Jeffrey Collins

COR 104: ART AND CULTURE

Dr. Jeffrey Collins

Oglethorpe University, FAll, 2004

Class Meetings:  3:00-4: 15 PM  T/TH, R-117

Office Hours:  M/W 2:00—Midnight: T/TH 10:00—12:00

Or by appointment, M/W/F

Communications:  404.504.3452, office

jcollins@oglethorpe.edu or jeffrey.collins@comcast.net 

Office: R-107, OUSA Office

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

Art and Culture is an interdisciplinary, chronological survey of the visual arts and their intrinsic connections to the philosophies, literature, and histories of Western and Eastern civilizations.  This course traces the origins, evolution, and the creative re-workings of inherited artistic traditions, emphasizing the prominent masterpieces and artists who envision, reflect, and often transcend their time and culture. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Identify by title, artist, and school the major visual representations of selected epochs.

Analyze the major aesthetic, philosophical, literary, and musical trends that influenced and shaped the visual arts of each period.

Explore the spiritual, political, and socio-economic developments of selected civilizations and their subsequent transformations in the visual arts.

Investigate the similar artistic constructs and ideals of different cultural epochs.

Develop the necessary interdisciplinary visual, oral, and written communications skills for successful living in a complex world.

TEXT:  History of Art, Gardner, 12th edition.      

AGENDA

CAVEAT          

This is a flexible syllabus, and changes may occur in content, with possible time adjustments as needed by the class.  Please remain aware of possible syllabus changes announced in class. 

In addition, certain portions of this course analyze and challenge certain ideas of art, or display nudity in selected Western masterpieces.   It is assumed that, as adults, students will keep an open mind and eye, and discuss materials in a professional manner.  Furthermore, much of Western art is religious, particularly Christian in nature, and it is further assumed that students will understand that the discussion of such spiritual masterpieces does not infer any form of indoctrination.

COURSE METHODOLOGY:

Lecturing and taking notes is a time-honored tradition, but not necessarily the best way to learn.  Students learn best by doing:  thus, you will be asked to fully participate in discussions both inside and outside the class. 

All classes will be conducted solely as undergraduate discussion presentations, with the professor as moderator, questioner, and commentator on the art.  All visual images will be assigned from the text, and discussion lectures given in the order the images are presented in the text.

Class discussion grades will be based upon your questions, responses, and ideas which demonstrate understanding of the material read.  The class discussion portion of your grade counts ¼ of your total final grade.

COURSE JUSTIFICATION:

Art and Culture is a core course as described by the Oglethorpe University Bulletin.  Art Histories and Culture courses have always educated and encouraged students to reflect upon and analyze the inherent importance of the visual arts, the ways in which art evokes and challenges our understandings of the past, and how art as history helps students envision and re-interpret our responses to both ancient and modern cultures. 

A core course like Art and Culture fundamentally possesses unique, compelling, and historically validated foundations that give birth to, nurture, and support a sound liberal arts education.  Art and cultural historians have continually asked about how we understand who we are, especially in the imaging of artists in their respective cultures; they have always asked how our ways of knowing evolved, from the earliest cave paintings to the most nascent fractal computer image; art and cultural historians have never ceased from exploring how the arts help reflect, revision, and resolve conflicts, both spiritual and material; and finally, scholars in the arts have perpetually, from early India to the latest art movements, encountered and created values, expressing them in their theories, as artists do in their works.  Such encounters and such creations ultimately enliven all debates on how best to think, see, and live.  These insights and artistic ideals, taken together, promote the life-long asking of questions and a heightened sense of aesthetic appreciation. 

JOURNAL/NOTEBOOKS:

A notebook is a “thought” journal of sorts.  You will keep all of your classnotes, and your critical assessments of artwork, in this notebook.

Each student must demonstrate a “mind-at-work” in this journal—ideas, questions, responses, references to other readings, and discoveries.

The journal must demonstrate internet exploration of at least 8 significant websites on any of the epochs or genre covered.  You must cite the source, paste information into your notebooks, and then respond to the new discovery through argument, question, comparison to other materials learned in other classes, etc.

The journal must also demonstrate that you have attended at least 2 museum exhibits (ticket stubs pasted in), in any city of choice.  The exhibits must be significant ones, related in ways to the course of instruction.  If unsure, please consult with me.  You must write a one-page review of what you experienced at each exhibit.

The journal must contain at least 50 pages total of written materials, thoughts, questions, analysis, observations about the art, new theories from acceptable sources, etc 

The journal will be graded based on the quality of thought and the kinds of inquiry you make.  Journals with excellent arguments, questions, ideas, and additional readings score the highest marks.  Journals count as 1/4 of your total grade.

Journals are kept, and will be returned the following semester if you indicate to me you wish to keep them.

RESEARCH PAPERS:

Each student will hand in at the semester’s end a significant research paper, with attached appendix of discussed images.

The appendix does not count toward the total length of the paper.

The research paper is 15 pages, appropriately cited, using standard research format.

The student in consultation with the professor chooses topics.  Choice of topic is crucial:  avoid writing on “Michelangelo,” or “Modern Art,” or “Painting Styles of Ten Artists in the Renaissance”—these are too broad, too general, and you will be overwhelmed by the resources.  Instead, make a topic like this:  “Two Contrasting Theories of Paleolithic Wall-Painting in Lascaux and Niaux.”  Narrow your focus, deepen your research, and argue a viewpoint and conclude.

Research papers should use at least 4 sources, excluding your text, and at least 2 Internet sources, excluding generalized introductions.

You may e-mail your papers, but please keep a hardcopy.  Papers are not returned to discourage further use of your brilliant work!

The research paper counts as ¼ of the total final grade.