SYLLABUS FALL QUARTER 2011

Links to Course-related Materials

Assignments

schedule
slides
workbook
workshops
design problem

Image and information links

art history links
final project resources

Help with completing assignments

writing guidelines
writing about art
research resources
Ten Rules to help you pass this class

Course Description: This course explores the historical and philosophical contexts of art and design from prehistory through the eighteenth century, using both visual and literary sources. Additional topics may include non-Western works and movements, the effects of global exploration and colonialism, and the growing separation between the realms of art and design after the Renaissance.

Student Learning Outcomes: Successful completion of the course will enable students to:

Examine the historical relationship between art and design.

Evaluate the impact of culture and technology on the development of art and design in different historical contexts.

Establish a cultural, philosophical, and historical framework for understanding art and design movements and their impact on later movements.

Demonstrate familiarity with theoretical and critical traditions in art and design history.

Write critically about aesthetic issues that influence the history of art and design.

Develop creative responses to design problems based on historical works or movements.

Conduct research into specific art and design movements from prehistory to the eighteenth century.

Course Prerequisites: none

Instructional Contact Hours/Credits

44 Contact Hours / 4 Quarter Credit Hours / 11 Weeks
Course Delivery: Lecture/Discussion/Workshop
Homework: Expect to spend at least 8 hours per week in reading and other preparation.

A quarter credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:

1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for 10-12 weeks, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practical, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Instructional Methodology and Instructor's Expectations: The history of art and design is long, complex, and closely tied to the cultural and political contexts in which it has arisen. It is also highly dependent on technological development over time. In order to cover the necessary material, the class will combine slide lectures and discussion, and require students to participate in topical conversations and to complete exercises created to develop associative thinking skills. Exams require knowledge of the material covered and careful preparation of workbooks designed to help students learn without the need for excessive memorization.

The purpose of the course website is to augment this syllabus, support the lectures, and facilitate discussion. Students are expected to have completed assigned or suggested readings before each class. All worksheets, slide lists, lecture supplements, and image sources are linked to the appropriate week’s topic on the web version of the Weekly Schedule. Supplemental images and additional resources are linked to each week’s topic to foster further research, and to help students recognize high-quality, authoritative, scholarly sources for answering and exploring questions that arise during class discussions and in their readings.

Graded assignments will be introduced in class, and detailed guidelines will be linked on the Weekly Schedule as well as to appropriate sections of the online version of the syllabus (the content of which is identical to this print copy). Familiarity with the website and its contents is vital to students’ success in this class.

A blog focused on art and design history has been added to course resources to encourage articulate, well-reasoned discussion on topics central to understanding how art and design have developed, especially in the West, since human beings first began exercise their creative impulses. The Owls' Parliament provides a forum for students in all of my classes, but focuses on issues that particularly impact art and design history. Extra credit will be awarded to participating students for thoughtful, timely, and cogently argued contributions to the blog.

Course Requirements: You must accomplish the following in order to earn a passing grade in the course.

Indicate mastery of course material by undertaking two exams (midterm and final): 30%.

Maintain a workbook that reflects weekly interaction with course material, designed to be used in conjunction with exams.

Creatively solve a problem-based final project on a specific period in art and design history: 35%

Exhibit competence in writing and critical thinking skills by composing a concept essay to accompany the design problem.

Demonstrate college-level research skills by developing an annotated bibliography in conjunction with the design problem.

Participate in class discussions and workshops on a regular basis, and exhibit professionalism in all assignments (timely submission, attention to guidelines, technical competency). Points for participation are earned by submitting workshop results, attending class faithfully, and completing the research workshop related to the final design problem. 35%.

Up to fifteen extra credit points may be earned through any combination of the following:

Complete a scavenger hunt at the Dallas Museum of Art after class week 10, worth ten points if completed correctly. (The scavenger hunt list is linked to the online Schedule under “worksheets” for week 10.)

Submit the completed final project, its essay, and annotated bibliography by the beginning of class week 9 for 5 points.

Extra credit will be awarded for qualified contributions (2.5 points per published post, for up to 10 points) to the course web log, The Owls’ Parliament. Rules are listed on the blog. Please discuss this with me in advance of submitting a post or comment for moderation.

Grading Criteria: For a description of the criteria used to grade each assignment, see the course rubric (attached to your print syllabus). Point values correspond to letter grades according to the following:

The required textbook for this class is Fred S. Kleiner, Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Concise Western History (ISBN 0 778 0 495 50346 0). The package available in the Supply Store includes access to images featured in the lecture, which will be augmented by links to supplemental images on each week's topic page. If you purchase the book online, be sure to order the image access card. (The Supply store price is about $175 including tax.) This book will be used again for History of Art and Design II, and will be useful for Art and Design Since 1945, required in some BFA programs. Remember that this course is concerned with the history of your craft; this textbook has been carefully selected to help you build a solid foundation for further study. In addition, students who buy the book not only show professionalism and commitment to their program goals, but also perform significantly better on exams.

Art Institute of Dallas Policies on Class Assignments and Projects

The Art Institute places considerable emphasis on simulated work situations in which the student is assigned projects with scheduled completion dates. In a professional environment, there are no acceptable excuses for missing project deadlines; therefore, it is extremely important that students develop similar professional discipline in their general studies classes.

Art Institute Policies on Class Assignments/Late Work

Faculty members encourage accountability and punctuality for future career success. Students are encouraged to turn-in all work for instructor feedback.

One late daily assignment (workshop) will be accepted without penalty. Subsequent late assignments may be accepted at the instructor’s discretion, but will involve penalties. Workshop grades are tied to participation. If you are not present for the class involved, you will not earn points but are encouraged to submit the work for critique and feedback.The final project must be submitted on time; late submission without prior arrangement will suffer substantial point deductions.

Attendance Policy

Regular class attendance is expected and required. Most courses meet once per week. If a student misses more than 27% of class time he or she can be dropped for lack of attendance at the discretion of the faculty member.

The satisfactory explanation of an absence does not relieve the student from responsibility for the course work assigned and/or due during his/her absences. A student who does not attend class during the first week of school or starts late is still held responsible for his/her absences.

A student who fails to attend all classes on his/her schedule for two (2) consecutive weeks of the quarter will be automatically terminated from school for the remainder of the quarter by the Registrar’s Office. A student who wishes to appeal a drop or termination must appeal to the Academic Dean within 72 hours of notification.

If you are going to miss class, regardless of the reason, you must notify your instructor. You are responsible for gathering any information from the missed class period in a timely manner.

Classroom Standards

Tobacco Products, Eating, and Drinking: No smoking or other tobacco products may be used in any part of the building or near the main entrance. Smoking is only permitted in designated areas of the parking garage. Food and drinks are not permitted in the library or any computer lab under any circumstances.

Classroom Usage: Students are asked to clean their workspaces at the end of each class. Rooms should be reset at the end of class for the next group of students.

Disruptive or Disorderly Conduct: Engaging in behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor’s ability to teach or fellow students’ ability to learn will result in a conduct referral to the Academic Director, Dean of Student Affairs, or Art Institute Security Personnel. The classroom extends to any setting or communication where a student is engaged in work toward academic credit, satisfaction of program-based requirements, or related activities.

Personal Technologies: All computers, entertainment and personal communication devices must be turned off during lectures unless otherwise specified.

Visitors: To avoid class disruption, friends and relatives (including children) of students and faculty are not permitted to attend classes or use The Art Institute of Dallas equipment. Minors are not permitted on campus unless prior written permission has been granted by the Academic Dean.

Dress Code: Casual, reasonable, professional attire and clean appearance are recommended. Bare feet on the school grounds or in the building are not permitted as this is a health and safety regulation.

Identification Guidelines: All members of The Art Institute of Dallas community are to display their badges/photo ID in an easily visible location to identify themselves and their association with the school.

Additional notes on course and classroom etiquette

E-mail: I can be reached reliably only through e-mail, or in person during my office hours. I am, however, reluctant to open mail from unidentified persons. Therefore, please place in the subject line of any e-mail your last name and the course number/section (GE3054 P). No days or times are necessary because the section letter provides me with that information.

For purposes of this course, please use your campus e-mail address. This will ensure that I can reach you if necessary in regard to schedule changes, issues of missed material, etc. Using your AiDallas address also prevents me from receiving spam when somebody hijacks your Yahoo or Hotmail account.

Please use standard English and correct spelling in your messages; do not treat an e-mail message to me as if it were a text-message to your friends. This owl don't tweet, either; think your message through before you send it, and make sure it makes sense.

Electronic communications devices and computers must be turned off during lectures and discussions. Text-messaging in class is disruptive and will hamper your ability to participate and to take effective notes. If, however, you have a home- or work-related emergency, and need to stay in contact with a boss or family member, please let me know ahead of time, and I will accommodate you by allowing you to keep your cell phone in silent mode, and to leave the room to take a call. Otherwise, please turn phones off in order to avoid distraction.

Recording of lectures is not permitted in this class without accommodation from the Academic and Disabilities Services Specialist.

Remember that attendance in this class is mandatory; students with three or more absences and who fail to take the midterm exam week 5 will be automatically dropped by week 6. Students who miss three or more consecutive classes and with whom I have had no contact will be dropped by the deadline (week 9) if at all possible. Please note that this is done to help you avoid receiving an F.

As a courtesy to your instructor and your fellow students, please avoid the use of heavily scented personal products. Many of us have become sensitive or allergic to colognes, body sprays, perfumes, and lotions containing strongly scented ingredients, and would appreciate your restraint.

Plagiarism/Acts of Dishonesty

Academic honesty is expected. Any infraction of the Art Institute of Dallas’ academic integrity policy will be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs and the Dean of Academic Affairs.

Each student should make sure all materials are documented carefully, to show the rightful designer, owner, proprietor, etc. for photos, drawings, book information, etc. in the development and display of their student work. Each student is responsible for reviewing the dishonesty act information found in the Student Handbook. Dishonesty in the classroom, including securing, passing, receiving a test prior to test date, or cheating on examinations is subject to a failing grade and possible suspension or termination from The Art Institute. Attempted and completed acts of dishonesty or plagiarism will be dealt with according to AID policies.

The same rule applies for detected plagiarism within the classroom. Plagiarism includes any unattributed use of materials from any source – including books, periodicals, CD-ROMs, videos, and the World Wide Web, as well as artwork/projects from other students or professionals. All quotations, paraphrases, or other adaptations of others work must be properly cited and documented.

All assignments are to be done individually and not jointly with other students, unless the instructor specifically designates the assignment as a group assignment in the handout. Copied or shared work will be reported for investigation to the Dean of Student Affairs and the Dean of Academic Affairs as cheating and a grade of zero will be recorded for the assignment.

If you are having trouble with a particular theory or assignment, ask your instructor for help immediately - office hours are set aside specifically for helping students. Be careful about consulting other students and using search engine results because both may provide misinformation and/or it may appear as though you are not doing your own work.

Copyright Materials

Trademarks and Copyrights are the property of their owners. As such, students may not infringe upon those rights of ownership. Proper attribution must be made for all assets used by a student for class assignments. Students are reminded to credit the sources and display the copyright notice © and copyright ownership information if this is shown in the original source for all works incorporated as part of educational projects, including those prepared under fair use. Crediting the source must adequately identify the source of the work, giving a full bibliographic description where available, i.e., author, title, publisher and place and date of publication. Additionally, the copyright ownership information includes the copyright notice, year of first publication and name of the copyright holder.

Material derived from Creative Commons licenses must be acknowledged by using the correct agreement designation. For explanations of various agreements, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Be sure to note any restrictions included in the license.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Art Institute of Dallas abides by the tenets of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a student who has a need for a reasonable accommodation based on a documented disability, please contact the instructor privately either before or after class to discuss the accommodation. This request ideally should be made prior to the seating of the second class of the quarter. In order to receive a reasonable accommodation, you must have the appropriate documentation on file with the Academic and Disabilities Services Specialist. Academic and Disabilities Services may be reached at 469-587-1239, in person in room 514, or by e-mail at kkenner@aii.edu.

Student Assistance Program

The college provides confidential short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and community referral services through the Wellness Corporation Student Assistance Program (SAP), for a wide range of concerns, including relationship issues, family problems, loneliness, depression, and alcohol or drug abuse. The Student Affairs office also offers programs on mental health-related topics each quarter. If you have any questions regarding counseling services, please contact the Office of Student Affairs located in Room 509 for further inquiry or assistance.

SAP services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at https://artinstitutes.personaladvantage.com or 1.800.326.6142.

Inclement Weather

For immediate information regarding The Art Institute of Dallas late openings or school closings, students and faculty can call 214-692-8080 or 800-275-4243 for a recorded message. In case of inclement weather, a public announcement regarding the status of classes at The Art Institute will be made on WFAA (ABC), KXAS (NBC), and KDFW (FOX).

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10.02.11