1. INTRODUCTION TO WORLD ART I (ANCIENT ART HISTORY SURVEY)—Art 110 01
Syllabus and Course Schedule, Fall 2011, CSUDH
Dates/Times: Mondays 7:00-9:30 pm.
Instructor: Dr. Paul Koudounaris (phone: 310-529-4112; email: pkoudounaris@gmail.com; office
and office hours: TBA—I will put the office info on one of the later class handouts since at the
printing of this syllabus an office has not yet been assigned to me.
Course material: Ancient Art, from Prehistoric Art through Medieval, both Western and non-
Western. The goals of the course are to familiarize you with the visual cultures of a variety of
ancient civilizations, and to study the artifacts created by them within their original social,
religious, and historic contexts.
Text: Kleiner and Mamiya, Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, volume 1,
13th edition (see schedule for reading assignments); our readings for the “non-Western” sections
of the course will available for free download from Blackboard.
Requirements/Grading: We will have three exams, all equally weighted (this includes the Final
Exam—it is not cumulative, and is weighted equally with the others). In addition, there is a paper/
project (see separate assignment sheet; it is weighted the same as the exams), so you will have
four grades total, and your final grade will be based on an average of those four marks. I do not
give pop or surprise quizzes, and I do not assign “homework” other than reading the text,
studying your notes, and of course your class paper/project. There are no “:extra credit”
assignments per se, but there is a special out of class assignment based around the Dia de los
Muertos holiday and veneration of the dead in other cultures and the ancient world—see the
assignment sheet. Completing that assignment will get you 20 points, which is equal to two letter
grades on an exam.
Exam dates and format: I will give more details of format before each exam, but the first exam
(October 3) and the Final Exam (December 12) will both have 20 multiple choice questions and
two essay questions; the second exam (November 7) will be essay only, with three essay
questions, but it will be given to you as a take-home exam, and you will be allowed to use your
notes and book. I use this system because some people are more comfortable with exams which
multiple choice questions, while other people prefer exams with more written content, so I have
found that varying the exam format helps achieve a balance between the two sides. Again, I will
give exact details of format before each exam. Note that that Final Exam will NOT be
cumulative.
Study sheets: I will prepare a study guide for each week of class. Due to budgetary restrictions it
is simply not possible for the Art Department to provide photocopies of anything other than
exams. It would be a good idea to print out the study sheets from Blackboard and bring them with
you to class.
Attendance: Since much of what we will learn is classroom-based, attendance at each meeting is
important and I encourage you to be present. I do not, however, impose penalties for absenteeism
or tardiness.
Blackboard system/online resources: For those of you unfamiliar with it, Blackboard is the
school’s online support system. All of our class materials will be posted on Blackboard, and as
has been previously noted, you will be expected to download and print out materials such as the

2. study sheets. If you are not familiar with it, please do familiarize yourself with the Blackboard
system. You will also find online review sessions—these are abbreviated synopses of the classes
in ppt format, but please note that they are meant to reinforce what we discuss in class, not as a
substitute for missing class meetings. I am aware that Blackboard some people have reported
problems with access to Blackboard in this past, and this sometimes leaves students in an
unfortunate situation. If there are ever problems with Blackboard, please do notify me so at least I
can be aware; in the past I have tried other options such as alternate website or Facebook groups
—like I said, if you have problems with Blackboard access, let me know and I will look for
solutions.
Note for any students with special needs or requiring special assistance (including disabled
students and non-native English speakers): I am happy to make any accommodations for you and
help you in any way I reasonably can. If you will need any special accommodations (including
extra time to complete exams) please let me know as early in the semester as possible.
Statement regarding academic integrity: We are bound in this class by the ethical conduct
expected of students at the university and outlined in the catalog—please see the catalog if you
have questions regarding plagiarism, student conduct, or any other such matters.

3. Schedule
Aug. 29 Course introduction; Prehistoric (Paleolithic) Art and Neolithic Art;
pages 1-14.
Sept. 5 NOTE: SEPT. 5 IS A HOLIDAY, no class
Sept. 12 Egyptian Art, pages 39-65
Sept. 19 Egyptian Art, pages 39-65
Sept. 26 Egyptian Art, pages 39-65; review for First Exam
Oct. 3 FIRST EXAM; Ancient Near Eastern Art, pages 17-37
Oct. 10 Ancient Near Eastern Art, pages 17-37; Ancient Aegean Art, pages 67-
83; begin Greek Art, pages 85-123
Oct. 17 Greek Art, pages 85-123
Oct. 24 End Greek Art; Hellenistic Art, pages 123-140
Oct. 31 Roman Art, pages 157-206
Nov. 7 Not meeting in class on Nov.7: SECOND EXAM (take home exam);
Dia de los Muertos assignment (see handout)
Nov. 14 Roman Art, pages 157-206; Early Christian Art, pages 209-215, 218-228
Nov. 21 Byzantine and Medieval Art, pages218-228, 246; Islamic Art, pages
261-282
Nov. 28 Early Indian and Asian Art; Precolumbian Mexican and Central
American Art (readings posted on Blackboard)
Dec. 5 South American Art (reading posted on Blackboard); review for Final
Exam
Dec. 12 FINAL EXAM, 7:00 PM. NOTE ALSO THAT ALL PAPERS MUST
BE TURNED IN BY THIS TIME.

4. Art 110: INTRODUCTION TO WORLD ART I (ANCIENT ART HISTORY SURVEY)
Paper Assignment
Due Date: if you want to get your paper graded and returned, you must give it to me one week
before the Final Exam. If you do not care about getting your paper graded and returned by the end
of the semester, I will be glad to accept it up until the day of the Final Exam.
This is intended as a museum assignment. PLEASE NOTE: I am aware that time and
transportation issues may make this assignment more difficult for some students, and if you find
it would be a burden to complete it, I will be glad to let you complete an alternate assignment (see
bottom).
Go to a local museum with holdings in ancient art. If you are interested in Egyptian, Greek, or
Roman art, you can find pieces especially the Getty Villa (please, please, please note: the Getty
Villa is NOT the Getty Center, the Getty Villa is in Malibu) and LACMA (Los Angeles County
Museum of Art). For Medieval Christian art, you should be able to find some examples at
LACMA and the Getty Center. If you prefer Precolumbian American Art (Inca, Maya, Aztec,
etc.) there are some other options, including both the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park
and the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana (the Bowers also usually has African and Asian Art on
display as well). Select an ancient artwork (one from one of the periods or civilizations we
discuss in class) and write a short paper (perhaps four to five pages) in which addresses the
following:
--describe in detail the artwork you have selected; are there any unusual features, or aspects of it
which seem particularly interesting or striking to you?
--give some historical background; what, if anything, is known about it?—which civilization
made it, when was it made, etc.
--compare it to any similar pieces we have seen in class; for example, if you choose a piece of
Egyptian sculpture, how is it similar or different to examples we have discussed in class or you
have seen in the book.
--what did it represent?—discuss any symbolism, etc.; course notes and the book may be useful in
this regard, as will comparing it to previously studied examples, as the symbolism might be
similar
--what might its purpose have been, or how might it have been used?—this may require
speculation on your part, based on what you have learned, or based on similar examples we have
discussed
Please write in essay format and please cite all of your sources (including internet sources).
Alternate assignments: almost anything of interest to you is a potentially acceptable alternate
assignment, just so long as it fall within the parameters of the class (i.e., it must involve
something from one of the cultures or time periods we are studying). You are free to propose an
alternate assignment—please, though, ask me about it first, just so we can affirm that it is an
acceptable assignment for our class.

5. Art 110 Fall 2011: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Assignment—NOVEMBER 2
The Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is perhaps Mexico’s most identifiable holiday,
but it is also a celebration that has ties to a long-standing Christian tradition of venerating
the dead on November 2. It can also be compared to pagan ancestor worship rites from
which the Christian practice probably derived, and likewise has parallels in many other
cultures which are practiced to this day. Because our class this year is scheduled to meet
on November 2, I have decided to cancel our classroom meeting for that day, and instead
give you an assignment based on the Dia de los Muertos.
Before I explain the assignment, let me please make clear that I do not want this to be
some boring and painful task—my intentions are to use the Dia de los Muertos as an
opportunity to expand our cultural awareness and see the many ties that exist between
different societies, so I want this to be, if not fun, at least interesting. I am asking you to
turn in a paper, but you don’t have to treat it as an extra term paper. A couple of pages
will suffice; what I want is for you to simply understand and interpret this holiday.
The assignment: First, I would like you to read an essay which I have put online—you
can find it on Blackboard under “Day of the Dead Essay.” Second, I would ideally like
for you to attend some kind of Dia de los Muertos event. This is why I have canceled our
regular classroom meeting for November 2. Obviously, we do not have the facilities or
the organizational capacity to go to an event as a group field trip, but I am hoping you
will go on your own. Olvera St. in Downtown LA will definitely have an event, but many
other places will as well—in the past I believe they have even had them sometimes here
at the school. I will put together some kind of list which I will pass out to the class before
November 2. Third, I would like you turn in to me a paper—as I previously said, it does
not have to be long, maybe two or three pages. In this paper, I simply want you to give
some kind of synopsis from the online essay about the history and traditions of the Dia de
los Muertos, talk about the event you went to and what you saw that carries on these
traditions (or did you also see things which you think are unique or new?), and make
some kind of comparison between the Dia de los Muertos and the veneration of the dead
in certain ancient cultures—in our class lecture the meeting beforehand (October 31), I
will give specific examples of rites for venerating the dead in Rome and other cultures,
and you can use these as examples.
Due date: Our next scheduled class is in fact our take home exam (Exam 2), so just turn
this in when you turn in your take home exam—this would be on November 9.
Credit: I will give you up to 20 points (that is two letter grades on an exam, by the way)
for doing this.
Two inevitable questions:
I do not have the time or transportation to be able to go to a Dia de los Muertos event on
that day, what should I do? Obviously I must be understanding of that kind of issue. I do
sincerely want you to go to an event, that is why I canceled our class meeting, but I
certainly would never demand you do anything that is outside of your ability. If you

6. cannot go on November 2, there are other events you might be able to attend on different
dates—the largest Dia de los Muertos event in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever
Cemetery, and they do not hold it on November 2 (this year it will be on October 22, but
I will double check that date and others that are occurring before November 2). If you
cannot attend an event on an alternate date, you could try looking at websites about the
Dia de los Muertos, you will find many photographs and probably also videos. But really,
I hope you can make it to some kind of event, because I would prefer this be something
you experience—but I won’t certainly penalize you if you can’t.
You said that you are going to talk about some related practices in Ancient Rome and
other cultures in the class meeting before November 2 (which would be our October 31
class). I couldn’t make it to that class—what should I do? Missing class is always an
unfortunate thing. If you cannot make it to the class on October 31, I suggest you ask
someone else in the class if you can borrow their notes. Some of what we talk about will
also be posted online in the ppt review, but of course there is no complete substitute for
missing a class. In this case, since you might be missing information which would help
you with this paper, if you cannot come to class I would suggest that you do some of your
own research on ancestor worship practices in other cultures—it won’t be hard, cross
reference ancestor worship with Ancient Rome, Egypt, or any other culture, and I am
sure you will come up with some of the same information which I will present in the
lecture.