Skip to main content
Unit outline_

ARHT1001: Style and Substance: Introducing Art History

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Taking a diverse, global view of art making from the Ancient to the Modern world, ARHT1001 will introduce students to key philosophical and methodological approaches in the field of Art History. As our experiences are increasingly mediated through a variety of visual platforms, this course will help students develop critical perspectives on visual communication. The development of professional skill sets will be a key focus. As such, the course serves as an essential introduction to Art History for those considering a career in the arts, education, or the museum and design sectors.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Art History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Mark De Vitis, mark.devitis@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Mark De Vitis, mark.devitis@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Research essay
Full details and resources provided on CANVAS
40% Formal exam period
Due date: 04 Jun 2023 at 23:59
2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6 LO7
Participation Tutorial participation
Full details and resources provided on CANVAS
10% Ongoing Weekly, in tutorial classes
Outcomes assessed: LO5 LO6 LO4 LO3
Assignment Object analyses
Due on the day of your tutorial in Week 6
30% Week 06
Due date: 31 Mar 2023 at 23:59
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Research essay plan
Full details and resources provided on CANVAS
20% Week 10
Due date: 01 May 2023 at 23:59
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO7 LO4

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

 

.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Monday Lecture - Welcome + Orientation - What is Art History and What do Art History Students Need to Learn? Lecture (1 hr) LO1
Tuesday Lecture - Key Skills in Art History - How to undertake a close study of a work of art Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 02 Monday Lecture - Anonymous or Unknown? Locating the Art of Teotihuacan Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO7
Tuesday Lecture - Spectacle, Ceremony and the Role of Art at Teotihuacan Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Welcome to Art History: Art and its Impact Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 03 Monday Lecture - The Classical Style and the Canon of Art History Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tuesday Lecture - Challenging the Canon: Style and its Legacy Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tutorial - Key Skills in Art History: Analysing a work of art Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Monday Lecture: Substance and the Role of Materials in Art Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tuesday Lecture: Substance - The Significance of Oil Paint Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Analysing Art: Preparing for the Object Analysis Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO7
Week 05 Monday Lecture - Substance: The Rich Heritage of Porcelain in the Cultures of China Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tuesday Lecture - Substance Case-study: Analysing Porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasties Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tutorial: Key Skills in Art History - Analysing Actual Works of Art (tutorials held at the Chau Chak Wing Museum) Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 06 Monday Lecture - Style and Status: Approaching the Italian Renaissance Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Tuesday Lecture - The Renaissance Problem: Valuing Style Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Tutorial - Key Skills in Art History: The Object Analysis Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 07 Monday Lecture - Architecture and the Great Mosques of the Ottoman Empire Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Tuesday Lecture - Architecture and the Great Cathedrals of Europe Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Tutorials - Approaching Research and the Essay Task Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6 LO7
Week 08 Monday Lecture - Women Artists: Defining Great Art Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tuesday Lecture - Women Artists: A Close Study Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tutorial - Linda Nochlin's seminal 'Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?' Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 09 Monday Lecture - Planning the Art Gallery of New South Wales workshops and your essays Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4 LO6 LO7
Tuesday Lecture - AGNSW Workshops (no lectures) Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6 LO7
Tutorial - AGNSW workshops Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 10 Monday Lecture - Art History Debates: Approaching the Museum Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO7
Tuesday Lecture - Museums Roudtable Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO7
Tutorial - Art History Debates: The Museum as a Way of Seeing Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 11 Monday Lecture - Approaching First Nations Art in Australia Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Tuesday Lecture - First Nations Art Roundtable Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO7
Tutorial - Art History Debates: Art, Appropriation and Indigenous Australia Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 12 Monday Lecture - The Digital and Art Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Tuesday Lecture - Seeing Digitally Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Art History Debates - The Digital as a Way of Seeing Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 13 Monday Lecture - Art Writing Strategies Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Tuesday Lecture - Art Writing: Refining Skills Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Key Skills in Art History: Writing on Art Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

  • Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.

  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All required reading in this unit of study is available electronically through our CANVAS course site.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. develop an understanding of key practices and methods of the discipline of art history
  • LO2. develop skills of visual literacy - the ability to analyse a work of visual art
  • LO3. develop new skills of critical thinking, problem solving and information literacy
  • LO4. develop academic and professional writing and communication skills
  • LO5. learn about the traditions of a wide variety of cultural groups
  • LO6. build confidence and resilience working with others and on self-managed projects
  • LO7. engage with leading organisations beyond the university and learn about their professional practices.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Feedback from students has allowed for more effective consultations regarding assessment tasks - particularly through the further development of workshops held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.