Topics in the History of Art

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Read, Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize research on a topic of current import and interest in art history and cultural studies.

• Develop and utilize a vocabulary for archival activities, practices, and methods.

• Demonstrate awareness of the foundational ideas, theories, and shifts that have shaped the archive as a mode of inquiry in the visual arts and humanities over time.

• Develop and employ archival research skills, from locating an archive to critically examining its contents, using either digitized or physical repositories.

• Place and evaluate one’s own practice in relation to archival histories and theories.

• Conduct independent scholarly research using primary and secondary sources related to archive studies.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Class Participation	15%
Attendance	5%
Weekly Exercises/Assessments	15%
Archive Identification Report + Presentation	15%
Final Project Proposal	5%
Final Research Project	30%
Final Oral/Visual Presentation	15%

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
93-100	A
90-92	A-
87-89	B+
83-86	B
80-82	B-
77-79	C+
73-76	C
70-72	C-
67-69	D+
63-66	D
60-62	D-
59	F

Attendance/Participation:

Class attendance and participation are critical components of this course and a substantial percentage (20%) of the final grade. Exams are not given in this class, which means informed in-class participation is the primary means by which a student’s understanding and synthesis of class material and readings may be assessed. Students are expected to do the reading, take notes, and come ready to actively discuss the assigned texts every class.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.