History of Art II – ARTS 202

Course Description

This course presents a chronological survey of Western art and architecture from the 15th century to the Post Modern Era, with the goal of analyzing works of art from a Christian worldview. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary development with special emphasis on methods of critical analysis of works of art. Students are responsible for maintenance of portfolio assignments. This portfolio will be used for class discussion periodically and turned in at the end of the semester.

Rationale

The purpose of this course is to broaden the student’s Christian worldview through the examination of art and visual culture from the Renaissance to the present. 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 in museums—and this course will help the student to decode and understand the meaning of visual culture throughout the ages. Understanding, looking at, and thinking about the way images communicate meaning is important to our understanding of the world in which we live. The critical study of the complex relationships 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.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

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 is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be at least 250 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge, and include at least 1 biblical principle. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 100 words.

Virtual Tours and Journal Essay Assignments (5)

The student will complete virtual tours through various museums and historic locations. Each assignment must have a journal entry of at least 400 words and contain at least 1 academic citation in current MLA format (Citation must be an academic source from the library, not including the textbook, tour website, or the Bible). Jerry Falwell Library: http://www.liberty.edu/library/

Case Study Assignment (2)

The student will complete projects based on different art periods. Each case study will require a PowerPoint presentation to be saved and submitted as a pdf (smaller file); the student may use another program to create the project upon professor approval. Each project requires several slides, each containing at least one image and a written description.

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned Module: Week. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, will contain 20 multiple-choice questions, and will not have a time limit. This way, the student can take the quiz as he/she reads the chapter.