200 level, and AHPH 202

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1 Disclaimer: This is an indicative syllabus only and may be subject to changes. The final and official syllabus will be distributed by the instructor during the first day of class. The American University of Rome Archeology and Classics Program Department or degree program mission statement, student learning objectives, as appropriate Course Title: Methods and Theory of Art History Course Number: AH 299 Credits & hours: 3 credits 3 hours Pre/Co Requisites: AH 104 plus one other course in art history at the 100 or 200 level, and AHPH 202 Selected Readings (subject to change) Carrier, David (2002). "Current Issues in Art History, Aesthetics, and Visual Studies" in: Art History, Aesthetics, Visual Studies (Edited by Michael Ann Holly and Keith Moxey). Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Institute, pp D'Alleva, Anne (2005). Methods & Theories of Art History. London: Laurence King Publishing. Freeland, Cynthia (2001). Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mitchell, W. J. T. (1996) "What Do Pictures "Really" Want?" in: October, Vol. 77/1996, pp Nelson, Robert (1997). "The Map of Art History" in: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 79/1997, pp Tanner, Marie (1977). "Chance and Coincidence in Titian's Diana and Actaeon" in: Art Bulletin, Pooke, Grant, Diana Newall (2008). Art History, The Basics. London, New York: Routledge. Shiner, Larry (2001). The Invention of Art. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Course description This seminar introduces students to the historiography and methods of art history as well as to its predominant interpretative paradigms and theories. The focus of the course is not the art object itself but the discipline devoted to its study and interpretation, and the discipline s intellectual, historical, theoretical and methodological foundations. The course is constructed as an interactive seminar with discussion of selected readings by significant authors and the application of skills and principles derived from them. The course is required of all art history majors and is also open to other students interested in the intellectual development of art history as a discipline.

2 Course Learning Objectives At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. describe the evolution of the study of art history and the contributions of its major practitioners 2. recognize and critically analyze differing philosophical and theoretical positions within the discipline 3. critically analyze and evaluate art historical publications (Information Literacy) 4. show mastery of oral communication skills through discussion, argumentation, and presentation (Oral Presentation skills) Course Learning Activities Out of class reading (CLO 1, 2, 3) Each week students will read the scheduled texts in preparation for class discussion. In class analysis and discussions (CLO 1, 2, 3, 4) Students will be asked to participate in class discussions and to present their responses to scheduled texts and particular topics presented during the class. They will be expected to answer orally to questions stemming from the assigned readings and the topic for that week On site classes (CLO 2, 3) Students will visit an art exhibition currently on display in Rome. Students are expected to be prepared for on site classes. Students are also expected to actively participate in on site class by discussing the topic of the class. Oral presentation (CLO 1, 2, 4) on any topic related to the course and course readings. Oral presentations can be made in form of power point, poster or other appropriate presentations, in consultation with professor. Students are expected to make a well structured and organized presentation, which shows that they learned and understood relevant concepts and arguments of the course, and that they used relevant scholarly materials in the preparation of the presentation. Presentations should be approximately 10 minutes long, followed by class discussion Paper (CLO 1, 2, 3) on any topic related to the course and course materials, with prior approval of the professor. All written work should have the student's name and the topic of the essay clearly written on the front page. Paper should be approximately 2000 words in length (5 pages this does not include reproductions, graphs, etc.), written in 12 point plain type (Times New Roman), be formatted with 1.5 spaced lines. Pages should be numbered. Images should be appropriately captioned (e.g., name of the artist, date and location). Papers are expected to: show understanding of the topic, use relevant concepts, arguments and textual sources, use correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction; make ample and appropriate use of quotations from other texts; weave together thesis and argument, quotations and interpretations; reveal thoughtfulness, and insight. Papers handed over after the schedule due date will not be accepted Assessment tools Class discussion 10% 2 quizzes (5% each) 10% Midterm exam 25% Oral presentation 25% Paper 30%

3 COURSE SCHEDULE Week Topic Readings Remark Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Introduction to course Theory and Method? What is theory? What is method and methodology? How theories and methods of art history correspond to theories and methods of other disciplines? Art, Art History, Aesthetic and Art Theory (I) Art as a subject of a theoretical reflection. The formation of art history as a discipline. Writing about art before art history Art, Art History, Aesthetic and Art Theory (II) Art history and its connection to aesthetics and other disciplines that explore art. Artists, Art History and the Art World. The eighteenth century and the formation of modern art institutions of art (galleries, museums, art fairs). The Modern Invention of the Artist. The cult of the artist in modernity. The concepts of genius and talent. Art as an expression of artist s subjectivity and emotions Iconography and Iconology Artworks and narratives ( stories ) they tell. Artworks and their place within the broader cultural and historical context Interpretation (I) Perception and representation in art. The problem of style. Image and representation. Modalities of representation and viewers relation to image Interpretation (II) Interpretation (III) Types of images in their relation to the viewer. Interactive images and their relation to reality. Interpretation (IV) Visit to Capitoline Museum D Alleva (2005). Chapter 1 Chapter 1 (1 19) Chapter 1 (19 32) Shiner (2001) D Alleva (2005). Chapter 2 (20 28) Tanner (1977) Tanner (1977) Mitchell (1996) Quizzes Midterm Formalism and Modernism. Chapter 2 Gallery Visit AM to 1.00 PM

4 Week 7 Week 8 Marxism and Social History of Art Significance of the Marxist approach to art production. Art and its social function. Art and ideology Artist and Psychoanalysis Psychoanalytic approach to art. Art production and the meaning of artworks in an psychoanalytic theory Gender, Identity and Art History Feminism and art history. The construction of gender and the modes of identity representations Who Writes Art History, How and Why? Art history as a western discipline. The scope of topics and the method of approaching artworks in non western traditions. Week 9 Postmodernism The concept of postmodernism. Main protagonists and main approaches to art, culture and society Contemporary Art World Art as business and art/aesthetic value Week 10 Discussion about the movie Semiotics and Post structuralism Discourse and meta narratives. Narratives and power. The question of reality. Week 11 Images and Simulations Images and hyper reality. The original and the copy Post Colonialism and Globalization Art, art market and art history in the age of global integrations. Art world and institutional theory of art. Chapter 3 (59 65) D Alleva (2005). Chapter 3(48 56) Chapter 5 ( ) Chapter 6 Nelson (1997). Chapter 7 Film projection. Chapter 4. Freeland (2001). Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Week 12 Current Issues in Art History and Visual Studies Carrier (2002) Week 13 Week 14 Oral Presentations (I) Oral Presentations (II) Consultations and individual discussions with students about their final papers Quizzes Due: Paper

5 ATTENDANCE POLICY In keeping with AUR s mission to prepare students to live and work across cultures, the University places a high value on classroom experience. As a result attendance is expected in all classes and attendance records are maintained. The University s attendance policy is as follows: 1.0. Minimum Attendance Requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 70% of a course in order to be eligible to be considered for a passing grade Automatically Accepted Absences Students will not be penalized for one absence from classes meeting once a week; Students will not be penalized for three absences from classes meeting twice a week; Students will not be penalized for four absences from classes meeting more than twice a week, as in the case of some intensive courses If further absences are recorded, grade penalties will be applied according to the Instructor s specific attendance policy, as stated in the syllabus, and following the institutional parameters given in the Note* below If the Instructor does not specify an attendance policy, there will be no grade penalty other than that attached to the minimum attendance requirement, and any penalized absences recorded above the basic 70% attendance requirement for the course will be invalidated During Summer sessions where courses are taught more intensively over a shorter period the following applies: Students will not be penalized for two absences from class Tolerated Absences Certain categories of absence will not be penalized but they will be counted as an absence (for a 3 credit course meeting twice a week). These absences are: The Model United Nations (MUN); Permit to Stay, SG s Ambassador Program (Student Government initiative) Religious Holidays The American University of Rome makes all reasonable efforts to accommodate students who must be absent from classes to observe religious holidays. (Please refer to the Provost s Office list of accepted absences for religious holidays) Not attending a class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally not be counted as an absence. Students who will need to miss class in order to observe religious holidays must notify their Instructors by the end of the Add/Drop period (first week of classes), and must make prior arrangements with their Instructors to make up any work missed The list does NOT include academic field trips because these (including arrangements for travel) must not overlap with other classes Cases of prolonged absences caused by an emergency or a medical condition may require students to withdraw from some or all of their courses. Under such circumstances students should first consult their academic advisors.

6 *Note: No Instructor may penalize a student more than half a letter grade for each absence beyond the tolerated limit (e.g. from A to B+). Grade Point Average A student s grade point average (GPA) is computed by multiplying the quality points achieved by the number of credits for each course. The result is then divided by the total number of credit hours taken. The Cumulative or Career Total Grade Point Average (CGPA) is the grade point average for all credit hours taken at the University and at approved study abroad programs. The GPA and CGPA are calculated by truncating after the second digit after the decimal point. Transfer credits have no effect on the CGPA at The American University of Rome. Grades Grades are posted on a secure area of the University s official website and are mailed to AUR degree students only upon written request. Grades are mailed to the various study abroad programs. Grades computed in the (GPA) reflect the following grade equivalents: GRADE GPA A Excellent points A pts B+ Very Good B Good B C C Satisfactory C Less than Satisfactory D Poor F Failing WU Unofficial withdrawal counts as an F 0.00 P Applicable to development courses 0.00 Grades not computed into the grade point average are: W Withdrawal AUDIT (AU) Only possible when the student registers for a course at the beginning of the semester as an audit student I Incomplete work must be completed within the ensuing semester. Failure to do so results in automatically converting the I grade to the default grade, which is then computed into the grade point average P Pass grade is applicable to courses as indicated in the catalog. WIP Work in progress

Sample Syllabus. Course Number: AMG 505

Sample Syllabus. Course Number: AMG 505 Disclaimer: This is an indicative syllabus only and may be subject to changes. The final and official syllabus will be distributed by the Instructor during the first day of class. The American University