Course Syllabus

Art 1030: Art Appreciation

Course Information

Course The over-all purpose of this course is to provide the student with a basic
Description understanding of the visual arts. The first half of the course deals with the nature
of art, the evaluation of art, the processes and materials of art. We examine the
formal elements of design and look at a wide variety of both two & three
dimensional art to learn about the processes and tools involved in its creation.
The second half of the semester is spent in a (more or less) chronological study
of world art in its cultural setting from the prehistoric to the contemporary. The
course is divided into 12 lessons, presented as Modules 1 - 12. Each module
represents the equivalent of 3 hours of class time. The student is expected to
spend a minimum of 3 additional hours to complete the assignments for each
unit. Each unit must be completed before the student may advance to the next
level. The Modules are organized into 4 Units, each containing 3 Module, with an
essay and other assignment, as well as a test.

4 Units: Each Unit will include

• 3 Modules
• one or two projects
• a unit test

Each module will include:

• A module page that has all the assignments for that module as well
as separate links to the various module parts, shown below
• A reading assignment.
o Each assignment will cover about 1/12 of the text. (You are
expected to read the whole book during the semester). You may
also be assigned additional articles to read or web sites to visit to
enhance your understanding of the material presented
• A slide presentation/lecture
o The lectures address the basic information supplied by the
reading assignment and try to expand your frame of reference for
appreciating the visual arts by including some images that are
not in your book.
• A discussion topic will be posted each week of the semester. You are
expected to participate in the group discussion for each module.
• A research project where you will look up a list of artists or topics in the
text or on various web sites, choose one and write a two-paragraph
response. Submit your responses weekly.
• An ongoing project. One project may continue over a two or three week
period. There are 5 projects for the semester. They are:
o An essay on the nature of art (Essay 1)
o A hands-on art project (can be a collage, you do not need to
know how to draw.)
o A 750-word (minimum) essay in which you compare and contrast
two works of art. (Essay 2)
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o An art review of (or a personal response to) work on display at a

location near you (minimum 500 words) (Essay 3)
o A group research project and presentation
A checklist of the course work by module is available
through the checklist tab.

Course The over-all purpose of this course is to encourage an appreciation of the Visual
Objectives: Arts. This is a highly visual course, in which we will examine and discuss many
works of art. We will be looking at, and analyzing, many images in order to gain
an understanding of their form and content. We will be analyzing the formal
structure of various works of art as well as considering them in the context of the
historical period and cultural framework in which they were produced.
By the end of this semester, you will be able to:
• understand and use the vocabulary of art,
• identify some of the purposes of art and the roles of the artist,
• distinguish the elements & principles of design and explain how they are
being used in a given work of art,
• recognize some of the materials and processes involved in the
production of a work of art,
• discuss art in a historical and cultural context.

Rerequisites None.
and
Corequisites:

Course Topics: Unit 1

Module 1: The Nature of Art, focuses on the nature of art, the various roles that
art and the artist play in their cultural settings, and the response of the viewer.
Module 2:The Visual Elements, focuses on the elements of design and the
principles of organization
Module 3:Two Dimensional Media, investigates the tools and processes
involved with drawing, painting, printmaking & graphic design
Unit 2
Module 4: Camera Arts and Digital Media, looks at Photography, Film, &
Computer Imagery
Module 5: Three Dimensional Media, focuses on Sculptural materials and
methods, industrial design, and introduces the materials and processes of the 3
D artist.
Module 6: Architectural & Environmental Design looks at basic architectural
structures used by different cultures throughout history and discusses the
relevance of architectural planning to our lives.
Unit 3
Module 7:Art in Prehistoric, Ancient & Medieval Cultures
Module 8:The Renaissance & the Baroque Periods
Module 9:Asian Art, African Art & Art from the Americas
Unit 4
Module 10:The 18th & 19th centuries.
Module 11:Early 20th century
Module 12:Mid-20th century to the contemporary
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Specific Course None.

Requirements

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
Textbooks: http://rodp.bkstr.com

Supplementary None needed.

Materials:

Hardware The minimum requirements can be found here.

Requirements:
This course has a great deal of visual material and is best suited to a fast
internet connection.

Software The minimum requirements can be found here Specific hardware requirements
Requirements: for this course include… an Internet browser such as Internet Explorer, Firefox.,
Safari, Opera, or Microsoft Explorer

Instructor Information

Instructor Name: Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact
information.

Virtual Office Most concerns can be handled by the course e-mail but if you feel that you need
Hours: to speak by phone we will arrange a time that is convenient to us both by e-mail.

Instructor Generally will try to respond to your e-mail within 24 hrs.

Response Time:

Assessment and Grading

Testing There are 4 tests, one for each unit. They will be given on-line and will have
Procedures: matching and multiple-choice questions. There will be a slide identification
portion. The tests are timed for one hour and will self-submit when it is over. A
study sheet and images will be available shortly before the tests.
 Course Syllabus

Grading Your grade for the course will be a based on the percentage of the possible
Procedure: 1200 points for the course.
• 400 pts. from 4 tests
• 100 pts. for Essay 1, an essay on the nature of art
• 100 points for a hands on art project
• 160 points for Essay 2, a Compare and Contrast essay
• 100 points for the group project
• 100 points for Essay 3, an art review essay
• 120 points (10 points each) for the 12 module discussion posts
• 120 points (10 points each) for the 12 module research projects

Plagiarism (presenting someone else's words, ideas or images as if they

were your own) will result in a 0 for the assignment.

Grading Scale:

A=90 to 100
B= 80 to 89
C= 70 to 79
D= 60 to 69
F= below 60
(a minus = the first two grades in the category and a plus the last two, i.e. B- =
80 or 81 and B+ = 88 or 89). While your final grade will not be a + or - grade,
you may receive them on your projects.

Assignments and Participation

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Assignments Please save all written work as word documents (doc or docx), in rich text format (.rtf)
and Projects: or as text files and upload into the assignment dropbox.

Essay 1: What Makes Art?

100 points
The text of this essay is to be a minimum of 500 words.
Consider what you think of as art and then try to explain what makes it art. What do
you respond to in a work of art? Is it the way it looks, or the way it makes you feel or
the ideas it brings to mind? How important are the formal qualities? How important is
the content? Should one be subservient to the other? These are somewhat
subjective criteria and there are really no right and wrong answers, but please think
about the question seriously and be sure to reference actual works of art in your
discussion to illustrate your ideas.The text of the question seriously and be sure to
reference actual works of art in your discussion to illustrate your ideas.

Hands on Art Project

100 points
Create a work of art that makes a statement. It can be done in any medium you like.
See what materials you might already have on hand.(i.e. crayons, markers, fabric
scraps, paints or any interesting objects that would serve your purpose.) It can be
composed completely of collaged images or found objects so that you do not need to
be able to draw. The work can make a political or social statement or it can be of a
more personal nature, but you need to be able to verbalize the basic premise of the
piece. The purpose of this project is to experience some of the processes of creating
a work of art.

Essay 2: Compare and Contrast The text of this essay is to be at least 750 words
160 points
1. Select a work of art from the text (preferably a color image)
2. First, spend time looking thoroughly at this work of art, and then write an analysis
of it. Think in terms of subject, form and content. Look for the elements of design and
the principles of organization. How is the artist using shape, color, line, and texture?
How is the piece balanced? What rhythms are established? Do we get a sense of
movement? How is he or she using these "formal" aspects to help convey a mood, or
idea? Also, you may want to find out a little about the artists and the historical period
they represent. What do you think was the purpose for making this piece? What do
you think they were trying to say?
3. Find another work that is similar in some way. For example, two still-life’s, portraits,
landscapes, or works on a similar theme, like mother and child, the crucifixion, etc.
Look carefully at both, compare, and contrast the two. Again, think in terms of form,
subject and content. How are they similar? In what ways are they different? Be
specific.
4. Respond to these works of art, both critically and personally. Do you think they are
equally successful as works of art? Why? How do they make you feel? Do you like
them? Why or why not?

Essay 3: Art Review (at least. 500 words)

100 Points
Go to an art exhibition at a museum or gallery near you. Colleges & universities often
have art exhibitions on campus. This must be an actual, not a virtual exhibition.
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(Note: The Thomas Kincaid galleries are not acceptable for this assignment) Look at
the whole show and give your overall impression of the show. Does the show have a
theme? What kind of work does it include? Choose a piece or two to describe (as you
did in the compare and contrast essay.) Did you like the work? Why or why not?
Which pieces were particularly meaningful?
The Thomas Kincaid Galleries are not suitable for this assignment.

A Group Research Project

100 Points
This project requires that you work together with a group to research a topic and
prepare a presentation to teach the class what you have learned. You will choose
one of the broad topics listed below and be put in a group with others interested in
the same topic. Look in your text; find out some possible divisions to break up your
research among group members. Each of you research, in books, magazines and on
the web and collect as much information as possible. Compile your information with
your group. Decide what area you want to focus in on and investigate that further.
Plan a short PowerPoint presentation of the material you have found. Do not just
copy and paste from a web site. Research and then present what you have learned
in your own words.
1. Pre-Columbian Art (Aztec, Mayan, Incan, etc.)

2. Islamic Art

3. Oriental Art. (Chinese, Japanese, Korean)

More detailed info on group project: The groups are self-enrolling. Go to the
groups tab on the navigation bar and choose a topic. (There should only be one
group for each topic, if there are more, join group 1.)

The groups e-mail each other and divide the up research into convenient subtopics
(i.e. if the topic is pre-Columbian art. You might divide the research into different
cultures...Mayan, Aztec, Olmec, Incan etc. or you might divide it by media and
someoneresearch painting someone else the architecture or sculpture, textiles, etc.)
When you all compile your research you will make it into a presentation. The best
way to do it is in PowerPoint or Keynote but people have used Word on occasion.
Hopefully someone in eachgroup will have the needed software. You should each
send that person your text and images for your part of the research (be very clear
about which image goes with what text) When the presentations isfinished, submit it,
via the dropbox and I will turn it into html so it will be viewed by the class through the
course resources group projects link. Each student should either submit the
presentation or a statement that they participated in whatever group they choose.

Weekly Research Projects

10 Points each
120 Points Total

Weekly Discussion Questions

10 Points each
120 Points Total
 Course Syllabus

Class You are expected to keep up with the work and to participate in the weekly
Participation: group discussions. Please keep up with the work.

Punctuality: Although this class is never expected to be on line at the same time it is important to
keep up with the class schedule. Each module has several parts to it and takes time
to do. A class calendar with due dates of all projects will be posted. All assignments
should be done in a timely way and submitted through the Dropbox link above

Course Ground Rules

Guidelines for Communications

E-mail: Always include a subject line

Use standard fonts.
Send your assignments as attachments

Discussion Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion
Groups: Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way.
Choose your words carefully.
Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion
group. Be respectful of others ideas.
Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering
your remarks.
Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Chat: No chat is required for this class. Chat rooms may be established for group research
project if students desire them.

Web http://www.google.com is an excellent search engine that will usually turn up reliable
Resources: sources on just about any search. The Library at my home school has a good page
that has info on how to write papers, as well as many good subject
indexes.http://www.jscc.edu/library.

Also there are several good sites for doing basic research in the art field, they are:
http://www.artchive.com;
http://sunsite.dk/cg;http://www.wwar.com;www.artcyclopedia.com