Overview
The course introduces students to the developments in artistic expression from the Renaissance to contemporary art. It also introduces the basic premise of art history and teaches students how to critically view historical works and artistic practices.
Objectives
We hope that during your studies in this course you will achieve the following broad objectives:
- Learn how to look at art in terms of its visually descriptive aspects and corresponding materials of production
- Understand the functions of visual art in the periods covered in the course
- Examine and understand the iconographical significance of important historical works
- Within the historical parameters of the course, achieve a general overview of the history and developments of Western visual art, its major periods, movements, concepts, and artists
- Acquire an art and architecture vocabulary and be able to use it in relation to specific works
- Initiate a critical discussion on how works of art form part of a larger set of relationships that include artist and society
- Learn how to write a university-level research essay
Outline
The course consists of the following units:
- Unit 1: Introduction to Art History
- Unit 2: Northern Europe and Italy in the Renaissance
- Unit 3: Art and Religion in Sixteenth-Century Europe
- Unit 4: The Baroque in Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands
- Unit 5: Rococo and Neoclassical Influences in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
- Unit 6: Art Movements in Nineteenth-Century Europe
- Unit 7: Birth of the Avant-Garde and Modernism in Europe
- Unit 8: Art since the Interwar Period
Evaluation
To receive credit for ARHI 202, you must complete and submit all of the assignments and write the final exam. You must achieve a minimum grade of D (50 percent) on the final exam, and an overall grade of at least D (50 percent) for the course.
| Activity | Weight |
| Self-Assessment Study Questions | 15% |
| Assignment 1: Essay (1000 words) | 20% |
| Assignment 2: Term Paper (1750–2000 words) | 30% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Davies, Penelope J. E., Walter B. Denny, Frima Fox Hofrichter, Joseph Jacobs, Ann M. Roberts, and David L. Simon. Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. 8th ed., Pearson, 2011.
Other Resources
All other learning resources are available online.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ARHI 202 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on each part of the examination.
| Activity | Weight |
| Part 1 Exam (take-home essay) | 50% |
| Part 2 Exam (written exam) | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
Challenge for credit course registration form