Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
ARTSD002A
Course Title (CB02)
History of Art: Europe from Prehistory through Early Christianity
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the discipline of art history through an analysis of images, objects, and works of architecture produced from the prehistoric period of European history through approximately the year 600 C.E., including discussion of Stone Age, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine cultures.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is a major requirement in the discipline of Art History for at least one CSU or UC. Further, this course meets a general education requirement for 爱豆传媒, CSU GE, and/or IGETC. It belongs on the Art History Associate of Arts Degree. It was developed to meet a thematic requirement within the ARTS 2 (History of Art) series, introducing students to the practice of art history by means of an exploration of a range of images and objects produced within ancient cultures.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
爱豆传媒 GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC1爱豆传媒 GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC1CSU GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3AIGETC Area 3A - ArtsApproved
C-IDArea(s)StatusDetails
ARTHArt HistoryApprovedARTS D002A & ARTS D002B required for C-ID ARTH 110

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

In-class essays

In-class exploration of Internet sites

Field observation and field trips

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Assignments

  1. Required reading from primary and secondary sources
  2. Written assignment.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Midterm and final exams, including both of the following formats: objective questions identifying works of art and their respective artists, historical periods, dates, and media, and/or 鈥渟hort answer鈥 questions; and written essays requiring analysis of works of art in conjunction with works discussed by students in class, and in response to assigned readings, including application of primary source documents and secondary written sources.
  2. At least one written assignment, comprised of a term paper which requires visual analysis of original works of art (or architecture) contextualized in relation to works of art (or architecture) discussed by students in class. The paper will be evaluated on the basis of any or all of the following: student analysis of physical condition and technical production of art objects; implementation of formal and stylistic analysis; interpretation of subject matter; consideration of the gender, ethnicity, and social status of artists (or architects and/or patrons); and analysis of the function and meaning of the work in society.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials:聽
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Kleiner, Fred S. "Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, fifteenth edition." Volume 1. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2017.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Bajema, Marcus Jan. "Bodies of Maize, Eaters of Grain: Comparing Material Worlds, Metaphor and the Agency of Art in the Preclassic Maya and Mycenaean Early Civilizations." Oxford: Archaeopress Archaeology, 2017.
McEnroe, John C. "Architecture of Minoan Crete: Constructing Identity in the Aegean Bronze Age." Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.
Hopkins, John North. The Genesis of Roman Architecture. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2016.
Kleiner, Diana E.E. and Susan B. Matheson, eds. "I, Claudia II: Women in Roman Art and Society." Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2000.
Kleiner, Fred S. "A History of Roman Art." Boston: Cengage Learning, 2010.
Elsner, Jas. "Roman Eyes: Visuality and Subjectivity in Art and Text." Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2007.
Lydakis, Stelios. "Ancient Greek Painting and its Echoes in Later Art." Brentwood, CA: J. Paul Getty Trust Publications, 2004.
Lewis-Williams, David. "The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art." London: Thames and Hudson, 2004.
McEvilley, Thomas. "The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies." New York: Allworth Press, 2002.
Nijhowne, Jeanne. "Politics, Religion, and Cylinder Seals: A Study of Mesopotamian Symbolism in the Second Millenium B.C." New York: Hedges, 1999.
Pollitt, J.J. "The Art of Greece: Sources and Documents, second edition." Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Pollitt, J.J. "Art of Rome: Sources and Documents." New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Ramage, Nancy H. "Roman Art, sixth edition." Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2015.
Getz-Gentle, Pat. "Personal Style in Early Cycladic Sculpture." Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2013.
Connor, Carolyn L. "Saints and Spectacle: Byzantine Mosaics in their Cultural Setting." Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Talbert, Richard J.A. "Ancient Perspectives: Maps and their Place in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome." Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2012.
Curatola, Giovanni, ed. "The Art and Architecture of Mesopotamia." New York: Abbeville Press, 2007.
Wren, Linea H. and David J. Wren, eds. "Perspectives on Western Art." New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1987.
Boardman, John. "The World of Ancient Art." London: Thames and Hudson, 2006.
Smith, Tyler Jo and Dimitris Plantzos. "A Companion to Greek Art." Chichester, West Sussex and Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 2018.
Arafat, K.W. "Pausanias' Greece: Ancient Artists and Roman Rulers." Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Aruz, Joan, et al. "Art of the First Cities: The Third Millenium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus." New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003.
Robins, Gay. "The Art of Ancient Egypt." Revised edition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008.
Bernal, Martin. "Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization." New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006.
Causey, Faya. "Amber and the Ancient World." Brentwood, CA: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2012.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Analyze the political and cultural function of works of art and architecture produced by the following cultures: Pre Historic Europe, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Etruria, Rome, Early Christianity, and Byzantium.
  • Explore the concept of the artist and architect during antiquity
  • Discuss the concept and practice of ancient European art and architecture in relation to ancient art and architecture produced in non-European cultures
  • Evaluate works of art and architecture through both traditional and contemporary art historical methods
  • Utilize both primary and secondary written texts in the active process of writing art history

CSLOs

  • Students will analyze the social experiences of artists, demonstrating how artists' relationships with their patrons was a defining factor in the production of works of art.

  • Students will demonstrate visual literacy and critical thinking skills by evaluating diverse scholarly perspectives when interpreting works of art.

  • Students will investigate different techniques utilized in the production of works of art through written analysis based on firsthand evaluation of original art objects.

Outline

  1. Analyze the political and cultural function of works of art and architecture produced by the following cultures: Pre Historic Europe, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Etruria, Rome, Early Christianity, and Byzantium.
    1. Pre Historic Europe
      1. Paleolithic cultures
      2. Mesolithic cultures
      3. Neolithic cultures
    2. Mesopotamia
      1. Sumer and Akkad
      2. Old Babylonia
      3. Assyria
      4. New Babylonia
      5. Persia
    3. Egypt
      1. Pre-Dynastic and Old Kingdom
      2. Middle Kingdom
      3. New Kingdom
    4. The Aegean and Greece
      1. The Cyclades
      2. Minoan art
      3. Mycenaean art
      4. Geometric art
      5. Archaic art
      6. Classical art
      7. Hellenistic art
    5. Etruria and Rome
      1. Etruria
      2. Roman Republic
      3. Early Roman Empire
      4. Late Roman Empire
    6. Early Christianity and Byzantium
      1. The period of persecution
      2. The period of recognition
      3. The Byzantine west
      4. The Byzantine east
  2. Explore the concept of the artist and architect during antiquity
    1. Workshop traditions in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Rome
    2. Image making in relation to ancient Judaism
    3. Greek artistic identity from the ancient Minoan through the Hellenistic periods
    4. Early Christian and Byzantine production of icons
    5. Role(s) of women in relation to artistic production
  3. Discuss the concept and practice of ancient European art and architecture in relation to ancient art and architecture produced in non-European cultures
    1. India
    2. China
    3. Africa
    4. The Americas
  4. Evaluate works of art and architecture through both traditional and contemporary art historical methods
    1. Traditional methods of interpretation, such as:
      1. Formalism
      2. Iconography
      3. Connoisseurship
    2. Contemporary methods of interpretation, such as:
      1. Marxism and World-Systems theory
      2. Feminism, Gender analysis, and Queer theory
      3. Postcolonial theory and colonial discourse analysis
  5. Utilize both primary and secondary written texts in the active process of writing art history
    1. Primary sources, such as:
      1. Documents from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
      2. Documents from ancient Greece and Rome
      3. Documents from early Christianity and Byzantium
    2. Secondary sources, such as:
      1. Textbook
      2. Scholarly articles
      3. Other books
Back to Top