AP Art History is based around3 BIG IDEAS:

1. What is art and how is it made?
2. Why and how does art change?
3. How do we describe our thinking about art?

How often have you looked at a work of art and liked it but didn't know why?  Or knew it was famous, but didn't understand what everyone else saw in it that made it so?  Every day we see art that we are asked to "decode" with limited or no knowledge at all.  

AP Art History will teach us to unwrap, to reveal, to make the exotic and unknown available. 

Overview: 
Advanced Placement Art history is a college level course that enables students to apply decision-making, analytical and problem-solving skills that will facilitate rational, effective lifelong learning.  Students who successfully complete the requirements can request credit from the college or university they will attend.  Credit will be awarded upon passing the AP Art History exam by the AP College Board.


The NEW AP Art History is based on three BIG IDEAS that students will be asked to discover, research, interpret, acknowledge, and understand fully.  They are:
​BIG IDEA 1: Artists manipulate materials and ideas to create an aesthetic object, act, or event.         
           What is art and how is it made?           
           Materials (Environment/Geography)             
           Art making techniques             
           Why make art? (Function)
BIG IDEA 2: Art making is shaped by tradition and change.         
           Why and how does art change?             
           What features/changes of a tradition do you see?             
           Why was the art influential?
BIG IDEA 3: Interpretations of art are variable.         
           How do we describe our thinking about art?             
           What are the formal qualities and content of the art?             
           What is the context of the art? (context = differing interpretations)             
           What attributes of a work can we attribute to other works of art? (similarities and differences?)                                  
Course Objectives: 

• Students will learn to discuss and write about Global Art using skills that define critical thinking, including analysis, inference, interpretation, compare and contrast and evaluation. 
  
• Students will also learn how to use critical thinking skills to make connections from concrete to abstract, personal to impersonal and literal to figurative.
  
• Students will gain a worldwide understanding of Global Art traditions through art as a reflection of those societies.
  
• Students will learn to see through observing details in the art studied.  Students will learn to relate those details to observation of their own world.
  
• Students will observe the evolution of art and societies through the chronological approach to teaching of art history.
  
• Students will develop an art vocabulary and be able to use the language of painting, sculpture and architecture and also the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design.  They will also learn technical terms, stylistic devices and building methods.
  
• Students will have an opportunity to experience hands-on approaches to various media and processes including fresco and construction for a better understanding of the arts.
  
• Because of the religious purpose of much of the art studied, students will develop a basic knowledge and understanding of world religions and their relationship with art and each other.
  
• Students will make connections to literary works through paintings and sculptures as narrative forms of expression.
  
• Students will come to understand the business of art and the patronage necessary for much of art’s “creation”.
  

Student Learning: 
During the year of study students will learn to:

• Do rigorous homework, research, and reading assignments in college level texts and online
  
• In-depth study and analysis of hundreds of works of art
  
• Develop an art, art history, and technique vocabulary
  
• Analyze works of art and determine styles, time periods and influences
  
• Understand Global historical facts through fine art images
  
• Participate in classroom discussions
  
• Do formal analysis using the elements and principles
  
• Thoroughly research and interpret works of art globally
  
• Understand world cultures and religions
  
• Make connections between cultures
  
• Develop learning through supporting the arts (museum and gallery attendance)
  
• Organize information through daily notes and lectures, texts and PowerPoints
  
• Write comparison essays using visual prompts
  
• Present orally in class using a variety of media and technology
  
• Formally analyze paintings through color reproductions
  

Art History Concepts: 
At the beginning of the year an overview of basic concepts is necessary to insure all students are on the same track with what the areas of study will be and where concerns come from.  The following is a list of questions and answers that will be asked and instilled for greater understanding of art history.

• What is Art?  What is Culture?  Where does Art come from?  What does Art do? (function and purpose)
  
• Ways of looking at Art and basic questions to ask when looking at works of art:
  What is your first response to what you see?
  When and where was the art made?
  What area/space was the work originally intended for?
  What was the purpose of the art?
  How did the work survive and in what condition?
  What is the title of the piece?
  

Art History Units:
1. Global Prehistory
2. The Pacific
3. Indigenous Americas
4. Africa
5. Ancient Mediterranean: The Near East, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome
6. South and Southeast Asia
7. Central and East Asia
8. Islamic 400 - 1400
9. Early Europe 400 - 1400
10. Early Modern Atlantic World 1400 - 1750
11. Later Europe and the Americas 1750 - 1900
12. Global Contemporary 1980 to Present


AP Art History Homework Assignments: 
Homework will be assigned weekly.  Small group (3 per group, self-selected) research and work will be an integral part of the class.  Students will be asked to read relevant pages in the art history text and use an unlimited number of online sources.  All assignments and due dates will be available on the AP Art History website.  Vocabulary terms are required for students to define as they appear in the text.  Ideas and Concepts for every period and Global location of art history will be discussed.  There will be a minimum of one group project during the year.


Test, Quizzes, Essays: 
Each week students will be given slide quizzes, short essays, or other forms of assessment based on images, lectures, and discussions from class.  It is imperative that you do not miss class!  Tests will be given at the end of each unit with short answer questions, slide identification, context questions and essays.  Students will be expected to recognize concepts, images, dates, titles, names of the artists where appropriate, techniques, materials location/place, function of the art and styles.  Students should be able to discuss art in all formats using the Elements and Principles and understand historical events that might have shaped the works of art.  Finally, students should also be able to recognize and discuss characteristics of the various styles and Global cultures.


Class Expectations:

• Be physically and mentally present, attentive, and engaged. 
  
• This course requires a significant amount of independent and group research and study.  Carry your own weight.  Ask for help if you need it.
  
• No cell phones in class.  Period.
  
• Students missing any classes are required to make up lectures and presentations.  All PowerPoint presentations will be available on Schoology.
  
• Students will be allowed to correct and resubmit homework for credit if the original work was turned in on time.