COURSE NAME: University in the High School Art History I and II
(AARH 170/171 - Survey of Art in the Western World I & II)

SCHOOL DISTRICT: Cohoes

INSTRUCTOR: JoAnn Johnson

FULL YEAR

MAXIMUM TOTAL CLASS ENROLLMENT - ALL SITES: TBA

COURSE PREREQUISITES: Art History I and II are semester-long Fine Arts electives offered to 10, 11, and 12
grade students who have successfully completed the Studio in Art requirement.

BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION / OUTLINE: Art History I is offered during the Fall semester. Art History II is
offered during the Spring semester. Art History I examines major forms of art expression from the Paleolithic
through the Medieval era. Art History II covers art from the Renaissance to the contemporary. Although the
emphasis will be on art of the Western tradition, we will also examine art and architecture outside the
European tradition. Through class lectures, readings, guess lectures, video streaming, virtual and in-person
field trips, and special assignments, students will learn the fundamentals of what art history is and how it can
teach us about our history and present society. This course fulfills General Education requirements in "Arts"
and in "Europe." It is also a required course for Art History majors, Art History minors, and Art majors.

In the Fall semester, we will visit the Francine and Sterling Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of
Art, and Mass MOCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in order to view art in a museum setting.
Students will be encouraged to participate in this field trip. Any student unable to attend, at the very least,
would need to do a virtual visit online, and attend a local museum before the end of the semester. A listing
of websites and local art museums will be distributed in the beginning of the semester. Students will be
strongly encouraged to attend the many local college, university, gallery, and museum openings throughout
the year.

In the Spring semester, we will have an opportunity to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City,
as well as some galleries there.

Additionally throughout the year, we will have some guest speakers, architects, curators, art historians, and
artists from local universities, state offices, and the community to offer the students their individual insights.

The goals of Art History I & II are:
1. Students will learn the vocabulary and language of art history.
2. Students will learn to look at works of art critically, suspending judgments as they consider the work in
terms of its social and historical context.
3. Students will learn to articulate what they see or experience, both orally and in writing.
4. Students will be exposed to the art and architecture that is our human inheritance and gain an understanding and enjoyment of the aesthetic experience.

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