1. School: SOLA
Department: Art and Art History Department
Course Number: AH 100
Course Title: Women and Art
Upper Division: This is an intensive course that includes
rigorous weekly readings, writing assignments and weekly
reflections.
2. Justification for the Course: Learning goals:
This course asks students to

examine works of art by women artists from the Middle Ages
to the middle of the 20th century from a social, cultural
and historic perspective.

identify key works of art produced in Europe and the
United States by women artists.

understand and utilize key art historical terminology as it
relates to the works of art produced in Europe and the
United States by women artists.

employ art historical methodology to collect evidence of
human artistic production across time and across cultures.

synthesize the relationship between specific works art and
their social, cultural and historic context.

Recognize and compose readable (and disciplinary specific)
prose, as characterized by clear and careful organization,
coherent paragraphs and well-constructed sentences that
employ the conventions of Standard Written English and
appropriate diction (according to the style used in the
History of Art).
3. Student Population:
The writing-intensive course is well suited for majors and
minors in both Art History and Women's and Gender
Studies. It is also of general interest to upper-division
students interested in the cultural history of women in the
arts.
4. Relationships to Present College Curriculum:
This course will serve the Writing in the Discipline
designation. This course will also be cross-listed with
Women's and Gender Studies.
5. Any Extraordinary Implementation Costs:
None
6. Library Resources: See attached library review
7. Course Credit:
1 (3 hrs, 15 minutes a week in the classroom)
Format of the Course:
The class will include slide-illustrated lectures, weekly
readings, weekly blogs, short-essay exams, film screenings
and a five-step research paper. All aspects of the course are
intended to work together to create a conversation about
artistic production and the role that this activity has
played in the secular and sacred life of women throughout
history.
Grading Options:
Traditional letter grade.
8. Prerequisites:
English 5
9. Course Description (for the College catalogue):
This course will focus on women both as the subjects and
the creators of art in Europe and the United States. It will be
organized chronologically and thematically. This will
involve a historical survey of women artists and their
artistic contributions, as well as an examination of the
religious, mythological and secular images of women in art.
Extensive attention will be given to the creation,
modification and persistence of these images throughout
history, due to various social, economical, psychological
and intellectual conditions. This course will teach students
how to write and do research in the history of art,
continuing the work begun in English 5 and building upon
the skills learned there. This course will develop students’
thinking skills in the history of art and improve their
ability to communicate within the discipline.
10.
Course Content:
See attached syllabus
11.
Review of Experimental Offerings:
The course was offered as an Experimental offering once
(during Fall 2014). It was also offered three previous times
as a Special Topics course within the department (and cross
listed with Women’s Studies). The latest version of the course
was successful for the students and myself as it addressed
their need for rigor in writing and critical thinking. It is a
good fit as both an upper-division art history course and a
class that fulfills the Writing in the Disciplines
requirements for our students. The balance between writing,
classroom discussions, presentations and other student-based
activities seems in agreement with a dynamic classroom
experience.