ARS100: Introduction to Art

ARS100: Introduction to Art (Online Version) - Dr. Asa Mittman
ARS100: Introduction to Art
“Art in the Dark”
ARS100 is a basic introduction to the world of art, and the art of the world. We will roam at will over all
of the inhabited continents. We will wander through time from the present, back to the earliest moments
of human creativity, 40,000 years ago. We will cover many major works in the West and East including:
Prehistoric cave painting, the Ancient Greek Parthenon, Picasso, the Roman Coliseum, the medieval
Book of Kells, the Mona Lisa, the Great Stupa at Sanchi in India, Michelangelo, Notre-Dame Cathedral,
Monet, Dali, and many, many more. We will also look at a number of lesser-known works that reveal
facets of the cultures by which they were produced. This is a huge amount of material. We could never
hope to cover every period in sequence in one semester, so we will therefore progress through major
themes that are common to various periods. We will seek to learn how to approach works of art, how to
examine their contexts to gain an understanding of their meanings and the ideas at work within them. By
the end of this course, you should be able to engage more confidently any works of art in any museum, to
explore them visually, and to understand why they look the way they do. We will have before us some of
the most remarkable, beautiful, mysterious and wonderful objects crafted by humanity, so it will be our
pleasure to look at them, think about them and discuss them.
If you have any questions, follow these steps:
1) Read this syllabus. It will answer many of your questions.
2) Check the course Web site; pay attention to the Announcements area.
3) Email the technical support staff at herbergeronline@mainex1.asu.edu with any technical issues.
4) Email me, mittman@asu.edu; I am not in Arizona, so I will not be holding in-person office hours.
I can’t help with technical issues, but will be happy to answer any art-related questions. I will
answer as soon as I can, but may not have access to my email for a few days at a stretch, so do
not expect to hear from me immediately; please do not email with quiz-related questions.
Course Requirements
1. Assigned Textbook
Margaret Lazzari and Dona Schlesier, Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach, 3rd Edition
(Wadsworth Publishing, 2007)
The book is available at the Student Book Center (www.studentbookcenter.com), at 704 S. College
Ave., just north of University Drive and across the street from the ASU Foundation building. Feel free to
buy an earlier or used edition to save some cash. We will read this book nearly cover to cover. It is very
informative and has excellent illustrations (a must for any art history course), but I encourage you to
1
ARS100: Introduction to Art (Online Version) - Dr. Asa Mittman
question the assumptions, biases and ideological perspectives of its author. Not everything presented as
fact in this world is fact!
2. Assigned Readings
Read the chapter of the textbook corresponding to the topic of the lecture. Read them all BEFORE
viewing the online lectures; they will make much more sense if you have read the book first. Reading the
text before viewing these lectures will really help you with the quizzes!
Unit 1, Introduction, A Human Phenomenon
Lecture 1: What is Art?
Unit 2, The Language of Art and Architecture
Lecture 2: The Language of Art
Lecture 3: The Language of Architecture
Unit 3, Deriving Meaning
Lecture 4: Deriving Meaning
Unit 4, Food and Shelter; Nature, Knowledge and Technology
Lecture 5: Food
Lecture 6: Nature
Unit 5, Reproduction and Sexuality; The Human Body
Lecture 7: Sex
Lecture 8: Body
Unit 6, Deities and Places of Worship
Lecture 9: Gods
Lecture 10: Sacred Architecture
Unit 7, Social Protest/Affirmation; Race, Gender, Clan and Class
Lecture 11: Protest
Lecture 12: Race
Lecture 13: Gender
Lecture 14: Class
3. Quizzes
Each quiz contains 15 questions, worth 1 point each. All material from lectures and the textbook is fair
game! However, the vast majority of the quizzes will comprise the images and ideas focused on in the
online lectures. Without viewing the lectures, you will not do well!
**Nota bene: Exams are NOT open-book or open-note (including the restrictions as listed in the above
notation)! The Arizona Board of Regents Code of Conduct (www.azsos.gov/public_services/Title_07/704.htm) prohibits cheating regardless of whether the
exam is being supervised or not.
Quizzes will open and close on the dates listed (see below). All times are Mountain Standard Time
(MST). You must complete each quiz during the time it is open. Please be very mindful of this. You
may log on and view each quiz as many times as needed while it is open but all submissions are
final. No resets will be granted on quizzes, under any circumstances.
Quiz
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Opens
7/06/2009 (Monday, Week 1), 8:00 am
7/13/2009 (Monday, Week 2), 8:00 am
7/16/2009 (Thursday, Week 2), 8:00 am
7/20/2009 (Monday, Week 3), 8:00 am
7/23/2009 (Thursday, Week 3), 8:00 am
7/27/2009 (Monday, Week 4), 8:00 am
7/30/2009 (Thursday, Week 4), 8:00 am
Closes
7/13/2009 (Monday, Week 2), 11:30 pm
7/16/2009 (Thursday, Week 2), 11:30 pm
7/20/2009 (Monday, Week 3), 11:30 pm
7/23/2009 (Thursday, Week 3), 11:30 pm
7/27/2009 (Monday, Week 4), 11:30 pm
7/30/2009 (Thursday, Week 4), 11:30 pm
8/05/2009 (Wednesday, Week 5), 11:30 pm
Topic
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
Unit 7
2
ARS100: Introduction to Art (Online Version) - Dr. Asa Mittman
4. Grading
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
E
97 — 100 (105)
93 — 96
90 — 92
87 — 89
83 — 86
80 — 82
77 — 79
70 — 76
60 — 69
0 — 59
5. Extra Credit
There are no official extra credit opportunities. Keep in mind, however, that all the quizzes are equally
weighted (7 quizzes, each worth 15 points, adding up to 105). The grading scale only takes 100 points
total into account, which means there are 5 pseudo “extra credit” points built-in. Remember this. Even if
you need only one point to move to the next grade level, there is nothing that can be done. Please, do not
ask.
6. Technical Notes for ARS100
Because this course is entirely delivered via the Internet, you are responsible for making sure that the
computer you use to access all course materials meets or exceeds the specified minimum computer
qualifications as listed on the course Web site. Because of the high media content of this course you may
be required to set up and configure a media player that will consistently play Quicktime video files. The
security settings on your Web browser should allow JavaScript to run. Please note: you are highly
encouraged to not enroll, or to drop immediately, if you do not have computer experience, or if you
are not willing to assume the added responsibility of a computer-based course. Necessary required
skills include: downloading of files, browsing the Internet, and conferring via email. Other intermediate
computer-based activities may be required as well.
7. Disability Accommodations and Special Needs
I wish to include fully persons with special needs in this course. I am available to discuss any appropriate
academic accommodations for student with disabilities. Please make any requests during the first three
weeks of the semester, or as soon as practicable, so arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged
to register with Disability Resource Center at 480-965-1234 (Voice) and 480-965-9000 (TTY) to verify
their eligibility for appropriate accommodations. The DRC provides testing accommodation, note-taking
services, sign language interpretation and other accommodations.
For further information, see: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/index.htm
3