Art History 101: Ancient Egypt to Fifteenth Century Europe

University at Buffalo

Summer Session: July 10- August 18, 2017

Instructor: Amy Baer

Email: amybaer@buffalo.edu
Office: 508 Clemens Hall
Office Hours: Email me to set up an appointment anytime via Skype, IM, or in person,
on an individual basis.

Time: Live Lectures twice a week for approximately 2 hours a session (Buffalo time)
[Time to be determined by class vote]

**Your attendance at the live lectures is mandatory, with the exception of scheduling
conflicts to be arranged and approved by the instructor.
If this is the case, the recorded lectures will be available, and short make-up assignment
will be offered.

By Friday: Weekly Discussion Boards or Assignments on UB Learns

(Topics to be announced on Sundays and due by the Friday of each week)

Place: We will be using the Skype for Business program available through UB. Instructions for
activating and using this program have been emailed previously. BY THE SUNDAY OF EACH
WEEK, I WILL BE POSTING LINKS TO THE WEEKLY LECTURES UNDER THE
ANNOUNCEMENTS MODULE ON UB LEARNS OR THROUGH EMAIL. We will also hold
weekly discussions in a UB Learns virtual classroom. There may be additional recorded lectures
posted to Ublearns that you will need to watch on your own time.

Course Overview:
This course explores the art and architecture from Ancient cultures to the Renaissance.
Students will be introduced to a broad overview of major developments in painting, sculpture,
and architecture. We will analyze the works of art in relation to their historical, cultural, and
social contexts and from a variety of art historical methodologies.

Course Objectives: By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Understand when, where, how and why people created art and architecture.
- Recognize and identify specific art objects and architectural structures.
- Distinguish among different works of art and styles.
- Articulate art historical styles in relation to various cultural contexts and time periods
throughout history.
- Apply a variety of art historical methodologies.
- Correctly use art historical vocabulary.
Course Structure: The course consists of two virtual lectures per week and one online
discussion or assignment. Lectures will cover main areas as outlined on the syllabus.
Discussion boards will be an opportunity to articulate your own responses to a pertinent
question which be posted weekly, and are intended to test your knowledge of the required
reading as well as your ability to respond to various art works using art historical terminology.
These discussion boards (combined with class participation) will be 20% of your final grade.
There will be three quizzes (20% each). Material for which you are responsible will be
announced well ahead of time. Images for which you are responsible for are taken from the
lectures and the text and I will post a PowerPoint of these images on UB Learns. There will also
be a final video project in lieu of a final paper ( 20%). Additional readings will be added on UB
Learns. I may also assign additional material throughout the semester whenever I see fit. Those
readings will be uploaded on UB Learns in a timely manner and also announced in class.

***Please note: Given the fact that this a six week course, the required material for each week
will be intensive and cover a large amount of material. In theory, each day of class is equal to
one week of the regular semester. That will require serious work on all of our partsthe class
will move quickly! I cannot stress the importance of attendance enough! PLEASE BE SURE TO
STAY ON TOP OF THE COURSE WORK AND MATERIAL.

Assignments:

Readings: The assigned readings for each day are to be read before every class meeting (see
the Course Calendar below). All students are responsible for reading the required textbook.
When/if additional readings are assigned, they will be posted on UB Learns.

The textbook for our course is:

M. Stokstad and M. Cothren, Art History, Volume. I, Fourth Edition, 2010.

Virtual Lectures: Twice a week (at times decided upon by the class) I will be giving a virtual
lecture and PowerPoint presentation through the Skype for Business program. I will post the
links to the weeks lectures on UB Learns. Your attendance at these lectures is mandatory,
as I will be covering material that will be on your quizzes, and the pace will be swift. Each
lecture will be approximately two hours, possibly including a short break. I have chosen to
present live lectures so the atmosphere can be as close to that of a regular classroom as
possibleI will allow time for questions, comments, and participation! I expect that you will be
not only present, but attentive for the live lecturesas your participation will be incorporated into
your discussion/assignments grade. Always come to class having read the assigned material;
be ready to answer questions posed in lecture and to participate with enthusiasm (studies show
students learn more when they participate in class)! You are expected to log in and log off in a
timely manner in the virtual classroom, the same as the regular classroom.
Discussion Boards: We will be discussing an artwork or a concept related to course material in
weekly discussion boards (20% of your final grade). You will be expected to both provide an
articulate and in-depth response (200-500 words) and also respond, at a minimum, to two of
your classmates responses. This is intended to test your engagement in the material and your
ability to discuss art history and specific art objects themselves using proper terminology and
vocabulary. Your participation during live lectures are also considered part of this grade.
Questions to facilitate the weekly discussion boards will be related to the each weeks
material and will be posted to UB Learns on the Sunday beginning each week. Your
discussion board or assignment will be due by midnight on the Friday of each week. This will
give you time to read and to formulate timely and articulate responses.

Quizzes: A total of three short closed book quizzes will be given during the semester, with
each counting for 20% of your final grade. The tests are intended to help you gauge your
progress in the course. Each quiz will consist of slide identifications, vocabulary definitions and
short essays (approx. 100-200 words). The quizzes will be cumulative and based on material
covered in class and in the readings. No late quizzes will be given without prior consent from the
instructor. The quizzes will be made available through Ublearns.

Final Visual Analysis Video Project: Each student will create and submit one video project
(6-10 minutes), in lieu of a final paper, for 20% of your final grade. This project will be a visual
analysis of ONE artwork at the Albright Knox Art Gallery or any other major art gallery. You will
need to visit the museum, pick one work, and do a close reading of the visual elements of the
work; you can do basic research on the biography of the artist but the main purpose of this
project is to gauge your ability to analyze a piece of art using the various elements of
composition, style and terminology. We will discuss the project in class and I will post
guidelines on UB Learns, well in advance. The project will be due through email by 12 AM,
August 18, 2017. You will need to include EVIDENCE that you were at the Gallery (either a
photo of yourself with the work, an entry ticket stub, or anything that proves that you were
there.)

Grading: Grades for this course will be tabulated as follows:

3 Quizzes: 20% each (60% total)
Weekly Discussion Boards (and class participation): 20%
Visual Analysis Video: 20 %

Absences: ATTENDANCE is mandatory at every class session (UB policy) unless

arrangements are made with the instructor. Your online presence will be evident through the
Skype for Business program, and attendance will also facilitate your learning as I will be able to
answer questions live, during the lecture. If you anticipate that you will be absent for a particular
class meeting, you must email me in advance. It is your responsibility to watch the recording of
the live lecture, given that the lecture content will make up the majority of the quizzes and the
final exam. A short written assignment will be available for you to make-up for participation
points. If you have an emergency, you must email me ASAP. An excused absence requires a
valid medical excuse or legal document. Extended medical absence will result in your inability to
complete this course. There are no excuses for missing exams and deadlines other than illness.
Medical excuses are required.
Plagiarism will result in failure. Please consult the terms of the student code of academic
conduct, available online at http://grad.buffalo.edu/Academics/Policies-Procedures/Academic-
Integrity.html. I urge you all to examine this material and consult me with any questions you may
have about academic integrity before it becomes an issue. Ignorance of what constitutes
plagiarism is not an acceptable excuse for plagiarism. Academic dishonesty of any kind will not
be tolerated and will result in a failing grade for the course.

RESPECT, TOLERANCE and COMMUNITY: We will be interacting in a virtual environment for

a significant period of time during this six-week summer session. It is crucial that during the
lectures and in the discussion boards we treat each other with the appropriate level of courtesy
and respect. No one should be made to feel unwelcome. People come from different academic,
intellectual, and cultural backgrounds, and have various ways of understanding and relaying
information. On occasion, artworks and material can be very difficult to understand, may be
offensive to some, and take up taboo topics. I expect students to have patience and respect for
one another, and to also treat the material we discuss with sufficient intellectual and scholarly
respect.

As mandated by the College the following outlines the basic expectation of the course
and its method of assessing each students performance.

By the end of the course students should be Method of Assessment:

able to:
Be familiar with major works of art, painting
and sculpture and architecture from all the
periods and cultures covered in the course
Have developed analytical skills for
understanding how works of art reflect major
cultural ideas (e.g. philosophy, religion,
political ideologies. This includes developing
writing skills and vocabulary appropriate to
the discipline of art history.
Demonstrate understanding of comparative
difference in the various cultures studied.
Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of
art and ideas from the entire course. This is
stressed in order to encourage a working
knowledge of how ideas and approaches
change and develop relative to varying
cultural historical circumstances.
Attendance, which is important for absorbing
the information imparted during lectures and
discussion boards. Requiring attendance
builds the proper attitude that is necessary to
stay in touch with the rapid development of
the course from one period and culture to
another.
Performance during virtual lectures and
discussion boards where students are asked
to demonstrate understanding of the weeks
lecture/reading material. This includes
providing a well-thought out answer to the
weekly discussion facilitation and responding
in kind to the other students responses.
Performance on three quizzes, one short (3---
5 pages) paper, which must demonstrate
having visited and chosen a work to analyze
that is on exhibition in the Albright Knox Art
Gallery in Buffalo. This is to ensure that there
is some first-hand experience with viewing art
in a major gallery.
 Course Schedule:

(This is subject to change. Changes will be announced in a timely manner.)

Week 1: Monday, July 10 Wednesday, July 12 Friday, July 14

Introduction to the course READING: DISCUSSION POSTS
Art of the Near East DUE
READING: Chp2 Introductions and art?
Stokstad Chp 1 Egypt. Art, Society and the
Primitive art: Cave painting Underworld,
and Stonehenge Chp3

Week 2: Monday, July 17 Wednesday, July 19 Friday, July 21

READING: READING: DISCUSSION POSTS
Art of Prehistoric Greece: What is Classical Greek DUE
the Aegean. Minoans and art? Heritage? Gender in ancient
Mycenaeans, Chp 4 Chp 5 Greece: Korai and
Kouros.
Art of ancient Greece (The City-State, or Polis, of
pp101-118 Athens QUIZ #1
pp 128 140)
Women in ancient Greece:
the korai The Hellenistic world and
pp114 116. its art: "Postmodernism"?
pp142 157
Men in ancient Greece:
kouros, the male nude Greek art and Myth
pp100 104; 114 115; pp102 105; 117 119; 127
121; 125 126 128; 146

Week 3: Monday, July 24 Wednesday, July 26 Friday, July 28

READING: READING: DISCUSSION POSTS
Etruscan and Roman Art Jewish art and Byzantium DUE
Chp 6 Chp 7pp216 222; The question of
233 252 Jerusalem today:
The town of Pompeii Temple Mount Conflict
pp 178 186 Art of Islam
Chp 8 pp 260 280;289
Roman into Early Christian
Art Indian Art Chp 9
pp 203 215; 222 233 pp290 296; 308 320
Week 4: Monday, July 31 Wednesday, Aug 2 Friday, Aug 4
READING: READING: DISCUSSION POSTS
Buddhism and art DUE
Chp 9 pp297 307 Africa: African Art. An Primitivism
African Perspective
Early China. Ancient Chp 13 pp 402 421 QUIZ #2
Chinese
Chp 10 pp324 345

The New World.

Teotihuacan and the Maya.
Chp 11 pp377 390

North America. Anasazi

and Pueblo art
Chp 12 pp 395 401

Week 5: Monday, August 7 Wednesday, August 9 Friday, August 11

READING: READING: DISCUSSION POSTS
Europe after Rome, 410 Medieval Europe, The DUE
110 A.D. Gothic Cathedral: Meaning in art: the artist,
Chp14 pp 422 - 451 Chp 16 pp. 490-511 context and patron.

Romanesque Art: Gothic Art in England,

Chp 15 pp 453- 489 512 - 527.

Week 6: Monday, Aug 14 Wednesday, August 17 Friday, August 18

Europe in the Fourteenth Northern Europe in the
Century Fifteenth Century (?) QUIZ #3
Chp17 pp 527 559
VIDEO PROJECT DUE!