COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2014
August 25-December 8
Monday & Wednesday 8:30-9:55
(plus an internet component on Friday)
WESTERN ART HISTORY I
ART 15404-70
School of Fine Arts
Professor: Kevin Lyles
Phone:
245-7363/7417
Email:
klyles@rio.edu
Office:
Greer Museum, 2nd floor
Office Hours: T,Th 9-11:30
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of the major developments in painting, sculpture, architecture,
and peripheral arts from prehistoric times through the Early Renaissance era.
PREREQUISITES: None
CREDIT HOURS: 4
TEXTBOOK AND OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Marilyn Stokstad, Art History. Art history texts do not go out of style. Don’t sell it back to the
bookstore if you plan to take Western Art History II and/or the Non-Western Art History course. You
will be using the same text. It is also a good idea to keep it if you plan on a career involved in the arts.
ISBN 978-0-13-236854-4
PROGRAM OUTCOMES--The following outcomes have been adopted for the degree program for
which this course is required:
 Student is able to plan and install a professional exhibition of his or her work.
 Demonstrate technical proficiency in their area of study.
 Student is able to document their work and experiences professionally, and engage in
professional practice.
 Explain the historical, cultural and conceptual aspects of their work.
 Student is able to conduct independent research in the arts
COURSE OUTCOMES: The following outcomes have been adopted for this course. All outcomes
listed below have direct relevance to course material. Upon completion of this course students are
expected to:
1. Demonstrate competency in developing a working knowledge of the major styles of western arts and
artists, including the styles and specific works of major artists.
2. The ability to analyze art in terms of its formal, cultural, historic, and iconographic contexts.
3. Be able to apply critical thinking to the interpretation of works of art.
Art History I, Fall 2014
GRADING POLICIES/TESTING/ASSIGNMENTS/ATTENDANCE/EXPECTATIONS
Grade calculation
Final Exam
Portfolio/Journal
Weekly Web Assignments
Thesis Paper
AQIP Flash Drive
% of Grade
20%
15% / 15%
10%
5%/ 15%
20 %
Grading Scale
A- to A 90-100%
B- to B+ = 80-89%
C- to C+ = 70-79%
D- to D+ = 60-69%
F = 60- *
*For a complete breakdown of the + or – grading scale, please see the university grade policy.
policy.
Exams: There will only be a final examination. Questions for the final will be taken from the entire
semester’s study. Testing will be done on anything said in class, seen on film or slides, reading, or other
course encounters. The final exam will count for 20% of your grade.
Portfolio/Journal: Each student will be required to submit a portfolio tracking their study in art history.
This should include class notes, readings, personal discoveries, library studies, reflections, web
assignments, drawings, museum visits, and any other information you find pertinent to this quarters
study. This portfolio will be assessed by at midterm and again during finals week. The assessment
measure utilized to assess these journals is on your Blackboard assignment page. If there are occasions
I am absent because of conferences, university functions, or illness, class will not be canceled. Please
use these days as free time to work on your journal. Two grades will be collected from this portfolio.
One at midterm, which will determine your entire midterm grade. And again at finals. Each assessment
is worth 15% for a combined total 30% of your overall grade.
Weekly Web Assignments: At the end of each week there will be an assignment posted on the class
Blackboard Account. Go to the University homepage, to quick links, then to Blackboard. Each week’s
web assignment is due the following Monday. Although these will not be graded individually, they will
be read and checked to see that you are doing weekly research. Because I am not grading content, nor
writing structure, they will not be accepted late unless there are extenuating circumstances and
communication from you. Put each of these assignments into your semester portfolio once they are
returned to you. These are worth 10% of your semester grade.
Thesis Paper : The semester thesis paper must be no shorter than 1500 + words. (+ additional images
for illustration) It should be a paper linking something learned or will learn in this semester's art history
course with something you have observed or connected to in modern life. This should not be a
biography or another dry concept. It should deal with ideas that we as humans struggle or deal with.
Papers must include five sources, only two of which may be electronic. (Internet) You cannot use
Wikipedia as your source of information and must adhere to MLA thesis writing techniques. These can
be found at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ This paper will be due during week ten
of class (October 29th) so that the instructor will have time to help with the content editing. Gary Lesko
in the Jenkins Learning Center located in Rhodes Student Center can help you with the structural
integrity of your paper including editing. Give him at least a week before the due dates to do this editing
for you. Gary prefers to have the paper e-mailed to him at glesko@rio.edu. YOU MUST GET THE
LEARNING CENTER TO SIGN OFF ON THE EDITING OF BOTH DRAFTS OF YOUR PAPER
Art History I, Fall 2014
BEFORE SUBMITTING TO BLACBOARD. THIS IS PART OF THE GRADE! (When that is
finished, submit your paper to the SafeAssign on Blackboard. You will then have an opportunity to
improve it and repost to SafeAssign by (December 1st). The first paper will be worth 25% of the total
paper grade. The final paper will then be re-graded and will count for the other 75% of your thesis
grade. More details about all the papers done in the art history sequence can be found at the school
website: http://www.rio.edu/fine-arts/Research-Paper-Requirements.cfm The combined score of your
paper is worth 20% of your final grade and will be assessed by the attached rubric. This rubric is also on
your Blackboard homepage.
AQIP: As part of the Art Department’s assessment program, each student is required to submit a flash
drive documenting their semester’s work. This drive will be assessed by a separate rubric and will count
for a total of 20% of your grade.
Attendance and Other: Although the above criteria make up the student’s grade, things like
attendance, tardiness, and class participation also have a bearing on the final grade outcome. Students
missing more than three unexcused absences will be dropped one letter grade for the course. Three late
arrivals will equal one absence. When final grade tabulation takes place and the student’s numeric
tabulation is close to the next grade, those students who have turned in all work on time, eagerly
participated, and have taken an active role in the course will be rewarded with a higher grade.
*There will be no classes that are cancelled except for school announced inclement weather or other
emergency. In the case of instructor absence for reasons of illness or a University function, please
utilize this time to work on your final portfolio/journal or your course thesis paper.
TOPICAL OUTLINE and/or SCHEDULE
This is a rough outline of the course schedule. Each week assignments will be made available on
Blackboard.
Week 1: Syllabus and The Meaning of Art
Week 2: The Stone Age
Week 3: The Ancient Mesopotamians
Week 4: The Ancient Egyptians
Week 5: The Aegeans and Greeks
Week 6: The Etruscans and Romans
Week 7: Mid-term Portfolios Due
Week 8: Early Christian Art
Week 9: Islamic Art
Week 10: Romanesque
Week 10: Thesis Paper Due
Week 11: The Gothic Period
Week 12: The Early Renaissance
Week 13: The Early Renaissance
Week 14: AQIP Drive due, Thesis paper final due
Week 15: Final Portfolios and Exam
Art History I, Fall 2014
Detailed information for all of three of the AQIP requirements can be found at:
http://www.rio.edu/fine-arts/Assessment1.cfm
As part of the Art Department’s assessment measures, each student in Art History will be required to
hand in a Flash Drive with the following images and naming files.
Thesis_yourname.doc
Portfolio_yourname1.jpg
Portfolio_yourname2.jpg
Blackboard_yourname1.doc
Blackboard_yourname2.doc
*museum_yourname.doc
*exhibition_yourname.doc
*These two AQIP files are only required for those majoring in art, or art education.
If you are an Art Major or Art Education Major you also have the additional requirements of;
2. visiting a museum and
3. of entering your work into an exhibition.
Detailed information for all of three of the AQIP requirements can be found at on the department
webpage. http://www.rio.edu/fine-arts/Assessment1.cfm
Failure to complete these last two requirements in a satisfactory manner will result in a 5% grade reduction for each
requirement neglected on your final grade.
ADA POLICY: If a student wishes to be identified as having a physical, mental, or learning disability,
that may or may not require reasonable accommodation(s), he/she must register with the Office of
Accessibility. These registered students should identify themselves to their instructors and provide a
written statement from the Accessibility Office that indicates the appropriate accommodations. The
process of a student self-proclaiming the need for accommodation should occur as early in the semester
as possible. The Office of Accessibility phone is 245-7339 and is located in Rhodes Hall, Room
116,University of Rio Grande.
FERPA: The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College are committed to fully
respecting and protecting the rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA). These rights generally include the right to inspect, review and seek amendment to the
student's education records and the right to provide written consent before personally identifiable
information from education records is disclosed. Under FERPA, students have the right to file a
complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures to comply with
FERPA. Please see the Student Records Confidentiality/Rights Under FERPA section of the Student
Handbook for details and more information.
Art History I, Fall 2014
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Standard university policies, as described in the Student Handbook,
apply.
WITHDRAWAL: Please refer to the student handbook and the university academic calendar for details
on withdrawal.
This syllabus is not to be construed as a contract with the student and may be subject to change.
Art History I, Fall 2014