Academic Catalog

ART 2AH: HONORS HISTORY OF ART: HISTORY OF WESTERN ART FROM PREHISTORY THROUGH EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2023
Units: 4.5
Hours: 4 lecture, 1.5 laboratory per week (66 total per quarter)
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in ART 2A.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Area I: Humanities
Transferable: CSU/UC
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • A successful student will be able to demonstrate, in written form, a thorough understanding of Classical Athenian art within the context of the complex social and political milieu of the fifth century BC.
  • A successful student will be able to explain the possible meaning(s) of Paleolithic cave paintings taking into account the latest published literature on ritual and trance.

Description

History of Western art from Prehistory through Early Christianity. An introductory survey examining images, objects, and architecture produced from the Paleolithic era to the end of the Roman Empire. We will discuss Prehistoric, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Early Christian and Early Byzantine culture. Illustrated lectures and readings. The honors sections expand the primary sources for the student. In addition to the textbook, students have a reading list of sources (on reserve in the library). Lectures are more interactive and the student is expected to participate in group discussions. Exams are more exacting with an emphasis on the student being able to comfortably assimilate political, social, and economic factors into their analysis.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Recognize a broad spectrum of art and culture through a knowledge of the development of the visual arts and material culture
  2. Explain how social, political, and religious ideas affect art
  3. Recognize and interpret ideas, principles, and techniques that have influenced artistic expression
  4. Identify the style, content, and approximate dates of art works ranging from prehistoric times to approximately 600 CE
  5. Demonstrate, in written form, a thorough understanding of Classical Athenian art within the context of the complex social and political milieu of the fifth century BC
  6. Explain the possible meaning(s) of Paleolithic cave paintings taking into account the latest published literature on ritual and trance
  7. Discuss and explain the various religious traditions examined in the class
  8. Assess and explain the iconography of different cultures based on a thorough knowledge of different symbols/forms
  9. Demonstrate the influence of pagan art and religious belief on the development of Christian art and theology

Course Content

  1. Prehistory and Prehistoric Art in Europe
    1. Upper Paleolithic
      1. Cave painting and sculpture
    2. Mesolithic
      1. Rock-shelter paintings
    3. Neolithic
      1. Megalithic monuments
  2. Art of the Ancient Near East
    1. The beginnings: Catal Huyuk and Jericho
    2. Sumer
      1. Architecture and sculpture
    3. Akkad
      1. Sculpture
    4. Babylonia
      1. Sculpture and architecture
    5. Assyria
      1. Architecture and relief sculpture
    6. Neo-Babylonia
    7. Ancient Iran: Elam and Achaemenid Persia
  3. Art of Ancient Egypt
    1. Early Dynastic period and Old Kingdom
      1. Architecture, sculpture, and painted relief
    2. Middle Kingdom
      1. Rock-cut tombs, painting, and sculpture
    3. New Kingdom
      1. Architecture, sculpture, and painting
      2. Akhenaton and the Armarna Period
      3. Tutankamen and the Late Period
  4. Aegean Art
    1. Early Minoan Period
      1. Cycladic sculpture
    2. Middle Minoan Period
      1. Vase painting - Crete
    3. Late Minoan Period
      1. Architecture and painting - Knossos, Santorini
      2. Pottery and sculpture
    4. Mycenaean
      1. Architecture and sculpture
  5. Art of Ancient Greece
    1. Geometric Period
      1. Vase painting and sculpture
    2. Archaic Period
      1. Vase painting: black and red figure techniques
      2. Sculpture: kouros and kore
      3. Architecture
    3. Early Classical (Transitional) Period
      1. Severe style
    4. High (Mature) Classical Period
      1. Architecture
      2. Sculpture and painting
    5. Late Classical Period
      1. Sculpture and architecture
    6. Hellenistic Period
      1. Sculpture and architecture
      2. Mosaics
  6. Etruscan and Roman Art
    1. Etruscans
      1. Architecture and painting
      2. Sculpture
    2. Romans
      1. Republican Period
        1. Portrait sculpture and architecture
        2. Painting and mosaic
      2. Early Empire
        1. Architecture and public works
        2. Sculpture and monumental relief
      3. Late Empire
        1. Architecture
        2. Sculpture and monumental architecture
  7. Early Christian, Jewish, and Byzantine Art
    1. Early Christian
      1. Catacombs
      2. Architecture
      3. Mosaic and painting
        1. Illuminated manuscripts
      4. Sculpture and crafts
    2. Byzantine
      1. Ravenna and Mt. Sinai
      2. Constantinople
    3. Later Byzantine
      1. Architecture
      2. Painting and sculpture

Lab Content

Lab activities are provided for students to practice visual literacy and critical thinking skills through the synthesis of content from the lecture, posted videos, and assigned reading through written responses to weekly prompts related to specific works of art or architecture. Students practice visual literacy skills through observation, description, analysis, and interpretation within the artwork's specific historical and cultural context using the language of visual analysis (formal elements and principles of design), technique, and genre. When appropriate students practice the application of theoretical frameworks (biography, Marxism, Feminism, Psychoanalysis, Modernism, Postmodernism, Post-colonialism, Structuralism, etc.) regarding each topic area.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Slide collection and projection equipment adequate for lectures on the subject.
2. Access to the Artstor online digital archive. Classroom must be internet connected and provided with digital projector, DVD player, and VHS player.
3. When taught via Foothill Global Access, ongoing access to a computer with email address, software and hardware, and internet.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Two midterms (all exams have slide ID, short answer, and essay questions)
Final examination
A research paper
Research activity assignments based on library research modules
Moderated online discussions
All assessment for the honors course involves a greater emphasis on accessing and discussing primary source material. The research paper is also more exacting; students must provide a more extensive bibliography than for the regular series (ART 2A, 2B, 2C) and the list of acceptable subjects is expanded. In addition, lectures and discussions move beyond the material covered by the text, with the students required to read reserved texts in the library to broaden their grasp of the subject matter.

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Discussion
Cooperative learning exercises
Oral presentations
Electronic discussions/chat
Independent study
Field trips

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Kleiner, Mamiya, and Tansey. Gardner's History of Art Vol. I & II, 16th ed.. 2021.

Kleiner, Mamiya, and Tansey. Gardner's History of Art Vol. I, 16th ed.. 2021.

Kleiner, Fred S.. Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History, 16th ed.. 2020.

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Cothren. Art History Vol. I & II, 6th ed.. 2018.

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Cothren. Art History Vol. I, 6th ed.. 2018.

Students may use older editions of the textbooks. Some or all of the textbooks are available as e-books (rental or purchase) and are also on reserve in the Foothill College library for student use.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Approximately one chapter of text (30-60 pages) per week
  2. Primary/secondary source reading from handouts and reserved texts every week
  3. 9-10 page paper prepared using the MLA format and researched using primary and secondary sources only
  4. Research activity assignments based on library research modules
  5. Written essay responses on all three exams
  6. Short answer responses on all three exams

Discipline(s)

Art History