syllabus art 261
art history survey II - renaissance to the present.

Click here for Exam 2 (Non-Western Art) Click here for Exam 4 (Final)

TEXT: Adam's, Art Across Time vol. 2 is the required text.

general education competencies:

Art 261, satisfies General Education competencies in Category 6 (Humanities and the Arts) and Category 8 (Global Perspective).

course objectives:

This course will provide you with an overview of the art and culture of world art from the period of the Renaissance to the present. It is also designed to explore the relationship between art history and history, between art objects and key episodes in political, social, and intellectual history. I want to help you achieve what I call a "critical awareness" of art and build a vocabulary with which you can describe artistic media and elements of style. This is an equal opportunity classroom in the presentation of ideas and issues raised by artists. It is important for you to understand that artists create works that become either personal or societal documents of a certain moment in their lives. Some of these issues may make you feel uncomfortable because of their unfamiliarity. Some works may make you challenge your belief systems. (This, by the way, is a characteristic that good art and a good college education have in common.) I recommend that you maintain an open mind and avoid rash judgments based on the artists' race, gender or sexual orientation.

NOTE ON STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY:

Your success in this course will be directly proportional to your "ownership" of the material. I am here to guide you in your study of this material and in your development of abilities (like written and oral communication). Please take responsibility for your education, if for no other reason than the fact that you're paying for it. When you come to my office to discuss a grade on a test or assignment, bring the notes that you've been taking in class and on the reading assignments. This will help me diagnose potential problems more quickly and ultimately help me to help you to achieve in this course. Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with disabilities. If you are a student with a documented disability, please see me as early in the semester as possible to discuss the necessary accommodations, and/or contact the Disability Services Office at (507) 389-2825 (V) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY).

POLICY REGARDING INCOMPLETES:

Incompletes shall be granted only in accordance with Minnesota State University policy as described in the student handbook. Students requesting an incomplete must have completed the majority of the work required for the course with a passing grade and have a compelling reason for requesting the incomplete.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Test 1 (Renaissance to Baroque, Islamic) 100 points
• Test 2 (Chinese, Rococo to Impressionism, Japanese) 100 points
• Test 3 (Post-Impressionism to Surrealism, Oceanic, African) 100 points
• Test 4 (Art Nouveau, Abstract Expressionism to Postmodernism) 150 points

POINT SCALE CUTOFFS:

• A 418 pts.
• B 373 pts.
• C 328 pts.
• D 283 pts.
• F < 0-255 pts.

PASS/FAIL REGISTRATION

If you are registered pass/fail, you must achieve a score of 70% or better, overall, based on the formula above (328 points). I don't specifically require that you complete all of the tests if you're registered pass/fail, but I will calculate a zero for anything you decide to skip.... so skip only after you've done the math!

TEST FORMAT

• There will be a variety of questions on the tests, including attribution questions, where you will be shown a slide of a work not shown in class but by an artist who was studied. Your task will be to attribute the work to an artist and a style period and rationalize your decision with examples drawn from class.
• There will also be "main idea" slides where you'll jot down in a few sentences the most important features of the work shown.
• Directed questions will ask you to answer a specific question or set of questions for the slide or slide comparison shown.
• Compare/contrast essays may also be "freestyle"; that is, you decide what is most important and tell me in a compare/contrast fashion, discussing two works together.
• I also, on occasion, use longer essay questions where you need to provide your own examples to answer the question.

As this is a 200-level course, you will not be required to memorize dates or to identify a random selection of slides that were shown in class. Exams will focus on the concepts and contexts of the works. You will need to provide specific examples, however, to answer essay questions completely. These examples should consist of the artist, title and "style period" rather than a specific date. I will always let you know the specific format of each test ahead of time along with specific grading criteria, so you'll know exactly what will happen and what you'll have to do to achieve the grade you want.

MAKE-UP EXAMINATION POLICY

Because the tests involve the showing of slides, please understand that arranging make-up exams is very difficult. Make-up examinations will be given only with excused absences (as per MSU policy). Acceptable documentation must be written (doctor's note, obituary). If you must miss an exam due to your illness or the death of a relative, contact me directly (389-6525) or leave a message for me by telephoning the Art Department office (389-6412) before the exam (or immediately after the exam in emergencies, no later than 24 hours after the exam period). Otherwise you will receive a grade of 0 (zero) for an examination without an excused absence. Make-up examinations (or early-examinations) consist of long essays only (no directed questions, no slides will be shown). Keep this in mind when you decide whether or not to pursue a change in the examination schedule.

READING/TEST/ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE: This schedule will be followed as closely as possible. If changes need to be made, they will be announced in class. Reading assignments will be announced in class, including some additional readings that must be accessed on reserve in the library. If you miss class, you are responsible for obtaining the material from that period, including reading assignments and any announcements pertaining to changes in assignments and/or test dates.

• Introduction to the class
• Precursors/Early Renaissance
• High Renaissance
• Northern Renaissance
• Late Renaissance, Mannerism
• Baroque
• Indian/Islamic
• TEST ONE
• Chinese
• Rococo, Neoclassisicm
• Romanticism, Realism
• Japanese
• Naturalism, Impressionism
• TEST TWO
• Post-Impressionism
• Oceanic/African
• Fauvism, Expressionism
• Cubism & related movements
• Dada
• Surrealism
• TEST THREE
• Abstract Expressionism
• Abstract Expressionism
• Pop
• Op, Minimalism
• Postmodernism
• Postmodernism
• FINAL EXAM (during exam period