California University of
Pennsylvania Guidelines for New
Course Proposals University
Course Syllabus
Approved: 8/20/12
Department of Art & Design
A.

Protocol
Course Name:
Medieval Art and Architecture
Course Number:
ART 311
Credits:
3
Prerequisites:
None
Maximum Class Size (face to face): 40 students
Maximum Class Size (online): N/A

Objectives of the Course:

In the context of the study of artistic developments in the Middle Ages . . .
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Students will synthesize information and concepts gained from course readings.
Students will evaluate written material and reach conclusions.
Students will conduct careful, thoughtful observations of objects related to art and society.
Students will describe observations using appropriate visual art terminology.
Students will apply course theories to problem solving exercises.
Students will interpret, analyze, and evaluate visual images.
Students will compare, contrast, and classify stylistic characteristics in the arts.
Students will analyze visual art in relationship to contemporaneous social, political, religious
and cultural issues.
9. Students will demonstrate essential basic art historical methods of inquiry emphasizing clear
observation, critical thinking, informed judgments, abstract reasoning, and problem-solving
skills.
10. Students will present art historical content using clear written and oral exposition.
11. The students will address requirements under the guidelines for “Knowing the Content”
established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for Art Education Certification.
C.

Catalog Description:
This course will chronologically examine the architecture, painting, sculpture, and socalled “minor arts,” produced in Europe and the Byzantine Empire during the more than
1000 years known as the Middle Ages. The works of art discussed in this course will be
analyzed not only in terms of style, but they will also be set within their cultural, social,
and political environment for a deeper understanding of their important place in medieval
life. Attention will also be given to patrons of the arts, the role, training, and status of the
medieval artist, as well as the methods and materials artists employed.

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E.

Outline of the Course:
Roman art and civilization
The origins of Christianity
Christian art to A.D. 300
The development of Christian art and architecture in the 4th and 5th centuries
The Age of Justinian
Byzantine Art in Ravenna
Iconoclasm
Middle Byzantine Art
Islamic Art
The Art of the Barbarian West ca. 500-800
Anglo-Saxon art
Hiberno-Saxon art
Viking Art
Charlemagne and Carolingian Art
Ottonian Art
The Romanesque Age (1050-1150/1200): Feudalism and Monasticism in developed
European medieval society
Romanesque in Germany, Italy and Catalonia
Romanesque of the Pilgrimage Roads
Romanesque in Central and Western France
Romanesque in England and Normandy
Early Gothic in France
High Gothic in France
Mature Gothic in England, Germany and Italy
Rayonnant Gothic and its influences
Gothic art and architecture in Italy.
Late Gothic; The end of the Middle Ages
Teaching Methodology:
1)

Traditional Classroom Methodology:

The class will be taught in a lecture-discussion format. Participation in class discussions
is required so that students may enhance both critical thinking and communication skills.
The instructor will present material for discussion from a variety of media sources, and
when possible, the class will make visits to museums to see works of art produced during
the periods considered in the course. The textbook is intended as a source of background
information, and the instructor extends its scope, often with primary source material.
The instructor draws connections among the historical events of the period, the aesthetic
ideas current in the period, the technologies of the time period, specific cultural milieux,
and the development of individual artists. The course is designed to present the study of
art history as an examination of the contributions of artists within the context of broader
historical, religious, and cultural developments.

2) This course will not be offered online.

Primary Text:
Stokstad, Marilyn. Medieval Art. Second Edition, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004.

Supplemental Readings (Drawn from the following):
Davis-Weyer, Caecilia. Early Medieval Art, 300-1150: Sources and Documents.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
Frisch, Teresa G. Gothic Art, c. 1140-1450: Sources and Documents.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
Mango, Cyril. The Art of the Byzantine Empire, 312-1453: Sources and Documents.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972.
Wren, Linnea H., and David J. Wren, eds. Perspectives on Western Art, I: Source
Documents and Readings from the Ancient Near East through the Middle Ages.
New York: Harper & Row, 1987.
G.

Assessment Activities:
1)

Traditional Classroom Assessment
1. Examinations: Students will complete two examinations during the course of
the semester and a cumulative final exam. All exams will consist of slide
identifications, objective items, comparison-contrast essays, and thematic
essays.
2. Quizzes: Student progress will be assessed throughout the term via frequent
quizzes. The quizzes will examine student comprehension of information
presented in class regarding iconography, style, technique, and cultural and
religious context.
3. Précis: Students will write three précis on the assigned primary source writings
for the course.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities:
• Reserve the right to decide when to self-identify and when to request accommodations.
• Will register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) each semester to
receive accommodations.
• Might be required to communicate with faculty for accommodations which specifically

•

involve the faculty.
Will present the OSD Accommodation Approval Notice to faculty when
requesting accommodations that involve the faculty.

Requests for approval for reasonable accommodations should be directed to the Office for
Students with Disabilities (OSD). Approved accommodations will be recorded on the OSD
Accommodation Approval notice and provided to the student. Students are expected to adhere
to OSD procedures for self-identifying, providing documentation and requesting
accommodations in a timely manner.
Contact Information:
• Location:
Azorsky Hall – Room 105
• Phone:
(724) 938-5781
• Fax:
(724) 938-4599
• Email:
osdmail@cup.edu
Web Site: http://www.calu.edu/current-students/student-services/disability/index.htm
I.

Supportive Instructional Materials, e.g. library materials, web sites, etc.
Recently requested library acquisitions will support the course content and assessment
activities. These include collections of primary source documents.
Additionally, Manderino Library holds serials such as The Art Bulletin and Art History,
which provide students with access to recent scholarship on topics related to the art of the
Middle Ages.
Additional Information for Course Proposals

Proposed Instructors: Art historian, or qualified Art & Design faculty

Rationale for the Course:
This course is one of several new courses proposed in order to strengthen art history
course offerings. As part of the proposed major and minor courses of study in Art
History, it will allow students to develop an in-depth understanding of this important
subject in the history of art. As an upper-division elective, the course will provide all Art
& Design majors with a more thorough treatment of the development of art during the
Middle Ages.

Specialized Equipment or Supplies Needed:
No specialized equipment is necessary in order for the course to be taught. *However,
the course requires a Smart classroom.

Answer the following questions using complete sentences:
1.

Does the course require additional human resources? (Please explain)
This course does not require additional human resources.

Does the course require additional physical resources? (Please explain)
No additional physical resources are required for this course offering.

Does the course change the requirements in any

particular major? (Please explain)
This course does not change the requirements in any
existing major.
4.

Does the course replace an existing course? (If so, list the course)
This course does not replace an existing course.

How often will the course be taught?
The course will be taught at least once every three years.

Does the course duplicate an existing course in another Department or
College? (If the possibility exists, indicate course discipline, number, and
name)
This course does not duplicate any University course offerings.

What is the recommended maximum class size for this course?
The recommended maximum class size is 40 students.

If the proposed course includes substantial material that is traditionally taught in
another discipline, you must request a statement of support from the department
chair that houses that discipline.
It does not.

Please identify if you are proposing to have this course considered as a menu
course for General Education. If yes, justify and demonstrate the reasons based
on the categories for General Education. The General Education Committee must
consider and approve the course proposal before consideration by the UCC.

This course is proposed for the General Education Fine Arts menu.
The course satisfies the following educational goals (as stipulated by the General
Education 2012 Program Guidelines):
1. “To present, critique or analyze human values, beliefs, and emotions as they are
conceptualized, formulated, and expressed through … artifacts and perceived
through the senses….”
2. “To compare and contrast the artistic expression of different cultural groups…”
3. “To recognize how values, ethics or social norms impact artistic expression …”
4. “To apply the tools of critical thinking to the fine arts…”
P.

Provide Approval Form (electronically).
Additional Guidelines
The following are additional guidelines that you must follow which will expedite

your course proposal. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in the return
of the proposal to the department.
1. Be sure that your proposal is in the correct format (Guidelines for New Course
Proposals) and that all questions have been completely answered.
2. Be sure that you have completed and attached the Application to Establish a
New Course form and/or the Advisement Sheet Revision form and that the
appropriate signatures have been affixed. Please send through the process
electronically (the preferred method) or by paper. No items will be placed on the
agenda until the Chair of the UCC is in possession of these forms.
3.

Be sure that you include an updated advisement sheet for any course that is
being required by the department or is classified as a restricted elective. In
addition, you must include an electronic copy (MS Word or PDF) of the
current advisement sheet(s) with your proposal. Be certain that all
advisement sheets affected by the proposed course change be included with
your proposal.

When submitting materials for consideration by the Curriculum
Committee, you must provide an electronic copy of each item to be
reviewed to the Chairperson.

All completed items must be in the hands of the Chairperson of the Curriculum
Committee a minimum of one week prior to the next regularly scheduled
meeting.

Any department requesting a course name change, number change, prefix
changes, credit changes, etc. must submit this request on the Application to
Establish a New Course
Form and submit electronically.

New advisement sheets, major proposals, minors, or changes to advisement
sheets will become effective the fall semester following committee approval.
The advisement sheets must also include the committee approval date
and the effective date on the advisement page. Submit this request on the
Advisement and /or Program Changes form.

8. New courses will become effective the semester following committee approval.
9. Any references listed must be in the appropriate bibliographic format for the
discipline.
10.

Online courses must follow the Quality Matters™ rubric and is posted on the
UCC website. Be sure that you include the online teaching methodology
statement (refer E.2 above) that refers to the Quality Matters™ rubric.

11. All course objectives must follow Bloom’s Taxonomy learning domains located
on the UCC website.