HISTORY OF ART I: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE MIDDLE AGES
Mr. McClendon
Office: Mandel 209
FA 30a
Off. Hrs: Wed 3-5pm & by appt.
M. W, Th 1-2pm
Email: mcclendon@brandeis.edu
Course Description: A survey of art and architecture from prehistoric times to the end
of the Middle Ages. The lectures will concentrate on the form and meaning of a few
major monuments from each period in order for students to develop the ability to
appreciate and analyze styles and to understand the cultures that produced such works. In
order to make the material more manageable, the course is divided into three segments:
Prehistory to Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome to Byzantium: and The Middle Ages in
Western Europe.
Assigned Textbooks: (both available in paperback at the Brandeis Bookstore)
Janson’s History of Art, vol. 1, rev. 8th edition. (The entire edition, combining volumes 1
and 2, is also available in the bookstore for those planning to take History of Art II
next semester or at a later time; it is only available in hardback. You may use the 7th
ed. of volume 1, but beware that the reading assignment page numbers will be
different from those listed on the course study sheets and some illustrations may
differ. Editions before the 7th are radically different and should be avoided.)
Plato, The Symposium (Oxford University Press).
Requirements: Instead of a midterm and comprehensive final exam, there will be two
short tests (approx. 40 mins. each) given during regular class periods at the end of the
first two segments. Each test will cover the pertinent third of the material and will
consist of three parts: (1) definitions of technical terms, (2) image identifications and
comparisons of monuments discussed in class, and (3) image identifications of related
“unknown” examples. The third exam, given during the final exam period, will be the
same format except that it will also include an essay question covering the entire course.
You will be given a choice of essay questions beforehand (from which you select one).
Thus you will be able to prepare your response in advance, but you will be asked to write
the one essay itself without notes during the time allotted for the exam. There will be an
in-class review session before each test.
One short, non-research essay (4-6 double-spaced, typed pages) analyzing visually one or
more works of art in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (free admission with student
ID); assigned soon after second exam and due after the Thanksgiving break (exact date
TBA). Specific instructions and guidelines will be distributed when it is assigned.
Grading: The approximate value of each requirement is as follows: the first two image
exams (25%) each, the museum essay (20%), and the final exam [image exam and essay]
(30%). Regular attendance and participation in class discussions are also very important.
Attendance will be taken occasionally without advance notice.
Handouts: Study sheets with lists of major monuments, together with specific reading
assignments in Janson’s textbook, will be distributed periodically during the course of
the semester.
Electronic Reserve: In addition to the textbooks, selected readings will be assigned in
electronic format as cited on the study sheets. Images are available online on Latte for
review before each exam, along with guidelines offering advice about how to prepare for
exams.
Learning Goals: Developing the ability to visually analyze works of art and architecture
and to convey this in writing, developing a sophisticated descriptive vocabulary in
relation to works of art, recognizing artistic styles and their historical contexts,
understanding the function and meaning of works of art and how they are products of the
particular culture that produced them, gaining knowledge about many of the greatest
artistic and architectural creations of western civilization.
Class Regulations: Make-ups for exams and extensions for the paper deadline will be
granted only for family emergencies and documented medical reasons. In such cases, you
should notify your advisor in Academic Services about the situation.
Please read the following guidelines carefully:
If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented
disability, you should contact me immediately and present a letter of
accommodation as soon as possible. Accommodation cannot be granted
retroactively.
You are expected to be honest in all your academic work. The University policy on
academic honesty is distributed annually as section 5 of the Rights and
Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the
Office of Student Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential
sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you
have any questions about my expectations, please do not hesitate to ask.
Laptop computer/electronic device policy:
Students are allowed to use laptop computers and other electronic devices under the
following conditions: 1) The computer/electronic device is to be used exclusively to
access material or to take notes related directly to this course; 2) Students using
such devices are expected to pay attention to instructor presentations and general
course discussions as well as to make a concerted effort to look up regularly and
establish eye contact with peers and the instructor during such class activities; 3) if a
student does not follow above items one and/or two, the permission to bring such a
computer/device to this class may be denied.
FA 30
Lecture Schedule: Fall Semester 2015
Mr. McClendon
Th Aug 27: Introduction (Janson’s History of Art, Introduction)
Prehistory to Ancient Greece (Janson’s History of Art, 1-163)
M
31: Prehistory: Cave Paintings to Stonehenge
W Sept 2: Egypt: The Great Pyramids & Near Eastern Comparisons
Th
3: Egypt: Valley of the Kings
M
7: NO CLASS MEETING (Labor Day)
W
9: Egypt: Temples of the Nile and the Tomb of King Tut
Th
10: The Ancient Aegean
M
14: NO CLASS MEETING (Rosh Hashanah)
W
16: Archaic Greece
Th
17: Classical Greece
M
21: The Parthenon
W
23: NO CLASS MEETING (Yom Kippur)
Th
24: Film: Building the Parthenon (no attendance taken)
M
28: NO CLASS MEETING (Sukkot)
T
29: Plato’s Symposium and Late Classical Greece (Brandeis Monday)
W
30: Hellenistic Art
Th Oct 1: Film: Greek Art from Archaic to Hellenistic
M
5: NO CLASS MEETING (Shmini Atzeret)
W Oct 7: Review for First Images Test
Th
8: First Images Test
Ancient Rome to Byzantium (Janson’s History of Art, 177-265, 279-84)
M
12: The Rise of the Roman Republic and the City of Pompeii
W
14: The Age of Augustus
Th
15: Imperial Rome: The Colosseum
M
19: Imperial Rome: The Pantheon
W
21: Late Antiquity
Th
22: The Art of Jews and Christians in a Pagan World
M
26: Early Christian Art: Rome and Ravenna
W
28: Film about Roman Art & Architecture
Th
29: Byzantium: The Rise of Constantinople
M Nov 2: The Rise of Islam
W
4: Review for Second Images Test Second Images Test
Th
5: Second Images Test
The Middle Ages in Western Europe (Janson’s History of Art, 313-466, 265-76)
M
9: The Barbarian North
W
11: The Age of Charlemagne
Th
12: The Legacy of Carolingian Art
M
16: Ottonian & Middle Byzantine Art
W
18: Romanesque Architecture: The Pilgrimage Roads
Th
19: Romanesque Art: The Rebirth of Monumental Sculpture
M
23: Film about Romanesque Art and Architecture
THANKSGIVING RECESS
M Nov 30: The Birth of Gothic Art in France
W Dec 2: High Gothic in France
Th
3: The Spread of Gothic Art in Western Europe
M
7: The End of the Middle Ages: East & West
W
9: Review for Final Exam
Final Exam on Monday, Dec 14, 9:15-12:15 (tentative until confirmed by the
Registrar’s Office)