Syllabus for ART-166

HISTORY OF WESTERN ART I

COURSE DESCRIPTION

History of Western Art I examines the greatest works of the Western visual tradition, highlighting issues of social content, form, and iconography. The course is a survey of Western European art and architecture from antiquity to 1600 CE. The course provides an excellent introduction and general overview of the seminal works of Western art. The social, political, and philosophical influences on the art and architecture are also examined. Students will gain a knowledge and appreciation of the great works, their artists, and the cultures that produced them.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

Identify and discuss works of art that represent the greatest achievements of Western civilization and define the Western visual tradition from antiquity to 1600 CE.
Identify key periods or movements and summarize their essential visual features.
Identify important artists and political figures and associate them with their works.
Discuss the social, political, and historical events that influenced art history.
Discuss the technological advances that influenced art history.
Compare and contrast artists, artworks, and styles.
Analyze the qualities that distinguish the great works, great artists, and styles.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.

Janson's History of Art, Reissued 8th ed., by Penelope J. E. Davies et al. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2016).

ISBN-13: 978-0133878295

COURSE STRUCTURE

History of Western Art I is a three-credit, online course consisting of six assignment modules. Modules include learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

Module 1: Antiquity: Greece and Rome (800 BCE–400 CE)

Module 2: Middle Ages: Medieval Art and Romanesque Art (400–1100)

Module 3: Middle Ages: Gothic Art (1100–1400)

Module 4: Early Renaissance (1300–1495)

Module 5: High Renaissance (1495–1520)

Module 6: Late Renaissance and Mannerism (1520–1600)

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored online midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.

Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Promoting Originality

One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.

Discussion Forums

History of Western Art I has six graded online discussions, each focusing on a different subject. There is also an ungraded but required Introductions Forum in Module 1.

Communication among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct assignments: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete six written assignments.

All of these written assignments have three parts; Written Assignments 4 and 5 also have a fourth part. In part 1 you are asked to define terms. You will find these terms in the textbook chapter readings and glossary and in the Study Guide. Identify each term before you give the definition. In part 2 you are required to answer the one essay question. Copy out the question before giving the answer. In part 3 you must select two essay questions to answer. Indicate the number of each question you choose to answer and copy out the question before giving your answer.

In part 4, which is part of Written Assignments 4 and 5, you are asked to submit preliminary work associated with your final project due at the end of the semester. You can get specific information about these preliminary project submissions in the appropriate written assignment as well as in the Final Project section of the course Web site.

Your assignments should be typed, double-spaced, with a minimum of two pages for each essay answer.

Take the time to read through the written assignment questions before you begin each module. Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the course materials. Do not copy the answers word-for-word; they must be in your own words. However, when it will strengthen your answer, you may quote or paraphrase relevant facts, ideas, and theories from your course reading materials; be sure to cite these references in an appropriate manner by using footnotes or endnotes.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor.

Midterm Examination

You are required to take a proctored midterm examination.

For the midterm, you are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.

The midterm exam is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It consists of multiple-choice questions, definitions, and essay questions. It covers all material assigned in Modules 1, 2, and 3 of the course and is two hours in duration. You will not be allowed to have any material with you.

Online exams are administered through the course Web site. Consult the Course Calendar for the official dates of exam weeks.

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:

Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find an answer.
Copying and pasting or, in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your exams. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
Plagiarizing answers.
Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take an exam.
Copying any part of an exam to share with other students.
Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at an exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Final Project

You are required to produce a final project in the form of a term paper that is due at the end of the semester. The final project will be worth 20 percent of your final grade for the course.

The term paper that you must produce involves comparing and contrasting either two Renaissance artists and their work, two Renaissance cities and associated artwork, or two particular pieces of Renaissance artwork.

Please note that in addition to submitting the final project term paper, you must make two preliminary submissions containing information about your project. For specific information about these two preliminary steps, see the Final Project section of the course Web site. This section of the Web site will also provide details about the final paper.

For details regarding the due date see the Course Calendar.

Final Project Expectations and Grading

When producing your final project term paper, you should always keep in mind what criteria your mentor will use to grade your work and what expectations he/she will have.

Writing—quality of written work. You will be assessed on how well you present your work ,including how logically you develop your thesis, how well you articulate your position, and how well you support it. You will also be judged on your grammar, spelling, etc.

Research—quality and depth of research. The quality and depth of your research will be reflected by your choice of sources you use to build and support your thesis together with how well you utilize them to formulate your own critical opinions. Be selective; just because something appears in print or on the Internet does not mean it is a reputable source.

Thesis proven—quality of thesis and how it is supported throughout the paper. In essence, your thesis is your opinion on the topic you have chosen to research, and you will be judged on how well you can convince others that your opinion is valid. In this case your ability to argue your opinion in writing and support your argument(s) with reputable supporting material that reflects quality and depth of research will determine how convincing your thesis will be.

Use of terms—demonstrated mastery of course terminology. One way to demonstrate that you have mastered a particular subject is the ability to use correctly any specialized terminology associated with it. Conversely, the improper use of specific terms will reflect a lack of mastery that will make readers question your knowledge and detract from your work.

Comparison and contrast—quality and depth of comparison/contrast points. The main point of your term paper is to compare and contrast two subjects and your grade will be determined largely on how well you do this. You will be judged not only on how well you can point out the similarities and differences between the two subjects, but also on how much insight into these subjects you can demonstrate through original and well-articulated arguments supported by well-researched and reputable sources.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

Discussion forums (6)—10 percent
Written assignments (6)—40 percent
Midterm exam (proctored online, Modules 1–3)—30 percent
Final project—20 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A	=	93–100	C+	=	78–79
A–	=	90–92	C	=	73–77
B+	=	88–89	C–	=	70–72
B	=	83–87	D	=	60–69
B–	=	80–82	F	=	Below 60

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State University.

Arrange to take your examination(s) by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC POLICIES

To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.

For more, see: