students will look at images and listen to the accompanying audio. Many of the images will have questions that students will have to answer. The answers come from the embedded lecture. There are also supplemental videos and readings that help enrich the learning experience. Each module will be one to two weeks long. There will also be textbook readings to provide an overview of each historical period.


Office Hours

T Th 2:30 PM - 2:55 PM Highland

NOTE

W 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Online

NOTE Students may schedule alternate zoom time.

Published: 04/30/2026 13:51:38