The Art of Ireland

Villanova University Course:AAH 3007-01
TR,
2:15 - 3:30 PM, Fall Term, 2003
Prof. Tina Waldeier BIZZARRO

 

 

Web Site: http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/tina.bizzarro

 

Book List:   

de Paor, Maire and Liam. Early Christian Ireland London: Thames & Hudson, 1958; 1978 (out of print) (three copies on reserve in reserve room).

 

Duckett, Eleanor Shipley. The Gateway to the Middle Ages. Monasticism. Ann Arbor: Univ. of Michigan Press, 1988 (sections of text which we will read are on reserve at Falvey Reserve Desk).

 

Harbison, Peter. Pre-Christian Ireland. New York: Norton, 1994.

 

Henderson, George. From Durrow to Kells: The Insular Gospel Books, 650-800.

London: Thames and Hudson, 1987 (out of print; copy on reserve at reserve desk).

 

Nordenfalk, Carl. Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Painting. New York: Braziller,1977 (out of print; on non-circulating reserve in Falvey).

 

Patterson, Nerys. Cattle Lords & Clansmen: The Social Structure of Early Ireland. South Bend, IN: Notre Dame Univ. Press, 1994 (paperback).

 

Severin, Tim. The Brendan Voyage. London: Arrow Books, 1978 (on reserve).

 

The Book of Kells ed. Peter Brown. London: Thames & Hudson, 1980.

 

The Voyage of St Brendan. Trans. John J. O'Meara. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1985 (on reserve).

 

Treasures of Irish Art, 1500 BC to 1500 AD (on reserve at Falvey Reserve Desk).

Uris, Leon. Trinity (in paperback).

 

 

**Other readings will be distributed and/or placed on non-circulating reserve in the library and required throughout the semester.

**All students will be given a list of Falvey Library Holdings (both Rare Book Room and General Reading Room) pertinent to "The Art of Ireland", with corresponding call numbers, for each student's research use.

 

***The following books are optional purchases:

Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. 3rd ed. Glenview: Scott, Foresman & Co., 1989.

 

Condren, Mary. The Serpent and the Goddess. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989. (order through Border's)

 

Taylor, Joshua. Learning to Look: A Handbook for the Visual Arts. 3rd ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, latest edition.

 

Glassie, Henry. Irish Folk History: Texts from the North. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 1982.

Course Requirements and Goals:

 

There will be two examinations, both of which will be weighted more or less equally. One will be at midterm (SEE SYLLABUS), and the second will occur during the final examination period. The nature of the examinations will be discussed during class time. There are no make-up examinations in this history of art course. Grades will be based on:

class participation:     20-35%

examinations:             40-45%

papers:                      35-40%

These are approximate percentages.

 

Class attendance is mandatory. Due to the nature of the course, the inaccessibility and dearth of materials and texts, etc., missed classes can not be easily recuperated. It is the student's business to obtain material from missed lectures. Absences in excess of four will bring down your grade one letter grade. Each day, an attendance sheet will be passed around the room; it is the responsibility of all students to sign-in each day on this dated sheet-even if you come in late. Please be sure to do this as otherwise you will be considered absent when your name does not appear on this sheet.
            There will be one short in-class oral presentation required of each student, and questionnaires based on Leon Uris' Trinity and the Voyage of Brendan stories (see syllabus for dates).

 

Office Hours:

My office hours will be on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 2:00 AM, and W, 1:00 - 2:00 (by appointment only on W). Please see me before or after class to arrange a time. To reach me, leave a message on my voice mail at my Rosemont College office (610-527-0200 X2319). I check this at the end of each day.

I am willing to meet with anyone at our mutual convenience; however, I have more patience for a well-planned visit than I do for an "anxiety phone call" the evening before an exam. If you are having difficulty or want to discuss something, please make an appointment with me in a timely manner.

If you have any special needs, please consult with me asap.

 

 

Goals:

Above all, this course seeks to stimulate an interest in and love of the visual culture of Ireland. The conscientious student of the art of Ireland should be able to recognize, analyze, and discuss: technique, cultural milieu, chronology, artistic message, etc. of many examples of the art of Ireland from the prehistoric period through the Romanesque of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This survey will include the megalithic art and architecture of the Stone Age; the minor arts in metal of the Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the Early Christian period; the architecture of the Iron Age, Early Christian period, and early to mid-medieval period; the manuscripts of the Golden Age, and many other artifacts.

While a firm understanding of the chronology of the art of Ireland is certainly desirable, this instructor will be happy if students are able, more importantly, to discuss objects with regard to technique, artistic worth, and cultural ambient with some ease, at the end of this survey.