SMC Core Curriculum Course Proposal Form
Electronically submit a copy of the course proposal form and attachments to
the Chair of the CCC. Please submit a separate copy of the proposal form for
each learning goal.
1. Name of Proposer: Costanza Gislon Dopfel
2. Email address: cdopfel@stmarys-ca.edu
3. Department/Program of Proposer: Art History
4. Name of Department/Program housing the course: Art History
5. Name(s) of Program Director/Department Chair (if not the proposer): Anna
Novakov
6. Course Acronym, Number and Title: AH002
7. Semester(s) in which course will be offered: Fall 2014
8. How often is this course taught? Every year or every other year depending on
demand
9. Course Prerequisites (if any): none
10. Unit Value of Course: 1
11. Proper Audience for the course (delete those that don’t apply): all
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
12. The Learning Goals for which the course is being submitted
(Courses may apply for at most one Pathways to Knowledge goal, and for as many
Engaging the World goals as is appropriate. Please complete a separate proposal
form for desired goal.)

Pathways to Knowledge
Artistic Understanding – Artistic Analysis only
Expected Attachments
(1)
Syllabus: Course syllabus containing a course description and a list of
learning outcomes. The course’s learning outcomes should include coverage of the
Learning Outcomes associated with the Core Curriculum Learning Goal for which
the course is being proposed.
(2)
Teaching: A brief narrative (300 words) that explains how the course will
guide students toward achieving the Learning Goal. The CCC believes it would be
simplest both for the proposer and for the Working Groups if the narrative
addressed the Learning Outcomes one by one.
(3)
Learning: A brief explanation of how coursework (e.g., papers, exams,
videotaped presentations) will be used to measure student achievement of each of
the Learning Outcomes. Please address the outcomes directly and one by one.
Any course approved for the core must provide data for the assessment of Core
curriculum learning goals at an institutional level. Via this proposal a chair/program
director agrees to oversee the submission of the student work necessary for the
assessment of the learning goals. If the proposal is from an instructor, that
individual agrees to oversee submission of work from appropriate sections of their
course.
Similarly, while courses, and individual sections within courses, may vary, the Core
should provide somewhat consistent experiences within each Learning Goal. To this
end, by submitting this proposal a chair/program director/instructor agrees that
instructors of Core courses will participate in assessment exercises.
PROPOSAL FOR ARTISTIC UNDERSTANDING
Costanza Gislon Dopfel
AH 002 Non-Western Art History
The course covers all non-Western art from pre-history to modern day in 13 units,
including not only thousands of objects, but also thousands of years of human
history as reflected in many different styles, cultures and artistic movements.
Because of the range and complexity of the material a historical, religious as well as
geographic framework is utilized to help students recognize and distinguish specific
features that will enable them to connect an artwork to a period and culture.
Students are encouraged to view each piece of artwork as integral part of a culture,
and to avoid the temptation of examining it as an independent object that is
assessed from a contemporary Western point of view. Therefore, every artistic
expression considered in the course is framed within the traditions and the history
of the country from which it originates and is linked to cultural manifestations
generally ignored by the textbooks. For example, the art of Japan will include a
discussion on fashion (ex. Kimonos), social hierarchy (ex. Samurai), and
cultural/philosophical exercises (ex. Calligraphy). To better cover the material in a
comprehensive way, colleagues in anthropology, religious studies, archaeology,
modern languages as well as specialists in specific areas (masters of calligraphy,
jade and porcelain collectors, museum curators) are invited to present to the class.
Additionally, visits to the Asian Art Museum and the De Young Museum will provide
direct interaction between the students and the artwork.
The scope of this course is so vast that it is impossible to cover all the material in
depth. The main goal must be to allow the students to develop
- an appreciation of a culture different from their own;
- a curiosity for non-Western art that may encourage further independent
inquiry;
- the tools for analyzing artwork through a cultural framework;
- a historical understanding of world events, their interconnection and their
effect on art production
Learning Outcomes 1a) Look at and read works of art; 1b) Analyze/interpret form
and meaning; 1c) Apply discipline-based vocabulary
will be satisfied by the first outcome listed in the Syllabus:
“The ability to recognize, compare and analyze individual works of art not as
isolated episodes, but as part of the broad history of human events, using
appropriate vocabulary and analytical techniques”
More specifically for 1a) and 1b) see the second outcome:
“The understanding of issues of aesthetic differences and socio-historical influence
in artistic production, and the ability to apply such understanding to all levels and
types of art objects, while appreciating the diversity in taste and aesthetics among
different historical periods and cultures. Students will examine art both as
expression of individual civilizations and as the manifestation of a global culture
developed through historical, social, religious and economic interchanges.”
Each week the students will be prepared to encounter new artwork through a
historical introduction that briefly sums up large-scale events such as migrations,
trade, conquest and the spreading of religious movements. They are then asked to
find evidence of innovation as well as continuity, and to provide their own
interpretation on the possible changes in representation and/or meaning of a
specific iconographic tradition.
For 1c) see the third outcome:
“The familiarity and appropriate use of the necessary terminology to discuss and
analyze various artistic expressions, while developing an awareness of the
difference in the vocabulary needed to appropriately discuss non-Western art in
contrast to Western art. “
Each unit provides new vocabulary as the basic verbal tools that allow students to
discuss objects derived from relatively foreign concepts and artistic traditions.
From basic architectural words such as “stupa” and “ratha” to techniques such as
“lost wax casting”, to religious definitions such as “Zen Buddhism” and “Shinto”,
students learn to differentiate between cultures and their artistic expressions by
using appropriate terminology. At the same time, students are reminded that some
of the vocabulary used in analyzing Western art may not apply, because such
terminology is the result of a specific Western cultural experience that may or may
not be shared by other cultures.
Assessment:
The assessment is articulated through the following activities:
- Identify individual artwork (midterm and final)
- Relate individual artwork to local socio-artistic environment (midterm and final,
unit summaries)
- Connect artwork to global cultural/religious/ political situation (midterm and
final, unit summaries)
- Analyze artwork orally (presentations)
- Analyze artwork in writing (final paper)
At the end of each unit, students are asked to summarize, either individually or in
small groups, the main points/artworks/movements they have encountered. The
written result is then shared with the class and evaluated as part of class
participation. This exercise has the purpose of allowing students to independently
create firmer reference points or ‘hooks’ upon which to base the corresponding
information, as well as to provide the instructor with a constant check on what the
students have retained, fully understood or misunderstood.
A midterm consisting of questions requiring both analysis and content knowledge
precedes a final exam based on factual knowledge, plus a 3,000 word analytical
paper. The final exam focuses on recognition, contextualization and interpretation,
while the final essay focuses on critical thinking, research and writing skills, use of
appropriate terminology and methodology as well as the student’s ability to
synthetize what was learned in class and to make it her own by providing an
original, individual and independent interpretation of the chosen artwork.
The 2a and 2b Learning Outcomes, Participation in creative process and production
of artifact appropriate to the discipline, can be partially addressed in this course by
presentations and demonstrations of actual techniques such as Japanese or Chinese
calligraphy, Ikebana composition and more.