ARTH 1101: Art from Prehistoric Times to

the Late Middle Ages

Prof. Craig/Prof. Berger

Fall, 2015

T/Th. 1:30, Stokes 195S

THIS COURSE will discuss the major monuments of the history of art in their cultural
contexts beginning with Paleolithic art through the art of the medieval period. The
course will cover painting, sculpture and architecture. Some of the early material will be
considered from an archaeological perspective but our main emphasis will be on the
evolution of style and meaning in art. Among the goals of the course are to teach
students to recognize the artistic styles of the historical periods we cover, to write
confidently about works of art using the vocabulary of art history, and to understand art
in its historical context. This course may be taken for university core credit in Fine Arts;
it is required for the Art History Major and the Art History Minor and may fulfill
requirements for the Studio Art Major. This course is also available for elective credit.
(Students with AP scores of 4 or 5 in Art History may waive this course: see the
instructor for information.)
TEXTS

Gardner. Art Through the Ages, the Western Tradition (13th ed., vol. 1)
James Hall. Dictionary of Subjects & Symbols in Art. (paperback)
Other assigned readings will be available on the web via the Library home
page under "Course Reserves" and on the class CANVAS site accessible through your
Agora portal where you will also find all the handouts as well as images for the midterm.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS / Grading formula
Midterm exam
33% (Tuesday, Oct. 20th)
Paper
33% (Due date Tuesday, Nov. 24th)
Final Exam
33% (Sat., Dec. 19th, 9:00am)
Regular class attendance is also required. (attendance will be taken)
Exams. Tests in this class will be mostly essays in which you will be asked to compare and contrast works
of art based on their style and meaning. A part of the midterm exam will consist of slide identifications.
For each work of art on the test you need to know the name of the artist, the title of the work, the culture
and stylistic period, the approximate date (by century in most cases for the first half of the course) and the
location (by city) for architecture. The midterm may also have some objective questions. Before the
midterm a handout with more detailed information will be distributed and a practice quiz may be offered.
Class handouts will also be available on a CANVAS web site that you may access through Agora. Images
for review for the midterm will also be available there.
Papers. There will be one paper, about 5 to 6 pages in length. It will be a visual analysis of a work of art
in a Boston museum and not a library research paper. A list of topics and detailed instructions for the
papers will be handed out in class and posted to the website. Sample papers from earlier classes are on
reserve. The due date for the paper is listed above.
OFFICE HOURS
Dr. Craig. Devlin 424. M. 122:00 and other hrs by apt. Email: craig@bc.edu
Dr. Berger. Devlin 426. Hours TBA, Email: berger@bc.edu

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES & ASSIGNMENTS (up to the midterm)

Week 1
Sept. 1/3

Prehistoric Art (Paleolithic & Neolithic Art)

Reading:
Gardner, chap. 1, pp. 1-14. ("The Birth of Art")
Margaret W. Conkey. "A Century of Paleolithic Cave Art."
Archaeology, vol. 34, no. 4, July/August 1981, pp. 20-28.
Paul Bahn. "Killing Lascaux," Archaeology, vol. 61, no. 3,
May/June, 2008, pp. 18-20 and 66-70.

Weeks 2 & 3
Sept. 8/10
Sept. 15/17

Egyptian Art
Reading:
Gardner, chap. 3, pp. 40-68. ("Pharaohs & the Afterlife")
Zahi Hawass; Yehia Z. Gad; Somaia Ismail; et al. Ancestry and
Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family. JAMA.
2010 vol. 303(7):638-647. (E-copy will be provided.)

Week 4
Sept. 22/24

Near Eastern Art

Reading:
Gardner, chap. 2, pp. 16-38. ("The Rise of Civilization")

Week 5
Sept. 29/O.1

Aegean Art (Minoan & Mycenean)

Reading:
Gardner, chap. 4, pp. 70-89. ("Minos & the Heroes of Homer")
Allen, Susan Heuck. "Frank Calvert: The Unheralded Discoverer of Troy,"
Archaeology, v. 48, May/June 1995, pp. 50-57.

Weeks 6 & 7
Oct. 6/8
Oct. 13/15

Greek Art
Reading:
Gardner, pp. 90-151. ("Gods, Heroes, & Athletes")

MIDTERM EXAM. Tuesday, Oct. 20th. (The schedule after the midterm will be
provided by Prof. Berger who will begin teaching on Thurs., Oct. 22nd.)

*How to Succeed in this Class:

Come to class all the time. I will circulate an attendance sheet. The content of the lectures is essential to this
course. There is no substitute for seeing the images of works of art in class during the lecture so that you know
what the instructor wants to emphasize about them. By seeing the works in class you will develop a visual
memory that you may not know you have. The one class you cut is going to be the one that covers the material
for the essay on the exam or will be the one that could open a window for you that gives you a new way to look at
the world. Attendance is not taken as a specific percentage of your grade, but I consult the attendance records
when calculating the final grade for the course. Laptops may be used in class for classwork only; all other Web
sites, programs, email accounts, etc. must be disabled. Other electronic devices must be turned off and put away
during class, including headsets, recording devices and telephones.
Ask questions in class. If you don't understand something, the chances are that a lot of others in the room don't
understand it either. Challenge the teacher. Ask for help when you need it. If my office hours aren't convenient
for you, call or email and I will be glad to arrange another time to meet.
Do the reading assignments. Do them before the lectures or after the lectures, whichever you like, but don't let
them pile up to be done all just before the exam. Repeated exposure to this material in class and in the reading
will reinforce your memory of it and make learning it so much easier.
Study for the exams TWICE. Do it once, 4 days before the exam, and then again the day before. It helps
your memory of the material. It would be better if you are going to devote X hours to preparing for the
exam to study X/2 in one session 4 days ahead and X/2 the day before, rather than X hours all the day
before. Make-up exams will not be given except in cases of emergency, such as a serious illness;
legitimate reasons must be documented in writing. NOTA BENE: Having a previously booked airplane
ticket is not an emergency and not a legitimate excuse for missing the midterm or the final exam.
All papers & exams must be written entirely in your own words. When you begin to write your paper, put all of
your sources aside, think about the image and what people would have thought about it at the time of its creation.
Then make an outline and look at the object while you write. The Dean has requested that all faculty include the
following paragraph on their syllabus as a reminder of the importance of academic honesty:
"Academic integrity is central to the mission of higher education. Please observe the highest standards of
academic integrity in this course. Please review the standards and procedures that are published in the
university catalog and on the web, at:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/stserv/academic/resources/policy/#integrity Make sure that the work you
submit is in accordance with university policies. If you have any questions, please consult with your
instructor. Violations will be reported to the Deans' Office and reviewed by the College's Committee on
Academic Integrity. This could result in failure in the course or even more severe sanctions."

If you are a student with a documented disability seeking accommodations in this course, please contact
Kathy Duggan (552-8093) at the Connors Family Learning Center regarding learning disabilities, or
Paulette Durrett (552-3470) in the Disability Services Office for all other types of disabilities. Please let me
know within the first two weeks of class if you will be seeking an accommodation.