Esteemed Classmates,

We are about to embark on an adventure together.  Works of art embody the evolving consciousness of those who create them.  So the history of art, like a time machine, can reveal to us the aspirations and soul of the people and cultures of eras long past.  Our path this term will explore the mysteries of prehistory, the civilizations of the ancient world, and the romance and realities of the Middle Ages.

Your first task is to complete the Student Information Sheet with Photo and Question response.  You will find it under Resources and Materials to download and complete by Wednesday of our first week.  This ensures your place in the course.  While there, I suggest you print out a copy of the full course syllabus.  It is the essential instruction manual on all parts of the course.  You will need to refer to it often.

In our first Lecture, expect to see the only full overview of the course content with all its exotic color, the structure of the course (with the keys to success and earning A's), the essence of just what art history is, and some background on your tour guide through it all.  Do have at hand a notebook in which to take notes. This term we will be covering many famous art works and ideas and their cultural contexts that you will need to remember.  

Looking forward to seeing your info sheets by Wednesday, 11:55pm or earlier, so I can begin learning about you,

         Your professor,

                        Henry B. Graham, Ph.D.

Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Concise Global History , 4th Edition, Wadsworth Cengage Learning, Boston, 2017, with MindTap Access Card.

Online Mindtap Access is required for this course. Course content and quizzes are on MindTap.

Mindtap Access with an ebook: ISBN  978-1-305-65951-3

Microsoft PowerPoint will be necessary to view and listen to the required lectures for the course.  You will also need a computer with speakers or headphones to hear the audio which accompanies the PowerPoint lectures.  Non-Microsoft versions of PowerPoint are not able to access the audio attached to each lecture, and so are not acceptable.  Seeing and hearing lectures on a mobile device requires the MS PowerPoint app.  The most reliable way to access lectures is on a computer with MS PowerPoint.

This course will focus on the pivotal role of art in the expression of human consciousness and culture in its cultural contexts. Covers prehistoric art to the end of the Medieval Period.  Fulfills "Fine Arts" requirement.

This course will focus on the pivotal role of art in the development of human consciousness and culture from the earliest times. The course will begin in the prehistoric period and make its way through the wonders of the ancient world in the Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to the marvels of the Middle Ages from early Christian, Byzantine, Islamic, Romanesque, and Gothic to the coming of the early Renaissance in fourteenth century Europe. While some works from Asia and Africa will be included, the main focus will be on the Western (or European) tradition.

 

 

The objectives for students in this course are the following (which will be demonstrated through forum discussion, examinations, slide/fact quizzes, and written work):