Instructor: Nicholas Hudson

Office: Cultural Arts Building, 2046

Email: hudsonn (at) uncw.edu

Office phone: 962-7960

 

Course Description:

        ARH 201, Ancient through Medieval Art offers a broad survey of art in the ancient world that highlights major movements in art from roughly 4000 BC to AD 1400 (about 5400 years of art in 16 weeks!!!). As a survey class we will be moving quickly across time and space, hitting the major cultural developments in the ancient world from a Western perspective. What does this mean? We’ll be focusing on those ancient civilizations that had a direct impact on the lives and cultures of the West (Europe). This means we’ll be looking at the Ancient Near East (Mesopotamia – Syria, Iraq, Iran), Ancient Egypt, the Greeks, the Romans, Early Christianity, Early Islam, and Medieval Europe.

        During the course of the semester we will explore how art (images of the world produced by humans) has been used throughout history to tell stories, symbolize power, celebrate religion, etc. Through reading, lectures, and classroom group discussion we will work together to uncover the different ways in which “Art” has been used by different cultures over time. We will also explore how the types of “Art” that we use as evidence for understanding past cultures changes over time (from archaeological to more familiar items like sculptures and paintings).

Course Requirements and Grading:

        Everyone is expected to participate in the learning process. This includes preparing for lectures by reading the assigned texts before class as well as being active in assigned class discussions. Grading will be based on a variety of assessments: 1) Map quizzes (four total), 2) Slide quizzes (four total), 3) Class Discussion Days (four total) and 4) Exams (three total). With the exception of Class Discussion Days, all quizzes and exams will be taken on the class’s Blackboard page.

 

Graded assessment chart:

Assessment	points	percentage
Map quizzes : 4 x 10pts	40 pts total	8.7%
Slide quizzes : 4 x 20pts	80 pts total	17.4%
Discussion Days: 4 x 10pts	40 pts total	8.7%
Exam 1	100 pts	21.73%
Exam 2	100 pts	21.73%
Final Exam	100 pts	21.73%
	460 pts TOTAL	100%