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Intro to Art History for High School Part III (Asian and African Art)
Class Experience
US Grade 9 - 12
Beginner - Intermediate Level
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
Aligned with National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS)
In this class, students will explore the development of artistic production throughout world history over the course of ten weeks, starting with Asian art moving into African art. This class is designed for students aged 13-18 as a way of exploring art histories that they may not encounter in traditional introductory courses that tend to be Eurocentric in nature. Students will be able to identify key historical events that shaped the history of various Asian and African traditions, different...
10 lessons//10 Weeks
Week 1Lesson 1Introductions and Early ChinaWe will situate ourselves in the Asian continent and evaluate maps of the areas we will explore in this class. We will move from east to west in the class, from China to Western Africa. In this first week, we start our dive into the long-lasting artistic traditions of China. We will look at some of the earliest surviving works from the area, including bronze and pottery, discussing why more materials do not survive. We will discuss the importance of precious materials, specifically Porcelain.Week 2Lesson 2Chinese Painting and Intro to JapanStudents will continue their exploration of Chinese art traditions. We will evaluate different styles of Chinese calligraphy and painting and discuss how different dynasties had different expectations. Specifically, we will unpack the traditions of ink-wash painting and courtly, silk painting. In this class, we will highlight the dual practices of Chinese art--meditative, religious art creation and courtly art production. Time given, we will introduce the arts of Japan in this class.Week 3Lesson 3JapanFirst, we will learn about the history of Japanese printwork, looking at some of Japan's most famous artists--Hiroshige and Hokusai! We will discuss techniques for creating prints, specifically ukiyo-e, and how they impacted Western art after the end of Japanese isolationism. Further, we will discuss the importance of paper art, or origami, and how it has developed over time. Finally, we will spend a bit looking at Manga, Anime, and how they connect to earlier traditions.Week 4Lesson 4Southeast Asia and Buddhist TraditionsWe will focus on how Buddhism has impacted the arts in this area of the world in different ways. For example, we will travel to Tibet and look at sand mandalas as an emanation of the Buddhist belief that materials are transitory and constantly changing. We will also evaluate large scale relief sculptures of Indonesia and how they represent the human form. Finally, students will travel to Cambodia to the temple at Ankgor Wat, the largest religious site in the world.Week 5Lesson 5Indian Art and Hindu TraditionsStudents will start with a basic overview of Hinduism and discuss Hindu sculpture, comparing and contrasting to representations of Buddhism we saw the week before. In this class, we will highlight how traditional burials in India left very few early art objects behind for us and what ephemeral materials are. Our big exploration for the day will be the monument of the Taj Mahal. Students will take a virtual field trip to the site and discover why and how it was built and why it is so famous.Week 6Lesson 6Islamic Arts of Asia and Northern AfricaStudents will focus on Islamic arts and artistry, bridging the histories of Asian art with our first discussions of African art. To begin, we will discuss what factors make Islamic art look so different from Buddhist and Hindi art that we have evaluated over the prior two weeks. We will emphasize the applied arts in this class, looking at everything from Persian carpets to silk to Islamic furniture. Special attention will be paid to Islamic architecture and tile work.Week 7Lesson 7Early African Arts and the Arts of West AfricaStudents will explore some of the earliest art known to man, highlighting the cave art and paleolithic art found in various parts of Africa. Further, students will explore the arts of Western Africa, particularly contemporary Nigeria, where we will explore the significance of wood and stone carvings in the region. Students will learn about the history and significance of Kente cloth in Ghana and the controversy of the Benin Bronzes of Nigeria.Week 8Lesson 8Arts of Central and South AfricaStudents will continue to learn about the varied artistic styles of African communities, highlighting the works of central and south African artists. Students will learn about the cult Nkondi sculptures of the Kongo people and discuss works that are never entirely finished and the idea of the lifespan of an artwork. We will discuss the art of basket weaving and the Rwandan artform of imigongo, produced entirely by women.Week 9Lesson 9European Traditions of Primitivism and OrientalismWe reflect on what we have learned over the last eight weeks of class and discuss cultural appropriation in art through two movements--Primitivism and Orientalism. Students will learn what each of these terms mean and how European artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries adopted and reworked traditional Asian and African art motifs and perpetuated stereotypes through these images. This is key for understanding why these art forms have been largely ignored by the art historical communityWeek 10Lesson 10Contemporary African and Asian Art and Final ProjectsStudents will learn about contemporary artists addressing the issues currently faced by African and Asian communities, including el-Anatsui and Yinka Shonibare. Students will learn how traditions we have covered have been adapted in the contemporary period and blended with modern technologies. Students will also have the opportunity to share their findings from their final writing projects in the first half of the class as we wrap up our ten-week exploration!
- --The characteristics of art of different movements and cultures
- --How to think critically about art and images that are presented to you
- --How art fits into a larger historical context and how world events shape art production
- --How institutional structures marginalize certain voices within the art historical narrative
- --How to talk about and describe art, both verbally and in written form
I have been teaching art history for seven years now. I started my career teaching at the university level and in museums and have been teaching art history on Outschool since 2018. I developed this introductory series for middle and high schoolers so that they could have a foundation for talking about the arts earlier than at the college level and be exposed to history in a new way! Further, this course is particularly important, as we are covering art and communities that are traditionally ignored by art historical study. I have been studying art history for nearly a decade and want to teach students that there is more to art than European voices. I have taken a large number of courses in my own Graduate studies covering these topics from a decolonized perspective and from experts in the fields of non-Western art historical study. I have a Masters's degree in Art History, where I focused on the exclusionary nature of Art History and use my knowledge of the structure of the discipline to decolonize my approaches for my students. Additionally, I have worked with the Denver Art Museum on researching objects from their Indigenous collections, specifically Kiowa cradleboards and beadwork. I have a certificate in Foundations for Transforming Teaching and Learning about Native Americans from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC in addition to my formal education. These lectures are adapted from lectures that I taught at the university level.
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Homework
Frequency: includedFeedback: includedDetails: Each week, students will respond to questions that correlate with the week's topics in 1-2 paragraphs. There are two larger writing assignments--one visual analysis where the student describes a work of art in detail and one short research paper where the students select an art form from a community we will explore and write a five-paragraph exploration of the art form.Assessment
Frequency: includedDetails: Learner progress is assessed through in-class discussions, online discussions, and written assignments. Grades available upon request.Grading
Frequency: includedDetails:
This class is ideal for those with unique learning needs. Students will be provided with study guides after each class for continued support and have access to all recordings for each week. Students can opt out of assignments if preferred.
Additional resources will be available to learners in the classroom following each class.
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Artwork may contain nudity or violence. Students will discuss historical events, such as Apartheid and colonization processes, that are necessary for understanding the art produced during these periods.
Students will be provided with outside resources after every class to elaborate on our lessons, available online. Sources used include university lectures, art historical textbooks, including Gardner's Art Through the Ages and Stokstad's Art History, cultural center websites from these regions, and museum information. Whenever possible, information will be pulled from institutions grounded within these areas, as to inform the discussion from a decolonized perspective. When available, primary sources from the time period and area are used to include these voices prominently.
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in History from University of Colorado at Boulder
Hello Outschool families! My name is Molly McGill and I am so excited to be teaching on the Outschool platform and sharing what I love with students from all over the world. I earned my Masters in art history from the University of Colorado, where...
Reviews
Group Class
$16
weekly or $160 for 10 classes1x per week, 10 weeks
50 min
Completed by 46 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
5-12 learners per class
Financial Assistance
Tutoring
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