Art 1A: History of Western Art
(Prehistory- Middle Ages)
Pasadena City College - Fall 2011 Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Valerie Taylor - email: vxtaylor@pasadena.edu
Visual Arts & Media Studies Dept. telephone: 626 585 7238
Office Hours:
My mailbox is located in the office in R118.
Thursday Sept 8: 10.30 am -12 pm
Thursday October 13, 10.30 am – 12 pm
Tuesday November 8, 10.30 am – 12 pm
Tuesday November 22, 10.30 am – 12 pm
Always schedule your 30-minute appointment in advance.
Class Schedule:
August 30 – December 13, 2011
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8.30 - 10.05 AM
Course Description: This course is a survey of the history of architecture, sculpture,
painting and the minor arts representative of prehistoric, ancient, classical and medieval
periods of Western civilizations.
Required Textbook: Kleiner, Fred S. and Christin J. Mamiya, eds. Gardner's Art
Through the Ages: A Concise Western History (Second Edition), 2010.
The course requires the use of a computer and good web access to fulfill
assignments. The Syllabus and Assignments will be posted at:
http://pcc.blackboard.com
You are responsible for checking course materials and deadlines on a daily basis.
Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the formal features of works of art from the material covered in the course
syllabus, employing the language of formal analysis modeled in class and the textbook.
2. Identify the key stylistic and thematic features of a work from a given period, cultural
tradition and regional location, including unknown works.
3. Discuss two works of art in a written essay, accounting for both similarities and
differences.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which art has been employed
historically to express fundamental human ideals, values, and beliefs.
Evaluation: Two tests and a non-comprehensive final are scheduled. Short, written
evaluations of visual materials and a 3-PAGE museum visit paper will also be required.
Tests and Exams receive a letter grade: A,B,C,D,F. The average of the exams and
written assignments grades constitute the course grade. Class participation is key and
will improve your grade average.
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Grade Determination:
First written assignment
Test 1
Test 2
Museum Visit assignment
Final Exam
Attendance and participation
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points (complete 2 short written assignments)
Your final grade is computed on a 600 point possible total.
The grading scale for this class is: A = 600-540; B = 539-480; C = 479–420;
D = 419-360; F = 359 and below.
Tests: Multiple choice questions and/or essays. You will be tested on terms learned in
class and be given slide comparisons in which you will need to identify works of art and
answer questions. Bring a scantron #886-E to Test 1 and to the Final Exam.
Make up exams will NOT be given.
Only those students with a letter from a physician (or an equally serious excuse) may
make up a missed exam.
You must take all tests and the final exams and turn in all assignments to pass
this course.
No LATE papers will be accepted.
Attendance: Attendance is a critical part of this course. Please plan to be in class
for the entire period. I will be taking attendance every class period. If you arrive late to
class make sure you report your attendance to me before leaving (after 15 minutes a full
absence will be noted).
Students who are absent for more than 2 classes will be dropped .
You will need to sit in your assigned seat every class period.
Should you miss a class, it is your responsibility to catch up on missed material before
the next class meeting by checking class information at: http://pcc.blackboard.com
Class Participation: We will begin each session with a review of the previous class
lecture. Please be prepared to participate in this review.
Overall requirement: You will be expected to write coherent essays in English and be
able to critically analyze the information taught. Please consult the following titles:
Strunk, William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, Boston, 2000.
Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. New York, 2000
Dictionary of English Synonyms and Antonyms, New York, 1992.
No Cell phones are allowed in class. All electronics must remain OFF in class.
Text messaging is prohibited. If I see a cell phone in use during class you will be
asked to leave. Your departure will count as an absence.
Cheating and Plagiarism: Students are expected to be honest. If it appears that you
are cheating on an exam, the exam and cheat sheet will be confiscated immediately and
you will be given an F for that assignment. An Academic Dishonesty form will be filed
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with the College Disciplinarian’s Office and you will be fully penalized. Similarly, if it
appears that one exam was copied from another, an Academic Dishonesty form will be
filed and the exams will be submitted to the college as evidence
Disabilities: Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations or
academic adjustments for this course need to let me know immediately. Consult the
Pasadena City College Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSP&S) in room
D209, 626-585-7127 for information and support.
NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to modify the course content (grading
procedures, tests, etc.) as the situation dictates. The instructor will inform the students
of any such changes via e-mail and/or class announcements.
COURSE OUTLINE
August 30Sept 1
Introduction to course
Discussion of Art History
(Gardner’s Art through the Ages: Introduction)
Art of the Stone Age
(Gardner’s Chapter 1: 1-15)
Sept 6-8
Art of the Stone Age (con’t)
(Gardner’s Chapter 1: 1-23)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
(Gardner’s Chapter 1: 24-32)
Sept 10
LAST DAY TO DROP WITHOUR RECEIVING A “W”
Sept 13-15
Catal-Hoyuk essay DUE
Egyptian Art: Predynastic, Early Dynastic, Old & Middle
(Gardner’s Chapter 1: 33-45)
Sept 20-22
Egyptian Art: New Kingdom
(Gardner’s Chapter 3: 56-69)
Aegean Art: Cycladic, Minoan, Mycenaean
(Gardner’s Chapter 2: 46-55)
Test 1 Review
Sept 27
TEST 1 (Ancient Art)
Museum Paper Instructions provided
Sept 29
Art of Greece: Early, Geometric and Archaic
(Gardner’s: Chapter 2: 55-65)
Oct 4-6
Art of Greece: Early and High Classical
(Gardner’s Chapter 2: 65-75)
Oct 11-13
Greece: Late Classical, and Hellenistic
(Gardner’s Chapter 2: 75-85)
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Oct 18-20
The Roman Empire
Etruscan Art
(Gardner’s Chapter 3: 87-91)
Roman Art: The Republic
(Gardner’s Chapter 3: 92-94)
Oct 25-27
Roman Art: Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius
(Gardner’s Chapter 3: 94-101)
Nov 1-3
Roman Art: Early Empire
(Gardner’s Chapter 3: 102-107)
Roman Art: High and Late Empire
(Gardner’s Chapter 3:107-119)
Nov 8
TEST 2 (Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art)
Nov 10
Early Christian Art
(Gardner’s Chapter 4: 120-131)
Nov 12
LAST DAY TO DROP AND RECEIVE A “W”
Nov 15
Byzantine Art
(Gardner’s Chapter 4: 131-145)
Nov 17
Islamic Art
(Gardner’s Chapter 5:146-157)
Nov 22
Early Medieval and Romanesque Europe
(Gardner’s Chapter 6: 158-185)
MUSEUM PAPER DUE
Nov 24
NO CLASS THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Nov 29
Romanesque Art (cont.)
Dec 1
Gothic Europe (France)
(Gardner’s Chapter 7: 186-200)
Dec 6
Gothic Europe (cont.)
Dec 8
Final Exam Review
Dec 13
FINAL EXAM (Early Christian - Gothic)
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