Writing a Syllabus for Intro to Art History Survey Course

Basic Syllabi / Assignments / Rubrics

Online Syllabi

The AHTR web log hosted a discussion on online syllabi and–very much inspired by Smarthistory's online syllabus offerings–created a template for an online syllabus for Prehistory to Gothic (here) and Renaissance to Modern (here). By online syllabi, we hateful syllabi that thrive on hyperlinked resource that are used by students online, every bit opposed to a syllabus predominately predicated on newspaper or difficult-re-create resources.

These online syllabi are formatted equally a Google Doc Excel spreadsheet for piece of cake editing.  You tin can copy and paste this template to your ain Google Physician in gild to create a stand-alone syllabus that reflects your survey focus.

Your link to the spreadsheet you create can exist emailed to students at the get-go of the semester and/or posted to Blackboard. If the admission is fix to "anyone with this link tin canview," then students can run across the syllabus on Google Docs past accessing the link through Blackboard but won't exist able to add or delete.

Paper Syllabi

You may be required to teach from a particular textbook or to teach chronologically rather than thematically. Beneath are resources for several different types of syllabi that can exist "mixed and matched" to adapt your needs and teaching specialisms. If you're a Renaissance specialist, aggrandize that function of the grade. If you're a non-Western specialist in African Art, flip the weekly chronology and begin with non-Western (and contract sure Western topics). Again, we recommend great resources similar Smarthistory'south Art History Survey syllabi templates and discussion questions.

Build the Syllabus: one-2-iii

i) If yous're building your very start syllabus, you might find the syllabus checklistuseful.

2) Here's atemplate for the "outline and rules" section of your syllabus that can exist used as the introduction to any class – it includes nuts such every bit a course clarification, grading policies, classroom etiquette etc.

3) Then, add together on the relevant week-by-week outline from the choices below:

— Chronological weekly outline for Prehistory to Gothic art survey class

— Chronological weekly outline for Renaissance to Modern art survey grade

— Chronological weekly outline for one-semester Modernistic fine art survey course (via Smarthistory)

4) Yous may as well want to take a look at "standards" similar the AP College Lath Art History syllabus that contains, amongst other helpful info, brief weekly descriptions and a good, broad course bibliography.

Reflections

This short and smart post by Louise Lamphere Beryl, PhD Candidate in Anthropology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, discusses one way to approach syllabus design—"Astern Blueprint," as touted past educators Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe.

Written Assignment Suggestions

i) The Museum Response Paper template can exist used every bit an assignment once or twice during the semester as a mode to a) have your students undertake a concise written exercise that b) asks them to wait closely at one object (or ii, if you'd like them to compare and contrast) and c) also asks them to engage with the museum or gallery space to make them enlightened of the cultural context in which they encounter objects in institutions. This template can exist "set upwards" in course using the museum visit videos and Museum Ascertainment Prompts handout.

2) The "How To Write A Thesis" template is a useful handout for a grade exercise postal service-museum visit, once students accept picked their object and can retrieve well-nigh what a thesis is and how to construct their ain. As part of this in-class exercise, it might be useful to look at examples of previous students' thesis statements on the Writing Examples PPT, which includes anonymous examples of past museum response paper excerpts, so students empathize what a thesis statement, formal analysis paragraph, museum environment analysis, and concluding paragraph might await like (you can, of course, signal out the merits and/or pitfalls of each instance per your ain instruction preferences).

3) The Grading Rubric and Newspaper Style Guide handouts tin can be given out in course and/or uploaded to your Blackboard and retooled to fit your objectives for the written consignment.

four) This Formal Analysis Assignment provides some great ideas on how to guide students through formal analysis reminding them that the exercise is about looking and analysis and non research and analysis. Students are oft reluctant to trust their own eyes and their own opinions. For formal analysis papers, they often automatically go to an outside source in order to farther eternalize the assertions they make in their papers. Kimberly Overdevest at the Chiliad Rapids Customs College in M Rapids, Michigan has had smashing success with these prompts.

To research or not to research?

Asking your students to undertake a research paper as function of the fine art history survey can be a tricky beast as the range of pupil experience with elements such equally library research and bibliographic citations tin can be large and crippling. For most mixed-power or required-credit survey classes, focusing on short papers with limited inquiry allows you and the students to focus on finessing writing skills first. Always consider reaching out to the Writing Center on your campus—a staff member tin can usually brand an in-class visit to tell your students about the range of services on offer which should include workshops and one-to-one appointments.

Grading educatee papers tin be done the former fashioned way (your students hand you a newspaper copy) or through anti-plagiarism software such as SafeAssign (part of the Blackboard suite) or Turnitin.com (your school may take a license—find out who the Turnitin campus coordinator is for more than details). There are upstanding considerations to using anti-plagiarism software.

Presentations—either singly or in groups—can be a good way to have your students call up about a class theme from a new angle. Meet the handout "How to requite a great oral presentation," which besides contains a sample grading rubric so students sympathize instructor expectations as they prepare.

Rubric Samples

Formal Analysis Rubric Grid

Research Rubric Grid

AAC&U VALUE Rubric Development Project
This resource offers adaptable rubrics created as part of the American Association of College and Academy'south Liberal Education and America's Promise (Spring) initiative.

The "Syllabus Templates and Resources" folio was last updated 4.18.2015.

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Source: http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/syllabi/

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