ART 259: INTRODUCTION TO ART HISTORY (Hybrid Course)
FALL 2013
INSTRUCTOR: DR. ALLYSON WILLIAMS
LECTURES: Tues.,11:00-12:15 in GMCS 301; Thursdays online in Collaborate Live
Classroom (from Sept 29 on)
OFFICE: (Art Building) A-559 (to the left of the drinking fountain in the lobby of the Art
Building)
OFFICE PHONE: 619-594-5918 (during office hours)
OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday 2:45-3:45 or by appointment.
E-MAIL: allyson@mail.sdsu.edu (Please use Art 259 in the subject line, and remember to
sign your name!) I try to answer all e-mails sent on weekdays within 24 hours. If I somehow
miss your e-mail 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.
LECTURE SCHEDULE: We will have in-class (face-to-face) lectures on Tuesdays only.
Thursday’s lectures (starting Sept. 27) will be live online webinar style lectures through
Collaborate within Blackboard 11:00-12:15. It would be great if you can join in live (you will
be able to ask questions), but it is not mandatory to attend these lectures as long as you watch
the archive within a day or so.
Specific instructions for how to access the online class sessions will be provided separately.
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 is fine.
TEXT: Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren, Art History, Volume II, fifth edition,
(Pearson, 2014). It should come with MyArtsLab, a wonderful online resource.
EXAM SUPPLIES: 3 Red and White Parscore scantron forms
BLACKBOARD SITE: This course will make extensive use of Blackboard, and you need to
consult the announcements page and read course e-mail regularly. Download the slide lists,
vocabulary list, study guide for the mid-term exam, and the paper instructions from the
blackboard site when they are posted. Also consult the site for class announcements, and for
the online assignments. You will be doing weekly online quizzes and accessing the
Collaborate online lectures through Blackboard.
SLIDE WEBSITES: (images to help with studying):
a) Powerpoints of the lectures will be posted on Blackboard
b) you can also download images from Artstor, an online database in the SDSU library
(under article databases); Google Image search and Web Gallery of Art are also good:
http://www.wga.hu/
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WHY STUDY ART HISTORY? 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 259 you will learn how, why and when some of the most
beautiful paintings, sculptures and buildings in the Western tradition were created. You will
also learn how artists and architects use elements of art such as color, line, texture, shape and
space to tell a story from a certain point of view, or to express an emotion, or create a mood.
Students in an art history class develop important skills of visual analysis and critical
thinking that help them “unpack” or decipher artworks. Since we live in a world full of
sophisticated images in advertising, politics, and entertainment, learning how to “read” or
decipher visual works is a useful, transferable skill.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This course is a survey of western art from the late Gothic period to the Twentieth Century,
covering painting, sculpture and architecture (primarily European art, with some art of the
Americas after 1600). We will examine the course material from a variety of viewpoints,
addressing artistic techniques, formal and stylistic concerns, placing works of art in their
social/historical contexts, learning about the various artistic movements, and discussing how
issues of class and gender have affected representation. Students will be introduced to the
discipline of art history and will be encouraged to write and think critically about art.
Students will learn the appropriate vocabulary for discussing art. Upon successful
completion of this course, students will recognize representative monuments of architecture,
sculpture and painting from the fifteenth through the twentieth century; they will identify and
explain significant features of works of art, and will recognize the relationship between the
different artistic styles and movements covered in the course.
Leonardo da Vinci on art:
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.”
“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.”
Pablo Picasso on art:
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from
the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”
“If there is something to steal, I steal it!” (a comment on the importance of understanding the
work of artists who preceded him; not to be confused with plagiarism!)
“Painting is stronger than me, it makes me do its bidding.”
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
This is a hybrid course. There will be a weekly face-to-face lecture and an online lecture
(live or recorded). In addition, this course will make use of the wealth of interesting
scholarly materials provided by Stokstad’s companion website (MyArtsLab) or 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 historical period discussed in
lecture, and you will have a week or two to review the online materials and complete online
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assignments such as quizzes. The online weekly assignments are worth 25% of your total
grade.
It is your responsibility to complete the quizzes in a timely way, that is, before they are due.
This policy is intended to ensure that you are working on each chapter as the 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!
Exams: There will be three examinations in class: 2 mid-terms and a final exam. The
examinations consist of multiple choice questions. They include slide identifications,
questions about the images, and questions about the major themes and concepts covered in
the lectures, and may also cover material from online portion of the class. The examinations
are NOT cumulative, and the final is not comprehensive. The mid-terms are each worth 15%
and the final exam is worth 20% of your total grade
MAKE-UP EXAMINATIONS (FOR THE MID-TERM) AND EXTENSIONS FOR THE
ONLINE QUIZZES WILL ONLY BE GIVEN IF YOU HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ILLNESS
OR IF THERE HAS BEEN A DEATH IN YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY
(DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED). The make-up mid-term examination must be taken
during my office hours as soon as possible. Students on official athletic teams need to keep
me informed of travel/exam conflicts.
Paper: There will be one 3-4 page term paper due, in which students will examine a suitable
work of art in a local museum. It is a great experience, and is worth 25% 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 museum paper will be submitted in hard copy in class and electronically through a
component of Blackboard called Turnitin, which also checks text for plagiarism.
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers 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: Online quizzes and assignments: 25%; 2 Mid-term exams: 15% each;
Paper: 25%; Final Exam; 20%.
It is very important to attend all lectures and pay attention, as 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 come to class are unable to do well on the exams, because they have missed
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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! Pick up your midterm exam and papers in class as soon as they are turned back, and please come to me right
away if you are not doing well.
Grading Scale:
A
93%
A90%
B+
87%
B
83%
B80%
C+
77%
C
CD+
D
DF
73%
70%
67%
63%
60%
59% or below
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 regrading, 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.”
BE A GOOD CITIZEN! Art 259 tends to be a large class. Please observe basic courtesy so
that you do not disrupt the lecture. Arrive on time, and avoid leaving the class early. If you
must leave before the lecture has finished, inform me beforehand and sit at the edge of the
class. Please turn off and stow all cell phones, pagers, and listening devices (iPods etc.)
before the class starts. Laptops can be used in airline mode only (no internet). Be kind to
your fellow classmates during the lecture, and don’t talk; it disturbs those around you.
Students who disrupt the lecture may be asked to leave the class. If there is something that
you missed, please ask me, I am always happy to answer questions.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss
specific accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a
disability, but have not contacted Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli
Center, Suite 3101), please do so before making an appointment to see me. The web site for
Student Disability Services is: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/index.html
READING ASSIGNMENTS: All required readings will be from Marilyn Stokstad and
Michael W. Cothren, Art History, Volume II, fifth edition, (Pearson, 2014). I expect you to
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read the appropriate parts of the chapters in your textbook as we go along to accompany the
lectures. Do some reading every day, and take good notes (rather than just underlining) to
help you assimilate the material. Make sure you examine the time lines and read the
introductory sections of each chapter carefully. Within each chapter, read the introduction to
the various sections noting the themes presented, and then focus on the images discussed in
class. You are not responsible for images not discussed in class or in the online assignments.
Many students download my PowerPoints or ArtStor images and make flashcards. All
images on the exams will be selected from the textbook, and will be listed on the slide list.
If you are having problems in the course, please come and see me--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.
DUE DATES: Write these on your calendar!
Mid-term exam #1: Tuesday September 24
Mid-term exam #2: Tuesday November 5
Museum Paper Due: Tuesday October 29, in class and online
Final Exam: Tuesday December 17, 10:30-12:30
Schedule of Lectures and Online topics (Subject to Change)
Week 1.
Lecture 1: Tuesday, August 27 In Class, Introduction, Fourteenth-Century Art in Europe;
(Stokstad and Cothren: Intro Chapter, Chap. 18)
Lecture 2: Thursday Aug. 29 online in Collaborate
Fourteenth-Century Art in Europe, con’t; 15th Century Art in Northern Europe (Chap. 19)
Week 2. Sept 3, 5; Tuesday in Class, Thursday online in Collaborate:
15th Century Art in Northern Europe (Chap. 19) con’t; 15th Century Art in Italy (Chap. 20)
Week 3. Sept. 10, 12:
High Renaissance Art in Italy (Chap. 21)
Week 4. 7 Sept 17, 19:
Venetian Art; Mannerism (Chap. 21); 16th Century Northern Renaissance Art, (Chap. 22);
Exam Review
Week 5. Sept. 24, 26:
Mid-Term Exam #1 September 24.
Seventeenth Century Art in Italy (Chap. 23)
Week 6. October 1, 3:
Seventeenth Century Art in Italy, Spain (Chap. 23), Flanders, Holland (Chap. 23), France,
England; (Chap. 23
Week 7. October 8, 10:
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Seventeenth Century Art in Holland, France, England; (Chap. 23
Week 8. October 15, 17:
Eighteenth Century, Rococo Age of Enlightenment 18-19th century (Chap. 30).
Week 9. October 22, 24:
Neoclassicism and the Grand Tour; Romanticism (Chap. 30)
Week 10. October 29, 31:
PAPER DUE IN CLASS TUESDAY, October 29
19th century architecture (Chap. 30) Academic Painting, Photography, Realism (Chap. 31);
Exam Review
Week 11. Nov. 5, 7
Tuesday November 5, MID-TERM EXAM #2.
Impressionism, Post Impressionism;
Week 12. Nov 12, 14
Late 19th century painting and sculpture (Chap. 31); Late 19th century Interior Design (Chap
31); Fauvism (Chap. 32)
Week 13. Nov. 19, 21:
Cubism; Expressionism; German Expressionism; Futurism; Dada; art and architecture in the
1930’s; the Bauhaus School (Chap 32)
Week 14. Nov. 26:
Surrealism, Abstraction in Sculpture, Art of America and Mexico, (Chap 32)
November 28, No Class Happy Thanksgiving
Week 15. Dec. 3, 5
Abstract Expressionism (Chap. 32); Pop Art, Minimalism; Feminist Art; Political Art since
1950; Postmodern Architecture, (Chap. 33)
Week 16. Dec. 10 Postmodern Architecture con’t; Performance Art and New Media (Chap.
33); Review
Final Exam: Tuesday December 17, 10:30-12:30
HYBRID (PART-ONLINE CLASS) HELP:
 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.
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
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Please enter the Collaborate Classroom (the link is under FAQs on the top left part of
the Blackboard page) and run the Collaborate Classroom Setup Wizard that
appears.
Please get speakers or a headset so that you can hear online lectures etc.
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 e-mail
from Blackboard. For an orientation to Blackboard or for Blackboard help, go to:
http://its.sdsu.edu/blackboard/student/.
Remember: This is a partly-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.
Computer breakdown is not an excuse—if your own devices are not functioning, the
Student Computing Center on the second floor of Love Library has computers for
student use.
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.
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