Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Art History (LLLA07260)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Through a survey of Western art from 650 BCE to the present, this course will guide students in looking, thinking and discussing, introducing the essential skills required to analyse a range of works of art. |
| Course description |
This course provides an introduction to art history as an academic discipline. The first half of the course introduces students to key elements of art historical study: formal and comparative analysis, materials, historical and social context, and theory. The second half of the course applies these elements to a survey of western art from Classicism to Post-Modernism.
Each session includes an illustrated talk and discussion. Students may be required to participate in assignments such as appraising primary and secondary source material and giving short, informal presentations. Practical advice on critical reading and essay-writing skills will be given, with hand-outs provided.
1: Formal Analysis
Colour, tone, line, space and mass
2: Comparative Analysis
Identifying similarities and differences
3: Material Analysis
Pigment and paint, marble and bronze, print and multimedia
4: Contextual Analysis
Historical, cultural and social influences
5: Theory and Methodology
Introducing Marxism, Feminism, Post-Colonialism and Post-Structuralism
6: Classicism and the Late Antique
7: The Middle Ages and Renaissance
8: The Baroque and Neoclassicism
Visit to the Scottish National Gallery
9: Romanticism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
10: Modernism and Post-Modernism
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate an ability to analyse material, form and content in works of art produced in western Europe between 650 BCE and the present
- demonstrate an understanding and ability to analyse and interpret secondary material
- demonstrate an ability to present arguments and visual analysis in coherent, balanced form
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Reading List
D'Alleva, Anne, 2012. How To Write Art History. London: Laurence King.
Fleming, J. and Honour, H., 2009. A World History of Art. London: Laurence King.
Fernie, E. 1995. Art History and its Methods. London: Phaidon.
Gombrich, E. H. 2000. The Story of Art. 4th ed. London: Phaidon.
Web sources
Artstor: http://artstor.org (University of Edinburgh Library Databases)
National Galleries of Scotland: http://www.nationalgalleries.org
Oxford Art Online: http://oxfordartonline.com (University of Edinburgh Library Databases)
Tate Glossary of Art Terms: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary
Tate. The Tate Glossary. [Online]. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/ |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Analysing and engaging critically with a wide range of material
Reading independently
Discussing within a group, listening and communicating orally |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sally Crumplin
Tel:
Email: Sally.Crumplin@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: jethcuit@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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