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Course profile

Readings in Art History (ARTT3100)

Study period
Sem 2 2024
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
Study level
Undergraduate
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Communication & Arts School

An introduction to the founding concepts of Art History from the Renaissance to 20th century.

‘Readings in Art History’ examines the methodsᅠand theories of art historical enquiry. It helps students consider and dermine their own approcahes to looking at and thinking about art. What kind of art historian/critic/curator are YOU? Course delivery will take the form of a lecture/seminar series. Students will engage in an dialogue with a number of art theorists and critics and their varying methodological approaches. The course commences with an overview of the origins of art history as a discipline, and proceeds chronologically, concluding with a range of present day art historical methods. Focusing on primary texts by seminal writers, key concepts such as aesthetics, connoisseurship, iconography, style, semiotics, structuralism, post-structuralism, and globalism, will be discussed. It is essential that students complete each week’s readings prior to the lecture/seminar, as they will be expected to contribute to the discussion that follows the lecture on the topic.

Course requirements

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

ARTT2140, ARTT2150, WRIT2150

Course contact

Course staff

Lecturer

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Whilst every effort is made to place students in their preferred activity, it is not always possible for a student to be enrolled in their tutorial of choice. If you require assistance, please ensure that you email timetabling.commarts@enquire.uq.edu.au from your UQ student email with: 

  • Your name 
  • Your student ID 
  • The course code 
  • A list of three tutorial preferences (in order of preference) 
  • Reason for the change – e.g. timetable clash, elite athlete status, SAP 

Teaching staff do not have access to change tutorials or help with timetables; all timetabling changes must be processed through the Timetabling Team. 

Aims and outcomes

1. To orient students in the major ways of 'reading'ᅠart history.

2. To develop students' ability to critically assess and apply major readingsᅠin art history to works of art.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

To offer a broad overview of the historical development in the art discourse of art history

LO2.

To develop students' ability to set up a dialogue with a cross section of the world's major art historians

LO3.

To provide an introduction to the critical vocabulary and concepts used by art critics and theorists

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Participation/ Student contribution Worksheets in class
  • In-person
20%

Week 2 Worksheet - Due in Class - 29/07/2024 2:00 pm

Week 3 Worksheet - Due in Class - 5/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 4 Worksheet - Due in Class - 12/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 5 Worksheet - Due in Class - 19/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 6 Worksheet - Due in Class - 26/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 7 Worksheet - Due in Class - 2/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 8 Worksheet - Due in Class - 9/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 9 Worksheet - Due in Class - 16/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 10 Worksheet - Due in Class - 30/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 11 Worksheet - Due in Class - 8/10/2024 2:00 pm

Week 12 Worksheet - Due in Class - 14/10/2024 2:00 pm

Essay/ Critique Essay (close reading) 30% 1000 words

20/09/2024 4:00 pm

Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard

Essay/ Critique Essay (research/book review) 50% 2500 words

4/11/2024 4:00 pm

Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard

Assessment details

Worksheets in class

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Participation/ Student contribution
Weight
20%
Due date

Week 2 Worksheet - Due in Class - 29/07/2024 2:00 pm

Week 3 Worksheet - Due in Class - 5/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 4 Worksheet - Due in Class - 12/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 5 Worksheet - Due in Class - 19/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 6 Worksheet - Due in Class - 26/08/2024 2:00 pm

Week 7 Worksheet - Due in Class - 2/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 8 Worksheet - Due in Class - 9/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 9 Worksheet - Due in Class - 16/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 10 Worksheet - Due in Class - 30/09/2024 2:00 pm

Week 11 Worksheet - Due in Class - 8/10/2024 2:00 pm

Week 12 Worksheet - Due in Class - 14/10/2024 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03

Task description

Worksheets with questions on aspects of the lecture and readings will be distributed and completed in tutorials. You must complete a total of 10 worksheets to be completed across the semester. Completion of each worksheet is worth 2% of final grade (20% in total). 

Please note: this is a class assessment item and students are NOT able to apply for an extension via the Unitask portal. Please contact your tutor or course coordinator directly to see if alternative arrangements are available.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Submit worksheet in class.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Essay (close reading)

Mode
Written
Category
Essay/ Critique
Weight
30% 1000 words
Due date

20/09/2024 4:00 pm

Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03

Task description

This essay involves in-depth and close reading the texts we will look at in the course. It is different from a research essay. You do not need to consult texts beyond the one(s) you are doing a close reading of. This assessment requires consultation and close scrutiny of the set readings. Word length for this assessment is 1000 words. More information will be distributed in week 3. 

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

  • View the name of the submitted file 
  • View date and time of the upload 
  • Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
  • Download your submitted paper 
  • Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

  • Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
  • Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
  • If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Essay (research/book review)

Mode
Written
Category
Essay/ Critique
Weight
50% 2500 words
Due date

4/11/2024 4:00 pm

Submit via Turnitin through Blackboard

Learning outcomes
L02, L03

Task description

For this assessment, you must choose one book from the list that will be distributed in week 3 of the course, and write an extensive research essay/book review. This will be a text that we do not look at specifically in the course. A separate bibliography must be attached in Chicago style, and references must be done in Chicago style. Word count does not include footnotes and bibliography. This assessment requires independent research. In addition to the consultation of set readings and the recommended reading lists, students must source texts independently so as to demonstrate original research. Essay length 2500 words. This assessment will be discussed at length in the tutorials.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

TurnItIn Receipts: 

Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using TurnItIn. Before submitting any assignments for this course you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Tutorial. 

When you successfully submit your assessment to TurnItIn you will see text confirming your submission is complete, before being redirected to your Assignment inbox. On this page you can: 

  • View the name of the submitted file 
  • View date and time of the upload 
  • Resubmit your paper (if necessary) 
  • Download your submitted paper 
  • Download digital receipt. 

If you cannot see your submission in your Assignment inbox you should regard your submission as unsuccessful. Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (e.g. screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work). 

If the submission was not successful: 

  • Note the error message (preferably take a screenshot).  
  • Go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. 
  • If you cannot submit again email your course coordinator immediately with the assignment attached. 

Please visit this webpage for further advice on how to submit your TurnItIn assignment.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Cut off Percent Description
1 (Low Fail) 1 - 24

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

2 (Fail) 25 - 44

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

3 (Marginal Fail) 45 - 49

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

4 (Pass) 50 - 64

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

5 (Credit) 65 - 74

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

6 (Distinction) 75 - 84

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

7 (High Distinction) 85 - 100

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Additional course grading information

  • Where fractional marks occur in the calculation of the final grade, a mark of x.5% or greater will be rounded up to (x+1)%. A percentage mark of less than x.5% will be rounded down to x%.ᅠ
  • Where no assessable work is received, a Grade of X will apply. ᅠ

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

  • Further information regarding the assessment, including marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course. 
  • Marks Cannot Be Changed After Being Released: Marks are not open to negotiation with course staff. If you wish to discuss the feedback you have received, you should make an appointment to speak with the Course Coordinator. 
  • Assessment Re-mark: If you are considering an Assessment Re-mark, please follow the link to important information you should consider before submitting a request. 
  • Integrity Pledge: Assignments for this course will be submitted electronically via Blackboard and using Turnitin. Before submitting any assignments for this course, you must ensure you have completed UQ's compulsory online Academic Integrity Modules.ᅠIn uploading an assignment via Turnitin you are certifying that it is your original work, that it has not been copied in whole or part from another person or source except where this is properly acknowledged, and that it has not in whole or part been previously submitted for assessment in any other course at this or any other university. 
  • Withholding marks prior to finalisation of grades: Per UQ Assessment Procedures – Release of Assessment Item Marks and Grades: The final assessment item and the marks for the assessment item are to be released only after the final grade for the course has been released. 

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1

(22 Jul - 28 Jul)

Lecture

Week 1 - Introduction to the Course

Introduction to the course. Required course textbook: Preziosi, David, ed. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Please read the introduction.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

No student involvement (Breaks, information)

Week 1 - NO TUTORIALS

Week 2

(29 Jul - 04 Aug)

Lecture

Week 2 - Renaissance and Baroque Lives

Renaissance and Baroque Lives: Biography as Method
Giorgio Vasari (1511-74), Karl van Mander (1548-60), Giovanni Bellori (1615-96)

Readings:
Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects [read the prefaces in course textbook pp. 22-26 and a selection of Lives, online]
Karl van Mander, The Painter s Book, translated by Hessel Miedema (Doornspijk, 1994), pp.47-57. [online]
Giovanni Bellori, Lives of the Modern Painters, Sculptors and Architects, 1672 (excerpts) , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp.58-67. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 2 - Renaissance and Baroque Lives

Renaissance and Baroque Lives: Biography as Method Giorgio Vasari (1511-74), Karl van Mander (1548-60), Giovanni Bellori (1615-96) Readings: Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects [read the prefaces in course textbook pp. 22-26 and a selection of Lives, online] Karl van Mander, The Painter s Book, translated by Hessel Miedema (Doornspijk, 1994), pp.47-57. [online] Giovanni Bellori, Lives of the Modern Painters, Sculptors and Architects, 1672 (excerpts) , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp.58-67. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 3

(05 Aug - 11 Aug)

Lecture

Week 3 - Cultural and Critical Approaches

Cultural and Critical Approaches during the Enlightenment Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-68), Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) Readings: Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Reflections on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and Sculpture [in course textbook pp. 27-34] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Of German Architecture , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995): pp.77-84. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 3 - Cultural and Critical Approaches

Cultural and Critical Approaches during the Enlightenment Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-68), Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) Readings: Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Reflections on the Imitation of Greek Works in Painting and Sculpture [in course textbook pp. 27-34] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Of German Architecture , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995): pp.77-84. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 4

(12 Aug - 18 Aug)

Lecture

Week 4 - Cultural History versus connoisseurship

Cultural History versus Connoisseurship Jacob Burckhardt (1818-97), Giovanni Morelli (1816-91) Readings: Jacob Burckhardt, Reflections on History , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp. 85-91. [online] Giovanni Morelli, Italian Painters , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp. 103-115. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 4 - Cultural History versus connoisseurship

Cultural History versus Connoisseurship Jacob Burckhardt (1818-97), Giovanni Morelli (1816-91) Readings: Jacob Burckhardt, Reflections on History , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp. 85-91. [online] Giovanni Morelli, Italian Painters , Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology, edited by Eric Fernie (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), pp. 103-115. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 5

(19 Aug - 25 Aug)

Lecture

Week 5 - Kant and Hegel

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) Readings: Immanuel Kant, The Critique of Judgment (excerpts) [in course textbook pp. 62-79] G.W.F Hegel, Philosophy of Fine Art (excerpts) [in course textbook pp.80-88]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 5 - Kant and Hegel

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) Readings: Immanuel Kant, The Critique of Judgment (excerpts) [in course textbook pp. 62-79] G.W.F Hegel, Philosophy of Fine Art (excerpts) [in course textbook pp.80-88]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 6

(26 Aug - 01 Sep)

Lecture

Week 6 - Iconography, Style, Formalism

Heinrich Wölfflin(1864-1945), Alois Riegl (1858-1905), Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968) Readings: Erwin Panofsky, Iconography and Iconology: An Introduction to the Study of Renaissance Art [in course textbook, pp.220-235] Alois Riegl, Leading Characteristics of the Late Roman Kunstwollen [in course textbook pp. 155-161] Heinrich W lfflin, Principles of Art History [in course textbook 119-128]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 6 - Iconography, Style, Formalism

Heinrich Wölfflin(1864-1945), Alois Riegl (1858-1905), Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968) Readings: Erwin Panofsky, Iconography and Iconology: An Introduction to the Study of Renaissance Art [in course textbook, pp.220-235] Alois Riegl, Leading Characteristics of the Late Roman Kunstwollen [in course textbook pp. 155-161] Heinrich W lfflin, Principles of Art History [in course textbook 119-128]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 7

(02 Sep - 08 Sep)

Lecture

Week 7 - Limits of Interpretation

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976),(Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), Meyer Schapiro (1904-1996) Readings: Derrida, Jacques. Restitutions of the Truth in Pointing [in course textbook, pp.301-315] Heidegger, Martin. The Origin of the Work of Art [in course textbook, pp. 284-295] Schapiro, Meyer. The Still Life as Personal Object: A Note on Heidegger and van Gogh[in course textbook, pp.296-300]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 7 - Limits of Interpretation

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976),(Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), Meyer Schapiro (1904-1996) Readings: Derrida, Jacques. Restitutions of the Truth in Pointing [in course textbook, pp.301-315] Heidegger, Martin. The Origin of the Work of Art [in course textbook, pp. 284-295] Schapiro, Meyer. The Still Life as Personal Object: A Note on Heidegger and van Gogh[in course textbook, pp.296-300]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 8

(09 Sep - 15 Sep)

Lecture

Week 8: Marxism 101 and social history of art

Karl Marx (1818-1883), Walter Benjamin(1892-1940), T.J. Clark (1943-) Readings: Walter Benjamin, 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,' excerpts [pp.435-442 in course textbook]. T. J. Clark. 'On the Social History of Art', in Image of People: Gustave Courbert and the 1848 Revolution, Thames & Hudson, 1973, pp. 9-20. [online] Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), in The Cambridge Companion to the Communist Manifesto, trans. Terrell Carver, eds. Terrell Carver and James Farr (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 237-46. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 8: Marxism 101 and social history of art

Karl Marx (1818-1883), Walter Benjamin(1892-1940), T.J. Clark (1943-) Readings: Walter Benjamin, 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,' excerpts [pp.435-442 in course textbook]. T. J. Clark. 'On the Social History of Art', in Image of People: Gustave Courbert and the 1848 Revolution, Thames & Hudson, 1973, pp. 9-20. [online] Karl Marx, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), in The Cambridge Companion to the Communist Manifesto, trans. Terrell Carver, eds. Terrell Carver and James Farr (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 237-46. [online]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 9

(16 Sep - 22 Sep)

Lecture

Week 9: Bourdieu, class and aesthetics

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 9: Bourdieu, class and aesthetics

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 10

(30 Sep - 06 Oct)

Lecture

Week 10: Post-colonialism

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 10: Post-colonialism

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 11

(07 Oct - 13 Oct)

Lecture

Week 11: Queer Art History

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 11: Queer Art History

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 12

(14 Oct - 20 Oct)

Lecture

Week 12: Interdisciplinary and Contextual Encounters

Aby Warburg (1866-1929), Michael Baxandall (1933-2008) Readings: Aby Warburg, Images From the Region of the Pueblo Indians Of North America [in course textbook pp. 162-188] Michael Baxandall, Patterns of Intention [in course textbook pp. 45-54] Edgar Wind, Warburgs Concept of Kulturwissenschaft and Its Meaning for Aesthetics [in course textbook pp.195-214]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Week 12: Interdisciplinary and Contextual Encounters

Aby Warburg (1866-1929), Michael Baxandall (1933-2008) Readings: Aby Warburg, Images From the Region of the Pueblo Indians Of North America [in course textbook pp. 162-188] Michael Baxandall, Patterns of Intention [in course textbook pp. 45-54] Edgar Wind, Warburgs Concept of Kulturwissenschaft and Its Meaning for Aesthetics [in course textbook pp.195-214]

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 13

(21 Oct - 27 Oct)

Lecture

Week 13: Where to from here...

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

No student involvement (Breaks, information)

Week 13: NO TUTORIALS

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.