SYLLABUS
UWF 1010: Introduction to Art History
Spring 2014
Section 0140: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15
Section 0141: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00-2:15
Instructor: Elizabeth Petersen
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, by appointment only
Phone: (850) 474-2045
E-mail: epetersen@uwf.edu
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Students must attend the first two meetings of this course. For students who do not attend
the first two meetings, their seats will be assigned to other students.
Required Reading
Fred Kleiner, Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Concise Western History, 3rd edition (Boston:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2014).
(ISBN: 978-1-133-95479-8)
Course Catalog Description
This course is a survey of major works of Western art and architecture from the upper
Paleolithic period to the modern era. The content introduces fundamental ideas, methodologies
and terminologies in Western art and architecture, shedding light on why certain works were
produced, what meanings they communicated, and how they are important to contemporary
society.
Introduction to Art History is designated as a General Studies course. The General Studies
curriculum at the University of West Florida is designed to provide a cohesive program of study
that promotes the development of a broadly educated person and provides the knowledge and
skills needed to succeed in university studies. This course has been approved as meeting your
requirement in the Humanities/Fine Arts area. The major General Studies learning outcomes
for this course are Writing and Academic Integrity.
If you are interested in a major in Art History, you should contact the Department of Art at (850)
474-2045. If you are undecided about you major you should contact your academic advisor or
the Career Center at (850) 474-2254.
This course is not open to art majors. (General Studies Course: HUM/FA) It meets the Multicultural requirement.
Course Topic and Student Learning Outcomes
This course offers a survey of art from the prehistoric ages to postmodernism and contemporary
art worldwide. International in focus, this is not by any means a small-scale or localized course;
with the broad time frame under which the course operates, the course will examine art from an
international perspective, focusing on countries, movements and artists individually as well as
on their global relationships with and impacts on each other. The aims of this course strive not
only to introduce you to the world’s art, but also to teach you about the way history and society
were created through it. Lectures will address how artists, architects, photographers and
designers responded and are still responding to the fast-paced nature of an increasingly
civilized, industrial and modern humanity.
Each class will be devoted to a chapter and the discussion of several significant movements and
moments in art history. Each session will be structured around a visual image presentation and
lecture covering a specific period. Your textbook will be a vital source of information and
learning, as the lectures will generally parallel its chapters and weekly reading assignments.
There will also be an emphasis on strengthening your independent visual analysis and art
historical conversation. With that said, as well as weekly reading assignments, there will also be
writing assignments and group presentations on each topic we cover. Writing assignments are
listed under every week except those with other quizzes or due assignments; each student is
required to complete only five and to turn them in no later than Thursday of the relevant week.
Up to two additional writing assignments may be completed for extra credit. Group
presentations will take place on Tuesdays at the beginning of class. Group sizes will be small—
roughly five students—and the presentations should last around ten or fifteen minutes. The
presentation may cover any topic pertinent to the reading assigned for that week.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: address works of art and architecture
in consideration of how they were shaped by their unique historical contexts and circumstances;
discuss works of art and architecture using a significantly increased vocabulary of technical and
historical terminology; define and recognize principle periods and regional styles in the history
of Western art and architecture; recognize and identify major artists and architects, and acquire
a basic knowledge of their conceptual motivations and contributions to society; and critically
analyze works of art and architecture in terms of time period, location, subject matter and style.
If at any point the course moves too quickly, we will reevaluate the remaining time context and
balance them with class interests. This is a survey course, which means we are naturally
expected to cover a substantial amount of material in a short amount of time, but this is also
your opportunity to explore a new academic area. We want to have fun with it. The work you
do for this course will therefore be relevant to both the course at large and also your interests
specifically.
Exams and Grading
Assignments and exams will be administered on the dates indicated in the syllabus. Make-up
exams will be permitted only in case of serious illness (that is, one that requires consultation
with a physician). Should you miss an exam due to serious illness, you must contact me no later
than the first class meeting following the exam. Make-up exams must be taken within one week
of the exam date. You must bring documentation for your absence on the regular exam date.
Students who receive prior approval to miss an exam for a university approved function will be
permitted to make up the exam, but must make arrangements to do so before the exam date.
These exams must also be taken within one week of the exam date.
Your final grade in this course will be evaluated on the following four components:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Attendance (10%)—Your physical presence in class, as well as your
participation and contribution to class discussions and group presentations. If a
student misses more than three classes in a semester, his or her grade will be
negatively impacted.
Writing Assignments (10%)—Six are required of the nine that are assigned.
For the assignment, write one double-spaced page on the object, providing a
visual analysis and a discussion of the object’s cultural and historical
relevance.
Pre-Test (5%)—A small quiz that will test your knowledge of the syllabus and
ascertain your familiarity with art history.
Midterm Exam (25%)
Final exam (50%)
An optional short essay question (the bonus question) will be included on each exam. Students
who answer the bonus question can earn up to five additional points on their exam. These points
are added to the percent score computed for the exam. Only students who take the exam at the
scheduled time will be allowed to answer the bonus question.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
93% or better
A
77% to 79%
C+
90% to 92%
A-
73% to 76%
C
87% to 89%
B+
70% to 72%
C-
83% to 86%
B
60% to 69%
D
80% to 82%
B-
50% or less
F
UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACADEMIC CONDUCT:
The University of West Florida is dedicated to the highest principles and standards of academic
integrity. An academic violation by a student can negatively impact a class, program and/or
college in ways that are unique to each discipline… Academic integrity is closely related to
professional ethics and requires that students honestly acknowledge their use of the ideas,
words, and written work produced by any other individual, institution or source. Failure to
acknowledge properly the use of another’s intellectual output constitutes a form of academic
misconduct (UWF Academic Misconduct Code, UWF Student Planner and Handbook).
Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and will be taken seriously. Please refer to the UWF
Student Handbook for a list of behaviors that fall under the definition of academic misconduct.
The handbook also outlines the penalties for academic misconduct and the due process
procedures that must be followed.
The Student Code of Conduct is posted at the following URL: http://uwf.edu/osrr/
The UWF Academic Misconduct Policy is posted at the following URL:
http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/misconduct.cfm
Additional Information on Plagiarism
Your writing is your intellectual property. Guard it carefully. You could find yourself in the
unpleasant position of trying to prove that you are the true author of this work. Save preliminary
drafts of your work, reading notes, data collection sheets, and copies of library sources you make
while researching your paper. You may be asked to produce these if questions of authorship
arise. Make back-up copies to protect your work from computer failures.
I reserve the right to submit written assignments to the Turnitin service or use other methods to
evaluate the originality of the work submitted. I will remove personal identifiers from any
electronic files I submit to the Turnitin database for evaluation.
Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic standards and will be punished severely. Students
who plagiarize will fail the course and will be referred to the Dean for academic dishonesty.
Some students are surprised to learn that they plagiarized themselves when they inappropriately
used work produced for one course in another course. If you are unsure, ask your instructor for
guidance. See the UWF Student Planner and Handbook and the Student Code of Conduct for
information about the University policy on academic conduct and plagiarism and the
consequences for students who engage in academic misconduct.
Assistance for Students with Special Needs
The University of West Florida supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If
there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation,
such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and
podcasts, reasonable accommodations can be arranged. Prior to receiving accommodations, you
must register with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) at
http://uwf.edu/sdrc/internal/. Appropriate academic accommodations will be determined based
on the documented needs of the individual. For information regarding the registration process, email sdrc@uwf.edu or call 850.474.2387.
Weather Emergency Information
In the case of severe weather or other emergency, the campus might be closed and classes
cancelled. Official closures and delays are announced on the UWF website and broadcast on
WUWF-FM.
WUWF-FM (88.1MHz) is the official information source for the University. Any pertinent
information regarding closings, cancellations, and the re-opening of campus will be broadcast.
In the event that hurricane preparation procedures are initiated, the UWF Home Web Page and
MyUWF will both provide current information regarding hurricane preparation procedures, the
status of classes, and the closing of the University.
Emergency plans for the University of West Florida related to inclement weather are available
on the following UWF web pages:
Hurricane Preparedness: http://uwf.edu/ermgt/prepare.cfm
Other Emergency Procedures: http://uwf.edu/ermgt/plans.cfm
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Week 1, January 7-9: What is Art History?
Reading: Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, page 1-14, and Chapter 1, page 15-46.* Due
Thursday, January 9th.
Week 2, January 14-16 : Ancient Greece
Reading: Chapter 2, page 47-86
Pre-Test, Tuesday, January 14th
Week 3, January 21-23: The Roman Empire
Reading: Chapter 3, page 87-122
WA: Portraits of the Four Tetrarchs, from Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, ca. 305 CE
Week 4, January 28-30: Early Christianity and Byzantium
Reading: Chapter 4, page 123-146
WA: Justinian and Theodora Mosaics, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 547
Week 5, February 4-6: The Islamic World*
Reading: Chapter 5, page 147-160
Week 6, February 11-13: Early Medieval and Romanesque Europe
Reading: Chapter 6, page 161-190
WA: Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne, Aachen, Germany, 792-805
Week 7, February 18-20: Gothic and Late Medieval Europe
Reading: Chapter 7, page 191-220
WA: Giotto di Bondone, interior of the Arena Chapel (Capella Scrovegni), Padua, Italy,
1305-1306.
Week 8, February 25-27: The Early Renaissance in Europe/High Renaissance and
Mannerism in Europe
Reading: Chapter 8, page 221-256; Chapter 9, page 257-292
WA: Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, ca. 1484-1486
NO CLASS TUESDAY, MARCH 4TH
MIDTERM EXAM: THURSDAY, MARCH 6TH
Week 10, March 18-20: Baroque Europe
Reading: Chapter 10, page 293-322
Film: The Girl with the Pearl Earring
Week 11, March 25-27: Rococo to Neoclassicism in Europe and America
Reading: Chapter 11, page 323-340
WA: Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1784.
Week 12, April 1-3: Romanticism, Realism, and Photography, 1800 to 1870
Reading: Chapter 12, page 341-366
WA: Édouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass), 1863.
Week 13, April 8-10: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism, 1870 to 1900
Reading: Chapter 13, page 367-386
WA: Auguste Rodin, The Gates of Hell, 1880-1900 (cast in 1917).
Week 14, April 15-17: Modernism in Europe and America, 1900 to 1945
Reading: Chapter 14, page 387-422
Film: The Rape of Europa (To watch during Tuesday’s class)
Week 15, April 22-24: Modernism and Postmodernism in Europe and America, 1945-1980
Reading: Chapter 15, page 423-448; and Chapter 16, page 449-466
FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, APRIL 29TH, 11:00-1:30 (SECTION I)
THURSDAY, MAY 1ST, 11:00-1:30 (SECTION II)