Hawaii Pacific University
ARTH 2200 Foundations of Western Art Section ____
Semester and year, meeting times
Instructor: Name, contact information and other relevant information about the instructor.
Course description: An examination of Western art from its beginnings in Paleolithic Europe, through
the ancient Mediterranean era, to the European Renaissance.
Course prerequisite: Any introductory humanities course
General Education Requirement: This course is classified under the World Cultures Theme and meets
the requirement for a course in World Cultures A: Cultures, Themes and Movements. The course also
satisfies the Art, Aesthetics and Creativity requirement.
General Education Student Learning Outcomes and the Five Themes: HPU’s general education
curriculum is focused around five themes. This course emphasizes the World Cultures Theme and
provides students with opportunities to achieve the following related general education student
learning outcomes.
In the course, students will:

Develop informed perspectives on the historical development of cultures that focus on
the interrelationships among institutions, values and ideas. This course traces the
development of Western Art from the caves through the Proto-Renaissance. It traces the
transformations in visual arts and the perceptions and values that lie behind those
creations. It starts with hunting and gathering cultures to the rise of civilizations in Egypt,
Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. The nature of Classical civilization is examined in detail
through its manifestations in art and architecture. The deconstruction of those traditions
and the rise of Christianity are also covered through the Mediaeval periods. Finally
through the arts students will see the beginnings of the revival and reinterpretation of
Classical learning. Throughout these changes art reflects the underlying institutions,
values and ideas of the constituent cultures and civilizations

Describe the significance of important movements or themes which have shaped the
world’s diverse cultures. This course describes the major periods and themes in the art
historical record of Europe and the Mediterranean. It covers ideas that or both
indigenous and shared between areas. All of this is brought together to provide
explanations for the art shown in class. The style, function and meaning of art objects
often provide further explanations as to origins and possible interpretations.

Develop the vocabulary and conceptual skills needed to appreciate or respond to
aesthetic activity from cultures other than one’s own. Through class lectures, readings and
a museum visit students are exposed to art from various Western cultures. The ability to
discuss art requires the vocabulary and conceptual skills of this discipline. This course is
multicultural and covers vast periods of time giving students exposure to cultures other
than their own. Exam questions and a paper in response to the museum visit will enable
them to demonstrate these abilities.
The course also addresses the Global Systems Theme by providing students with opportunities to
achieve the following related general education student learning outcome:

Understand the impact of the process of globalization from a historical or cultural
perspective. In the very beginnings people must adjust and adapt to the environment and
learn to capture food. This is the global environment that is constituted by nature as
unmitigated by massive impinging human endeavors. With the rise of civilizations, the
cultivation of crops, the herding of animals and centralized authority art takes on new
meanings. Therefore massive groupings of human beings contest for dominance of larger
regions. With the rise of Judaism, and even more so with Christianity religion asserts it
values and conditions across civilizations and this of course is manifest in the artistic
heritage.
Note: Purple text shows places where specific course information must be filled in. Red text contains
explanatory notes to the instructor which should be deleted before using the syllabus. Blue explanations
above should be rephrased by the individual instructor to reflect the specific approach in that section of
the course.
Course-Specific Student Learning Outcomes for ARTH 2200 Foundations of Western Art
In addition the following objectives are met specifically dealing with the Arts, Aesthetics and Creativity
cross theme:
Students will:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of style in the Arts.
2. Develop an appreciation of skills involved in artistic expression including sculpture,
painting, print making, ceramics and architecture.
3. Develop an appreciation for cultural diversity in the Arts
4. Demonstrate understandings about the aesthetics of a culture, time or place
5. Express an understanding of the history of Arts with regard to established chronological
sequences as well as the diversity of approaches to common themes.
6. Develop an understanding of the genres of the Arts including ritual architecture, domestic
architecture and public architecture; court painting, liturgical painting and private
painting; Burial sculpture, religious sculpture, and public monuments.
7. Discuss cultural and social values that are expressed in the Arts.
For the rest of these required syllabus items see the details in the faculty handbook. Delete this note
once the syllabus is complete. For online courses there are some additional requirements given at this
link.
Texts List textbooks with ISBN’s and include this language as well
All textbook information (pricing, ISBN #, and e-books) for this course can be found on the HPU
Bookstore website: hpu.edu/bookstore.
If you have any questions regarding textbooks, please contact the HPU Bookstore at:
Phone:
808-544-9347
Or e-mail:
jyokota@hpu.edu
mmiyahira@hpu.edu
Assignments and mode of evaluation
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not given with the description of the assignments).
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