ART 357 WORLD ART IN CONTEMPORARY LIFE
San Diego State University
Fall 2014—Online Course
INSTRUCTOR: DR. ALLYSON WILLIAMS
OFFICE HOURS: Live online office hours 9:30-10:30 Tuesday and Thursday, also by
appointment. You may also come to my office hours in person, in A-559 (in the lobby of
the Art Building)
E-MAIL: allyson@mail.sdsu.edu (use Art 357 in subject line) or through Blackboard. I
try to answer all e-mails sent on weekdays within 24 hours. If I somehow miss your email and have not responded after 24 hours, feel free to send the e-mail again. I reserve
the right not to answer e-mails on the weekend, but if possible I will probably check in.
LECTURES: This course is a fully online course, using recorded lectures either in
Collaborate or Camtasia. Please take a look at the FAQ section of the Blackboard site; it
has links to download software and for help with Blackboard, Collaborate (Webinar
style interface) etc. I expect that most of you will not have had an online class before,
and that fine. Don’t hesitate to pelt me with questions!
TEXTBOOKS:
Michael Kampen O’Riley, Art Beyond the West, 3rd edition, Pearson 2014
Steven M. Leuthold, Cross Cultural Issues in Art: Frames for Understanding, Routledge
2011
Your books are available at the Aztec Shops. The books are also available from other
sources online. If you purchase a used copy, make sure it is the correct edition (Art
Beyond the West is in its third edition; Cross-Cultural Issues has only one edition).
BLACKBOARD SITE: The SDSU Blackboard site is your main interface for this course.
Download the syllabus, slide lists, study guide for the mid-term exams, online
assignments, and the museum paper instructions from the blackboard site when they
are posted. Also consult the site regularly for class announcements and for the online
assignments. Since this is an online course, you must stay engaged by reading e-mails
and announcements carefully.
WHY STUDY ART? Art historians try to understand how the products of visual culture
(artworks) functioned and signified in a particular place and time, in order to better
understand the past. They also try to understand why certain objects still interest us
and are prized in today’s world. In Art 357 you will learn how, why and when some of
the most beautiful artifacts, paintings, sculptures and buildings in the world were
created.
Students in a visual studies class also develop important skills of visual analysis and
critical thinking that help them “unpack” or decipher artworks. Since we live in a world
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full of sophisticated images in advertising, politics, and entertainment, learning how to
“read” or decipher visual works is a useful, transferable skill. In a world arts class,
intercultural connections are made that help us better understand ourselves.
I am not expecting anyone in the class to have any background in art, just a willingness
to look, think, and learn!
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Note: Art 357 satisfies an Upper Division General Education for non-Art majors.
•Art majors cannot use Art 357 to satisfy the GE requirement.
•Art 357 will satisfy an art elective.
•Art 357 will NOT satisfy an Art History requirement.
This is an upper division General Education course with no pre-requisites. Using a
thematic structure, this course introduces students to Non-Western (and some
Western) art from the prehistoric period to contemporary times, covering painting,
sculpture, architecture and also non-traditional forms. We will examine the course
material from a variety of viewpoints, addressing the function of monuments, their style
where relevant, placing works of art in their social/historical contexts, and discussing
how issues of class, gender, ethnicity, and belief systems have affected representation.
Contemporary artists whose work responds to cultural issues will be included, as well
as issues of cultural desecration and preservation. Students will be introduced to ways
of discussing art and will be encouraged to write and think critically about the functions
of art. Students will understand global and cultural commonalities and diversity in the
monuments studied. Students will learn some of the appropriate vocabulary for
discussing art. Upon successful completion of this course, students will recognize
representative monuments of world arts; they will identify and explain significant
features and functions of the works of art and be able to place them in their cultural
contexts.
DISTANCE LEARNING PREREQUISITES:
Please take the ‘readiness survey’ at
https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/pls/webapp/survey.hybrid_learning.main and, if
this is the right course for you, please prepare your computer for the course.
 Please download necessary software, including: Adobe’s Acrobat Reader and
Flash Player, Microsoft Word Viewer (if you do not already have Word installed),
Powerpoint Viewer and possibly the QuickTime Player
o If this sounds intimidating, please do not panic! Information about all of
these tools and links enabling you to install them are kept under the FAQ
button on the left of the Blackboard Website.
 Please familiarize yourself with the webinar software called Collaborate that is
integrated into Blackboard. You need to check that your computer is set up to
link to the Collaborate virtual classroom and run the setup Wizard. Here is a link
to the SDSU Collaborate page, and I have sent you a pdf file on how to use
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



Collaborate. It is not hard!
http://its.sdsu.edu/blackboard/collaborate/collaborate.html
Please get speakers or a headset so that you can hear online lectures etc. You
may want a headset for office hours, in order that we can speak to each other.
Please learn how to use Blackboard. You must be able to move around in the
modules and to use the necessary course tools. You must be able to receive email from Blackboard. For an orientation to Blackboard or for Blackboard help,
go to: http://its.sdsu.edu/blackboard/student/.
Remember: This is an online course. Information technology or IT challenges
can and will come up. Be prepared to handle them. The student computing staff
computing staff at SDSU or at your school of enrollment will probably be able to
help you, and the support staff for SDSU’s Blackboard site are excellent. Don’t
hesitate to consult them.
Please be assured that if and when problems occur on the SDSU end, you will not
be penalized. However, when problems occur on your end, the story is different:
You are responsible for your computing needs. When problems occur on your
end, you must fix them. The instructor cannot provide IT support. IT problems
that you experience do not constitute an acceptable excuse for non-completion
of assignments/tests, so give yourself a “cushion” of time when completing
online coursework.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Lectures:
You are required to watch online lectures every week. It is very important to pay
attention, as quiz and essay exam questions will be based on the lectures as well as
drawn from the textbook. It has been my experience that students who do not focus
and take good notes are unable to do well on the exams, because they have missed
essential material. It takes a good deal of practice to develop your visual memory, and
also to learn how to look at a slide and take notes about it at the same time! You are
fortunate in that you will be able review my lectures as often as necessary since they
are recorded.
2. Online Assignments/Quizzes: (30%)
There will be weekly online work done at your own pace with a few days to complete
the assignments. Along with assigned readings in the textbooks, this course will make
use of the wealth of interesting scholarly materials on the internet such as online
lectures, podcasts and videos produced by museums and art historians. Your online
assignments will most often be linked to the material discussed in lectures, and you will
complete timed online quizzes after reviewing the materials.
It is your responsibility to complete the quizzes in a timely way, that is, before they are
due. This policy is intended to insure that you are working on each chapter as the
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material is being covered in class. Once the quizzes have been removed from the web
site, they will NOT be made available to you again. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST
15 MINUTES TO DO THE QUIZZES!
3. Reading assignments and discussion board. (25%)
In this class, online discussions will count towards your grade in the course. The
purpose of the discussion board is to frame and promote collaborative learning. Active
and regular participation is not only important for me to see, but also important for you
in learning the course content and in developing your thoughts and positions on various
topics. I post a topic and readings and questions to help spark your discussion posts.
You will be separated into small groups in order to create a comfortable unit for
conversations.
Mid-term and Final Exams: (30%)
The mid-term and final exams will consist of two open-book essay questions with a four
day window to complete them. You will be given the questions on the morning of the
test window (Thursday). You will have until 11:59 p.m. four days later (Sunday) to
submit your essays to the appropriate Turnitin module on Blackboard.
THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS! PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE ACCORDINGLY.
Paper: (15%)
There will be one 3-4 page term paper due, in which students will visit a non-western
art exhibit a local museum. It is a great experience, and is worth 15% of your grade. To
receive a good grade, the paper must follow the instructions and be well organized, and
well written. Correct grammar and spelling are important.
Your papers will be submitted electronically through Turnitin, which also checks text
for plagiarism.
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers and essay exams may be
subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of
plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the
Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such
papers. You may submit your papers in such a way that no identifying information
about you is included. Another option is that you may request, in writing, that your
papers not be submitted to Turnitin.com. However, if you choose this option you will be
required to provide documentation to substantiate that the papers are your original
work and do not include any plagiarized material.
Grade Breakdown:
7 multiple choice quizzes: 30%
4 discussion group postings: 25%
3 Essay exams: 30%
1 Non-Western Art museum paper: 15%
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Grading Scale:
A
93%
A90%
B+
87%
B
83%
B80%
C+
77%
C
CD+
D
DF
73%
70%
67%
63%
60%
59% or below
Definition of Grades for Undergraduate Students according to the SDSU Catalog:
A: (outstanding achievement; available only for the highest accomplishment),
B: (praiseworthy performance; definitely above average)
C: (average; awarded for satisfactory performance; the most common undergraduate
grade)
D: (minimally passing; less than the typical undergraduate achievement)
Note on Plagiarism and Cheating:
These will not be tolerated in class and will result in failure of the course and reporting
to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. As stated in the SDSU Statement of
Student Rights and Responsibilities “Examples of cheating include unauthorized
sharing of answers during an exam, use of unauthorized notes or study materials during
an exam, altering an exam and resubmitting it for re-grading, having another student
take an exam for you or submit assignments in your name, participating in
unauthorized collaboration on coursework to be graded, providing false data for a
research paper, or creating/citing false or fictitious references for a term paper.
(Submitting the same paper for multiple classes may also be considered cheating if not
authorized by the instructors involved). Examples of plagiarism include any attempt to
take credit for work that is not your own, such as using direct quotes from an author
without using quotation marks or indentation in a paper, paraphrasing work that is not
your own without giving credit to the original source of the idea, or failing to properly
cite all sources in the body of your work.”
Many students download my PowerPoints or ArtStor images (a library database) and
make flashcards (image on the front; title/artist/approx date/artistic
movement/country/subject on the back). All images on the exams will be selected from
the textbook, and will be listed on the slide list. Images can also be found at World
Images Kiosk (http://worldimages.sjsu.edu); Google Image search is also useful.
If you are having problems in the course, please ask for help--sooner rather than later! I
am more than happy to help you develop successful strategies for preparing for exams
or to discuss your term paper.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
I am more than happy to assist students with disabilities. If you are a student with a
disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your
responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. (Calpulli Center,
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Suite 3101), To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should
contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that I cannot provide accommodations based
upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from Student Disability
Services. Your cooperation is appreciated. The web site for Student Disability Services
is: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/index.html
Class Schedule (Subject to change). All times are Pacific Standard Time
Note all the due dates in your calendars, with reminders a few days in advance.
•Before you begin the course material, please complete the syllabus quiz. You must get
a perfect score before commencing Module 1.
Module 1: Representations of Gods I and II: Ancient Greece, Early Christianity and
Hindu Art
Time frame: August 25-Sept. 10
Tasks for Module 1:
•View recorded lectures for this section
• Complete the assigned reading in textbooks etc.
•Discussion Board Posting 1: By Sept 3, Introduce yourself to your group. By Sept. 7,
Review the posts and respond.
• Module 1 Quiz due Wed. Sept. 10, 11:59 pm.
Module 2: Representations of Gods III: Buddhism, Mesoamerica and Africa
Time Frame: Sept. 11-24
Tasks for Module 2:
•View recorded lectures for this section
• Complete the assigned reading in textbooks etc.
•Discussion board Posting #2, initial post by Sept 17, response by Sept. 21
•Module 2 Quiz due Wed Sept. 24, (but complete well before to allow time to study for
mid-term)
MID-TERM ESSAY EXAM #1 ON MODULES 1 AND 2:
Essay Questions are posted on Thursday September 25 at 12:01 a.m. and are due
in the Turnitin Module by 11:59 p.m. Sunday September 28
PART TWO: IMAGES OF RULE/POWER
Module 3: The Art of Ruler I and II: Egypt , Sub-Saharan Africa, Pacific Islands
Time Frame: Sept. 29- Oct. 15
Tasks for Module 3:
•View recorded lectures for this section
• Complete the assigned reading in textbooks etc.
•Module 3 quiz due October 15
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•Start the reading for discussion posting #3 (it is on African Art)
Module 4: The Art of Rulers III and IV: Ancient Rome; Byzantium; Medieval West;
Java, Cambodia; Islamic India
Time Frame: October 16-29
Tasks for Module 4:
•View recorded lectures for this section
• Complete the assigned reading in textbooks etc.
•Discussion Board Posting #3—initial post by October 19, response by Oct. 22
•Module 4 Quiz due Oct. 29
MID-TERM ESSAY EXAM #2 ON MODULES 3 AND 4:
Essay Questions are posted on Thursday October 30 at 12:01 a.m. and are due in
the Turnitin Module by 11:59 p.m. Sunday November 2
PART THREE: PILGRIMAGE, PLACE, AND RITUAL
Module 5: Pilgrimages: Delphi in Greece, Romanesque and Gothic Europe; Islam
and Islamic culture, China; Crosscultural Comparisons: Europe and Mughal India
Time frame: Nov. 3-19
Tasks for Module 5:
•View recorded lectures for this section
• Complete the assigned reading in textbooks etc.
•Module 5 Quiz due Wed. Nov. 19
•Discussion Board Posting #4—first posting by Nov. 19, at least one response by Nov.
23
Alert: Museum Paper due Wednesday November 26!
Module 6: Japan, Native American Arts, Contemporary Scene in World Arts
Time frame: Nov. 20-Dec. 10
Tasks for Module 6:
•View recorded lectures for this section
• Complete the assigned reading in textbooks etc.
•Museum Paper due Wednesday November 26 in the Turnitin module
•Module 6 Quiz due Wed. December 10
FINAL ESSAY EXAM #3 ON MODULES 5 AND 6:
Essay Questions are posted on Thursday December 11 at 12:01 a.m. and are due
in the Turnitin Module by 11:59 p.m. Sunday December 14
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