ARTS 201 History of Art I

Note to student: This course requires the study of artworks and images that may include nudity, violence, sensitive content, and religious and political opinions that differ from your own Christian worldview. If you do not wish to engage with this material, it is suggested that you speak to your instructor and/or academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss how to proceed. There will be no alternative assignments offered in this course.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

The purpose of this course is to broaden the student’s Christian worldview through the examination of archaeology, art, and visual culture. This course will enable the student to think critically about the nature of creativity and the notion of artistic genius. We live in a visual world. Art is everywhere—from graffiti on the streets, to architecture, monuments, film, advertisements, and museum exposition—and this course will help the student decode and understand the meaning of visual culture from prehistory through the Middle Ages, and in turn, their own culture. Understanding, looking at, and thinking about ways the images communicate meaning are important in comprehending the world. The critical study of the complex relationship between Christianity and the visual arts reveals a unique opportunity to combine faith and academics in a meaningful and enlightening manner. The student’s Christian worldview will be enriched by studying the history of divine-inspired human creativity.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete 2 Discussions in this course. For each Discussion, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt. This initial post must be 200 words (or longer), demonstrate course-related knowledge, and include at least one biblical principle. In addition, the student is required to reply to two posts by their classmates. Each reply must be 100 words (or longer).

Virtual Tours and Journal Entry Assignments (4)

Virtual Toursallow the student to visit museums and cultural heritage sites via the Internet. After completing all facets of each Virtual Tour, the student will compose a Journal Entry based on the prompt. Each Journal Entry must contain a citation from an academic source (an academic book or a scholarly journal article).

Virtual Exhibition Project Assignment

The student will complete Virtual Exhibition Project comprised of annotated images of the artworks from a museum or a gallery. This assignment assesses the student’s ability to describe, analyze, and organize the works of art in the form of a thematic art exhibition.

Case Study Assignments (2)

The student will learn more about Ancient Roman urban planning and the Early Christian art by completing Case Studies. Each Case Study will contain a hand-drawn or computer-generated design followed by a slide presentation. Each slide will contain an image and a written annotation.

Visual Analysis Assignment

The student will learn to distinguish between various parts of the Romanesque portal through analysis of the south portal of the Church of Saint-Pierre in Moissac (France, 1115-1130).

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material from the assigned Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, will have 20 multiple-choice questions, will be limited to 1 attempt, and will have no time limit.