THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : History of Art

Undergraduate Course: History of Art 1 (HIAR08009)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryHistory of Art 1 provides an introduction to Art History at university level. The lectures in History of Art 1 cover almost 1400 years of the history of art, from c.500 to c.1700, from the Early Medieval period to the Baroque. History of Art 1 is not a chronological survey course and does not pretend to provide comprehensive coverage of this vast and complex subject. Instead the work of prominent artists, important types, key periods and diverse geographies of art are selected to provide representative examples for study. All our teaching considers the visual arts as a reflection of the societies in which they were produced.
VISITING STUDENTS WHO ARE HERE FOR THE FULL YEAR ARE PERMITTED TO TAKE ONE OF THE HALF COURSES HISTORY OF ART 1A OR 1B. IF THEY WANT TO DO THE FULL COURSE THEY MUST BE ENROLLED ONTO HIAR08009 TO INCLUDE THE EXAM. THE HALF COURSES ARE ONLY OPEN TO VISITING STUDENTS.
Course description Under the collective title, Art and Belief in Europe (c. 500 ¿ c.1700), the lectures in Semester 1 address developments in European art from the rise of Christianity, through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, concluding with the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Geographies studied include Britain, Italy, France and Germany. We look at the work of both early anonymous and later celebrated artists, such as Giotto, Jan van Eyck, Durer, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, all within a broad range of social contexts. We consider issues surrounding art and identity, including gender, sexuality, nationality, religious and political belief, as well as issues surrounding the art objects themselves, such as patronage, materiality, display and reception.
Under the collective title, Art at the Crossroads of World Cultures (c.600 ¿ c.1700), the lectures in semester 2 begin by examining art in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe, including the emerging colonial powers of Hapsburg Spain, Elizabethan England and the Dutch Republic. We look at how early modern Europeans viewed the world within and beyond their borders. The course then expands past Europe to consider art in the Middle East, South Asia and Japan from the early medieval to the early modern. By combining a far-reaching geographical scope with this long time span, you will gain a broad perspective on global artistic developments, exchanges and connections. We explore how different religions, power structures and intercultural relations impacted upon artists, objects and audiences.
Students begin the course with very different levels of knowledge, and our intention is that, by the end, all will have acquired an overview of certain specific areas in the history of art. By building up art historical skills, through lectures, ALGs [Autonomous Learning Groups] and tutorials, students develop an understanding of the crucial issues raised by the subject and of the methods used to deal with them. Whenever appropriate the weekly tutorials are conducted in the museums, galleries and public spaces of Edinburgh, which has world-renowned art collections.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF VISITING STUDENTS, STUDENTS MUST TAKE BOTH SEMESTERS OF THIS COURSE
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Approaches to Visual Culture (ARTX08086)
Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Gain an understanding of the important issues raised by the subject and of the methods used to deal with them and have a command of the basic concepts and vocabulary of the discipline.
  2. Learn the methods of art history through the study of the work of selected artists, types of objects, and periods of art and gain the skill of critical analysis and interpretation of visual and historical materials.
  3. Familiarise and make use of material in museums and galleries in Edinburgh for their coursework.
  4. Gain skills in essay writing and making verbal contributions in class.
  5. Develop their communication skills through discussion in tutorials.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.arts.ed.ac.uk/fineart
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information Plus one seminar per week at a time to be arranged.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Andrew Horn
Tel:
Email: ahorn2@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Hannah Morrison
Tel: (0131 6)51 5763
Email: hmorris4@ed.ac.uk
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