Outline

Overview

From Renaissance Italy to Safavid Persia and beyond, this course will take students across the globe to explore art in the cities and spaces of the Early Modern World. Works of art and design shaped and enriched the lives of these places. The course will take an expanded view of the distinct and interwoven visual and material histories of these worlds, exposing students to cutting-edge thinking, writing and exhibitions. You will encounter comparative, globally aware and materially expansive approaches to art through seminars, site visits and discussions led by a team of teachers dedicated to opening access to an expanded vista of these great cities, sites and works of art

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Art History
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in the Art History, or (6 credit points at 2000 level in Art History and CASF1001 and CASF1002)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Mark Ledbury, mark.ledbury@sydney.edu.au
Guest lecturer(s)	Marni Williams, marni.williams@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Mark Ledbury, mark.ledbury@sydney.edu.au
	Yvonne Low, yvonne.low@sydney.edu.au
	Mark De Vitis, mark.devitis@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Essay Assignment Final Essay - Comparative assignment using traditional or digital methods	60%	Formal exam period Due date: 05 Jun 2023 at 23:59	2000wd or equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Pairwork Presentation A pairwork presentation on one city/topic within a city	40%	Week 13 Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59	15 Minutes oral pres. with slides 2000wd
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Pairwork Presentation (40% of mark: each student in a pair receives the same mark) This Assessment involves two students working together to produce a 15 minute (2000 word equiv) oral presentation, with powerpoint slides or equivalent, discussing a specific aspect of one city and its culture that we have covered on the course. Students will sign up for these presentations early in the semester and use readings, class discussions and other material to prepare their presentations. They will be assessed ‘live’ and then students will upload their presentation files and script via Turnitin to the Canvas dropbox one week after they give their presentations.

Final Comparative Essay Assignment: This is an individual piece of work of 2000-2500 words or equivalent handed in by each student and must specifically address more than one city/culture covered in the course. The essay topics will be given out in class. Students may choose to use digital humanities tools (Image Annotation and other tools) to complete this assignment but must discuss their plan and method with course teachers.

Assessment criteria

Result Name	Mark Range	Description	Descriptor
Fail (FA)	0-49	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, fail to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard established by the faculty. This grade, with corresponding mark, should also be used in cases where a student fails to achieve a mandated standard in a compulsory assessment, thereby failing to demonstrate the learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard. In such cases the student will receive the mark awarded by the faculty up to a maximum of 49.	Unsatisfactory performance in one or more objectives of the subject as contained within the assessment items. Failure to meet basic objectives, or sufficiently address basic tasks or questions
Pass (PS)	50-64	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty	Work showing a satisfactory achievement on the overall objectives of the subject
Credit (CR)	65-74	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.	Work of good quality showing more than satisfactory achievement on all objectives of the subject, or work of superior quality on most of the objectives.
Distinction (DI)	75-84	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty.	Work of superior quality on all objectives of the subject, demonstrating a sound grasp of content, together with efficient organisation and selectivity.
High Distinction	85 and above	To be awarded to students who, in their performance in assessment tasks, demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars established by the faculty	Work of outstanding quality on all objectives of the subject. This may be demonstrated by means of criticism, logical argument, interpretation of materials or use of methodology. This grade may also be given to recognise particular originality or creativity.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

(1) It is expected that, unless an application for a simple extension or special consideration has been approved, students will submit all assessment for a unit of study on the due date specified. If assessment is completed or submitted within a period of extension, no academic penalty will be applied to that piece of assessment. (2) If an extension is either not sought, not granted or is granted but work is submitted after the extended due date, the late submission of assessment will result in an academic penalty as outlined in section 7A of the Assessment Procedures 2011.This document is available at https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiOvvO5gK_xAhWX7XMBHeA5BPsQFjAAegQIBhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sydney.edu.au%2Fpolicies%2Fshowdoc.aspx%3Frecnum%3DPDOC2012%2F267%26RendNum%3D0&usg=AOvVaw0YF_FjnjvtHwXmwG3DHL12 . Any individual not present for their pairwork presentation or found not to have been a consistent contributor to the pair work will receive a zero mark for the pairwork presentation- see the specific guidelines in the Canvas documentation.

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.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introducing Cities and Early Modern worlds This week introduces the topics we'll cover, the key themes of the course, and will include a discussion of the week 1 prescribed readings.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	The Temple-City of Angkor: Power, State and the Divine King Yvonne Low Exploring the architectural form and symbolism of the greatest period of the Khmer Empire (802 to 1431 CE) which saw the construction of centrally planned landscapes, vast urban complexes and some of the grandest and most enduring structures of power. Angkor Thom (lit. ‘the Big City’), an immense walled city led by Jayavarman VII (1120 - 1220 CE) and other structures will be explored	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Rome Re-imagined: The Revival of the Eternal City Mark de Vitis In our first class on Rome, we will survey some of its key-sites to understand how it came to be known as the Eternal City, a cradle of arts and culture. We will traverse Rome as the Romans did, and tour the city as it was experienced by visitors, pilgrims, and connoisseurs to see the sights that brought them to this remarkable and unique city.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Architects of Design: Building Rome's Reputation Led by Mark de Vitis and guest Lecturer Dr Michael Hill; Dr. Hill will focus on the leading architects whose technical and imaginative brilliance transformed the city of Rome and challenged the absolute authority of the Ancients through their astounding visions of contemporary architecture and its role in the city	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	The Fountains of Rome; Dr Mark de Vitis Made iconic in twentieth century and beyond through representation in photographic, cinematic and music culture, Rome's fountains are part of its very fibre as a city. Some 50 monumental fountains, and hundreds of smaller examples are found in all quarters of the city. Built by leading architects and designers, Rome's religious and civil leaders commissioned the building of aqueducts, private and public fountains for drinking, laundering, and commerce.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Week 6: Digital Humanities, Cities and Space; Guest Lecturers Marni Williams and Dr. Ian McCrabb This session focuses on how digital humanities can and are used to explore and research cities and cultures, and offers hands-on opportunities to learn some methods	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	“Traders, Artists, Burghers” Golden Age Amsterdam: Lecturer Prof Mark Ledbury This lecture explores how Amsterdam grew as a civic space and especially how and why art flourished commercially and aesthetically within the city. We’ll look at the creation of the new city, some key buildings and sites, the markets for art, and will explore specific examples of how artists, mapmakers and others depicted urban space	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Luxury, Art, Enlightenment: Paris in the Eighteenth Century: Lecturer- Prof. Mark Ledbury This week we explore the growth and character of the city of Paris between the Death of Louis XIV in 1715 and the French Revolution in 1789. We will explore the development of a culture of luxury in the lavish homes and ways of living of the new Parisian elites; we will also explore grand civic projects including new theatres, hospitals and the mint, all inflected with new ideas of enlightenment	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	“An Old New World”: Port-Cities of Asia (1600s-1800s) : lecturer, Dr. Yvonne Low; Among the most prominent cities in Asia were ports such as Batavia, Canton and Nagasaki which functioned as key nodes of trade and commerce, and the gateway into “new” worlds: the foreign and the exotic. Using the exhibition, An Old New World 1600s-1819 as a departure point, this seminar explores the role port cities have played in the development of the modern world system	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	New Ways of Seeing: Nagasaki and the rise of the Edo City; Lecturer - Dr. Yvonne Low; This seminar is the first of three that focuses on Japan where we will explore the rise and establishment of the Edo city under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate (r. 1603-1868). Continuing from the previous week, we will begin with the port city Nagasaki that later became Japan’s only access to the outside world, and where foreign objects including Dutch and Chinese export were traded.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	The Rise of a Plebeian Aesthetic? Ukiyo-e Prints and Tokugawa Culture ; Lecturer, Dr. Yvonne Low; This seminar examines the intellectual and cultural life in the capital city of Edo period. How did ukiyo-e art come to epitomize the art and culture of Edo? Who are its patrons, and what are the functions of ukiyo-e beyond the visual? We will explore the celebrity status of courtesans and the Kabuki actors of the Yoshiwara world, and the constituents of popular Edo visual and literary culture.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Gender and the Urban Experience: The Case of Edo and Batavia ; Lecturer- Dr. Yvonne Low Building on our discussion from previous seminars, we will explore the significance of gender – in particular the contribution of women to urban society – in our exploration of the cities of Edo and Batavia. What is the relationship between gender and urban spaces? In this final, exploratory seminar on Edo, we will briefly discuss how particular ways of thinking about space and place are connected to gender.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Conclusions: Early Modern and Modern World Cities: Lecturer, Prof. Mark Ledbury; In this final class, the lecture will ask questions about barriers between the "Early modern" and "Modern" worlds, about how we compare and periodize, and reflect on the benefits and dangers of comparative art history and art history that spans large time and geographical horizons. We'll also reflect on what we've learned about world cities then and now.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance is compulsory in both Lecture and Tute/Seminars, please notify us of all absences for any reason.

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

Please see Canvas for required readings for each week, and for a full bibliography for the course.

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. Deepen your knowledge of art and architectural history, particularly of art , space and architecture in the Global Early Modern World
LO2. Amplify and develop critical skills in comparison and analysis of visual material especially across places, cultures and time periods.
LO3. Engage with new and pertinent methods in art history, from Digital Humanities methodologies to site-based research
LO4. Gain opportunity to use digital humanities tools and methods first-hand.

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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

This is the first time the unit has been offered

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ARHT3682: Art, Cities and Early Modern Worlds

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

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect