Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Art History Survey I (Face-to-Face)

ARTH 2710-01

Course: ARTH 2710-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ARTD
CRN: 10466

Course Description

A survey of western and world art from prehistoric times through the Renaissance. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] General Education Category: Humanities

Required Texts

There is no required textbook from the course, but portions of the readings will be taken from: Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. 2018. Art History, Sixth Edition, Volume II. Boston: Pearson Education. All readings and material will be posted to our Canvas course website. 

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this course, students will have a developing ability – 

1. to identify key works of art by artist, title, date, historical period, and geographic region; 

2. to explain art historical terms and concepts and use these terms to determine the significance of works of art from various periods and geographic regions; 

3. to analyze and articulate the formal and iconographic elements of selected artworks from the prehistoric art through the Late Renaissance; 

4. to convey critical thinking skills to analyze works of art and the socio-historical context surrounding their production; and

5. to learn about the material processes in the creation of artworks from prehistoric art through the Late Renaissance.

Course Requirements

Technology Requirement:

Course content is accessible through Canvas. Students will need to be able to view videos, write and upload assignments, post to discussion boards, and take assessments. Students should have access to high-speed internet and updated software. Mobile devices may be used to view course content, upload assignments, and take assessments as determined by the instructor. 

Course Outline



Introduction: Syllabus reading; definitions of art and art history

Module 1: Prehistoric art and visual culture; Ancient Egyptian art and architecture

Module 2: Sumerian, Assyrian, Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean visual cultures 

Module 3: Archaic, Classical and Late Classical Ancient Greek aesthetics in figurative sculpture; Hellenistic aesthetics in figurative sculpture; Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic architecture

Module 4: Early Ancient Roman art and architecture; later Ancient Roman and Tetrarchan Roman aesthetics

Module 5: Pre-Colonial vs. Colonial and Post-Colonial West African visual culture; Chinese visual aesthetics from the Banpo culture through the Ming/Qing Dynasties
 
Midterm

Module 6: The Byzantine Migration; the Medieval European Economy; Romanesque art and architecture; Gothic art and architecture 

Module 7: Conditions for the Renaissance; Early Northern European Renaissance art and aesthetics

Module 8: The Early Southern Renaissance (Florence) 

Module 9: The Late Southern Renaissance (Florence, Rome, and Venice)
  
Module 10: The Late Northern European Renaissance 

Final Test 

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignment Policy: 

Due dates are given for every assignment, quiz, and test in the course, and reminders and announcements about all due dates are posted for students on a frequent basis throughout the duration of the course. Late submission of assigned work is considered for partial or full credit, depending on its relevance to the assignment's instructions and the quality of the work. Students are encouraged to turn in work late rather than not at all. In addition, optional extra-credit opportunities are available to students, further aiding them in their performance record. Specific due dates, recommended submission dates, and detailed descriptions and instructions for all assignments, quizzes, tests and discussions in the course are included in each semester's Class Schedule, as well; and this is incorporated into each semester's iteration of the Course Syllabus. All of this information is shared orally with students as well as online. 

Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy: 

For this face-to-face edition of this course, physical attendance in the assigned classroom is encouraged but not required, as all class presentation material is made available to students online as well as live in the classroom. (In other words, although it is not required of faculty at SUU to do so, I teach all three teaching modalities – synchronous-remote, asynchronous-remote, and face-to-face – simultaneously in my face-to-face courses in art history.) In 2026, it is unrealistic to expect full attendance by undergraduate students (most of them art studio majors) throughout the length of a term, nor is full and consistent physical attendance necessary in order to perform and even to excel in the art history curriculum. Students are, by and large, highly adept at managing synchronous-remote and asynchronous-remote modalities, which offer virtually all the of the attributes of the traditional face-to-face classroom experience while adding a large number of improvements to that traditional experience, including comprehensive availability of all course-related materials (including assigned films, videos, and texts),  students' progress in the course, and links to high-definition video recordings of classroom presentations, at all times throughout the term. Moreover, all ADA accommodations – including surrogate note-taking, live closed-captioning, extended time allotment during class presentations, quizzes and test periods, and flexible attendance policies – are now afforded to eligible students through my hybrid modality. Naturally, a pattern of non-attendance and/or non-participation – evidence of the student's involvement in the course material – will be noted and will affect the evaluation of their overall performance in the course. 

Course Fees

There are no course fees for this course; there is, however, a $9 program fee for each credit unit associated with the art history program (within the Department of Filmmaking, Art and Design), and this amounts to a total of $27 for this 3-credit-hour lecture-based course. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.