ARTS 260 Survey of Western Art: Prehistory to Middle Ages

Previously ARTT 282. This course provides a survey of visual arts in the Western tradition from prehistory to the late Middle Ages. Students will learn how to analyze and interpret works of art and architecture from the ancient and medieval worlds. The course will examine objects and monuments in their historical contexts, in order to demonstrate how changes in visual culture are linked to political, social, and economic developments. While exploring the symbolic meanings and functions of works from these periods, students will also be encouraged to make connections with our own culture and the ways in which we use visual expression to shape our world.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

1. Define and correctly employ the specialized vocabulary used by art historians.
2. Identify major art historical developments from the beginnings of visual culture in the Upper Paleolithic period to the Late Gothic era in Europe.
3. Recognize and compare styles associated with individual artists, and/or with different regions and periods.
4. Distinguish between different modes of representation, such as stylization, naturalism, realism, and idealism, and explain their historical significance (e.g. the conceptual approach employed in Egyptian and Early Christian visual traditions, versus the perceptual approach developed in Classical Greece).
5. Recognize and explain the meaning of specific iconographic motifs (e.g. religious or mythological subjects).
6. Describe the varying functions that works of art and architecture served in Western visual culture from prehistory to the late Middle Ages.
7. Demonstrate the impact that political, social, and/or economic changes had on the visual culture of these periods
8. Identify and apply critical theories and concepts related to enduring issues of aesthetics, ethics, creativity, and meaning when analyzing specific iconographic motifs (e.g. religious or mythological subjects).
9. Incorporate innovation, risk-taking, and creativity into analysis and comparison of styles associated with different regions and periods, and/or with individual artists.
10. Pose and address questions related to the confluence of creative expression with social and cultural contexts when distinguishing between different modes of representation, such as stylization, naturalism, realism, and idealism, and explain their historical significance.
11. Assess, reflect on, and critically analyze the role of creative and aesthetic activities and products that demonstrate the impact that political, social, and/or economic changes had on the visual and humanistic culture of the periods studied.

Course Objectives

1. Define and correctly employ the specialized vocabulary used by art historians.
2. Identify major art historical developments from the beginnings of visual culture in the Upper Paleolithic period to the Late Gothic era in Europe.
3. Recognize and compare styles associated with individual artists, and/or with different regions and periods.
4. Distinguish between different modes of representation, such as stylization, naturalism, realism, and idealism, and explain their historical significance (e.g. the conceptual approach employed in Egyptian and Early Christian visual traditions, versus the perceptual approach developed in Classical Greece).
5. Recognize and explain the meaning of specific iconographic motifs (e.g. religious or mythological subjects).
6. Describe the varying functions that works of art and architecture served in Western visual culture from prehistory to the late Middle Ages.
7. Demonstrate the impact that political, social, and/or economic changes had on the visual culture of these periods
8. Identify and apply critical theories and concepts related to enduring issues of aesthetics, ethics, creativity, and meaning when analyzing specific iconographic motifs (e.g. religious or mythological subjects).

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Writing Assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Creative Process and Humanistic Inquiry Rubric
9. Incorporate innovation, risk-taking, and creativity into analysis and comparison of styles associated with different regions and periods, and/or with individual artists.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Writing Assignments

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Creative Process and Humanistic Inquiry Rubric
10. Pose and address questions related to the confluence of creative expression with social and cultural contexts when distinguishing between different modes of representation, such as stylization, naturalism, realism, and idealism, and explain their historical significance.

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Creative Process and Humanistic Inquiry Rubric
11. Assess, reflect on, and critically analyze the role of creative and aesthetic activities and products that demonstrate the impact that political, social, and/or economic changes had on the visual and humanistic culture of the periods studied.

    Learning Activity Artifact

    • Other (please fill out box below)

    Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

    • Creative Process and Humanistic Inquiry Rubric