Course: Ancient to Medieval Art (Art 111 080)
Credit: Three Semester Hours
Instructor: Dennis McNamara
Office: F 223
Contact Hours: See this semester’s addendum
Telephone: (708) 456-0300 Ext. 3431
Email: dmcnama2@triton.edu
Course Objectives:
To provide the beginning student with sufficient information and ideas so as to enable him/her to identify specific artifacts from the past and to relate these to an historical and cultural framework.
Requirements:
Attend one live or taped orientation session
Attend two live or taped review sessions
Read all assigned chapters in the text
View all assigned videotapes
Complete a term paper
Complete two on-campus examinations
Text:
Orientation and Reviews:
Students are expected to attend the live Orientation and review sessions held during the semester. Consult the addendum for current dates and times. If it is absolutely impossible for you to attend in person, you are required to view the videotaped sessions that are available in the ETRC.
Viewing centers:
All the videotape programs which comprise the visual portion of the corse
content are available at the
Testing:
You will be required to take two written examinations during the semester. You may take the exams as soon as you have completed the required viewing and reading for that portion of the course. Please allow sufficient time to prepare for the examination as you may take the examinations only one time each. The examinations must be taken in the ETRC, and you will be asked to present both your Triton ID and your driver’s license or another form of picture ID in order to take the tests. No books or notes may be taken into the examination area, nor are you allowed to leave the examination area once you have begun until you have finished the test and returned it to the staff person at the Learning Lab desk. You must return the original copy of the examination given to you and your blue book as you leave the Lab area.
Your term paper must also be turned in to the ETRC; the staff there will forward your paper to me.
Course Content:
The major portion of the content of Art 111 deals with the development of
art from prehistory through the medieval period in
Good standing, withdrawals, and incompletes:
Telecourses allow students to proceed at their own individual rates. It is expected that to remain in good standing in the course students will complete the course requirements on a regular schedule and in adherence with the suggested completion dates whenever possible. Neither withdrawals nor incompletes should be considered automatic; non-completion of assignments by the end of the semester will result in a failing grade unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor.
In order to withdraw officially from the course, should that become necessary, students should consult the Admissions Office. Please consult the current class schedule to determine the end of the allowed withdrawal period for the current semester, the instructor is not permitted to withdraw students after the deadline date has passed.
The grade of incomplete (I) is given only under unusual circumstances, and only if assignments up to the time of the request for incomplete have been finished and turned in.
Grades:
The letter grade for the course is based solely on the number of points earned via the two examinations and the term paper assignment. No extra credit work will be taken into account in this course. Minimum point totals for specific letter grades are as follows: (A) 180 (B) 160 (C) 120 (D) 100. Any student who earns less than 100 points by the end of the semester will be given a failing grade (F). Each examination carries a maximum of 50 points; the term paper carries a maximum of 100 points. Please note that a grade of F will be assigned to students who do not complete all work for the class by the end of the semester.
Examinations:
As partial fulfillment of course requirements you will be obliged to pass two written examinations. These are to be taken in the testing area of the ETRC. Bring an examination book (blue book) with you when you come to take the exams. Examination books may be purchased at the college bookstore, they are not provided by the ETRC. You will be asked to provide two forms of identification, your Triton student ID and a valid driver’s license are the suggested forms. Each examination is worth 50 points. The final examination is concerned only with material from the second half of the course. One hour is allowed for completion of each examination unless additional time is granted by the college in recognition of individual learning needs.
The examinations are made up of both objective items and a statement calling for a fully developed essay. The majority of the objective questions will be based on those artifacts and art objects that appear in the videotaped lectures and the textbook. Essay questions will be based on the study questions supplied in this syllabus.
Sample test items:
Match items in column A with those in column B.
| Column A |
Column B |
| Entrance to the city of |
Pyramids |
| |
Ishtar Gate |
| Tombs of the Pharaohs |
Parthenon |
| Mosaic of Justinian |
Pantheon |
| |
San Vitale |
Please note that the above matching questions are provided by way of example and are not the actual examination questions that you will be asked to answer.
Essay questions:
Develop a two page essay from the statement provided on your exam. Examples of the essay questions are as follows:
The cathedrals of the Gothic period may be considered a manifestation of the theological position described by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica.
A number of examples of Egyptian art suggest that, contrary to popular opinion,
the major monuments of ancient
Study Questions:
I.
Judging from found artifacts, what cultural priorities seem to have
predominated in the ancient
A. In what ways did the Israelites appear to be similar to and/or different from their contemporaries and neighbors?
B. Does the
physical evidence corroborate the accounts of the Hebrew experience in
II Does the art and architecture of ancient
A. What sorts of ideals and doubts are expressed in the art of the Greeks and their predecessors?
B. How do Roman artifacts suggest that they had a separate and unique identity apart from the Greeks?
III What kinds of concerns and values are manifested in the
art and architecture of Western Europe after the fall of
A. Is there any evidence of the persistence of pagan traditions in early Christian art?
B. How might the late Medieval cathedral be viewed as the celebration of faith in god, and at the same time as an expression of civic pride and the political structures of the time?
Term Paper:
The subject of the term paper must be based on a first-hand viewing and analysis
of an artifact currently housed in the Field Museum of Natural History in
Structure:
The paper should be written in three parts, although each part need not be two pages in length.
Part One should be a detailed description of the artifact that you have selected as the focal point of your study. Include a visual reproduction of the object. Purchase an inexpensive single use camera and take a photograph of the object during your visit to the museum.
Part Two is a summary of your research into the social
and historical background in which the artifact was produced. If you need
help researching your topic please consult the reference librarians for assistance.
If you need help with the actual writing of your paper please consult the
staff in the
Part Three is your assessment of how the artifact exemplifies the values, beliefs, and/or priorities of the culture from which it comes.
Documentation:
Whenever you use information and ideas from another person’s published work, including information published on the Internet, whether by direct quotation or paraphrasing you are required by law to credit the source you are using within your paper. Citations may take the form of either footnotes or endnotes. Many word processing programs offer features to automate and simplify the process of writing citations; you are encouraged to make use of these features. If you do not own a computer and/or word processing software you are encouraged to use the computer lab in the AT building, you will need to present your Triton ID to be given access to the equipment and services in the lab.
Format:
Type double space in a 12 point font leaving a one inch margin on all four sides of standard 8 ½ by 11 inch paper.
Staple the pages and your photograph together at the upper left hand corner. Do not use folders, binders, or page sleeves.
On the cover sheet indicate the title of your paper, your name, the course number, section number and date. The cover sheet does not count as one of your six text pages.
Do not add any additional materials except those specified.
Please complete the work for the course in the following order:
1. Orientation
2. Text Chapter 1 and Introduction
3.
Visit the
4. Text Chapters 14 – 18 if they apply to your paper subject
5. Video As It Was In the Beginning
6. Video Chronicles of the Kings
7.
Video
8. Text Chapter 2
9. Video Pyramid
10. Text Chapter 3
11. Review
12. Take Mid Term Examination
13. Video Art of the Western World Lesson 1
14. Text Chapters 4 and 5
15.
16. Text Chapters 6 and 7
17. Submit Term Paper
18. Video Medieval Manuscripts
19. Text Chapters 8, 9, and 10
20.
21. Text Chapter 11
22. Video Art of the Western World, Lesson 2
23. Text Chapter 12
24. Video Cathedral
25. Text Chapter 13
26. Review
27. Take Final Examination
Addendum
Dates to remember:
Orientation Session: February1, 2005; Room F-204; 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Review 1: March 3, 2005; Room F-204; 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Review 2: May 5, 2005, 2004; Room F-204; 3:00 to 4:00 PM
All sessions will be held in the Fine Arts Building, Room F-204.
Take the mid-term by March 11
Submit paper by April 29
Take final examination by May 13