Survey of Western Art • ARTH 200-001 • CRN 11218
TTH 10:30-11:45, January 24 to May 18 • Innovation Hall, Room 204
Office: Robinson B348 Thursdays, 12-1 p.m. or by appointment
Professor: Julie Schauer email: jschauer@gmu.edu
703-993-1250 (main departmental number)
Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the History of Art in Western Civilization, and gives a broad understanding of the Humanities through its parallels with History, Literature and Religion. It is the first class in a two part survey.
Art 201 is designed to introduce the student to the artistic tradition of Western culture from the Stone Age through the Gothic period, presenting development of style and theme in the primary artistic media (architecture, sculpture and painting) as well as the minor arts (metalwork, ivories, manuscripts). We will see how art and its transformations parallel historical, cultural and religious changes. Reading and lectures will cover the art the ancient world, primarily Egyptian, Greek and Roman, and the Medieval world, with emphasis on Byzantine,
Islamic, Romanesque and Gothic. A major goal of the course is to perceive what is unique in cultures, as well as the interconnected nature of styles in diverse cultures. There will be detailed focus on major works from each of these periods and more. Exams will include visual identification, the definition of art terms, important people and places and will require the recognition of important architectural methods, designs and floor plans.
This course meets the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: In this class, students are expected to:
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Learn the major periods of ancient and medieval western art
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Learn to recognize major monuments from each period.
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Learn to analyze and discuss art and architecture.
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Gain an understanding of the relationship between the history and visual culture of each period.
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Review historical geography.
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Learn how archeology and primary texts help us construct history.
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Relate classroom learning to museum exhibitions and become familiar with museum collections of ancient and medieval art in Washington area museums.
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Learn the vocabulary and basic techniques of sculpture, painting and certain minor arts.
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Learn the architectural features and techniques of standard building types from the various civilizations: pyramids, ziggurats, temples, tombs, forums, amphitheatres, cathedrals, etc., and their supporting arts such as architectural sculpture, painting and mosaics.
Required Text : Art History , Volume I, by Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren. Wadsworth Publishing;
Fourth edition Please note that an earlier edition of Stokstad, Art History , Volume I, is probably fine also.
GRADES are based on the following items:

Quizzes . The quizzes, each worth 20 points or 5% of the total, will provide study and reinforcement in advance of the examinations. The quizzes must be taken on the assigned date.

Two midterms are each 20 % of your final grade.
They must be taken on the scheduled date, unless other arrangements have been made ahead of time. If there has been an emergency, it must be documented by a note from the dean’s office or your doctor.

A Museum paper based on a observations from the exhibition, “Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilization,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The exhibition parallels the time periods studied in this class and represents all the crosscurrents of different cultures studied from prehistory to
Byzantine and Late Gothic Art.
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Attendance is required, but not added into the grade. There is a penalty for missing more than three classes which is explained below.
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Final Exam will be mainly new material, but may include a comparison with earlier time periods.
Syllabus, page 1

LECTURE AND READING SCHEDULE (Additional reading assignments given in class)
All classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30. Lecture topics are listed below. You should do the reading ahead of time. This schedule is subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class.
Jan. 25, 27 Introduction
Feb. 1, 3
Feb. 8, 10
Chapter 1: Prehistoric Art
Chapter 2: Art of the Ancient Near East
Chapter 3: Art of Ancient Egypt
Feb. 15, 17 Chapter 4: Art of the Ancient Aegean
Midterm #1 February 22
February 24
March 1
March 3
March 8
Chapter 5:
Chapter 5: The High Classical Period, pp. 128-142
Late Classical Period and Hellenistic Art, pp. 142
Chapter 6:
Greek Art, pp. 101-128
Etruscan and Roman Art, pp. 159-186
March 10 Quiz on Greek Art
Spring Break is March 13-20
March 22, 24 Chapter 6: Roman Art, pp. 187 - 215
March 29 Midterm #2
March 31 Chapter 9: Jewish, Early Christian and Byzantine Art to p. 229
April 5
April 7
Chapter 9:
Chapter 13:
Early Byzantine Art, pp. 230-245
Early Medieval Art to pp. 422-437
April 12
April 14
April 19
April 21
Apr 26, 28
May 3, 5
May 12
Chapter 9: Middle and Late Byzantine Art, pp. 246-258
Chapter 14: Carolingian and Ottonian Art , pp. 438-451
Chapter 8: Islamic Art
Quiz on Jewish, Early Christian, Early Byzantine, Early Medieval Art
Chapter 15:
Chapter 16:
Romanesque Art
Paper Due May 3rd!!!!! I will not accept papers sent by email
Gothic Art in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
FINAL EXAM Thursday, May 12 10:30- 1:15 p.m.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
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Class attendance (read below)
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A museum visit from which you will write a paper (details distributed on a separate hand-out)
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Assigned readings as cited above from the required text, Art History , by Marilyn Stokstad and Michael
W. Cothren 4th edition. ISBN no. 0534641032
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Two quizzes
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Two midterm examinations
A final exam
Syllabus, page 2

GRADING POLICIES:
A = 100% to 93%, or 4.00
A- = 92% to 90%, or 3.67
B+ = 89% to 87%, or 3.33
B = 86% to 83 %, or 3.00
B- = 82% to 80 %, or 2.67
C+ = 79 to 77 %, or 2.33
C = 76 to 70 %, or 2.00
D = 69% to 60 %, or 1.00
F = below 60%
Grading Criteria may be graded by points, or by the following criteria, as appropriate:
A = Startlingly good, exceeding our expectations, and well-written. Must be truly exceptional and show original thought and keen observation. It will NOT given for simply following directions and writing well.
B = Very Good effort with a very good result.
C = Perfunctory; or, tried but missed the point; or, did something well but it wasn't the assignment; or, good idea but careless or sloppy; Average work but could show better grasp of the work
D = Warning: accepted under protest.
F = Unacceptable as college-level work.
FINAL GRADES:
Final Grades will be based on the average of your paper, exam and in-class quiz grades:
Midterm 1
Final exam:
20%
25%
Midterm 2 20% Paper 25%
Quizzes 10%
Final grades are calculated on a 400 point system
Attendance and Participation can affect your grade if it is particularly good, excessively lacking or disruptive .
Excessive tardiness will be considered as absences.
EXAMINATIONS:
Normally tests will require 1) slide identification (artist, title, date and stylistic category based on the culture; 2) knowledge of historical people and places, and 3) the knowledge of art/architecture terms. Only on the Final exam will you be asked to write essays, most likely in the form of slide comparisons.
Study guides list the slides you should know--with good spelling and approximate dates. Relevant people could be rulers, patrons, heroes, saints, archeologists or anyone responsible for promoting art. The Art terms may be materials, techniques, building types or parts. You will be tested by Matching or fill-in-the-blank and/or labeling architectural drawings or floor plans. The quizzes are used to prepare for the tests; quiz questions may be repeated on the tests. There will be no make up for missing a quiz.
Fairness in Testing. Any evidence of cheating will be severely penalized and reported to the Dean. You will only be allowed to make up a test with documentation for conditions of extreme illness or extenuating family circumstances. A cold virus or work are not considered excuses for missing the exam, as work schedules can be changed or a conflict can be arranged with me far in advance of the test.
Study Recommendation: Read the text before class lectures and you will be better prepared for class. Make “3 x
5” flash cards. This class will emphasize monumental works of art more often than small objects, and about 40% of the class will be about architecture, including the technological features and architectural sculpture. There are several online resources, such as the Cave of Lascaux website, which provides a virtual tour. Also check an online textbook, www.Smarthistory.org
for discussion and on-site viewing of major works of art. There may be study slides on Blackboard in a PowerPoint presentation . However, the more you look up images on your own, the better you will remember them. You may read and contribute to my blog: http://artvent-artventures.blogspot.com
.
This semester I will write about a recent archeological trip to Sicily.
Exam Dates may not be missed without an original, documented medical excuse: February 22 , March 29 and
May 12, Final Exam Please have someone inform me by email as soon as possible
Syllabus, page 3

MUSEUM PAPER:
The museum exhibition paper requires you to choose three objects in the special loan exhibition, “
Cyprus:
Crossroads of Civilization ” from each of the three major periods studied of the Mediterranean region in this class:
Prehistory to the 900 BCE, the Greek and Roman eras and the Middle Ages, from 400 to 1400. You will be asked to individually describe each object; to explain the material and how and where it may have been used at the time of its creation, and, finally, to compare it to the work most comparable to it in style and function that we had seen in class. A concluding paragraph should tie together the cultural and religious influences on the island before 1500.
While the lectures and textbook do not cover the art of Cyprus, the course material parallels this exhibition in every way. Writing about the exhibition will test your knowledge of this class and you well be graded primarily on your understanding of the History of Art demonstrated in a paper of approximately 5 double-spaced, typewritten pages.
(Detailed instructions to follow)
The grade on your paper will be lowered for failure to follow directions for the assignment.
Hard Copies only are accepted and collected in Class. Do not email your paper.
Late written work : Papers are due in class on the day specified. After that, late papers will be lowered 10 points for each class period they are late. Plan ahead—last-minute hard-disk and printer failures are your problem, and do not constitute legitimate excuses.
Citation: Any time you use a source of information, you should consider citing it to avoid the appearance of plagiarism. Commonly known facts are not normally cited.
Further instructions will be given with the paper assignment. Plagiarism is a sericous academic officense and is defined in the GMU Honor Code as:
1) Presenting as one’s own the works, the work, or the opinions of someone else without proper acknowledgement.
2) Borrowing the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material , or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgement.
Therefore, you must acknowledge your source, even if it is an anonymous museum pamphlet or long museum label. Please restate the source using your own words.
Mechanics : Please type and double-space your papers, using a standard font in 12-point size. Please stick to plain old white paper and standard fonts. Organization will be very important for getting your ideas across and expressing them coherently, leading to logical conclusions.
Spelling and grammar are expected to be correct. Use the spell-checker. I will mark down work for sloppy spelling and grammar, lack of proofreading, or if the work does not appear original. If you have trouble writing, take advantage of the on-campus resource: The Writing Center in Robinson I, Room A116. Call them at (703) 993-
1200, or go to http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/. For students to whom English is a second language, another option is the English Language Institute (ELI) at (703) 993-3664, http://mason.gmu.edu/~eli.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is necessary. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes from a class mate . Please be on time, as it is very disruptive if you come in late.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Contact the professor by office, email or phone. You will be given additional contact information in class. Please remind me of previous communications because it is difficult to keep track of the concerns of 140 students.
Technology : Please check your George Mason e-mail account for class information. All students need to access
Blackboard where you will find handouts, paper assignments and study guides. The lectures are not posted on
Blackboard, but there may be study images put into Blackboard. However, technology has flaws and you cannot rely on too heavily on having this work done for you. Searching images on your own will help you remember them and most images can be found online. Again, there are many online sources and virtual tours of the art.
Syllabus, page 4

Auditors are welcome to sit and listen as long as there are chairs. Auditors who are keeping up with the class reading are welcome to participate in discussion; otherwise they should kindly remain inaudible.
Tardiness is very distracting. It also leaves you at a disadvantage, if you miss announce such as change of exam dates. If for some reason you need to leave class early, please notify me ahead of time.
Classroom atmosphere. Please practice courtesy at all times. Talking to friends during lectures, wandering in and out, cell phones, and eating food are very distracting, as are chatterers. Turn off cell phones and only use your computers for taking notes, unless otherwise indicated.
By the final exam, all missing work becomes an F. Make-up finals and elaborate medical excuses will require verification with a physician’s or assistant dean’s signature
Written work . Proofread. Spelling and grammar count!
Academic honesty is expected in all tests and writing. Please respect the Honor Code, our classroom standards, your fellow students, and yourself.
English as a Second Language: If English is not your first language, I will be happy to help you do your best in the writing assignments by previewing papers, offering extra help, or pointing you toward The Writing Center. The final result must be good standard written English. The Writing Center is in Robinson I, Room A116. (703) 993-1200, http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/. You may also want to work with the English Language Institute (ELI) (703) 993-
3664. http://mason.gmu.edu/~eli .
Learning disabilities will be accommodated as required according to University policies. Learning disabilities must be documented by the Disabilities Support Services. It is the student’s responsibility to get tested, present the documentation to me, and request accommodations in a timely way (i.e. not on the day of the test; not after-the-fact).
For more information on this, call the GMU Disability Resource Center at (703) 993-2470, or visit their website: http://www.gmu.edu/student/drc/.
Religious holidays. This course follows the George Mason University calendar. If you observe a religious holiday that the University does not, please let me know and I will make necessary accommodations for you.
Academic honesty is expected in all tests and writing. Please respect the Honor Code, our classroom standards, your fellow students, and yourself. The Honor Pledge will be required on all tests . I report all suspected cheating and plagiarism violations to the Honor Committee.
Your writing assignment is to be the product of your own thinking. If there is evidence of cheating, I will send you and your work on to the Dean of Students.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT DATES
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First day of classes ; last day to submit Domicile Reclassification Application; Payment Due Date Tues
January 24
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Last day to add classes or drop with no tuition penalty —Feb 8
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Midterm #1 February 22
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Last day to drop with tuition penalty - Fri Feb 25
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Quiz March 10
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Spring Break: March 14-20
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Midterm #2 March 29
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Quiz April 16
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Paper due : Tuesday, May 3
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Last day of class: May 5
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Final Exam : Thursday, May 12, 10:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Syllabus, page 5