AP Art History
Reasons to take the course:
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Will count as one of 3 required humanities credits in the area of Visual Arts.
If you score a 3 or higher on the AP Exam, you will be awarded 3 college credit hours at the following state
schools: UK, EKU, Morehead, Western, and Murray State
If you are considering another state school, or going out of state, check with individual college admissions.
Most of the colleges I checked will award at least 3 credit hours for a score of 3-4 or higher on the AP Exam.
Course Description:
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to discover, appreciate, and acquire knowledge of art
history through the ages, from the Paleolithic era to contemporary times. Students will learn to examine and
critically analyze major forms of artistic expression from diverse cultures and understand their contributions to
the arts. A variety of art media and styles will be studied as the students look at architecture, manuscripts,
painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, as a reflection of a given civilization and time period. This class will
give students the opportunity to use their prior knowledge of history, geography, politics, religion, languages,
literature, and the visual arts.
The history of art will be taught to and learned by the students through a combination of materials such as,
selected readings, visual presentations, research papers, educational videos, and possible museum visits. Students’
active participation and discussions related to reading assignments and slide show lectures are required for the
class. Students learn to write about art using a specialized vocabulary to describe and critically analyze works.
The curriculum is modeled after introductory college level art history survey courses and reflects the
College Board AP Art History Course Description. Tests and quizzes are given throughout the year using the format
of the AP Art History Exam with multiple choice, short answer, and long essay questions, some of which are based
on slides. Students are to approach their study in a self-disciplined manner, including preparation for class,
reading, visual and written note taking, essay writing, and class participation. Students enrolled in this course are
expected to take the AP Art History examination.
Course Objectives:
Students will:
· Recognize trends and visual commentary that may give insight into the political, social, religious and cultural
aspects of the artist’s world in which he lived or lives.
· Develop strong critical thinking and writing skills in identifying, describing, and analyzing works from different
periods, styles, artists and media.
· Recognize the relationship of artworks to the culture of a time period and understand them on the aesthetic
criteria of those cultures.
· Examine art and create comparisons from one work to another, including comparisons between Western and
Non-Western art in order to broaden the perceptions of its value, importance and continuous influence.
· Learn to restrain judgment as a viewer of art by first cultivating an appreciation for all styles of art.
· Gain an appreciation and enjoyment of the history of art with the motivation to pursue further study through
college courses and seek the intellectual and emotional pleasure of aesthetic experiences.
Study world history through
visual art
• All the super heroes of the art world know their Art History.
• It will count as one of 3 required humanities credits in the area
of Visual Arts.
• If you score a 3 or higher on the AP Exam, you will be awarded
3 college credit hours at the following state schools: UK, EKU,
Morehead, Western, and Murray State
• If you are considering another state school, or going out of
state, check with individual college admissions.
• Most of the colleges I checked will award at least 3 credit hours
for a score of 3-4 or higher on the AP Exam.
Cave Paintings
Lascaux, France
17,300 years old
Nefertiti
Akhetaten
Eighteenth Dynasty
1353-1336 BCE
Winged Victory of
Samothrace, aka the
Nike of Samothrace
Greek, 2nd-century BC
Marble sculpture
Yin Hong
Hundred of Birds
Admiring the Peacocks
Ming Dynasty
16th century
Raphael
School of Athens
1509
16' 5" x 25' 3"
Taj Mahal
Agra, India
Mughal Period
1631-1638
Kara Walker
Untitled
2005
Go to Ms. Eller’s room #900, down the hall from attendance