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Art Appreciation
ART101 | 3 Credits
Art Appreciation will explore art mediums and how culture affects (and is affected by) art. You’ll learn how to identify periods, artists, principles of design, and much more.
Professor: Dr. Mary Broding
About Art Appreciation
What You’ll Learn
Art Appreciation equips you with the vocabulary to understand and discuss art while learning about its impact on different cultures. After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Identify the value of art, its many uses, and its history.
- Define the key vocabulary of art, such as value, form, design, space, proportion, scale, balance, unity, and variety.
- Classify different two-dimensional media.
- Classify different three-dimensional physical media, as well as abstract media like installations.
- Analyze art through the lens of history, its effects on culture, and culture's effects on art.
- Write a formal analysis of a piece.
- Produce a concise video presentation that analyzes, interprets, and articulates the value of a specific artwork or a small group of related artworks, effectively applying art vocabulary, knowledge of art media, and understanding of historical and cultural contexts.
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Digital Textbooks
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Grade Improvement Opportunities
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Video Lessons
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Access on Desktop and Mobile
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WANT US TO CHECK?Course Details
Become immersed in the themes of art, principles of design, types of two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, and be taken on a tour of art through the ages. Additionally, learn the different eras of art and how to use elements of a piece of work to identify its period or artist.
ACE-Recommended
ACE Code:
OOSL-0109
Flexible Schedule
25-day Average Course Completion
Humanities Courses Have Transferred 26,400 Times
$35,900,000 Saved on Humanities Tuition Costs
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to take Art Appreciation.
Course Text
The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost.
- Getlein, Mark. Living with Art. 13th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2024. ISBN: 9781265594855
Course Checkpoints
Checkpoint 1: Living with Art
- Art in Daily Life
- What is Art?
- Learning to Look
Checkpoint 2: Artists and Audiences
- Making Art
- Looking at Art
- Understanding Art
Checkpoint 3: Themes of Art
- The Sacred Realm
- Politics and the Social Order
- Stories and Histories
- Picturing the Here and Now
- Reflecting on the Self
- Invention and Fantasy
- The Natural World
- Art about Art and Its Institutions
Checkpoint 4: The Visual Elements
- Line
- Shape and Mass
- Light
- Color
- Texture and Pattern
- Space
Checkpoint 5: Principles of Design
- Unity and Variety
- Balance
- Emphasis and Subordination
- Scale and Proportion
- Rhythm
- Elements and Principles: Formal Analysis
Checkpoint 6: Drawing
- Materials for Drawing
- Drawing and Beyond
Checkpoint 7: Painting
- Encaustic
- Fresco
- Tempera
- Oil
- Pastel, Watercolor, Gouache, and Similar Media
- Acrylic
- Painting and Beyond
- Sumptuous Images: Mosaic and Tapestry
Checkpoint 8: Prints
- Relief
- Intaglio
- Lithography
- Screenprinting
- Monotype and Monoprint
- Digital
- Recent Directions: Printing on the World
Checkpoint 9: Camera and Computer Arts
- Photography
- Film and Video
- New Media and the Internet
Checkpoint 10: Graphic Design
- Signs and Symbols
- Typography and Layout
- Word and Image
- Data Visualization and Interactivity
- Graphic Design and Art
Checkpoint 11: Sculpture and Installation
- Methods and Materials of Sculpture
- Working with Time and Place
- The Human Figure in Sculpture
Checkpoint 12: Arts of Ritual and Daily Life
- Clay
- Glass
- Metal
- Wood
- Fiber
- Ivory, Jade, and Lacquer
- Art, Craft, Design
Checkpoint 13: Architecture
- Structural Systems in Architecture
- New Technology, New Materials, Current Concerns
Checkpoint 14: Ancient Mediterranean Worlds
- The Oldest Art
- Mesopotamia
- Egypt
- The Aegean
- The Classical World: Greece and Rome
Checkpoint 16: The Renaissance
- Early and High Renaissance in Italy
- The Renaissance in the North
- The Late Renaissance in Italy
Checkpoint 17: The 17th and 18th Centuries
- The Baroque Era
- The 18th Century in Europe
- The Americas in the 18th Century
Checkpoint 18: Arts of Islam and Africa
- Arts of Islam
- Arts of Africa
Checkpoint 19: Arts of Asia: India, China, and Japan
- Arts of India
- Arts of China
- Arts of Japan
Checkpoint 20: Arts of the Pacific and the Americas
- Pacific Cultures
- The Americas
Checkpoint 21: The Modern World: 1800–1945
- Romanticism
- Realism
- Impressionism
- Post-Impressionism and Art Nouveau
- Bridging the Atlantic: The Americas in the 19th Century
- Into the 20th Century: The Avant-Garde
- World War I and After: Dada and Surrealism
- Between the Wars: Building New Societies
Checkpoint 22: From Modern to Postmodern
- The New York School
- Into the Sixties
- Art of the Sixties and Seventies
- Art of the Eighties and Nineties: Postmodernism
Checkpoint 23: Contemporary Art around the World
- Themes of Art
Assignments & Grading
Your score provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.
Assignments for this course include:
- 23 Checkpoints
- 4 Benchmarks
- 2 Capstones
What You’ll Need
- A reliable computer or laptop
- Stable internet connection
- Web browser
- Basic computer skills
- Any required course materials
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Course Professor
Dr. Mary Broding
Ed.D. and M.A. in English and Art History
Dr. Mary Broding holds an Ed.D. and M.A. degrees in English and Art History. Her expertise spans instructional/curriculum design, faculty development, and teaching at multiple institutions. She has held administrative roles and contributed to faculty/curriculum development, presenting and publishing on diverse educational topics.
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Art Appreciation & Your Career in Culture
When you take Humanities courses, what you’re really exploring is thought and culture. Humanities classes may include literature, history, philosophy, art, film, cultural studies, and more. Art Appreciation will help you understand culture throughout the ages. You’ll learn about different types of art and come to learn how culture shapes and is shaped by art.
Why it matters:
- Students save an average of 90% per course on general education courses with StraighterLine.
- Humanities courses teach skills that are meaningful, socially relevant, and uniquely human.
In-demand careers in this field include:
Communications Specialist, UX Researcher, Cultural Heritage Manager, Museum Educator, Human Rights Advocate, International Development Officer, Content Strategist, Ethics Consultant, Grant Writer, Higher Education Administrator
How this course sets you up for success:
Art Appreciation encourages you to explore visual culture across time. You’ll come away seeing the world with greater awareness and insight. Whether you pursue a path in the arts or another field, the ability to analyze and interpret art will enrich your awareness and critical thinking skills.
Course included in Semester & Annual Plans
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