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ERIC Number: ED209129
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1981
Pages: 11
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Teaching Art History in Interdisciplinary Courses.
Cheney, Leana
This paper discusses how to teach art history in college level interdisciplinary courses. Today, art historians find themselves involved in teaching art history not only in art history curricula, but also in interdisciplinary studies, such as Ancient Greek Culture, Renaissance in France, and Women in Art. When teaching art history in interdisciplinary courses, art historians must include in their discussions some basic aesthetic values and critical judgments. Among these, the art historian must emphasize that the art works studied are unique, and that they have value in themselves as well as in relation to other works of art or the period. The art historian must find a way within the constraints of the interdisciplinary course to ensure that the student comprehends the artistic aims, conventions, meanings, as well as the broader cultural significance of a period such as classical Greek or Renaissance culture. The three approaches generally used in art history are formalistic (Berenson), iconographic (Panofsky), and cultural (Gombrick). When teaching artworks in interdisciplinary courses, there is no need for the art historian to conform to these methods. The paper next addresses the problem of what appropriate art works to select for the interdisciplinary course. What becomes important is that the subject of the art works relate to the theme established in the course. Therefore, the interpretation of the art work must point in the same direction as the philosophical, literary, sociological, and/or psychological quests. The paper concludes with a discussion of how to grade students and what to request of interdisciplinary students in terms of academic work. (Author/RM)
Publication Type: Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A