Fall 2008 Art Historical Theory & Methodology

Digital Media Arts College

AHT 5010 Art Historical Theory & Methodology

Spring 2007

Instructor :: Joleen Koehly

Telephone :: 561.391.1148 ext. 215

Email :: jkoehly@dmac-edu.org

Course Title Art Historical Theory and Methodology

Course Number

AHT 5010

Credit Hours 3 Credits

Course Length 15 weeks

Prerequisites None

Contact Hours 3 hours per week (lecture)

Textbook None Required

Course Description Students will read numerous outstanding historical and critical writings exemplifying differing approaches to the field of art, including: connoisseurship and criticism, iconography and contextual studies. Each student will develop a bibliography on a particular historical approach to the study of art. Class discussion will use historical examples to examine the standards for art historical writing and will address current issues in the field. Graduate level reading and writing skills are developed through the analysis of the historiography of art theory and methodology: skills that are of high demand in the leading animation companies as well as in academia

• Course Objectives / Outcomes Develop the students’ aesthetic and critical sensibility regarding what good animation and design is: to the point where they may judge competitions, write reviews and critical essays.

• Develop the students’ theoretical knowledge concerning the underlying technologies of the discipline.

• Develop the students’ learning skills and strategies necessary to keep up, through self-directed study, with evolving technologies, skills, and tendencies in art and design relevant to the field.

• Develop the students’ capacity to write clearly.

• Develop the students’ ability to teach: in schools, colleges, universities, and dedicated training facilities.

Course Topics Iconography

Marxism

Feminism

Semiotics

Psychoanalysis

Post Humanism

Attendance Students should be present for every class of the semester, arriving before class begins and staying until class is dismissed.

School policy states that a student who misses more than 3 classes will fail the course unless the instructor determines that there is an acceptable extenuating circumstance.

In the case of absence, students are responsible for finding out what work they have missed, or in obtaining notes from a classmate. Extensions on work due are not granted for being absent for the class that they were assigned in or due in. If an absence is unavoidable, it is strongly recommended to contact the instructor before the absence and make any arrangements to turn in work early. Absenteeism can affect your grade from a participation standpoint as well as from the negative impact that it can have on your learning and work.

Tardiness Being late to class will be recorded as a tardy, and can affect a student’s grade as it impacts participation. Tardy policy states that any student who is more than 15 minutes late will be considered absent for that class. A late student is expected to join the class with a minimum of disruption to the lesson.

Late Work Assignments must be in on the date identified in the syllabus and at the beginning of class. Late projects will not be accepted. (Any deviation from this policy will be extremely rare and discretion of the instructor)

Statement on Academic Dishonesty Plagiarism is the act of taking words, ideas, or artwork and the presentation of them as your own work. Plagiarism can include the assistance of another student in cheating. Plagiarism is extreme academic misconduct, which defeats your objectives in attending school. Plagiarism will not be tolerated, cheating students will fail the class and discovery may lead to immediate expulsion from the college.

Saving Work Students are responsible for saving their work securely so that it may be turned in according to the teacher’s specifications. Students should not turn in the only copy of their work as student work becomes the property of DMAC and may not be returned to them. Computers are mechanical in nature and therefore data is always at risk for erasure, corruption, or other destructive force. The teacher or the College is in no way responsible for student work saved on the hard drives of the College. Adequate infrastructure has been provided for the students to create multiple backup disks of their work to guard against loss. Improperly saved work is not the responsibility of the teacher and extensions due to data loss should not be granted. The hard drives will be erased regularly with little or no notice to keep the machines in good working order; it is therefore critical for students to keep multiple backups of their work at all times and stages.

Explanation of Assignments

In class participation: This course is designed to encourage dynamic and comprehensive discussion of ideas related to the history and development of fine and media arts. It is necessary that you be prepared to think about and discuss the topic in-depth. It is important to do the reading and research in advance of class to participate. We will be exploring and discussing one topic in-depth to illustrate the process of art historical research. And, of course, respect the instructor and your fellow students by participating in group discussions and not individual conversations. Oh and … don’t be late.

Bibliography: Students are required to research and create an in-depth (10 -12 page) annotated Bibliography on a fine art/media historical topic of choice. This is due the last day of classes.

Presentation of research: Students will be expected to teach one class of an hour and a half based on the subject of their research. They will present a lecture and present appropriate works of art and media to illustrate the point. The class must include a research question that is answered in the course of the lecture.

Course Outline

Week 01

Topic:

History of Art History, The research question and topic.

Covering a topic in depth. Types of analysis.

Art Research methods. Developing a research question. Doing a literature review.

Week 02

Topic:

Assignment: Iconography

Research the annotated Bibliography. Bring examples to class.

Week 03

Topic:

Assignment: Contextual Approaches: Marxism

Readings on Marx

Week 04

Topic:

Assignment: Feminism & Cyberfeminism

Readings on Feminism

Week 05 Topic:

Assignment: Biography and Autobiography

Selected Biographical readings; semiotics and post-structuralism

Week 06 Topic:

Assignment: Semiotics I: Structuralism and Post-Structuralism

Readings on Semiotics

Week 07 Topic:

Assignment: Semiotics II: Deconstruction

Readings on Semiotics

Week 08 Topic:

Assignment: Psychoanalysis

Readings on Freud; presentations

Week 09 Topic:

Assignment: Psychoanalysis (continued)

Readings on Jung; presentations

Week 10 Topic:

Assignment: Post Humanism

Readings on Post Humanism; presentations

Week 11 Topic:

Assignment: Presenting Research Results

Presentations of research process and results

Week 12 Due:

Assignment: Presentations

Continued presentation research

Week 13 Due:

Assignment: Presentations

Continued presentation research

Week 14 Due:

Assignment: Presentations

Continued presentation research

Week 15 Due:

Assignment: Presentations

none

Instructional Methods:

Lecture / Media Clips / Discussion and debate.

ADA To meet the needs of our students with disabilities, Digital Media Arts College offers reasonable accommodations and access for qualified students with disabilities. Students or applicants who would like to request reasonable accommodations should contact the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs in advance of the semester of study when accommodations may be needed

Grading

Legend

Attendance and Participation 33%

Presentation of research 33%

Annotated Bibliography 33%

Grading Scale A=100-90%, B=89-80%, C=79-70%, D=69-60%, F=59-0%

Date of last review: January 31, 2007

Thanks for a Great Semester

Hey Class.

You were a joy. It happens rarely the exact right combination of people that make a class truly fun and interesting across the board. You were that class! You show great promise as artists and thinkers. Good luck in all you do, now and forever!

j