TELEPHONES AND PAGERS MUST BE TURNED OFF

DURING THE LECTURE PERIODS

 

Art 307; THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY                          Richard Gantt

                                                                                                            228 Cone Bldg.

            THE CONTRACT

     This syllabus is the operational contract between the professor and the student.  Read it carefully.  The information contained herein is intended as a guide to allow the student to know what the policies of this class are, and to help her/him achieve success within the structure of the course.

            CONSULTATIONS

     I will be glad to schedule individual office appointments to discuss class material from lectures, readings, or examinations with any student.  At the end of a lecture, see me, and we will book your appointment.

            THE COURSE

            Art of the eighteenth century shifted constantly between the consolidation of venerable traditions in western art and new inventions in subject, content, style, patronage, and media that are yet influencing the arts of our own time.  This course will closely investigate both the conservative and avant-garde aspects of the period.  To do so, we will not observe a strict chronological progress in our study, but will instead frame our inquiry within the interests of the powerful nation-states that governed the artists, patrons, and public during the century.

            LECTURES

 TELEPHONES AND PAGERS MUST BE TURNED OFF DURING THE LECTURE PERIODS.   Lectures will be held twice a week.  During the lectures, material will be presented that is based upon the assigned reading.  The reading will assigned during the lecture periods, and will allow sufficient time for the students to complete the readings in advance of discussion.  The points of the lectures will be demonstrated by the projection of slides of various media—drawing, painting, sculpture, works in ceramic, and architecture—for instance.  Questions about the material under consi­deration are strongly encouraged.  The lecture meeting will be the best time for the student to ask about any aspect of the readings he or she found difficult or unclear.

            ATTENDANCE

The days that you come to class are entirely your own business.  WHEN you come during lectures and examinations is entirely the professor's business.  Class begins promptly at its appointed time.  Do not come late thereby interrupting your peers and the professor.  When class has started, we are busy; do not bother us.  You will know that our class is underway because the door(s) to the lecture hall will be shut; do not come in.  If you need to see the professor or a peer, wait until the class is over.  NOTE: This policy also extends to activity within the lecture hall; if a rest facility is needed, avail yourself of its comforts before the class period.

            GRADES

     The grade for this course will be determined by the average of three examinations.  Your only opportunities for grades are to take the examinations at their appointed times.  Do not request special favors that cannot be granted to all of your peers; "extra work" does not exist.  These examinations are scheduled as follows:  EXAM I – SEPT 13;  EXAM II – OCT 24;  EXAM III – DEC 12 from 8—11 am. IN GATEWOOD 204:    ALL OF THESE EXAMINATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR YOUR COURSE GRADE.  Mark those dates on your personal calendar immediately.  Examinations are neither given earlier nor later than the scheduled slot.  Make-up examinations are not given. 

            Should either the first or second examination be missed,  I will assign a formal research paper to replace the missing grade.  The topic will be entirely of my choosing. If you do miss either the first or second exam, see me the very next class so that we may set your paper topic.  Warning! It will be very unwise to consider the paper an OPTION rather than taking the scheduled examination; in my experience, passing papers on the undergraduate level are rare. 

    Should both the first and second examinations be missed, a grade of 0 will be recorded for each.  (Having failed to complete two-thirds of the graded work for the course, at this juncture the student will be strongly advised to officially withdraw from the course).

 

 

            GRADES

 The final examination on May 12 is required of all students (see Undergraduate Bulletin  under "Grading"); if it is missed, a zero will be averaged with the other grades rather than an INC (incomplete) assigned as the course grade.

            In keeping with the policy of this university which has no standardized grading scale, I have determined that the scale for this course will be:  A 100-95;  B+ 94-92; B 91-88; B- 87-85;  C+ 84-82; C 81-78: C- 77-75;  D+ 74-72; D 71-68; D- 67-65;  F 64--.

            EXAMINATIONS

     Blue Books are required.  Only complete (no pages missing) Blue Books with a signed honor pledge will be acceptable.  Ink--blue or black--is the only proper medium for your examination writing.  Your submitted examinations must fulfill all of the above requirements or they will not be accepted for grading.  The examinations for Art  will follow usual practices for art history surveys, and each will consist of three sections:

1.         Identifications--provide the crucial data for major artifacts.  Information such as the title of the work, its date, location for architecture, the name of the artist, the style or period to which it belongs, and its culture or country of association—or artist's nationality will be required, .  Information for this section will be taken directly from your text unless otherwise indicated during lectures.

2.         Essay(s)--will concentrate on issues of style and culture.  In studying the material, you should always construct a clear idea of the importance that works hold in the history of art.  Your essay should contain accurate and specific information from your text and the lectures--never vague generalizations and un­informed observations.  The essay should be written in a clear, concise standard form for essays in the English language.        

3.         Terms--often have a specialized usage in art.  Mastery of terms is essential since they are often keys to understanding the general properties of a style and the specific properties of an artifact.  Should you be required to define a term, do so fully; short answers may not be clear enough to allow you to receive credit.

     Each examination will test only the material (text and lecture) covered since the previous exam.  Note:  Spelling is essential.  As in any discipline, the student is required to know the material.  2 + 2 = 5 is not correct, and neither is Buchardon for Bouchardon.

No personal electronic equipment—computers, PDAs, for example—may be employed during the class periods when examinations are to be/being taken.

 

            POSTED GRADES

            In order to fully comply with the Federal Rights of Privacy Act, grades are never posted or given out over the telephone or Internet.

 

            TELEPHONE CALLS

     Telephone calls should not be necessary.  Information and questions can be dealt with by your professor during class times and conferences.  Remember: you already have a scheduled appointment with your professor every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—44 times this semester—and he can always be found then.   Also, the departmental and museum staffs are  occupied with their duties; please do not hinder them in their work by calling on the telephone.  Never call the Weatherspoon Gallery if you are trying to locate a faculty member.

 

            E-MAIL

     I do not respond to unsolicited e-mail.  However, I am more than happy to answer any questions and discuss issues on the material under study in class and during office appointments.

 

            TEXTS

                        required:  Levy.  Painting and Sculpture in Eighteenth-century France.

                                        Summerson.  Architecture of the Eighteenth Century.