Course Syllabus
Course Information
Assessment
Course Expectations
Policies
Course Information
Course Description
One of the oldest and most universal habits of human beings is the creation or construction of sacred spaces. They can be enormous, impressive and last for thousands of years or they can be as simple as a series of lines scratched into the ground marked by rocks. This course will explore the process that human beings used to make spaces sacred. It will examine four major examples of sacred spaces from the history of architecture. These will include Egyptian pyramids and temples, the great temple of Athene in Athens called the Parthenon, the now destroyed church in Rome dedicated to St. Peter, built over his grave, and one of the great Gothic cathedrals of France, Notre Dame de Chartres. We will finish by looking at some of the implications of how spaces are made sacred or profane in the modern world.
For these structures the course will study both architectural styles and the social and political contexts that shape the buildings. Students will come to recognize how the patronage and functions of sacred spaces shape their form and decoration.
Course Learning Goals
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Understand and use some of the tools art historians use to research and analyze art and architecture and its development over time.
- Explain the connection between the art and architecture of a society and its social, religious and political values.
- Recognize several famous architectural structures and explain how they functioned in their societies.
- Recognize the difference between arts that are public and serve broad community goals and arts that are private which benefit an individual or a family group. You will learn how public projects are funded.
- Compare sacred spaces from different periods and cultures
Course Competencies
In this course, you will develop the following competencies:
Competence |
Competence Statement and Criteria |
A1G |
Can explain the functions of public art and its relationship to communities. |
A1E |
Can interpret the work of writers or artists within a historical or social context. |
H1F |
Can describe and explain the roles of individuals, groups, societies, or states in history. |
H2E |
Can compare one social, cultural, economic, or political institution in a society to a comparable institution in a different society. |
How the Competencies will be demonstrated in this course
Students will demonstrate mastery of the competencies in this course by writing essays which compare and analyze works of art, view videos and complete worksheets about their contents, participate in discussions of course materials with classmates, and write final papers as competence projects.
Students must complete a final paper FOR EACH COMPETENCE that they have signed up for. Competence paper requirements are listed below.
Course Resources
This course has no textbook. Students will read selections from a variety of texts, watch videos and view online interactive lectures. The online interactive lectures have a visual and an audio component and vary in length.
Electronic Reserve Readings:
Ch. 10 "Egyptian Architecture" in Roth. Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History and Meaning. New York: Harper Collins, 1993.
Ch. 6 “In Search of Pheidias” in Spivey. Understanding Greek Sculpture: Ancient Meanings, Modern Readings. London: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
Ch. 17 "The Cathedral of Chartres" in Stoddard. Art and Architecture of Medieval France. New York: Harper and Row, 1972.
Ch 2, selection pp. 17-24 "The Emperor and his new Religion" in Collins. Early Medieval Europe. 2nd Edition New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 1999.
Selections from Ch. 1 "Archaeology" and Ch. 2 "Cultural Anthropology" (pp. 36-47, 48-60) in Osiek and Balch. Families in the New Testament World: Households and House Churches. Westminster: John Knox Press, 1997.
Ch. 1 "The Golden Legend" from Kraus. Gold was the Mortar: The Economics of Cathedral Building. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979.
Website:
Library's Art History Research page: http://depaul.libguides.com/art
Course Grading Scale
A = 95 to 100 |
A- = 91 to 94 |
B+ = 88 to 90 |
B = 85 to 87 |
B- = 81 to 84 |
C+ = 77 to 80 |
C = 73 to 76 |
C- = 69 to 72 |
D+ = 65 to 68 |
D = 61 to 64 |
F = 60 or below |
INC |
Please note: Grades lower than a C- do not earn credit or competence in the School for New Learning.
Course Structure
This course consists of ten modules. The estimated time to complete each module is one week.
To see course due dates, click on the Checklist link on the top navigation bar. This page contains module-specific checklists and due dates for the work due in the course.
The following table outlines the course:
Week, Module # and Title |
Readings |
Assignments |
---|---|---|
Week 1, Module 1: The Development of Egyptian Tombs |
Read: Lehner, M. The Complete Pyramids Watch: Video, Egypt Beyond the Pyramids: The Role of Religion in Ancient Society View: Interactive Lecture - Ground Plans View: Slideshow of images of the Karnak Temple Complex |
1.1 Introductions Discussion 1.2 Pyramids Discussion 1.3 Video Worksheet 1 1.4 Ground Plan Discussion 1.4 Ground Plan (Digication) |
Week 2, Module 2: The Context of Egyptian Architecture |
Read: Roth, Leland. Understanding Architecture, Chapter 10 Watch: Video, Egypt: Engineering and Empire View: Interactive Lecture -The Egyptian Afterlife View: Maps of Egypt, the Giza plateau and Pyramid Complexes |
2.1 Video Worksheet 2 2.2 Egyptian Afterlife Discussion 2.3 The Origins of Pyramids Essay |
Week 3, Module 3: The Parthenon and Athens |
Read: Zaidman, Louise Bruit, and Pauline Schmitt Pantel, Religion in the Ancient Greek City, Chapter 4 and 6 View: Interactive Lecture - Basics of Doric Architecture Watch: Video, Nova: Secrets of the Parthenon |
3.1 Introduction to a Greek Temple Essay 3.2 Video Worksheet 3 3.3 Functions of Greek Sacred Spaces Discussion |
Week 4, Module 4: Parthenon Sculpture |
Read: Spivey, In Search of Pheidias, Chapter 6 View: Interactive Lecture - Themes on the Parthenon Look-up and explore: The British Museum's web site for the Parthenon marbles |
4.1 Comparison of Archaic and Classical Sculpture Essay 4.2 Parthenon Marbles in the British Museum Discussion |
Week 5, Module 5: Eliade's Theory of Sacred and Profane Spaces |
Read: Eliade, Mircea. Sacred Space and Making the World Sacred Read: Glossary for Eliade's terms Watch: Videos, Homogeneity, Examples of Orientation, Orientation Shapes World View, Thresholds and Gods Send Signs, Inside vs. Outside and Cosmogeny, and Axis Mundi |
5.1 Eliade's Ideas in Egyptian and Greek Sacred Spaces |
Week 6, Module 6: From Roman House to House Church |
Read: Osiek, Carolyn, and David L. Balch. Families in the New Testament World: Households and House Churches, Pages 5-11, 14-17, 24-40 View: Interactive Lecture - Roman Houses and House Churches |
6.1 Worship Space for Fictional Religion Essay 6.2 Early Christian Church Design Discussion Start 10.3 Final Competence Papers |
Week 7, Module 7: Old St. Peters |
Read: Toynbee, Jocelyn, and John Ward Perkins. Constantine's Church, Chapter 7 Read: Collins, Rogers. The Emperor and his New Religion, Chapter 2, Pages 17-24 View: Interactive Lecture - Early Christian Basilicas |
7.1 Compare and Contrast a Pagan Temple and a Christian Church 7.2 Political Leaders Patronage to Art and Architecture Discussion |
Week 8, Module 8: Pilgrimage and Cathedrals |
Read: Stoddard, Whitney. The Cathedral of Chartres, Pages 173-179 Watch: Video, Little Ice Age Watch: Video, Jeweled City: Chartres Cathedral |
8.1 Video Worksheet 4 8.2 Pilgrimage Discussion |
Week 9, Module 9: Financing a Gothic Cathedral |
Read: Kraus, Henry. Paris: The Golden Legend, Pages 18-31. View: Interactive Lecture - Elements of the Gothic |
9.1 Essay on the Patronage of a Gothic cathedral 9.2 Modern Public Projects and Financing Discussion |
Week 10, Module 10: Modern and Personal Perspectives on Space |
Read Gladwell, Malcom. The Power of Context (Part One): Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime, Chapter 4, Pages 133-151 |
10.1 Sacred and Profane Spaces 10.2 How Can We Change Our Public and Private Spaces Discussion 10.3 Final Competence Paper |
Assessment of Learning
Percentage distribution of Assessments
- Discussions - 28%
- Essays - 30%
- Video Worksheets - 12%
- Final Paper - 30%
- Participation in the class discussions is a course requirement. You should login to the course discussions at least every second day and ideally every day.
- Deadlines for assignments and discussions are at the end of the week as set by the instructor. All work for that week should be submitted before the deadline unless other arrangements are made with the instructor. Students should be aware that online discussions cannot really be made up after that discussion is over.
- Exceptions to weekly deadlines will be considered if the student is able to document a major medical or family emergency. Please contact your instructor as soon as you think there may be a problem.
- All students in the class are bound by The University's Academic Honesty Policy.
Grading Policies and Practices
To complete the course, you must complete each of the assignments as described in the course and submit them to your instructor by the assigned deadline. In addition, you must participate in the course discussion forum by responding to all instructor requests and by interacting with fellow classmates as necessary.
Points are deducted for late work.
Assessment Criteria for your Final Paper or Project by Competence
A1E: Can interpret the work of writers or artists within a historical or social context.
Choose a sacred space to research and analyze. Write a six page paper with a bibliography and appropriate illustrations. Consider the following issues:
• Artists and architects: what do we know about the people who designed and built the space?
• Patronage: who paid for this building either with money for with other resources? Who was making important decisions about where the building was located, a how it was decorated, and which people have access to it?
• Decoration: what stories and messages are told by the decorations? Who was their intended audience?
• Function: how did the space function? What kinds of rituals or ceremonies were held there? Did it function in any additional ways?
• Style: what is the architectural style of the building? How does the style relate to earlier examples or contemporary examples from other geographic locations?
A1G: Can explain the functions of public art and its relationship to communities.
Find a sacred space that is a specifically public space. Try to find one that is not simply open to the public, but which in some way expresses the beliefs and priorities of the community. Write a six page paper that explains how the community's priorities can be seen:
• in the funding of the building
• in the decoration of the building
• in the rhetoric used by leaders in the community to explain and justify its construction and existence.
Compare this public building to a private sacred space created in roughly the same time and place. How are these issues different in this private sacred space?
H1F: Can describe and explain the roles of individuals, groups, societies, or states in history.
Choose two sacred spaces and compare their patronage. How did the conditions of patronage affect these structures? Write a six page paper with a bibliography and to appropriate illustrations.
• Who were their patrons?
• What were their goals and priorities?
• How did the goals and priorities shape the appearance of the architecture and decoration of the building?
H2E: Can compare one social, cultural, economic, or political institution in a society to a comparable institution in a different society.
Choose two sacred spaces/buildings from different periods and geographic locations. Research and compare and contrast them, paying special attention to the roles of individuals and groups in the patronage, construction, function and social context of the two structures. Do the different conditions in these two societies explain the differences that we see in the form and function of these sacred spaces? Write a six page paper exploring these questions. Add an appropriate bibliography and illustrations.
General Assessment Criteria for All Writing Assignments
All writing done for the course, whether posted to the gradebook or posted as part of class discussion should follow all the rules of English grammar and spelling. While discussions are generally less formal than in essays, they should be written in complete grammatical sentences so the students meaning comes through clearly. Bad grammar isn't just wrong because it is bad, bad grammar confuses people.
All materials quoted from sources must be placed in quotation marks and properly cited. This is true in all riding for the course including the discussions. Please see the Academic Integrity Policy section below for more details.
All writing assignments are expected to conform to basic college-level standards of mechanics and presentation.
Consider visiting the Writing Center to discuss your assignments for this course or any others. You may schedule appointments (30 or 50 minutes) on an as–needed or weekly basis, scheduling up to 3 hours worth of appointments per week. Online services include Feedback–by–Email and IM conferencing (with or without a webcam). All writing center services are free.
Writing Center tutors are specially selected and trained graduate and undergraduate students who can help you at almost any stage of your writing. They will not do your work for you, but they can help you focus and develop your ideas, review your drafts, and polish your writing. They can answer questions about grammar, mechanics, different kinds of writing styles, and documentation formats. They also can answer questions and provide feedback online, through IM/webcam chats and email.
Obviously, the tutors won't necessarily be familiar with every class or subject, but they are able to provide valuable help from the perspective of an interested and careful reader as well as a serious and experienced student-writer.
Schedule your appointments with enough time to think about and use the feedback you'll receive. To schedule a Face-to-Face, Written Feedback by Email, or Online Appointment, visit www.depaul.edu/writing.
Discussion Forums
Discussion Forums are an important component of your online experience. This course contains discussion forums related to the topics you are studying each week. For requirements on your participation in the Discussion Forums, please see "Course Expectations" in the syllabus.
A Course Q & A discussion forum has also been established to manage necessary, ongoing social and administrative activities. This is where the management and administrative tasks of the course are conducted, and where you can ask 'process' questions and receive answers throughout the course. Please feel free to answer any question if you feel you know the answer; this sharing of information is valuable to other students.
Assessment Criteria for Online Discussion Participation
- For full credit in the discussion, please follow the directions. All students should read the discussion questions carefully and answer all aspects of the question, meeting any requirements for length of the post, added illustrations, etc.
- Student posts should reflect an appropriate mastery of the course content including information from reading assignments, videos, and lecture materials.
Online Participation Guidelines for this course
- Students are expected to participate in the discussions in a timely fashion.
- Student posts should be respectful of other students' ideas and opinions even in cases where they do not agree.
- The content of discussions is intended to allow students to work with concepts that they are learning each week. Please cover the relevant materials in the learning activities to enhance the quality of the discussion.
- Please read the entire discussion prompt. If there are several parts to a question, answer each one. Follow the instructor's directions and deadlines in order to make the discussion and productive for the entire class.
- Please address your fellow students find name in the discussions, and your post with a signature. This is not only polite; it allows other students and the instructor to follow the thread of the discussions. In larger classes this keeps us all from being confused.
Course Expectations
Time Management and Attendance
SNL's online courses are not self-paced and require a regular time commitment EACH week throughout the quarter.
You are required to log in to your course at least four times a week so that you can participate in the ongoing course discussions.
Online courses are no less time consuming than "face to face" courses. You will have to dedicate some time every day or at least every second day to your studies. A typical four credit hour "face to face" course at SNL involves three hours of classroom meeting per week, plus at least three to six hours of study and homework per week.
This course will require at least the same time commitment, but your learning activities will be spread out through the week. If you have any problems with your technology, or if you need to improve your reading or writing skills, it may take even longer.
The instructor should be notified if your life events do not allow you to participate in the course and the online discussions for more than one week. This is particularly important when there are group discussions or you are working as part of a team.
If you find yourself getting behind, please contact the instructor immediately.
Your Instructor's Role
Your instructor's role in this course is that of a discussion facilitator and learning advisor. It is not their responsibility to make sure you log in regularly and submit your assignments. As instructor, s/he will read all postings to the general discussion forums on a daily basis but may not choose to respond to each posting. You will receive feedback to assignments.
The instructor may choose to designate "office hours" when s/he will be online and available and will immediately respond to questions. Depending on the instructor, this response may be by e-mail, instant messenger or telephone. Otherwise, you will generally receive a response to emailed or posted queries within 48 hours.
Your Role as a Student
As an online student, you will be taking a proactive approach to your learning. As the course instructor's role is that of a learning guide, your role is that of the leader in your own learning.
You will be managing your own time so that you can complete the readings, activities and assignments for the course, and you will also be expected to take a more active role in peer learning.
Please also note that this is a course offered by DePaul University's School for New Learning (SNL), a college for undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students 24 years and older. SNL welcomes the perspectives and encourages the participation of all DePaul students, and students who take this course should respect and be mindful of SNL's mission in supporting a diverse and inclusive environment. More information about SNL can be found here.
View this brief demo Taking SNL Online courses in D2L to learn how to navigate through your course.
If you’re new to SNL Online see additional resources on the course home page under Student Resources/Getting Started.
Course Netiquette
Online discussions are an important part of your course experience. To ensure a positive learning environment, please follow the following minimum expectations. Use your common sense, as not all situations can be covered:
- Be polite
- Respect other participants’ views or opinions
- Think before you write, and ask yourself if you would say the same thing in person
- Use positive phrases (i.e., "Good idea!" or "Thanks for the suggestions," etc.)
- Be sensitive to cultural differences
- Avoid hostile, curt or sarcastic comments
- No objectionable, sexist, or racist language will be tolerated
- Create a positive online community by offering assistance and support to other participants.
- Use correct grammar and syntax
Policies
Academic Integrity
DePaul University is a learning community that fosters the pursuit of knowledge and the transmission of ideas within a context that emphasizes a sense of responsibility for oneself, for others and for society at large. Violations of academic integrity, in any of their forms, are, therefore, detrimental to the values of DePaul, to the students' own development as responsible members of society, and to the pursuit of knowledge and the transmission of ideas.
Violations include but are not limited to the following categories: cheating; plagiarism; fabrication; falsification or sabotage of research data; destruction or misuse of the university's academic resources; alteration or falsification of academic records; and academic misconduct. Conduct that is punishable under the Academic Integrity Policy could result in additional disciplinary actions by other university officials and possible civil or criminal prosecution. Please refer to your Student Handbook for further details.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a major form of academic dishonesty involving the presentation of the work of another as one's own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following:
- The direct copying of any source, such as written and verbal material, computer files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores, whether published or unpublished, in whole or part, without proper acknowledgement that it is someone else's.
- Copying of any source in whole or part with only minor changes in wording or syntax, even with acknowledgement.
- Submitting as one's own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment that has been prepared by someone else. This includes research papers purchased from any other person or agency.
- The paraphrasing of another's work or ideas without proper acknowledgement.
- Resubmitting one's own previous work from a different course or college, without the permission of the current instructor.
Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty, is always a serious matter. If an instructor finds that a student has plagiarized, the appropriate penalty is at the instructor's discretion.
DePaul University Incomplete Policy
The intent of the Incomplete grade is to allow students extra time to complete their final assignments. This need arises because, in the closing weeks of the course, they have an event of significant magnitude that adversely affects their ability to complete the course, e.g. serious illness, death in the family, overseas deployment, or natural disaster.
You must request an incomplete grade in writing two weeks before the end of the quarter. Incomplete grades will be considered only after you have satisfactorily completed at least 75 percent of the coursework, and you have such an unexpected, uncontrollable event that prevents you from completing your course. Do not assume that you will qualify for an incomplete. Students who are failing the course at the point where they request an incomplete will not receive one, nor will they be granted after the end of the quarter. Incomplete grades are given at the discretion of the instructor.
If you do receive permission from the instructor to take an incomplete in the course, you will be required to complete a contract with the instructor, specifying how you will finish the missing work within the next two quarters (excluding summer). See the Incomplete Grade Contract Form.
Undergraduate and graduate students will have up to two quarters to complete an incomplete. At the end of the second quarter (excluding summer) following the term in which the incomplete grade was assigned, remaining incompletes will automatically convert to "F" grades. Ordinarily no incomplete grade may be completed after the grace period has expired. Instructors may not change incomplete grades after the end of the grace period without the permission of a college-based Exceptions Committee. This policy applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. NOTE: In the case of a student who has applied for graduation and who has been approved for an Incomplete in his or her final term, the incomplete must be resolved within the four-week grace period before final degree certification.
Description of Pass/Fail Grading Options
Students have the option of taking all SNL undergraduate courses as Pass/Fail even if a class is initially structured for a letter grade assessment. In these cases a Pass is awarded when competence is demonstrated at a level that would otherwise earn a grade of C- or higher.
In deciding to select Pass/Fail grading students should be aware that competencies assessed in a course as Pass will earn credit hours toward degree completion but will not be included in computing grade point averages. Attempted competence demonstration assessed within a class as Fail will not only be recorded as credit hours attempted but will also be included in computing a student's grade point average.
For SNL students, competencies awarded for Independent Learning Pursuits and in the Lifelong Learning Domain do not count toward the university's specification that only twenty credit hours may be earned through the Pass/Fail assessment option.
Please note:There are three SNL courses within the BA curriculum that are always assessed on a Pass/Fail basis: Foundations of Adult Learning (course number LL 250; competences L-2 and F-1), Advanced Project (course number FA 303; competences F-11 and F-12) and Summit Seminar (course number LL 390; competence L-12). These classes may not be taken for a letter grade assessment. Therefore, work that might otherwise be assessed at grades A through C- will earn a Pass in these classes.
There are an additional five SNL courses within the Lifelong Learning Area of the BA curriculum for which instructors regularly use a Pass/Fail grading system that may instead be taken for a letter grade assessment if this is a student's preference. These classes are: Independent Learning Seminar (course number LL 103; competence L1); Writing for Competence (course number LL 260; competence L-4), Critical Thinking (course number LL 270; competence L-5), Research Seminar (course number LL 300; competences L-8 and L-9), and Externship (course number LL 302; competences L-10 and L-11). In addition, SNL's undergraduate Writing Workshop (course number LL 140; competence H-3-J) regularly uses Pass/Fail, although students may request a letter grade assessment. In these instances SNL offers undergraduate students the opportunity to request a letter grade assessment from their instructor. Students who need a letter grade for tuition reimbursement may wish to consider this option, as well as those who wish to raise their GPA. Students planning to attend graduate school may also prefer letter grades to Pass/Fail assessments.
If a student wants to switch the method of assessment, either to or from the Pass/Fail option, this must be requested from the instructor in writing by the beginning of the third week of the quarter. For courses that meet fewer than ten weeks of the quarter, this request must be made by the beginning of the third week of the course. The grading basis may not be changed after these deadlines, with no exceptions.
For Students Who Need Accommodations Based on the Impact of a Disability
Students seeking disability-related accommodations are required to register with DePaul's Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) enabling you to access accommodations and support services to assist your success. There are two office locations:
Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD)
Loop Campus: Lewis Center 1420. (312) 362-8002
Lincoln Park Campus: Student Center 370. (773) 325-1677
csd@depaul.edu
Students are also invited to contact their instructor privately to discuss your challenges and how the instructor may assist in facilitating the accommodations you will use in this course. This is best done early in the term and the conversation will remain confidential.
Dean of Students Office
The Dean of Students Office (DOS) helps students in navigating the university, particularly during difficult situations, such as personal, financial, medical, and/or family crises. Absence Notifications to faculty, Late Withdrawals, and Community Resource Referrals, support students both in and outside of the classroom. Additionally we have resources and programs to support health and wellness, violence prevention, substance abuse and drug prevention, and LGBTQ student services. We are committed to your success as a DePaul student. Please feel free to contact us.
Protection of Human Subjects
For more information see: http://research.depaul.edu/
Demonstrating the acquisition of competencies in this course can involve "interactions"—interviewing and or observing other people—discussing those interviews or observations with other class members and writing them up in one or more final report(s). As such, these activities qualify as "research" with "human subjects" and are subject to University and Federal guidelines. Because it takes place in the context of this course, your research is exempt from approval by the School for New Learning's Local Review Board only under the following conditions:
- The information you collect is EXCLUSIVELY for the purpose of classroom discussion and will NOT be used after the term is over. If there is any possibility that you will EVER use it in further research or for publication, you must obtain approval from the Local Review Board before you begin.
- You assess and ensure that no "harm"—physical, mental, or social—does or could result from either your interviews and/or observations or your discussion and/or reports.
- The privacy and confidentiality of those that you interview or observe must be protected. Unless you receive specific permission, in writing, from the person(s) you interview or observe, please change their names, and make sure that their identity cannot be readily ascertained from the information you provide.
- If you want to use real names and relationships, they must sign an "informed consent" document. For information on creating an "informed consent document" see, for example, http://www.research.umn.edu/consent.
Copyright and Student Privacy
In accordance with DePaul’s Acceptable Use Policy, commentary and materials within SNL Online classes shall not be copied, reproduced or published elsewhere without the express written consent of individuals involved.
Credits
This course was designed and produced by Catherine Zurybida and staff at SNL Online of the School for New Learning of DePaul University.
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