ARTH 1001 - Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2018

Art is an enduring product of human creativity, symbolic communication, and emotional expression that exists in an intriguing intersection with past and present historical contexts. This course provides an introduction to key concepts and methods used for studying art and visual culture from the Italian Renaissance to global contemporary art of the twenty-first century. Emphasis is placed on the changing definition of art, works of art as material objects, origins and evolution of museums and galleries, ethics of conservation and restoration, and the roles played by artists, patrons, viewers, and consumers in making meaning about art. The course aims to develop fundamental visual literacy skills that equip students with life-transforming tools for engaging with a diverse of range of images and objects for pleasure, further studies in Art History, or professional careers in curatorship.

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Course Details

Course Code	ARTH 1001
Course	Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture
Coordinating Unit	Art History
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assessment	Seminar participation 10%, Online tasks 20%, Exhibition review 30%, Research essay 40%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa Mansfield

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Demonstrate disciplinary knowledge of major issues and ideas in Italian Renaissance and Contemporary art and visual culture.
2	Identify and interpret Italian Renaissance and Contemporary images and objects.
3	Evaluate and synthesise credible academic sources.
4	Communicate clearly and persuasively in writing and speaking.
5	Use appropriate learning technologies and research tools.
6	Work independently and cooperatively in problem solving tasks and small group discussions.
7	Manage and organise workloads to complete prescribed readings and meet deadlines for assignments.
8	Understand the complexities of human creativity and diversity in local and global societies and cultures.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-8
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1, 2, 3
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4, 6, 7
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	4, 5, 6, 7
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1, 2, 8
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	4, 6, 8

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Weekly prescribed readings will be available on MyUni Canvas or by searching the Barr Smith Library (BSL) catalogue independently in advance of seminars. Students will receive hands-on training in searching for and collating electronic academic sources online and at the first face-to-face seminar workshop in week 2.

Recommended Resources

Recommended texts:

Arnold, Dana. Art History: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. [BSL e-book].

Johnson, Geraldine A. Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. [BSL e-book].

Stallabrass, Julian. Art Incorporated: The Story of Contemporary Art. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. [BSL e-book].

Online Learning

MyUni Canvas

Announcements

Discussion Board (Q&A)

Lecture recordings

Lecture and seminar image powerpoints

Seminar learning activities and discussion questions

Assessment task (assignment) instructions

Turnitin (assessment task submission and plagiarism tool)

External resources (websites; podcasts; youtubes)

Learning & Teaching Modes

While most weeks include face-to-face contact in the lecture and seminar workshops on campus, the course includes a small number of replacement structured online activities (with pre-recorded lectures) in a blended learning mode. The course content is divided into three modules (4 weeks each) that are designed to equip you with foundation art historical skills in critical looking, thinking, writing, and speaking about Italian Renaissance and Contemporary art and visual culture.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Lectures	12 hours
Seminars	24 hours
Reading	42 hours
Research	42 hours
Assignment preparation	18 hours
Structured online activities	18 hours
TOTAL WORKLOAD	156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

The course comprises three modules:

Module 1 (weeks 1-4)
Introduction to studies in art and visual culture (essential art history toolkit)

Module 2 (weeks 5-8)
Italian Renaissance art and visual culture

Module 3 (weeks 9-12)
Contemporary art and global visual culture

Specific Course Requirements

Students will be required to conduct independent and small group research tasks and learning activities in the Art Gallery of South Australia.

Seminar attendance and participation are requirements for this course. Students must attend at least 80% of seminars to pass the course unless documentation of a medical condition (or Access Plan) can be provided. There will be opportunities to attend alternative seminars if a week is missed.

Small Group Discovery Experience

Small Group Discovery Experiences are not only an important component of the discussion and problem-solving activities in the face-to-face seminars, but are also conducted on the MyUni Canvas Discussion Board.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Due	Learning Outcome
Seminar participation (SGDE)	Formative and summative	10%	Weeks 5-12	1, 4, 6, 8
Visual analysis	Formative and summative	25%	Week 4	1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Academic source review	Formative and summative	25%	Week 8	3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Research essay	Formative and summative	40%	Week 12	1-8

Assessment Related Requirements

This course has a minimum hurdle requirement of 80% attendance at seminar workshops.

Assessment Detail

Seminar participation (SGDE)	Weeks 5-12	Small group discussion, visual analysis activities, collaborative problem solving of seminar case studies, and peer review exercises.
Visual analysis	1000 words	Write a visual analysis on either an Italian Renaissance or Contemporary work of art on display in the Art Gallery of South Australia. The work of art must also be available for close examination via the Google Art Project.
Academic source review	1000 words	Write a critical review of a journal article or book chapter relevant to your research essay.
Research essay	2000 words	Write a research essay on a prescribed question on either Italian Renaissance or Contemporary Art (includes a synopsis with thesis statement).

Submission

The three major assessment tasks (assignments) must be submitted via Turnitin on MyUni Canvas (by midnight of the due date).

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator