Ryerson University
School of Image Arts
Film * New Media * Photography
COURSE OUTLINE
2002 – 2003
Course Code:
NPF 036
Instructor:
Lily Alexander
Office: R306
Office Hours: Thursday and Friday 1-2 p.m.
Email: lily.alexander@utoronto.ca
Course Name:
Art History/Theories of Art
Course Subtitle:
20th Century Mythemes and Movements –
from Modernism to Postmodernism:
Studies in Artistic Consciousness and the Artistic Models of the Universe
Calendar Description:
This course enables students to concentrate on twentieth-century
art and aesthetics. Artistic movements, currents and theories of the
twentieth century will be examined as well as their effects on the
methodology of art history and on cultural institutions such as the
museum. The concepts which constitute modernism,
postmodernism, and the avant-garde will be addressed both
historically and theoretically.
Lecture: 3 hours.
Course Content/Schedule: This elective course investigates the high points of twentiethcentury art and culture from both European and North American
perspectives. Designed for students with an interest in the
exploration of the most influential artistic movements and
contemporary art theories, the course aims to provide its
participants with a solid overview of the ever expanding concerns,
practices, discourses, and theories informing the making and the
study of twentieth-century art.
Designed as an interdisciplinary course, Art History/Theories of
Art will study all forms of twentieth-century art in their mutual
influence and interaction, including visual arts, architecture,
literature, theatre, photography, cinematography, and music.
Students will be introduced to a variety of research methods and
approached to art, such as the anthropology of art, the semiotics of
art, the philosophy of art, as well as art and cultural theory.
From Modernism to Postmodernism, the art of the past century
places increasing demands on its audience as it asserts its
significance and purpose within contemporary society.
Accordingly, among the objectives of this course will be the
identification and the assimilation of conceptual methodologies
and practical strategies that will facilitate the understanding of the
art of our time.
It is essential to begin our investigation by reviewing the
foundations of modernism and its precursors in previous cultural
eras. The course will progress along both chronological and
theoretical lines, following the logic of development of major
artistic movements, as well as their theorization by the
contemporaries, as well as by the key twentieth-century cultural
thinkers.
Conceived more as an interactive seminar than as a series of
formal lectures, this course will demand active and sustained
participation on your part. Most importantly, your success will
depend in a large measure upon your willingness to undertake a
serious individual research project and to contribute on a regular
basis to the class discussions that will form the backbone of this
course.
As you undoubtedly already know, the complexities of
contemporary art and critical theory cannot be disentangled and
explored effectively without a personal commitment to reading.
While every effort will be made and all available pedagogical tools
employed to facilitate this process, ultimately it is up to you to rise
to the occasion. For those willing to meet the challenge, the
rewards will be invaluable, as you will gain an informed
perspective that will enrich your personal experience of
contemporary art.
To ensure active participation, all of you will be required to make
class presentations throughout the year. This approach will be used
to report on reading assignments, as well as for research projects.
The outline of key themes of our weekly meetings will be based on
students’ research interests and will be made available together
with students’ presentation topics at the beginning of October.
Course Structure:
The course will spend approximately three weeks on each of the
following segments:
The Power of Images: Precursors of Modernism
The Artist as a Demiurge: The Artistic Revolution and the Birth of
Modernism
Dreams and Fears: Art between Two World Wars
Art between Absurd and Violence
The Crisis of Representation: Post-Holocaust Culture
“New Waves” and the Neomodernist Movements of the 1950s and
1960s
The Poetics of Triviality: from Pop-Art to Postmodernism
After-Images and After-Narratives:
Visual Culture: A New Cultural Code of the New Millennium
Required Text:
The following title forms an integral part of the required reading
assignments for this course. It is essential that you obtain your own
copy as the book contents will be closely reflected within the
overall structure of this course.
Bernard Blistene, A History of 20th-Century Art (Flammarion,
Paris, 2002).
Recommended Text:
Jonathan Fineberg, Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being, 2d. ed.
(New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000), ISBN 0-8109-4209-7 (hc);
0-1308-5843-9 (pbk).
ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY will be provided. A small
working library/set of books on the subject is available from the
instructor and will be kept in her office. In addition to the primary
textbook, supplemental readings will be assigned throughout the
year. These readings will serve as a basis for class discussion.
Copies of the readings will be made available. A list of additional
required and recommended readings will be provided.
Among the useful publication to begin any research in the history
of art is the monumental Dictionary of Art edited by Jane Turner
and published in 34 volumes under the Grove imprint in 1996. This
treasure-trove of information can be found in the reference section
of the Ryerson Library under the call number N31. D5 1996 REF.
Evaluation Methods:
Attendance and class participation
Presentation
Course research project
Course Journal, Term 1
Course Journal, Term II.
Each assignment is worth 20% of the course mark. Please note that
all of the above assignment components must be completed in
order to receive a final grade. All assignments (except in class
tests) must be typed: handwritten work is not accepted. Late
submissions are not accepted (except for such cases as illness,
family emergency or other special circumstances subject to the
instructor’s discretion). Students are required to submit an abstract
no later than a week before one’s presentation. Students’
presentations and research in progress will be discussed during
one-on-one consultations. Please ensure that your schedule an
appointment with the instructor within two weeks after your
presentation. Additional consultations on research in progress are
available.
Attendance is mandatory. According to the rules of the
Department, no student can pass this course if s/he did not
attend/submit two or more out of five assessments/assignments per
academic year, or missed three or more classes per term (six per
year) without legitimate reasons. Three ‘lates’ is equivalent to one
‘absent.’
According to the new regulations of the University, students agree
that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to
submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the
detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as
source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for
the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the
Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement
posted on the Turnitin.com site. All assignments should be
submitted as both a hard copy and as an electronic version. For the
course paper students have to submit photocopies of the title pages
and of the quoted pages from at least three books or articles used in
the preparation of the assignment At least thirty percent of the
course paper must directly refer to the material covered in class
(lectures and class discussions). Instructors have the right to
require an oral exam for any student suspected in plagiarism. A
proven case of plagiarism or cheating will result in an “F” and
administrative actions.
Notes:
Dates and topics of the course calendar are subject to change,
however the instructor will make every effort to follow the course
calendar. Students who miss a test without a legitimate reason will
not be given a make up test. This rule also applies to the class
when a Take Home Test is administered. Any other alterations to
the course, including assignments, tests, grade weights, due dates,
or assignment format will be discussed in class prior to
implementation.