Art of the Early Middle Ages

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This advanced lecture course examines the architecture, sculpture, painting, manuscript illumination and luxury arts of the Latin West and Greek East from their origins ca. 200 CE through ca. 900 CE. We will consider the material culture of the Mediterranean world, Asia Minor, the Middle East and Northern Europe in light of the religious, historical, political, social and cultural contexts of their creation. Topics to be explored include early medieval art and its patrons; the cult of the dead and the arts; the arts of pilgrimage; the role of the image in the early medieval world; word and image in early medieval culture; and the image of the divine in early Christian and early medieval representation.

PREREQUISITE COURSES:

V43.0001, V43.0200 or permission of the instructor.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Marilyn Stokstad. Medieval Art. 2nd edition. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004.
Lawrence Nees. Early Medieval Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Coursepack of readings available at Unique Copy, 252 Greene Street (betw. Waverly & 8th Sts.)

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Paper #1: A ca. 4-5-page paper on a work or works of art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, due Thursday, March 3rd, at the beginning of class.

Midterm exam: Thursday, March 10th, full class period.

Paper #2: A ca. 3-4-page review of L. Nees, Early Medieval Art, due Thursday, April 28th, at the beginning of class.

Final exam: Thursday, May 5th, 10:00-11:50 AM (pending Registrar’s confirmation).

NATURE OF THE REQUIREMENTS

Readings and lectures:

Please do the reading assigned for each class meeting before coming to the lecture in order to gain familiarity with the works and issues to be discussed. Lectures may cover works not included in the readings. It is your responsibility to ensure that you receive any materials distributed in class. If you miss a class, please arrange to photocopy a classmate’s notes.

Course Blackboard/ Responses to Readings:

There is a Blackboard for this course, accessible through NYU Home. I will post announcements and updates concerning the assignments, lectures or other aspects of the course on the Blackboard (under “Annoucements”), as necessary. In addition, you will post your responses to the readings on the Blackboard’s Discussion Board.

To login to Blackboard, login to http://home.nyu.edu/, and click on the “Academics” tab in the top right-hand corner. You will see this course listed under the “Classes” section. Click on this course and you will automatically be logged on to the course Blackboard.

For all responses to readings, you may take any of the following approaches: you may critique the author’s method or use of evidence; explain why you find the author’s argument convincing or unconvincing; discuss a theme or issue raised in the reading that you found particularly interesting (and explain why, briefly); discuss what you learned about early medieval art or society which you hadn’t known before, or which you found illuminating or surprising; raise questions about aspects of the reading; or relate the reading to previous readings, or to events or phenomena of other periods, including the contemporary world. You may also respond to something one of your classmates has written, but if you do, you should try to contribute something original to the subject. Your response should not be a summary of the article or reading! Responses may range from 2 to 6 sentences in length, and are due no later than 8:00 PM the day before the due-date indicated on the syllabus. Responses to the readings will be graded on a √, √+, √- basis.
To post your response on the Discussion Board, first log on to the course Blackboard. Then, click on the following headings: “Communications”> “Discussion Board” > “Response to Reading for [date]” > “Add New Thread.” After you’ve typed your response, click on “Submit.”

Slides/Images/Website:

The slides associated with each lecture will be placed on reserve in the Grey Fine Arts Library. In addition, there is a website for the course on which I will post the syllabus, paper assignments and study guides for the exams, as well as images of the major works discussed in class. The address for the website is www.nyu.edu/classes/finearts/smith/medieval. For access to the website, the username and password will be announced in class.

Exams:

The midterm and final exams will consist of some combination of single slide identification questions, two-slide comparison/contrast questions, or two-slide identification questions requiring longer essays. For all types of question, you are expected to provide the name(s) of the artist(s), if known, title, medium, date, location made for (or in), region, and style-period. Your answers should address the main features of style, iconography, patronage, function, and religious, historical, political, cultural and social context, as relevant. Answers should address both what is typical about the monument, and what is noteworthy. The final exam will cover only material studied since the midterm.

You will receive an exam study guide one week before each exam. You may bring one (1) 8 x 11” sheet of paper with notes on either side to the exams.

Make-up policies:

Make-ups for the midterm will be given only in cases of proven, documented medical or personal emergencies. You must contact me before the exam to schedule a make-up. Failure to do so will result in a grade of “F” for the exam.

In accordance with Department of Fine Arts policy, make-ups for the final exam will not be given during the regular exam period. The rules above regarding documentation of medical or personal emergencies apply.

Papers:

Detailed instructions concerning the papers will be given in class. The papers should be typed (12-point font), double-spaced, paginated, have standard (one-inch) margins, and be stapled in an upper corner (no fancy binders, please). Your paper should be proofread for grammar and spelling before being handed in.

Penalty for late papers:

There will be a grade penalty for papers received late. The rules above regarding documentation of medical and personal emergencies apply.

Proper citation/ Plagiarism:

Students should ensure their full understanding of proper citation methods and of plagiarism. Any student who is found to have committed plagiarism will receive an “F” on his/her paper, and there will be no opportunity to rewrite it. A plagiarized paper may be referred to the University disciplinary committee.

**All components of the course requirements must be completed in order to pass the course.
**Failure of two or more components of the course requirements will result in failure of the course in its entirety.

Other:

Please refrain from eating and drinking in the classroom. If you must imbibe or take nourishment, please clean up after yourself! Please turn off all cellphones and pagers. Anyone who leaves the classroom to answer a cellphone will not be permitted to reenter. Students may not tape-record lectures. Please arrive promptly. If you must leave early or arrive late, please do so with as little disruption as possible.

Museum locations, directions, hours (for paper #1):

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd-84th Street
Take the 4, 5 or 6 subway to 86th Street and Lexington Avenue, or the 6 train to 77th Street and Lexington Avenue and walk east and south or north.

Admission: There is a suggested $5.00 student admission, but you may pay what you wish.
Hours: Friday-Saturday 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Monday CLOSED
Tuesday-Thursday 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM