HISTORY OF ART I: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE MIDDLE AGES
Mr. McClendonOffice: Mandel 209
FA 30aOff. Hrs: Wed 3-5pm & by appt.
M. W, Th 1-2pm Email:
Course Description: A survey of art and architecture from prehistoric times to the end of the Middle Ages. The lectures will concentrate on the form and meaning of a few major monuments from each period in order for students to develop the ability to appreciate and analyze styles and to understand the cultures that produced such works. In order to make the material more manageable, the course is divided into three segments:
Prehistory to Ancient Greece; Ancient Rome to Byzantium: and The Middle Ages in Western Europe.
Assigned Textbooks: (both available in paperback at the Brandeis Bookstore)
Janson’s History of Art, vol. 1, rev. 8th edition. (The entire edition, combining volumes 1
and 2, is also available in the bookstore for those planning to take History of ArtII
next semester or at a later time; it is only available in hardback. You may use the 7th
ed. of volume 1, but beware that the reading assignment page numberswill be
different from those listed on the course study sheets and some illustrations may
differ. Editions before the 7th are radically different and should be avoided.)
Plato, The Symposium (Oxford University Press).
Requirements: Instead of a midterm and comprehensive final exam, there will be two short tests (approx. 40 mins. each) given during regular class periods at the end of the first two segments. Each test will cover the pertinent third of the material and will consist of three parts: (1) definitions of technical terms, (2) image identifications and comparisons of monuments discussed in class, and (3) image identifications of related “unknown” examples. The third exam, given during the final exam period, will be the same format except that it will also include an essay question covering the entire course. You will be given a choice of essay questions beforehand (from which you select one). Thus you will be able to prepare your response in advance, but you will be asked to write the one essay itself without notes during the time allotted for the exam. There will be an in-class review session before each test.
One short, non-research essay (4-6 double-spaced, typed pages) analyzing visually one or more works of art in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (free admission with student ID); assigned soon after second exam and due after the Thanksgiving break (exact date TBA). Specific instructions and guidelines will be distributed when it is assigned.
Grading: The approximate value of each requirement is as follows: the first two image exams (25%) each, the museum essay (20%), and the final exam [image exam and essay] (30%). Regular attendance and participation in class discussions are also very important. Attendance will be taken occasionally without advance notice.
Handouts: Study sheets with lists of major monuments, together with specific reading assignments in Janson’s textbook, will be distributed periodically during the course of the semester.
Electronic Reserve: In addition to the textbooks, selected readings will be assigned in electronic format as cited on the study sheets. Images are available online on Latte for review before each exam, along with guidelines offering advice about how to prepare for exams.
Class Regulations: Make-ups for exams and extensions for the paper deadline will be granted only for family emergencies and documented medical reasons. In such cases, you should notify your advisor in Academic Services about the situation.
Please read the following guidelines carefully:
If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented disability, you should contact me immediately and present a letter of accommodation as soon as possible. Accommodation cannot be granted retroactively.
You are expected to be honest in all your academic work. The University policy on academic honesty is distributed annually as section 5 of the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. Instances of alleged dishonesty will be forwarded to the Office of Student Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. Potential sanctions include failure in the course and suspension from the University. If you have any questions about my expectations, please do not hesitate to ask.
Laptop computer/electronic device policy:
Students are allowed to use laptop computers and other electronic devices under the following conditions: 1) The computer/electronic device is to be used exclusively to access material or to take notes related directly to this course; 2) Students using such devices are expected to pay attention to instructor presentations and general course discussions as well as to make a concerted effort to look up regularly and establish eye contact with peers and the instructor during such class activities; 3) if a student does not follow above items one and/or two, the permission to bring such a computer/device to this class may be denied.
FA 30 Lecture Schedule: Fall Semester 2014 Mr. McClendon
Th Aug 28: Introduction (Janson’s History of Art, Introduction)
Prehistory to Ancient Greece (Janson’s History of Art, 1-163)
M Sept 1: NO CLASS MEETING (Labor Day)
W 3: Prehistory: Cave Paintings to Stonehenge
Th 4: Egypt: The Great Pyramids & Near Eastern Comparisons
M 8: Egypt: Valley of the Kings
W 10: Egypt: Temples of the Nile and the Tomb of King Tut
Th 11: The Ancient Aegean
M 15: Archaic Greece
W 17: Classical Greece
Th 18: The Parthenon
M 22: Plato’s Symposium and Late Classical Greece
T 23:Hellenistic Art (Brandeis Thursday)
W 24: Film: Building the Parthenon(no attendance taken)
Th 25: NO CLASS MEETING (Rosh Hashanah)
M 29: Film: Greek Art from Archaic to Hellenistic
W Oct 1: Review for First Images Test
Th 2: First Images Test
Ancient Rome to Byzantium (Janson’sHistory of Art, 177-265, 279-84)
M 6: The Rise of the Roman Republic and the City of Pompeii
W 8: Film: Pompeii and Eruption of Vesuvius (no attendance taken)
Th 9: NO CLASS MEETING (Sukkot)
M 13: The Age of Augustus
W 15: Imperial Rome: The Colosseum
Th 16: NO CLASS MEETING (Shmini Atzeret)
M 20:Imperial Rome: The Pantheon
W 22: Late Antiquity
Th 23: The Art of Jews and Christians in a Pagan World
M 27: Early Christian Art: Rome and Ravenna
W 29: Film: Major Monuments of Roman Art & Architecture
Th 30: Byzantium: The Rise of Constantinople
M Nov 3: Review for Second Images Test
W 5: Second Images Test
The Middle Ages in Western Europe (Janson’s History of Art, 313-466, 265-76)
Th 6: The Rise of Islam and the Barbarian North
M 10: The Age of Charlemagne
W 12: The Legacy of Carolingian Art
Th 13: Ottonian & Middle Byzantine Art
M 17: Romanesque Architecture: The Pilgrimage Roads
W 19: Romanesque Art: The Rebirth of Monumental Sculpture
Th 20: The Birth of Gothic Art in France
M 24: Film and Discussion
THANKSGIVING RECESS
M Dec 1: High Gothic in France
W 3: The Spread of Gothic Art in Western Europe
Th 4: The End of the Middle Ages: East & West
M 8: Review for Final Exam
Final Exam on Friday, Dec 12, 9:15-12:15 (tentative until confirmed by the Registrar’s Office)