To help my students learn the material, without having to memorize an inordinate number of facts and dates, I require them to maintain a Workbook. This assignment is designed to encourage you to spend additional time each week reviewing images and ideas discussed in class, and to assist you in absorbing a substantial amount of information by continued contact with the images, artists, and works we will be discussing.

This is not an optional assignment. In order for you to learn the material, develop good study habits, and reinforce professional skills, you must maintain a basic workbook: a three ring binder, with slide lists and notes separated by dividers, and containing completed (i.e. with images and notes) slide lists for each named lecture. Choosing not to maintain the workbook will greatly reduce the possibility of your passing either exam.

Please keep graded workshop results in your workbook to avoid controversy about whether or not you have accomplished an assignment. Without hard copy of your participation efforts you cannot back up your grades. A separate section for research and preparation for your final design problem should also be housed in your workbook--along with the suggested materials listed below.

This component of your work will test your consistency in reading and interpreting visual and written materials discussed in class each week, as well as your ability to conduct independent research. Since the workbook will be used as a resource during exams, the quality of your effort will affect your exam scores. Since exam scores comprise 30% of your grade, take this part of the assignment very seriously. Few people who produce incomplete or unsatisfactory workbooks manage to even pass the exams, let alone do well on them.

The workbook may contain only the following:

Completed slide lists. Stay current with each week's list by using textbook materials and the supplemental images linked on the week's topic page. Keep lists separated with dividers by week. This is not only helps you keep chronology in mind, but aids in the speedy recovery of images during exams. Keep your class notes and any additional notes you take in conjunction with assigned readings together with your slide lists.

Careful organization of these materials will make exam-taking much less laborious and stressful. If you miss a lecture, you are still responsible for completing the week's list. Some missed lecture notes can be borrowed and copied from classmates, but do NOT simply photocopy slide lists. You will not learn the material that way, and identical information on an exam looks like plagiarism or cheating to the person grading it. Since the lists are now available online in two formats, there is no excuse for not completing any of them.

Required readings outside of the textbook, including my introductory essay on Paleolithic art, and my essay on the history of writing. I have greatly reduced the number of these readings because of the existing workload for this class. But anything I deem important to your understanding of the material will be linked on the Schedule or distributed in class, and I expect you to read it. Questions on the exams come from many sources, and ask you to interpret information from lectures, films, and readings.

Notes and other materials that pertain to reading on assigned topics. These can include a brief outline of the week's assignment in the textbook, downloads of websites recommended on the Schedule or from the sidebars of the web slide lists (NOT cheesy commercial sites obtained through random Google searches; I have provided you with solid resources on the course web page, as well as top-notch image locations on the web, so there is no excuse for sub-par research). Several exam questions will require familiarity with material not directly discussed in class, but available through assigned readings.

Web explorations and other information will help you study and understand the course content, but do not rely on them to substitute for knowing the material. You will not have time during the exam to learn what you should have learned each week.

Lecture-based worksheets, such as the Chronology of Prehistory and Classical Orders worksheets. All such exercises are linked to the related lecture materials on the Schedule. Since worksheets provide the basis for several exam questions, neglecting to complete them is not recommended.

Optional components:

Use the workbook to prepare for your design problem. Keep the assignment materials and writing guidelines, bibliographic advice, etc., in the workbook, play with ideas, note sources, include photocopies or printouts from the internet of materials you consult, and sketch out potential solutions. Keep these in a section of their own, so that you can build on your information base for the problem.

Keep graded workshop assignments in your workbook; even if you did not attend the class for which the workshop was assigned, you will learn from completing the assignment and impress me with your initiative. This section can also serve as backup in case I neglect to record a grade or can't remember some aspect of your participation efforts. Mistakes do occur, and this is a way to insure that you do not suffer for them. Keep a written copy of your Protokoll, or your notes for it in this section as well.

Not permitted are copies of other peoples' lists, or photocopied chapters from Kleiner, or wholesale downloads with little evidence of study. If you haven't read it, don't put it in your workbook. Exam time is limited. You will not have time to catch up on reading stuff you should have completed before the exam. Study your workbook before exams so that you're familiar with periods, sequence, styles, etc. and will not have to spend the entire testing period rifling through your workbook.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of professionalism to the success of this assignment. Organization, tidiness, and good design are as vital to your workbook as they would be to a professional commission. The attention you pay to this task, and the care with which you undertake it will reflect your attitude toward the course material. My "A" students almost universally maintain high-quality workbooks, and those who fail the course generally treat the assignment as if it were a joke.

home l syllabus l schedule
07.03.10