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Class meetings: TuTh 12:00–1:00pm and F 1:10–2:10pm, Houghton House 212
Office hours: Mondays 1:30–3:00pm, Thursdays 10:15–11:45am, or by appointment, in person (Houghton House 208) or via Zoom (see Canvas for link)
Course description:
This course presents a topical study of the arts and architecture of China, Japan, India, and (to a lesser extent) Korea, with some comparisons to the arts of Central Asia, Europe, and America. We will examine developments in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, prints, and installations, through a series of case studies. Broad topics will include connections between art, politics, philosophy, and religion; text-image relationships; artistic practice, patronage, and collecting; and international art movements in the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, students will learn to analyze two- and three-dimensional works of art and architecture. There are no prerequisites, and no previous exposure to the arts of Asia is necessary. The course is cross-listed with Asian Studies and Media & Society. It addresses two of the aspirational goals of the curriculum: a critical understanding of social inequalities (partially), and a critical understanding of cultural difference (substantially).
Learning objectives:
- Students will develop the ability to analyze two-dimensional art, three-dimensional objects, and architecture.
- Students will be able to identify the formal and material elements of different Asian media, particularly painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, prints, and installations.
- Students will develop the ability to recognize, and be able to explain, significant themes, stylistic features, and genre conventions associated with art and architecture in Asia from the ancient through contemporary eras.
- Students will develop an understanding of, and be able to explain, how works of art and architectural sites operate as historical artifacts that reveal current ideas on politics, philosophy, religion, and society.
- Students will demonstrate broader knowledge of the connections between and dissimilarities of East Asian and South Asian art, architecture, literature, politics, philosophies, and religious practices.
- Students will practice using academic sources for humanities research available through the HWS Library.
- Students will show improvement in following “best practices” for accurately summarizing, synthesizing, and citing sources using Chicago-style citation.
- At semester’s end, students will be able to demonstrate writing skills appropriate to art history, particularly how to craft and argue a thesis.
Required books (available from the College Store or the Library):
Barnet, Sylvan, ed. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2015. ISBN-13: 9780205886999
Neave, Dorinda, Lara C. W. Blanchard, and Marika Sardar. Asian Art. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2015. ISBN-13: 9780205837632
Certain supplementary materials will be available via Canvas:
- PowerPoint presentations will be posted in the folders Files | Image presentations (parts 1 and 2).
- Image sheets and other daily handouts will be posted in the folders Files | Handouts (parts 1 and 2).
- Assignments will be posted in the folder Files | Assignments.
- Discussion questions that count toward participation will be posted on the Discussion Board.
Weekly schedule (please note: schedule may be subject to minor changes):
Jan. 23 (Tu). Overview of the course.
Jan. 25 (Th). Analyzing two-dimensional art: medium, composition, color, line.
- Dorinda Neave, Lara C. W. Blanchard, and Marika Sardar, Asian Art (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2015), xviii–xx.
- Sylvan Barnet, ed., A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 11th ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson, 2015), 69–97.
Jan. 26 (F). Analyzing two-dimensional art: representing mass, recession into depth, and vantage point.
Jan. 30 (Tu). How to study for art history classes and how to write about art.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, xii–xviii, xxii–1, 103–104, 124–25, 240–41.
- Barnet, ed., A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 1–68.
Feb. 1 (Th). Analyzing three-dimensional art.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, xx–xxi.
- Barnet, ed., A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 97–109.
Feb. 2 (F). Analyzing architecture.
II. ART, POLITICS, PHILOSOPHIES, AND INDIGENOUS RELIGIONS IN EARLY ASIA.
Feb. 6 (Tu). The development of Indian Buddhist architecture.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 3–14.
Feb. 8 (Th). Early Buddhist and Jain temple art in India.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 14–22.
Feb. 9 (F). Early Hindu art and architecture in India.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 25–34, 36–37.
Feb. 13 (Tu). Ancestor worship and bronze vessels in China.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 127–38.
Feb. 15 (Th). Chinese concepts of the afterlife and the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuangdi.
Feb. 16 (F). Art and the beginnings of Daoism in China’s Han dynasty and the Six Dynasties period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 140–43, 147–50.
Feb. 20 (Tu). Confucian art in China’s Han dynasty and the Six Dynasties period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 143–45, 148, 150.
Feb. 22 (Th). CLASS CANCELLED, but please watch a recorded lecture on Shamanism, early artifacts, and tombs in ancient Korea and Japan, available on Canvas.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 243–48, 277–87.
Feb. 23 (F). CLASS CANCELLED, but please watch a recorded lecture on Shinto shrines in Japan, available on Canvas.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 287–88.
III. ART AND CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTIONS IN ASIA.
Feb. 27 (Tu). The spread of Buddhist art and architecture to Southeast Asia.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 110–13, 116–20.
Feb. 29 (Th). The spread of Hindu art and architecture to Southeast Asia.
Mar. 1 (F). The entry of Buddhism into China and Korea.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 150–55, 165–67, 248–51.
Mar. 5 (Tu). The entry of Buddhism into Japan.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 288–303.
Mar. 7 (Th). The entry of Islam into South Asia.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 51–57.
IV. ARTISTIC PRACTICE AND PATRONAGE.
Mar. 8 (F). Calligraphy and painting in China’s Six Dynasties and Tang dynasty.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 155–63.
Mar. 12 (Tu). FIRST TEST.
Mar. 14 (Th). How to do research in art history.
- Barnet, ed., A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 226–43, 270–306.
Mar. 15 (F). East Asian decorative arts from the 8th through 13th centuries.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 167–69, 177–78, 251–55, 300.
(Mar. 16–24, Spring Break)
Mar. 26 (Tu). Art and politics in China’s Song dynasty.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 171–77, 178–85.
Mar. 28 (Th). Mongol rule and the arts in China’s Yuan dynasty.
Mar. 29 (F). Imperial patronage in Korea’s Unified Silla period and Japan’s Nara period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 249–51, 299–300.
Apr. 2 (Tu). Aristocratic patronage of Buddhist art and architecture in Japan’s Heian period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 307–14, 321–22.
Apr. 4 (Th). Arts of Japan’s Heian court.
Apr. 5 (F). Art and political upheaval in Japan’s Kamakura period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 325–34.
Apr. 9 (Tu). Zen Buddhism and artistic practice in Japan’s Muromachi period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 334–43.
Apr. 11 (Th). Architecture of India’s Mughal and Rajput courts.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 64–67, 76–77.
Apr. 12 (F). Painting of India’s Mughal, Rajput, and Pahari courts.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 68–71, 74–76, 77–78.
Apr. 16 (Tu). Aesthetics and architecture in China’s Ming dynasty, Korea’s Joseon dynasty, and Japan’s Edo period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 195–99, 256–59, 355–57.
Apr. 18 (Th). Aesthetics and ceramics in China’s Ming and Qing dynasties, Korea’s Joseon dynasty, and Japan’s Momoyama and Edo periods.
Apr. 19 (F). Woodblock printmaking in China’s Ming dynasty and Japan’s Edo period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 201, 364–67.
Apr. 23 (Tu). Professional painters in China’s Ming and Qing dynasties and Korea’s Joseon dynasty.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 202–205, 210–12, 261–65.
Apr. 25 (Th). Professional painters and textile workers in Japan’s Edo period.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 357–64, 368–72.
V. INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES AND MOVEMENTS IN THE MODERN PERIOD.
Apr. 26 (F). Interactions of European and Asian culture in 18th-and 19th-century art and architecture.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 81–91, 213–15, 361–62.
Apr. 30 (Tu). Modernity in early 20th-century Asian art.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 92–93, 221–25, 372–74.
May 2 (Th). Art and revolution in mid-20th-century Asia.
May 3 (F). Globalization and tradition in contemporary Asian art.
- Neave et al., Asian Art, 96–101, 230–39, 270–75, 376–81.
(May 4–6, Reading Days)
May 7 (Tu). SECOND TEST, 7:00–10:00pm.
Course requirements:
- Response papers (10%). You will be required to attend and write short responses to three (3) events related to art or Asia (exhibitions, speakers, films, performances, readings, etc.) before the end of the term. More details to follow. I will maintain a list of such events on Canvas. I grade response paper assignments as follows: A+ (100) for thoughtful commentary; C (75) for a response that suggests some misunderstandings; zero (0) for lack of completion.
- Participation (10%). This constitutes responding to questions on the Canvas discussion board. I grade participation assignments as follows: A (95) for thoughtful commentary that is analytical in nature or synthesizes material from readings and/or other classes; B (85) for answering a prompt briefly; C (75) for a response that suggests some misunderstandings; D (65) for a disruptive or disrespectful response; zero (0) for lack of participation.
- Looking paper (20%), drafts due Friday, Feb. 2; Thursday, Feb. 15; and Thursday, Feb. 29. In this short paper (600–900 words) you will choose an Asian painting from a provided list to analyze in terms of its formal qualities. More details to follow.
- Analysis + research paper (20%), proposal due Thursday, Mar. 28; drafts due Thursday, Apr. 4; Thursday, Apr. 18; and Thursday, May 2. In this longer paper (1200–1500 words) you will analyze and research a work of Asian art or a single Asian building. More details to follow.
- First test (20%), Tuesday, Mar. 12. The first test will cover material through the end of the third unit (Art and Cross-Cultural Connections in Asia) and will include slide identifications and short, comparative essays. More details to follow.
- Second test (20%), Tuesday, May 7, 7:00pm. The second test will cover the fourth and fifth units (from Artistic Practice and Patronage onward) and will include slide identifications and short, comparative essays. More details to follow.
Communications:
I am happy to meet with you outside of class at a mutually convenient time, in person or via Zoom (see Office hours above). The best way to reach me to set up an appointment is by e-mail, but please note that I might not check my e-mail before 9:00am or after 4:30pm. If I need to contact students, I generally will do so via HWS e-mail and through Announcements on Canvas (see Websites below). You should develop the habit of checking both on a regular basis (I recommend doing so daily).
Writing Colleague:
We will have a Writing Colleague, Ingrid Miller, in this course. She will provide you with feedback and assistance, and meeting with her should be considered an extension of your work for the course. Writing Colleagues undergo a rigorous training program to aid fellow students to become strong and effective writers. You will meet with Ingrid periodically throughout the course to discuss your papers. Needless to say, these meetings are essential to your success and absolutely mandatory. If you miss a scheduled meeting with Ingrid without giving her ample warning, a penalty of five points will be assessed to that assignment; if you do not meet with her at all, a penalty of one letter grade will be assessed to that assignment. This reflects the significance we place on the writing process—we take it seriously and you should too.
Ingrid’s job is to assist you to achieve the writing goals of the course: to write economically (say the most with the least amount of words), effectively (say what you mean to say), and elegantly (write with grace and flair). This is designed to help you to articulate your ideas, arguments, and conclusions clearly and cogently. She is not responsible for the content of your paper; she is not responsible for the quality of your work; she is not responsible for your grade. Your papers will be evaluated based on your ideas and how well you make your arguments. If you have any questions about a grade, please don’t hesitate to come to my office hours.
Because your Writing Colleague will be instrumental in the successful functioning of our course, I expect you to show her the same respect and consideration you would show me. She was chosen for a reason: she is an exemplary student who has proven to be not only intelligent and talented but also extremely approachable and willing to help. Make use of her knowledge by setting up meetings to ask for her advice and perspective. It will be time well spent.
Guidelines for academic success:
In this course, you are expected to attend three hours of lectures weekly and complete eight hours of homework weekly—reading, writing, and looking—in preparation for those lectures. (This adds up to 45 hours of faculty-led instructional time and 120 hours of homework over the course of the semester.) Attending class regularly and engaging in discussions with me and your peers is important for your learning. If, however, you need to miss a class (for reasons including celebration of your religion, athletic participation, field trips for a different class, or illness), I expect you to notify me as soon as possible.
In addition to the above, you are required to attend three events related to art or Asia (adding up to three hours of equivalent academic activities total), over the course of the semester. Please consult the Related Events schedule on Canvas and plan in accordance with your interests and availability. Alternatively, you may substitute a meeting with me or with Writing Fellows at the Center for Teaching and Learning about your looking paper or analysis + research paper for any of the events.
Finally, you are required to meet four times with Writing Colleague Ingrid Miller (adding up to two hours of equivalent academic activities).
Those of us meeting in person all share responsibility for the health and safety of all in the classroom environment. In the event that you find yourself experiencing symptoms of illness, I request that you do the following:
- Stay home! This is the best way to prevent spreading COVID-19 as supported by scientific evidence.
- I expect that you will contact me to discuss missed coursework. In the case that you are not able to make up missed coursework by the end of the semester, we will need to consider options that may include a medical withdrawal or incomplete for the semester, which will be done in consultation with your class Dean.
Be assured that I will do what I can to work with students to facilitate their successful completion of the course. I encourage you to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Format for written
work:
Please follow these guidelines for all written assignments.
- Type all work in a 12-point font.
- Double-space.
- Leave one-inch margins on all sides.
- Number your pages.
- Put your name and the date on the first page.
- Check that your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct—these are crucial to effective communication of your ideas. Your grade will drop if you have excessive errors. A Short Guide to Writing about Art has a helpful chapter titled “Manuscript Form” (chap. 14). Read it.
- If you cite another source, you must use
a.) parenthetical references or footnotes, and
b.) a list of works cited, as explained in The Chicago Manual of Style (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html), the documentation style typically used by art historians. (See A note about cheating and plagiarism below.) This citation system is explained in A Short Guide to Writing about Art.
- Include pictures (with captions) of works of art that you discuss.
For written work that can be submitted via Canvas, please upload a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx) or a Portable Document Format file (.pdf): these are the only formats that Canvas will accept. Alternatively, you can turn in a stapled hard copy, plus copies of any earlier drafts, during the class period. PLEASE NOTE: I do not accept papers via e-mail.
A note about cheating
and plagiarism:
I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. It destroys the trust that I have in you to do your best, it is unfair to the other students, and you will not learn anything if you resort to cheating. If I find that you have cheated on a test or on a written assignment, you will receive a zero for the assignment and I will contact the Deans and/or the Committee on Standards about your case. If a case goes to the Committee on Standards, I follow the Committee's recommendation; if it also finds evidence of cheating or plagiarism, the recommendation is usually failure of the course at a minimum.
In accordance with the Colleges’ Academic Policies (https://www.hws.edu/catalogue/academic-policies.aspx) and the Handbook of Community Standards (https://www.hws.edu/offices/campus-life/pdf/community_standards.pdf#search=community%20standards), pp. 9–10, 41–42, I define cheating as giving or receiving assistance on any assignment for this course, including all paper assignments and tests, except as directly authorized by me. The Colleges’ Academic Policies define plagiarism as “the presentation or reproduction of ideas, words, or statements of another person as one’s own, without due acknowledgment.” In application, this means that in all assignments, you need to cite your sources. When quoting —say, five words or more in succession—you need to put those words in quotation marks and include a parenthetical reference or footnote citing the source. When rewriting a passage from a text in your own words, you don’t need the quotation marks but you do still need the parenthetical reference or footnote. In addition, all sources that you cite need to be included in a list of works cited at the end of the assignment. If you don’t understand exactly what constitutes plagiarism, or how to use parenthetical references or footnotes, please ask me. I would prefer to explain what it is and how to avoid it before it happens rather than after.
Grading:
Tests and analytical paper assignments receive numerical grades. Response papers and participation assignments receive letter grades, as described under Course requirements above, or zero (0).If you are unsatisfied with a grade, please prepare a written statement explaining what grade you think you should have received and why, and submit it to me along with the assignment for review.
I mark down three points for each calendar day that an assignment is late. If you think you will need an extension, you should ask for one via e-mail as early as possible.
My grading scale is as follows:
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A+ 97-100 |
A 93-97 |
A- 90-93 |
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B+ 87-90 |
B 83-87 |
B- 80-83 |
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C+ 77-80 |
C 73-77 |
C- 70-73 |
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D+ 67-70 |
D 63-67 |
D- 60-63 |
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F 0-60 |
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Final grades are subject to reduction for lack of attendance as explained in the Guidelines for Academic Success above.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL):
At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, we encourage you to learn collaboratively and to seek the resources that will enable you to succeed. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is one of those resources: CTL programs and staff help you engage with your learning, accomplish the tasks before you, enhance your thinking and skills, and empower you to do your best. Resources at CTL are many: Teaching Fellows provide content support in 13 departments, Study Mentors help you manage your time and responsibilities, Writing Fellows help you think well on paper, and professional staff members help you assess academic needs.
I encourage you to explore these and other CTL resources designed to encourage your very best work. You can talk with me about these resources, visit the CTL office on the 2nd floor of the library to discuss options with the staff, or visit the CTL website: Center for Teaching and Learning | Hobart and William Smith (hws.edu). To schedule a meeting click here: Log in Appointments (hws.edu).
Office of Disability Services:
It is the policy and practice of Hobart and William Smith Colleges to create inclusive learning environments. If you are a student with a disability and there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that present barriers to you, please begin the process of registering with Disability Services by completing the Intake Form on Accommodate (click here).
Students are always welcome to contact the Disability Services team: Shanelle France, Associate Director of CTL for Disability Services and Thom Mascia, Disability Services Accommodation Manager are the main contact staff for Disability Services. E-mail: CTL@hws.edu Phone: 315-781-3351.
Additional information can be found on the Disability Services webpage.
Websites:
There are two websites for this course: one at my homepage, http://people.hws.edu/blanchard/ARTH103/; and one at Canvas, https://canvas.hws.edu/. This syllabus, paper assignments, and links to online resources for Asian art can be found at both. The Canvas site also has a course calendar, daily handouts, discussions, and an online gradebook; I plan to post PowerPoint presentations there as well.
To use Canvas, log in with your campus username and password. Once you have logged in, you should see, at the left of the screen, a link for Courses you are enrolled in, as well as links for your Account, Dashboard, Calendar, Inbox, Commons, and Help.
It is essential for you to get in the habit of logging into Canvas regularly, as one way I will communicate with the class is via Canvas announcements, and I will post assignments and other course materials there. If you click on the Account link and then on Settings, you can set up Canvas to notify your e-mail or your cell phone about recent activity. I strongly recommend that you set Canvas to send you notifications of announcements ASAP.
For further assistance with Canvas, click on the Help link at the bottom left, and then on “Canvas Resources for Students.” You should look for the Canvas Student Guide (https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/tkb-p/student) or—for visually oriented people—the Video Guide (https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Video-Guide/tkb-p/videos). Alternatively, contact the Help Desk of Instructional Technology through the Client Portal (https://hws.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1889/Portal/Home/), at x4357, or at helpdesk@hws.edu.
Technology policy:
Some learning materials will be provided via online platforms such as Canvas (regularly) and Zoom (infrequently). Because of this, your access to a strong internet connection regularly is imperative to your success. I understand that we do not all have access to the same set of resources when not on campus. If this requirement sets up a currently unattainable goal for you, please contact me, your Dean, or the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs for additional assistance.
Because this class may occasionally use Zoom, please be sure you have Zoom installed on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Zoom classes may not be recorded or distributed by anyone other than me, the instructor. Below are tips for participating in a Zoom session:
- join the meeting early and test speaker, microphone, and camera settings;
- keep speakers away from microphones to avoid feedback;
- mute your microphones upon entry to the meeting; and
- do not join a meeting from multiple devices.
I encourage you to bring a laptop or tablet with you to class as it may be useful to you in note-taking, but please remember: using personal electronic devices in the classroom can also be a distraction for you and for other students. Therefore,
- please silence notifications on all devices so that your work is not interrupted;
- please be respectful and do not use your devices for non-class related tasks, such as social media; and
- please minimize device use during whole-class, in-person discussions.
Electronic video and/or audio recording is not permitted during class unless you obtain permission from me. If permission is granted, any distribution of the recording is prohibited.
Please let me know if there are reasons why you cannot follow the above guidelines.
Intellectual property statement:
My course materials, including this syllabus, lectures, presentations, tests, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. I am the exclusive owner of copyright for those materials that I create. I encourage you to take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not, however, reproduce or distribute notes or course materials publicly without my express written consent, nor may you knowingly allow others to do so. This includes providing materials to commercial course material suppliers such as CourseHero, Chegg, and other similar services. Students who publicly distribute or display copies or modified copies of an instructor’s course materials, or help others to do so, may be in violation of Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ policies on intellectual responsibility, found in the Handbook of Community Standards, pp. 8–9. |
