Ran Art 415

	Ancient and Medieval Art (ART 215)
	Syllabus Schedule Writing Guide Assignments Contextual Analysis

I. Title:Art 215 Ancient and Medieval Art
II. Catalog Description: Survey of art from Bronze Age through the Middle Ages.

Prerequisites for art majors: ART 120.

III. Purpose: To provide the students with increased knowledge of the major works of art of the ancient Mediterranean through Late Medieval European cultures.
IV. Course objective: To help the students understand the broad historical and cultural context in which the Ancient and Medieval works of art were created. To provide the students with the necessary methodological tools of art history-bibliographic research, assessment of literature, written analysis of art-that will enable him/her to undertake more thorough, as well as incisive study of these periods on a more advanced (400) level.
V. Content Outline:Ancient Art: Aegean, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman; Early Medieval: Early Christian, Byzantine, Migration, (Islamic) Late Medieval: Romanesque, Early Gothic, Late Gothic.
VI. Instructional Activities: Lectures with slides, discussion.
VII. Field and Clinical experience: NA
VIII. Resources: Slides, books on reserve, handouts, library.
IX. Grading Procedure:

Two midterms and final exam @ 150/each = 450 pts.
Visual Analysis 75 (50 writing & 25 grading)
Contextual Analysis 125 (100 writ. & 25 grading)
Compare/ Contrast 150 (150 writ. & 50 grading)
"Research Project" 200

Thesis +Preliminary bibliography @ 50
Outline @ 50; Annotated bibliography @ 50
Analysis of the literature @ 50

Final package should include illustrations
Final outline should be footnoted for sources used for particular points.

TOTAL 1000 pts.

Participation is essential (bonus points are available for unusually good participation)

All assignments MUST be turned in ON TIME (see due dates of your daily schedule). Late assignments will NOT be accepted!(except in cases of long-term hospitalization etc.), and will count at 0 points toward your final grade!!!

1) Midterms and Final: slide identification; facts, short definitions, short essays, short compare and contrast essays about slides. In class! Based on readings, discussions, & lectures.
2) Visual Analysis: examination of the formal properties of art (in class)

Following two assignments are "micro research essays", i.e., they will require careful research, thought writing, bibliography, illustrations

3) "Contextual" Analysis: study of meaning, purpose, and historical circumstances influencing the art work (how does style reflect the culture in which it was created). Typed: text 3-4 pages & supporting materials
4) "Compare-Contrast": essentially Visual and Contextual Analysis of two works interwoven together creating a complete "picture." Typed: text 3-4 pages & supporting materials

The above assignments 2, 3, 4, will involve "peer grading." You will be asked to read each other essays and grade them (including grammatical "proof-reading," but focusing on comments on content organization, and form). Your grade on these assignments will subsequently consider your own writing AND quality and sincerity of your grading.

5) "Research Project": Each student will select a topic from a list. The final project will be a well researched, and well argued outline providing reader with as complete picture of the thought processes of writing and doing research (e.g., illustrations: why selected, how related, supporting what points etc) as possible. Different points of the outline should be specifically supported by references to the bibliographic sources. The bibliography must be annotated (explaining in about a paragraph the main focus of the author and the specific usefulness of the source. (details will be discussed in class)
X. Attendance Policy: Attendance is required. Four (4) total absences are allowed with or without documentation. Subsequent absences (except in documented cases of long term hospitalization, imprisonment, etc.) will result in lowering of the final grade by 5% per absence. Eight (8) or more absences will result in an automatic "E" grade.
XI. Academic Honesty Policy: Any instance of flagrant (i.e., "knowing" violation) academic dishonesty, as determined by the instructor of this course in compliance with the universitypolicy, will result in the student's dismissal from the class the assignment of an "E" grade for the course.
XII. Texts and references: There is no required text. The necessary texts are on reserve in the library. If you find that inconvenient, you are welcome to buy the books.

* Gloria K. Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, vols. 1 & 2, 3^rd ed., 1998, McGraw-Hill (Referred to in the outline as GF.I [or II] for vol.# referring to the page)
* Gardner's Art Through the Age, vol.I, Richard G. Tansey and Fred S. Kleiner ed,10^th ed., 1996, Harcourt Brace (GATA. followed by # referring to the page)

XIII. Prerequisites: For non-majors, none; for art majors, Art 120.

NB: It is the policy of the department that NO DRINKS or FOOD are ALLOWED in the gallery as well as in the classrooms adjacent to the gallery. This rule will be enforced in this class.

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SCHEDULE
Class Date TOPIC Reading

Week 1
1.     Jan 19     Intro.   GF.I.1-18, GATA.21-23
2.     Jan 21     Middle East and Egypt     GF.I.19-43, GATA.42-97
Week. 2.
3     Jan 24     Aegean Art (People and social order)     GF.I.45-71
4     Jan 26     Minoan Art   GATA.100-115
5     Jan 28     Mycenaean Art
Week 3.
6     Jan 31     Visual Analysis (prep.)
7     Feb 2      VISUAL ANALYSIS (in class) (EXCHANGE)
8     Feb 4      video: Joseph Campbell "Heroes"
Week 4.
9     Feb 7    Greek politics and philosophy in relation to art     CF.I.91-101
        DUE:     CORRECTED VISUAL ANALYSIS
10     Feb 9     Archaic art (Vases and sculpture)     GATA.118-137
11     Feb 11    c. 500 BC   GATA.137-141
Week 5.
12     Feb 14     Golden Age of Athens     GF.I.72-90
13     Feb 16     Library Tour
14     Feb 18     CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS: parametrs of the research, writing etc.
Week 6.
15     Feb 21     Late Classicism   GATA.161-166
16     Feb 23     Artistic idea of Classicism and Classical Sculpture     GF.I.109-129; GATA.141-148
17     Feb 25     Parthenon   GATA.148-160
Week 7.
18     Feb 28     Hellenistic World (Alexander the Great)     GATA.166-183
19     Mar 1      Hellenistic Art
20     Mar 3      Etruscan art and the Beginning of Roman Republic     GATA.186-197; GF.I.131-133
Week 8
21     Mar 6     EXAM 1 (up to and including Hellenistic Art)
22     Mar 8       Roman painting     GATA.209-217
23     Mar 10     Roman Architecture   GATA.200-209
        DUE: CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS (EXCHANGE)

Mar 13-17 SPRING BREAK

Week 9.
24     Mar 20     Early Imperial art (Neo-Attic Art)     GATA.217-242 GF.I.133-157
25     Mar 22 Late Empire     GATA.242-255
         DUE:      CORRECTED CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
26     Mar 24    Mystery religions   GF.II.2-11,15
Week 10.
27     Mar 27     Early Christians under Roman Rule (Constantine)     GATA.258-279
28     Mar 29     Early Christian art     GF.II.16-34
29     Mar 31     Early Christian art
Week 11.
30     Apr 3       Byzantine architecture     GATA.286-317; GF.II.43-63
31     Apr 5       Byzantine painting (mosaics)
32     Apr 7      COMPARE-CONTRAST ESSAY assignment
Week 12.
33     Apr 10 EXAM 2
34     Apr 12     Early Monasticism and Spread of Christianity     GATA.280-5; GF.II.66-71
35     Apr 14     Migration art     GATA.346-361
Week 13.
36     Apr 17     Carolingian art     GF.II.71-113 GATA.361-370;
37     Apr 19     Ottonian art     GATA.370-377
38     Apr 21     Pilgrimages and the relics
Week 14
39     Apr 24     Romanesque art GF.II.113-141;
        DUE:       COMPARE-CONTRAST (EXCHANGE) GATA.380-413
40     Apr 26     Romanesque art (cont.)
41     Apr 28     NO CLASS - Works In Progress
Week 15.
42     May 1     Gothic art   GATA.416-461
43     May 3     Gothic art
44    May 5     Gothic art
        DUE:      CORRECTED COMPARE-CONTRAST

FINAL

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CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Greeks repeatedly depicted stories from their myths. In general, these stories have meaning beyond the obvious. To understand Greek art, we need to understand the meaning behind their myths.
You will be assigned a particular subject.

Your task is:

to find out as much as possible about the subject - learn about the narrative/ iconography/ iconology
to learn as much as possible about the cultural ideas expressed by the subject
to write an essay relating the visual properties of the object to the subject.

Find out as much as you can about your subject (note the work's title)
Use appropriate books: secondary and/or primary sources:
See: reference section Ref BL 300s; BL 310s; BL 720s; and DE 5 - DG 300s
*Carpenter, Thomas, Art and Myth in Ancient Greece: a handbook, London, 1991
*Classical Gods and Heroes: Myths as Told by Ancient Authors, transl. Rhoda A. Hendricks, New York, 19_.
*Graves, Robert, The Greek Myths, London, Penguin, 1960 (or other eds.)
*Scherer, Margaret R., The Legends of Troy in Art and Literature, New York, Phaidon, 1964
You can also check Bulfinch's Mythology WebSite

NB.: avoid any works by Edith Hamilton Possible primary sources: Aeschylus (PA 3829); Arispophanes (PA 3877); Hesiod (PA 4010); Homer (PA 4019-25); Pausanius (PA 4264); Pindar (PA 4275); Plato (PA 4279); Ovid (PA 6520); Sappho (PA 4480); Sophocles (PA 4414); Virgil (PA 6807)

Write an essay. It should start with an informed visual analysis of your work. Using your newly gained knowledge, comment on the work's meaning.

Style: Your essay should be minimum 3 pages long (without the cover, title, illustrations, class #, your name, etc., but including the footnotes), typed, double spaced, regular font (e.g., New Times Roman 12), 1" margins on all sides.
    - You have to footnote the sources supporting your reading of the work.
       (For the style, go to my WebSite / Writing Guide).
    - Also, you may want to include additional illustrations that you find helpful in making your points.

ESSAY IS DUE in class Friday March 10th. Remember to attach the reproduction of your work of art. In turn, you will be given an essay to grade. The graded work will be due after spring break, Wednesday, March 22. Remember, you can hand in your work early but not late. In case you are sick on March 10th, but will deliver your essay, you must pick up an essay for grading with enough time to have it graded for the March 22^nd class in order not to be penalized on your grade!

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