COURSE TITLE: AP Art History

COURSE TITLE: AP Art History	GRADE LEVEL: 10 - 12
CODE: ARA611	COURSE LENGTH: 36 weeks

Course Description: The AP Art History course is a college level course designed to give a chronological survey of architecture, painting, sculpture, and photography of western and non-western cultures. The course begins with prehistory and concludes with post-modernism. Specific works of art from throughout the world are introduced so student can gain a deep understanding of the ideas and concepts that unite the art of diverse cultures and time periods. Comparative analysis of works of art is used to spark class discussion, provide material for written assignments, and to evaluate the student’s ability to grasp the concepts discussed in the classroom. Students are expected to take the AP exam.

Major Content/Concepts: The AP Art History course teaches students to understand works of art within their historical context by examining issues such as politics, religion, patronage, gender, function, and ethnicity. The course teaches students to understand works of art through both contextual and visual analysis.

Course Objectives:

Develop critical thinking skills
Increase cultural literacy
Develop visual perception
Understand creativity, growth, and maturity of a style within an artist’s career
Develop an art vocabulary
Study all media, techniques and processes used in the creation of art works
Understand the role of visual art and architecture within a larger context

Course Philosophy: The AP Art History class is open to any student who elects to enroll. There is a rigorous pace and a necessity to maintain a disciplined reading schedule but the visual nature is appealing to most students. Students expressing an interest in the program are introduced to the requirements and expectations and the level of commitment necessary to succeed in the class. Students who have a strong desire to learn about the visual arts and students with a keen interest in history may choose to enroll in this class. Students will be expected to engage in higher order thinking skills in discussions and essays as they search for clues behind the art of the people from a variety of the world’s cultures.

Last Revised: March 14, 2007