Course Outline for Art History 4
Art History-Ancient to Gothic

Effective: Fall 2022
SLO Rev: 09/12/2021
Catalog Description:

ARTH 4 - Art History-Ancient to Gothic

3.00 Units

This course presents a chronological history of the West using iconic artworks that embody the conditions and values of the people who created them. We begin in prehistory, when Cro-Magnons painted the walls of their caves, and end in the late Medieval period, when artists sought ways to give tangible form to God and the heavens. Along the way, we cover visual masterworks by ancient Arabs and Persians of Mesopotamia, northeast Africans and Nilotic peoples in Egypt, and Greeks and Romans in the Mediterranean region. This course is especially appropriate for visual learners. (Formerly ART 4; may not receive credit if ART 4 has been completed.)
1002.00 - Art
Optional
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Measurable Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Identify, examine, and assess representative works of art and architecture from prehistory through the medieval period employing appropriate art historical terminology;
  2. Analyze, discuss, and differentiate works of art and architecture in terms of historical context and cultural values;
  3. Analyze, discuss, and differentiate the roles of art, architecture, and the artist from prehistory through the medieval period.
Course Content:
  1. Prehistoric art
    1. paleolithic
    2. mesolithic
    3. neolithic
  2. Egyptian art
    1. Old Kingdom
    2. Middle Kingdom
    3. New Kingdom
  3. Mesopotamian art
    1. Sumerian
    2. Akkadian
    3. Babylonian
    4. Assyrian
    5. Persian
  4. Aegean art
    1. Minoan
    2. Cycladic
    3. Mycenean
  5. Greek art
    1. Geometric
    2. Archaic
    3. Early Classical
    4. High Classical
    5. Hellenistic
  6. Etruscan
  7. Roman
    1. the Republic
    2. the Empire
  8. Early Christian
  9. Byzantine
  10. Medieval
    1. Carolingian
    2. Ottonian
  11. Romanesque
  12. Gothic
Methods of Instruction:
  1. Classroom activities
  2. Distance Education
  3. Large and small group discussion
  4. Museum or gallery visit
  5. Slide- and video-illustrated lecture
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
  1. Visit the UC Berkeley campus and view the Doe Library. After sketching the elevation of the building and labeling on the sketch all the visible classical architectural elements, write a three-page essay in which you answer three questions: 1. How does this building differ from the original Classical Greek temple it is based on? 2. Why was this ancient Greek style deemed appropriate for this specific building? 3. Why was this ancient Greek style deemed appropriate for a modern university?
  2. Compile a list of all art- and architecture-related contributions of the Romans.
  3. Define the following terms and cite buildings in which they can be found: Altar, Buttress, Pendentive, Ambulatory, Campanile, Pointed arch, Apse, Choir, Radiating chapels, Basilica, Clerestory, Vault
  1. Exams requiring slide identification, short- and long-answer essays
  2. Written assignments
  3. Art museum visit assignment
  4. Research Projects
  5. Final Examination or Project
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. identify and establish an argument for the cultural significance, and historical values embedded in, artwork from prehistory through the 1st century BCE;
  2. identify and establish an argument for the cultural significance, and historical valued embedded in, artwork from the 1st century CE through the Gothic period;
  3. identify and establish an argument for the art style, cultural significance, and historical value of original artwork viewed in a museum (in person or virtually).
Textbooks (Typical):
  1. Robertson, Jean; Hutton, Deborah; Colburn, Cynthia; Harmansah, Omur (2021). The History of Art: A Global View: Prehistory to the Present Thames and Hudson.
  • Students taking this course online must have a computer with internet connection and must register for the Canvas LMS, which is provided free to students.
Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:
This course presents a chronological history of the West using iconic artworks that embody the conditions and values of the people who created them. We begin in prehistory, when Cro-Magnons painted the walls of their caves, and end in the late Medieval period, when artists sought ways to give tangible form to God and the heavens. Along the way, we cover visual masterworks by ancient Arabs and Persians of Mesopotamia, northeast Africans and Nilotic peoples in Egypt, and Greeks and Romans in the Mediterranean region. This course is especially appropriate for visual learners.(Formerly ART 4; may not receive credit if ART 4 has been completed.)