California University of Pennsylvania
Guidelines for New Course Proposals
University Course Syllabus
Approved: 2/4/13
Department of Art and Design
A.

Protocol
Course Name:
Art History: Neoclassicism through the Present
Course Number:
ART 317
Credits:
3
Prerequisites:
None
Maximum Class Size (face-to-face): 90
Maximum Class Size (online):
(Choose which one is appropriate or both if applicable)

B.

C.

Objectives of the Course:
1. Students will interpret and analyze art movements, art objects, artists, art
criticism and theory, aesthetics, and the processes and production of art
from the mid-eighteenth century to the present time.
2.

Students will analyze visual art in relationship to contemporaneous social,
political, religious, and cultural issues.

3.

Students will demonstrate methods of inquiry emphasizing clear
observations, critical thinking, informed judgments, abstract reasoning, and
problem-solving skills.

4.

Students will present art historical content and/or ideas using clear written
and oral exposition.

5.

The students will explore all requirements under the guidelines for
“Knowing the Content” established by the Pennsylvania Department of
Education for Art Education Certification.

Catalog Description:
The major movements and artists from the Neoclassical through the Postmodern
periods form the basis for this survey of art history. Works of art are examined
within the context of their cultural, political, and historical milieux. The artistic
production of both Western and non-Western cultures is considered. Primary

texts are discussed as the course provides a foundation in the theory and criticism
appropriate to these periods.
D. Outline of the Course:
Methodology
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
E.

Introduction to Art History: Its Vocabulary, Subjects, and Theoretical
Frameworks
The Legacy of the Enlightenment
Neoclassical Art and Architecture
Romanticism
Aspects of Northwest Coast and Native North American Art
Japanese Woodblock Printmaking
The Development of Realism
Early Photography and Photographic Technique
Late 19th-Century Sculpture
Impressionism
The Artistic Traditions of Oceania
African Art and Ritual
Post-Impressionism and the Vocabulary of Modern Art
Symbolism
Fauvism and Expressionism
Cubism and its Influence
Dada and Surrealism
Suprematism and Constructivism
Modern Architecture and the International Style
Sculpture of the 1930’s and 1940’s
Abstract Expressionism
Minimalism
Pop Art
Conceptual Art and Performance Art
Postmodern Architecture
Postmodernism in Painting, Sculpture, and New Media

Teaching Methodology:
Traditional Classroom Methodology
The course will be taught in a lecture-discussion format. Students will improve
critical thinking and communication skills through participation in class
discussions. The instructor will present material for discussion from a variety of
media sources to enable students to experience and process the essential

elements and the gestalt of the works of art examined; this is particularly
important in the study of many forms of modern and postmodern art. When
possible, the class will make off-site visits to area museums and other locations
in order to experience works of art produced during the time period under study.
The text will provide a conceptual framework for the understanding of historical
styles and movements. The instructor extends and supplements the material
presented in the textbook and presents information from primary sources for
class discussion. The instructor also draws connections among the aesthetic
ideas current in the period, the historical events of the period, the technologies of
the period, specific cultural milieux, and the development of artistic movements
and individual artists. Thus, the course places the developments of the visual
arts within the context of broader historical, scientific, and cultural changes.
F.

Text
Primary Text:
Kleiner, Fred S. and Christin J. Mamiya. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, Vol.
II, 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2005.
Supplemental Texts:
Brown, David Blayney. Romanticism. London: Phaidon Press, 2001.
Chipp, Herschel B. Theories of Modern Art: A Sourcebook by Artists
andCritics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1984.
Eisenman, Stephen F., et al. Nineteenth Century Art: A Critical History. 2nd
ed.New York: Thames and Hudson, 2002.
Harrison, Charles, Paul Wood and Jason Gaiger, eds. Art in Theory, 1815-1900:
An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Oxford and Cambridge: Blackwell
Publishers, 1998.
Hunter, Sam, John Jacobus and Daniel Wheeler. Modern Art. 3rd ed. Upper
Saddle River, N.J.:
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004.
Sandler, Irving. Art of the Postmodern Era: From the Late 1960’s to the Early
1990’s. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998.

Taylor, Brandon. Contemporary Art: Art Since 1970. Upper Saddle River,
N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
G.

Assessment Activities:
Traditional Classroom Assessment

H.

1.

Examinations: Students will complete two examinations during the course
of the semester and a cumulative final exam. Tests will be comprised of
slide identifications, objective items, comparison-contrast essays, and
thematic essays.

2.

Quizzes: Frequent quizzes will be administered throughout the term to
determine student progress. The quizzes will assess student comprehension
of material pertaining to issues of form and content.

3.

Presentation and Analysis Paper: Each student will be required to lead the
class in a discussion analyzing a major work of art. On the day of the oral
presentation, he or she will submit a 4-5 page formal essay detailing his or
her analysis of the work’s composition, artistic context, and meaning.

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:

•
•
•
•
•

I.

Location:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Web Site:

Azorsky Hall – Room 105
(724) 938-5781
(724) 938-4599
osdmail@calu.edu
http://www.calu.edu/current-students/student
services/disability/index.htm

Supportive Instructional Materials, e.g. library materials, web sites, etc.

Manderino Library currently holds the following serials or provides access to them via
an electronic database:
Art Bulletin
Art History
Art in America
Art Journal
Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism
The Manderino Library’s video collection has been expanded recently with the
purchase of several films on contemporary artists and artistic production, including the
series Art 21: Art in the Twenty-first Century.
Additional Information for Course Proposals
J.

Proposed Instructors:
Art Historian, or qualified faculty in the Art & Design department

K.

Rationale for the Course:
This course is a necessary art history component to help satisfy a required
minimum of 12 credits of art history for every art and design program major.
This is in keeping with state and national Art Education standards and the criteria
established by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD.)
The Department of Art and Design’s curriculum presently includes one art
history survey course to address the historical period of the 14th -20th centuries.
Since the extent and complexity of the history of art spanning this period is
considerable, the faculty of the Department agreed that students would be better
served by offering two survey classes to cover the period from the Renaissance
to the present time. The Department also believes that it is appropriate to expand
its curriculum to provide students with a greater appreciation and understanding

of non-Western artistic traditions, and dividing the current survey into two
courses will facilitate this.
L.

Specialized Equipment or Supplies Needed:
The establishment of the course would not necessitate the acquisition of
specialized equipment.

M.

Answer the following questions using complete sentences:
1.
2.
3.

4.

5.
6.

N.

Does the course require additional human resources? (Please explain)
The course does not require additional human resources.
Does the course require additional physical resources? (Please explain)
No additional lphysical resources are necessary for the course to be taught.
Does the course change the requirements in any particular major?
(Please explain)
Yes. This course, along with ART 316: Art History: Renaissance
through Rococo, will replace ART 309: Art History: Renaissance to
Contemporary. Both new survey courses proposed by the Department of
Art and Design (ART 316 and ART 317) will be required for the
completion of the Department’s degree programs.
Furthermore, the Department seeks to establish ART 22: Seminar in Art
Theory:The Art World after Modernism as a Writing Intensive Course in
Art History. The courses proposed to replace ART 309 need not be
designated as Writing Intensive courses.
Does the course replace an existing course in your program? (If so, list the
course)
Yes. Please see the explanation provided in response to question #3
above.
How often will the course be taught?
This course will be taught at least once per academic year.
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.

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.

O.

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.
The Department proposes to offer this course as a General Education menu
course in the Humanities category. This course presents, critiques, and
analyzes human values and emotions as they are conceptualized, formulated,
and expressed through works of art perceived through the senses. In Art
History: Neoclassicism through the Present students analyze art works
produced from the 18th century through the present day and learn the ways in
which the formal qualities and the subject matter of works of art interact to
express ideas and values. Students also situate these ideas within historical
contexts and analyze how these ideas and values change within different
historical moments.