Art 1A – Survey of Western Art I – Ancient to Gothic

WINTER 2007

Instructor; Cynthia Napoli-Abella Reiss

Course Description:

Survey of Western Art 1A - Online is an academic Art History course designed to provide you with the opportunity to learn the general styles, concepts, purposes, and interpretations of Western Art from Prehistory through the Middle Ages. Artistic styles will be explored in relationship to man's social history, thoughts, needs and beliefs. The focus will be on architecture, sculpture, and to a lesser degree, on painting. This course meets online only. There are no sessions on campus. This distance-learning course is conducted completely via the Internet, e-mail, and telephone conversation. You will be responsible for assignments which will be posted online. THIS IS A VERY INTENSIVE COURSE DURING WINTER BREAK PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DEVOTE YOURSELF FULLY TO THIS CLASS IN ORDER TO SUCCEED.

This course meets online only. There are no sessions on campus. This distance-learning course is conducted completely via the Internet, e-mail, and telephone conversation. You will be responsible for assignments and quizzes which will be posted daily.  As this is a winter intersession course, the load is necessarily intensive and requires that you stay on top of all quiz dates each week. THERE MAY BE UP TO 3 QUIZZES PER WEEK – please take this into consideration when thinking about your January schedule. .

Required Text - You must have the text to successfully participate in this course.

• Art History , Third Edition -Volume I by Marilyn Stokstad. The text is available in the West Valley College bookstore. Please note and use the glossary and time tables.
• ISBN-10: 0131743201)
• You must read and use the required text in order to successfully complete this course. Purchase it before the first day of the semester. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS EVEN BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS.

Course Objectives:

• become familiar with the historical development of Western Art
• learn to analyze the relationship between content and style in Western Art

These are the chapters that will be covered in the next 4 weeks:

Chapter 1 — Prehistoric Art in Europe

Chapter 2 - Art of the Ancient Near East

Chapter 3 - Art of Ancient Egypt

Chapter 4  - Aegean Art

Chapter 5 - Art of Ancient Greece

Chapter 6 - Etruscan and Roman Art

Chapter 7  - Jewish, Early Christian, and Byzantine Art

Chapter 14 - Early Medieval Art in Europe

Chapter 15 — Romanesque Art

Chapter 16 - Gothic Art of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

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HOW TO SURVIVE IN THIS COURSE and how to get the most out of this course:

• READ the chapter AND do not merely look for the answers of the homework assignments in the chapters (as there will be questions in the text that are not in your homework assignments)
• OUTLINE the chapter and take notes (READ ACTIVELY not passively)
• LOOK at all the power point presentations and answer the questions
• MAKE SURE you look at the notes and definitely know the art terms!

You will not have access to the course materials until the first day of class.

You will go to the ANGEL site to:

• send to and receive email from the instructor
• find the homework assignments
• take the quizzes
• look at power point presentations
• use the course calendar.
• On the first day of the semester, go to the ANGEL log in page and get started. Delaying participation may cause you to miss a time sensitive assignment and lose course points that will affect your grade

Homework - Homework is self-graded. Do not send it to your instructor.

• The purpose of the homework is to help prepare you for the quizzes but you MUST read carefully as there will be questions that are in the chapter but not on the homework .
• For each day of the session, you will be required to:
  • complete the reading assignment. Do not send it to your instructor.
  • complete the homework assignment based on the reading and all online materials.
  • use all  online assignments to prepare for the quizzes.

Quizzes and Conditions

This course uses a quiz format only (no midterms; no final exam; no extra credit assignments) with one written journal assignment. THIS IS AN INTENSIVE WINTER SESSION – YOU WILL HAVE 3-4 QUIZZES PER WEEK.

• After reading the chapter, outlining the chapter and taking notes, completing the scheduled assignment, reviewing the online materials, and completing the homework assignment, you will take a 100 point quiz by clicking on the Quizzes icon within LESSONS area on ANGEL. Check the course calendar within ANGEL to make sure you take the quiz on time.
• Quizzes consist of objective, multiple choice and true/false questions.
• In order to be successful with this course, complete the homework and review the online materials BEFORE taking the assigned quiz. Quizzes are available ONLY through the ANGEL web site and only for a limited amount of time. No Exceptions.
• All dates for assignments and quizzes will be posted on the course calendar accessible from ANGEL.
• Do not register for this course unless you understand that makeup quizzes will be not be given. This condition applies to all students.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: 
JOURNAL ENTRY FROM A MUSEUM VISIT
   

• You must write about one piece of Art  that you encountered from a museum visit – the chosen object must be from the parameters covered in class : Ancient to Gothic… and do a journal entry on it.  The journal entry will be at minimum 1 ½ pages long. It will consist of a visual analysis, a contextual analysis and then a comparison and contrast at the end. 
• The first paragraph will be a formal analysis of the piece in descriptive detail, which allows me to “see” the piece through your writing. Look at pertinent chapters in your Writing About Art book to help with this exercise. The second paragraph will contextualize the piece by giving me a social, cultural and political context. 
• The second paragraph will be information obtained from the textbook and from the Grove Dictionary Of Art database available at the library. You will need to research the artist and/or movement by doing research on Grove. 
• The third paragraph will be a subjective analysis where you compare the piece to something current. You can compare to a concert, a movie, a television show, a technological device, a dance production, a play  or a political event.  Although this comparison seems implausible to them, mull it over and “discover” where the similarities may be. Find a way to make the seemingly historically removed art piece …relevant to current day and time. 

**Technical requirements (the paper MUST have comply with the following requirements) :

• Footnotes
• Bibliography
• Turabian Style
• No 1^st person

How do I submit it?

Under lessons in the “journal entry “ drop box – cut and paste as it does not take attachments

When do I submit it?

January 20.

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Grading

Your semester grades will be based on a composite of your quiz scores.

11 quizzes valued at 100 points each = 1100 points + one journal entry at 100 points- 1200 possible points.

Point Assessment and letter grade equivalent

1200-1080 = A

1079-960 = B

959-840 = C

839-720 = D

719 - 000 = F

Withdrawal From This Course:

If you drop this course, remember that withdrawal is not an automatic process. Withdrawal is the student's sole responsibility, not the instructor's. Contact the Admissions and Records Office to initiate the Drop process. Please read the DROP procedures carefully in the Schedule of Classes to avoid unnecessary grade penalties.

Office Hours and Location

Instructors Office Hours: Online by arrangement. I will respond to your message within 48 hours, Monday through Thursday.

If urgent – you can email me at cinapoli@aol.com

OTHERWISE e-mail me on ANGEL : Click on email link within the Angel Communications area

No whining is allowed in this class.
Expect to be misunderstood, expect to be confused at the beginning and at other times as well...it is a dynamic system  without the benefit of face-to-face confrontation. Therefore, there will be many crisises but be rest assured that I will abate them. Whining and complaining merely contributes to class chaos and an unproductive environment to exist in ...if you are a complainer I would highly recommend you not take this course.  J

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