Art History 203 (Writing Credit)
Survey of Western Art--Modern
Spring 2024

AH 203 Syllabus Spring 2024.docx

Instructor: Kolya Rice      krice@uw.edu

Office hours: F 11:30-12:30 and by Zoom appointment

Teaching Assistants:
          Inji Kim    injikim@uw.edu

Office hours: Tuesdays 1-2 pm and by Zoom appointment, ART 008

          Nikoloz Nadirashvili nikoln2@uw.edu

Office hours: Mondays 2-3 pm and by Zoom appointment, ART 008

Course Description:
This course introduces the major figures, styles and movements in Western art from the High Renaissance to the present.  It also presents the principle issues, techniques, and interpretive methods of the discipline of art history.  As well as learning to recognize the key “monuments” of European and American art from around 1500 to 1900, students will consider how a study of visual products adds to our understanding of past cultures and societies. Illustrated lectures anchor the course, but discussion is always encouraged, and sophisticated reading assignments will be provided to expand upon the text and lectures.

Required Readings:
1.    Textbook: Marilyn Stokstad, Art History, 6th Edition, vol. 2 (2018) (ISBN-978-0134479262)   Purchase E-text Version

2.    Electronic Reserve Readings (ER) posted on Canvas (see weekly Modules)

3.    Lectures Guides (download, print, and bring to class)

ArtH 203 Lecture Guides Spring 2024.zip

“W” Credit Component:

This course has been designated as a “W” or writing intensive course; this is not optional. As such, you may expect substantial writing assignments, writing tutorials, and feedback on your writing over the course of the quarter. An important method to improve writing proficiency is through revision in response to feedback. You are required to revise two writing assignments this quarter. You must complete all components, the initial draft and the revision to receive credit for this course. The writing assignments you are required to revise are:

1. 3 to 4-page Summary Essay
2. 5-Page Directed Research Proposal and all preliminary steps

Student Responsibilities:

2 quizzes: 15% each (30% of overall grade) see prompt on Canvas

Each quiz will require students to define terms and to write short answers on topics covered in the lectures and readings. These are open notes quizzes—you may return to the lectures and readings when composing your answers. Each quiz will only cover the topics for that 5-week section of the course. In other words, they are not comprehensive. You will have a full week to complete each quiz. These quizzes will be graded on a 10-point scale.

3 to 4-page Summary Essay and revision (15%) See prompt on Canvas

In this writing assignment students will be required to clearly summarize important information related to canonical works of art and their cultural contexts that you have encountered in lectures, discussions, and special topic readings over the course of the quarter. One revision in response to assessment feedback will be required. This assignment is graded on a 10-point scale.

 5-Page Research Proposal and all preliminary steps (40%) See prompts on Canvas

Active participation in all quiz sections and in-class exercises (15%)

Quiz sections are writing-focused unless otherwise specified. Students will gain skills in college-level art historical rhetoric and composition by workshopping specific fundamentals of academic writing. All students are expected to attend quiz section to contribute to and engage in discussions, group and partner exercises, in-class exercises, and peer reviews. Quiz sections are designed to improve the quality of your course papers and is a necessary component of gaining a “W” credit. Students are required to bring prepared materials to every quiz section when noted. See the syllabus for the weekly breakdown of these required materials (RM). Failure to participate in quiz section and bring required materials will result in a weekly penalty to participation grade.

Important Due Dates:
4/15 Initial Draft Summary Essay
4/18 Directed Research Proposal-STEP1: Reviewing Articles
4/22 DRP-STEP 2: Research Question & Locating Sources 
4/29 Final Draft Summary Essay
5/6 DRP-STEP 3: Annotated Bibliography 
5/10 Quiz #1
5/13 DRP-STEP 4: Thesis Statement 
5/20 DRP-STEP 5: Initial Draft of DRP 
5/31 Quiz #2
6/04 DRP-STEP 6: Final Draft of DRP 

UW Grading Scale.docx

Course Outcomes:

Learn Actively - Learning is a personal, interactive process that results in greater expertise and a more comprehensive understanding of the world.

• Distinguish formal qualities that separate different stylistic periods
• Employ interdisciplinary methods of visual analysis
• Explore the relationships between art and its social, cultural, political, historical and/or religious contexts
• Develop interdisciplinary knowledge to examine how power and privilege manifest in culture and investigate how systems of power are related to class, race, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation and other identities
• Identify strategies in visual representation for challenging systems of power and privilege

Think Critically, Creatively and Reflectively - Reason and imagination are fundamental to problem solving and critical examination of ideas.

• Use a variety of approaches to think critically about and reflect on personal and cultural assumptions and biases, and to consider alternative views regarding issues of power and inequality as they relate to issues of the visual representation of sexuality, ethnicity, gender and religion
• Identify key art historical issues, determine the assumptions underlying arguments, and recognize the way that historical and cultural context affect meaning
• Explore and articulate various ways that art represents cultural identity which is shaped by varying degrees of power and privilege, in relation to both a local context and interconnected world

Communicate with Clarity and Originality - The ability to exchange ideas and information is essential to personal growth, productive work, and societal vitality.

• Discuss multiple interpretations of course content as it relates to structures of power, privilege and inequality using discipline-appropriate concepts and theories, and articulate how and why these structures inform personal, professional and social identities
• Articulate points of view while using details of a work of art or its context as evidence
• Demonstrate proficiency to conduct guided research using a wide variety of materials from multiple points of view
• Use appropriate sources and technologies to gather and present information
• Question and reflect on assumptions, statements and information made throughout the course by the text, instructors and students
• Demonstrate effective use of interdisciplinary methodologies employed in the course to visually analyze works of art and architecture
• Contribute ideas and information individually and in a group dynamic

Late assignments policy:

Assignments may be marked down 5% for each day they are late and will not be accepted more than five calendar days following the due date unless otherwise arranged. If you have a serious conflict or emergency, please make arrangements with your TA about it in advance of the due date and we will collaborate with you. Please remember, all components and drafts of the writing assignments in the “W” course must be submitted to receive credit for the course.

School of Art Policies

Religious Accommodations Policy

Academic Misconduct:

I assume that you will follow the UW policies concerning Academic Misconduct. Note that the UW regards acts of academic dishonesty, including such activities as plagiarism, cheating, and unauthorized collaboration as acts of academic misconduct. To be clear, unauthorized collaboration, including the use of Chegg, Course Hero and any AI-based tools such as ChatGPT is strictly prohibited in this course.

As to plagiarism, your posts/submissions must present your own ideas in your own words. If you copy someone’s exact words, you must put them in quotation marks. If you summarize, paraphrase, or quote someone else’s ideas, facts, or words, you must cite your sources. Failure to follow these policies will result in a report of academic misconduct, which may become a part of your permanent academic record.

As we begin the quarter, I as your instructor/professor want to inform you about how to voice concerns that may come up while you’re enrolled in this course. If your concern is something you feel you can discuss with me, I’m open to hearing about it. If it’s not something you feel you can discuss with me, or if we have a conversation about it that doesn’t successfully address your concern, there are other people available to help you resolve it. The nature of your concern can inform whom you should speak with about it: for example, I as your instructor am your first resource for discussing whether your DRS accommodations are being met, while students who are experiencing harassment from a faculty member, staff member, or student could reach out to SafeCampus immediately. The School of Art + Art History + Design Advising team is a fantastic resource for directing you where to go, and you can find a detailed explanation of the various pathways available to you on the School’s Voicing a Concern document. The link is available HERE, or in the School’s website under the tab labelled “The School.”