Spring 2011 ~ Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50 am ~ Rhode Island Hall, room 108
Instructor: Prof. Jeffrey Becker
Email: Jeffrey Becker
Office: Rhode Island Hall, room 009; office telephone: 401.863.2008
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 13:00 to 14:30 or by appointment.
Teaching Assistant: Thomas Leppard
Email: Thomas Leppard
Office: Rhode Island Hall, 2nd floor graduate studio
Office hours: Wednesday and Friday 10:00 to 11:00 or by appointment.
Course description
This course examines the art of the ancient world in context, exploring relationships between the art of antiquity and our own modern world. The course begins with an examination of the Neolithic period in the Near East and continues through to the early Byzantine period. While the focus of the course content will be on Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilizations, comparative evidence from Asia and the Pre-Columbian Americas will also be considered. Our approach will focus, in particular, on key monuments that pertain to the various chronological periods that we will survey. Highlights among these include Cätälhöyük, Dynastic Ur, Stonehenge, the Pyramids, Classical Athens, China’s ‘terracotta army’, the Flavian Amphitheater, the Hagia Sophia. The course will also focus on current approaches and issues, as well as recent and notable archaeological discoveries.
Course Requirements:
- Class participation and attendance 10%
- Quizzes (2) 15%
- Examinations (3 total) 45%
- Written assignments. 30%
- Object Paper (RISD Museum / Brown). This paper will involve a close study and analysis of an object on display at the RISD Museum or, in some select cases, objects on display on the Brown campus. Students will be provided with a list of possible objects and an outline of the assignment in class. The final assignment should be approximately 4 pages in length.
- Monument / Issue Paper. This paper will involve a close analysis of an individual monument and/or issue chosen from a list of possible topics. Based on consultation of sources placed on reserve in the library, the student will compose a paper of 5 to 7 pages in length. More detailed guidelines will be distributed in class.
Required texts and readings:
- Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren. 2010. Art History Portable Edition, book 1: Ancient Art. 4th ed. Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 978-0-205-79091-3.
- Spiro Kostof, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals (2nd Edition, Paperback). Oxford University Press, 1995
- Other readings available via this wiki.
BROWN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY RESOURCE GUIDE FOR ARCHAEOLOGY
- The online resource guide for Archaeology & the Ancient World via Brown University Library
Image folders available via ARTstor
1) To navigate to ARTstor, visit the Brown University Library homepage and then select 'Databases A to Z'. Search for ARTstor
2) You will need to create a user account for ARTstor. Click on 'Register' in the upper right corner of the splash page, and follow the instructions from there.
3) Once you have created your user account, you will need to link to the ARCH 0030 course folder. Follow these instructions, from ARTstor:
Some folders are password-protected, and will not appear in the list at the left. To access a password-protected folder, you will need the password from the instructor who created it. Go to "Unlock password protected folder" in the Find menu. Enter your personal information and password. <-- The instructor will email you our course password
Useful links:
- Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
- Joukowsky Institute Events
- Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin
- RISD Museum
