California University of Pennsylvania
New Course Proposal
University Course Syllabus
Approved: 8/20/12
Department of Art and Design

A.

Protocol
Course Name:
Italian Renaissance Art
Course Number: ART 328
Credits:
3
Prerequisites:
None
Maximum Class Size (face to face): 40 students
Maximum Class Size (online): N/A

B.

Objectives of the Course:

In the context of the study of the development of the visual arts during the Renaissance .
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8.

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 problemsolving skills.
10. Students will present art historical content using clear written and oral exposition.
11. The students will explore requirements under the guidelines for “Knowing the Content”
established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for Art Education Certification.
12. Students will be required to attend an art exhibition, or exhibit their work in the Student
Gallery.
C.

Catalog Description:
Italian Renaissance Art considers the art and architecture of Italy from the late thirteenth
through the sixteenth century, featuring such artists as Giotto, Donatello, Leonardo,
Michelangelo, and Titian. The course explores the variety of contexts in which the art
was produced, the changing role of the artist, and the importance of patronage.

D.

Outline of the Course:
I. Introduction: Art in Context
Artists’ Workshops
Materials and Methods
Patronage
Renovations and Restorations
Historiography and Methodology
II. The Late Thirteenth and Fourteenth Century:
The Origins of the Renaissance
Rome: Artists, Popes, and Cardinals
Assisi and Padua: Narrative Realism
Florence: Traditions and Innovations
Siena: City of the Virgin
Naples: Art for a Royal Kingdom
Venice: The Most Serene Republic
Pisa and Florence: Social Upheaval
Visconti Milan and Carrara Padua
III. The Fifteenth Century:
Florence: Commune and Guild
Florence: The Medici and Political Propaganda
Rome: Re-establishing the Papal Power
Venice: Affirming the Past and Present
Courtly Art: The Gothic and the Classic
Sforza Milan: Ducal Splendor
IV. The First Half of the Sixteenth Century:
Florence: The Renewed Republic
Rome: Julius II, Leo X, and Clement VII
Florence: Mannerism and the Medici
Mantua, Parma, and Genoa: The Arts at Court
Venice: Vision and Monumentality
V. The Later Sixteenth Century:
The Rome of Paul III
Northern Italy: Reform and Innovation
Florence under Cosimo I
Rome: A European Capital City

E.

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)
F.

This class will not be offered online.

Primary Text: The textbook for this class will be one like:
Hartt, Frederick, and David G. Wilkins. History of Italian Renaissance Art. 7th ed.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010.
Supplemental Readings: (Portions of the following texts)
Alberti, Leon Battista. On Painting. Rocco Sinisgalli, ed. New York: Cambridge
University
Press, 2011.
Baxandall, Michael. Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy. New York:
Oxford
University Press, 1980.
Clark, Kenneth. Leonardo da Vinci. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1980.
Pope-Hennessy, John. Raphael. New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1981.
Vasari, Giorgio. Lives of the Artists Volume 1, George Bull, trans. New York:
Penguin, 1988.
Wackernagel, Martin. The World of the Florentine Renaissance Artist: Projects
and Patrons, Workshop and Art Market. Allison Luchs, trans. Toronto: University of
Toronto Press, 2011.

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, cultural and political context.
3. Response papers: Students will write two response papers on supplemental reading
selections during the term.
4. Class Presentation: Each student will prepare and make a presentation to the class
on a topic approved by the instructor. Presentations will address aspects of historical
and individual style, iconology and themes, patronage, and historical contextual
influences.

H.

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:
• Phone:

Azorsky Hall – Room 105
(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 Italian
Renaissance Art.
Additional Information for Course Proposals

J.

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

K.

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 Italian Renaissance.

L.

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.

M.

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.

2.

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

3.

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.

5.

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

6.

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.

7.

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

N.

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.
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.

4.

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

5. 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.
6.

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.

7.

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.