Course Title: ART 200 Art Beyond the West
Term: Fall and Spring
Course Description
Major, minor. Elective credit. This course offers a broad introduction to major developments in the visual arts across the globe. Students will examine how art intersects with religion, politics, and cultural life in East and Central Asia, Africa, and ancient South America. Consideration will also be given to contemporary perspectives on these traditions, the impact of colonization and globalization on these cultural practices, and the issues that arise today when collecting, studying, and defining the category of “non-Western” art.
Course Objectives
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To analyze and discuss major artistic styles and works of art from Asia, Africa, and the ancient Americas
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To discuss how regional arts relate to historical and political circumstances, including colonialism and globalization
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To develop skills in visual analysis, historical interpretation, and research-based writing
Course Outcomes
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Students will be able to analyze artistic styles and works of art from Asia, Africa, and the ancient Americas
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Students will assess how regional arts relate to historical and political circumstances, including colonialism and globalization
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Students will develop skills in visual analysis, historical interpretation, and research-based writing
Course Project 1: Reflection Projects
On the assigned weeks, students will find a current example (in the art world, media, news, etc.) that corresponds to the designated theme, covered in the readings and class discussion. Accompanying the object, students must write a 300-word reflection post that makes specific connections to the historical material covered in class. These small projects are an opportunity to think through the ways that the historical topics and themes relate to our current experiences. Each reflection will be guided by a couplet of themes: 1-ornament and icon, 2-tradition and innovation, 3-ritual and display. More information on these themes, along with directions and suggestions, will be posted to Canvas. Reflection Projects are due by 2 p.m. on designated days.
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Student Samples
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Course Project 2: Discussion Day reflections
This course will include frequent discussions based on the readings and artworks introduced in class. Beyond the textbook assignments, we will read scholarly articles that engage with important issues and controversies surrounding artwork rarely included in the Western cannon. On the designated days, indicated by *Discussion Days on the syllabus, students will be responsible for posting a reading response. The response must be posted by 1:30 p.m. Students are required to post responses to three (out of 6) readings over the course of the semester.
These responses are intended to spark conversation in advance of class discussions, and they are an opportunity for you to pose questions, examine a theme in greater depth, or raise difficulties that may have come up in the readings. Although these responses may be informal and short (under 300 words), they should demonstrate that you have completed the required assignments and thought deeply about the issues and topics addressed by the texts. The format should include: a short summary of the text (3-5 sentences max), comments on passages that you found intriguing and/or confusing, and at least ONE question for the group (some questions will be compiled to be answered in class).
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Student Samples
Course Project 3: Visual Analysis Paper
2-3 pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font
In this first paper, no research is required! You will choose one artwork to focus on: an artwork of any media, created in one of the geographic areas covered in class. To find a work that interests you, I suggest perusing the textbook and the collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Freer/Sackler Gallery; locally, check out the Johnson Collection, the Mint (in Charlotte), and the High Museum in Atlanta.
A visual analysis (sometimes called a formal analysis) describes and evaluates the forms appearing in the work you have chosen. These forms give the work its expression, message, or meaning. This type of analysis assumes a work of art is a constructed object that has been created with meaning and that this meaning can be understood by studying the elements of the work and their relationships. Yet the analysis is not a random flow of ideas about the work (i.e. stream of consciousness writing). Rather, it should have a sense of order, moving purposefully through your description with regard to specific elements (such as composition, color, subject matter) that build towards some argument you want to make about the artwork: your thesis.
Student Samples
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Course Project 4: Final Project (Google Sites Webpage)
The model for this final project is the topical essays found on the Metropolitan’s Heilbrunn’s Timeline, examples of which we have studied throughout class. Beginning with the single artwork chosen for your visual analysis paper, you will conduct research and compose a thematic essay (6-8 double-spaced pages) that places the artwork in the context of objects that share a similar idea (symbol, technique, material, etc). Your essay and 6-7 images will be submitted in the form of a webpage, and you will design this webpage using Google Sites.
Remember: this project is a variation on a traditional art historical research paper and is designed to introduce you to the methods of research in the visual arts. The aim is to weave together visual evidence with the historical context of the artworks production or reception, considering the relation to specific social, cultural, economic, or political phenomena. To that end, you must include at least four scholarly sources related to your artworks or artists. Examples of scholarly sources include peer-review academic journals (such as the Art Bulletin), chapters of an academic book, and articles in exhibition catalogues. For citations, include consecutive numbers that refer to footnotes (at the foot of each page) or endnotes (at the end of the entire document). Your notes must be consistently formatted according to Chicago Manual of Style handbook: www.chicagomanualofstyle.org
Resources for Conducting Research in Art History:
Subject Guide for Art History from Mickel Library: https://www.converse.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/library-research-guide-art-fall-2021.pdf
Conducting Research in Art History https://docs.google.com/document/d/16g5_jpjxl5jlP127UJ6_6rf49E75F8FU/edit
Public web-based platforms such as Wikipedia or Google books do not meet the criteria for scholarly sources. I recommend utilizing the following resources:
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Museum websites
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Where is your work of art located? What information is provided by the Museum? Is there a recent exhibition in which this work appeared (and can you access the exhibition website and/or a pdf of the catalogue?)
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Journal articles
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Muse-This will likely be your most accessible option. You can start a primary search in databases such as Oxford Art Online, JSTOR, or Project
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Look for articles published within the past 20 years in respected art historical journals such as Art Bulletin, Art Journal, Oxford Art Journal
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Ebooks
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A select number of eBooks (NOT Google books) are available through the library webpage
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Reviews of books:
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Please consult with me if you plan on using a book review. A thorough book review, published in a peer-review journal, is an acceptable substitute if you cannot access a physical copy of a book.
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You will easily turn up book reviews by searching for the book title in the Library browser. I also highly recommend reviews published by CAA (the College Art Association): http://www.caareviews.org/
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Google Sites
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You will be creating your project on Google Sites, which you can access through your Converse Google Drive. On Google Sites, you will be able to upload your images and your text, organized in separate “blocks.” The idea is to mimic the basic layout of the Heilbrunn essays, but feel free to experiment with the layout design, including additional images of your object and/or links to reputable websites.
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Tutorial for Google Sites:
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Student Samples
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https://sites.google.com/view/contemporary-ink-maddie-west/home
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https://sites.google.com/view/thedepictionofshivainsculpture/home
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