UCL - Arts and Civilisations

[FLTR1440]

[37.5h + 15h] 5 credits

This course is taught in the 1st semester.

Teacher(s): Alexander Streitberger, Brigitte Van Wymeersch, Laurent Verslype(coord.)

Language: French

Level: First

Aims
Main themes
Content and teaching methods
Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Aims

On the one hand, the aim of the course is, through various determining sectors of artistic activity in the Mediterranean basin and in Western Europe from Antiquity to the 20th Century, to engage in a reflection about some general terms or concepts (archeology, art history, aesthetics, historiography, cultural anthropology, chronology, production center, etc.); on the other hand, the course highlights the common parameters that illustrate the different aspects of Archaeology and History of Art (position in space and time, authenticity, technology, contextualization, semantics, iconology, influences, etc.).

Main themes

A. Theoretical or "Lecture" Course (37.5 hours)
1. Introduction (11.5 hours): to practice an immediate immersion leading to the basic critical notions required through very concrete observations of the more common teaching tools (slides, maps, texts, discs), together with indications about their possible deformations, "deceptive" alterations, etc.
Beginning with "well-known" works, we show that in fact they are not so well known and how to make some headway in understanding them and their reception at the time they were produced.
2. Development (26 hours): analysis of a selection of works judged essential and meaningful, judiciously encompassing a large time frame which allows for a cross-reading with other areas.
B. Practical work (15 hours)
This can be carried out in two ways: either in a group of about 25-30 students, or in analogous, individual work for all. Content: a) a personal visit (exposition, museum, building, excavation dig, etc.), which allows the student to take notes to present later; b) personal description of an undefined object, using the appropriate vocabulary; c) interview of the question-answer type about the lecture course; d) meetings during which the students exemplify and develop paradigmatic cases given in the lecture course; e) a video-opera meeting, commenting and illustrating how classical musing was enriched by so called popular music (jazz, folklore, world music); f) one individual test in a continuous assessment.

Content and teaching methods

Through various determining sectors of artistic activity, the course, on the one hand, engages in a reflection about general concepts such as aesthetics, chronology, production etc..., and, on the other hand, highlights the common parameters that illustrate the different aspects of Archaeology and History of Art : authenticity, technology, contextualization, iconoloy, etc.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Assessment:
Written exam, but not limited to a multiple-choice format.

Course material:
Course notes and illustrations of a flexible nature are elaborated, in the form of a CD-ROM to be used during tutorial sessions and distributed for further use.

Course holder:
A team of lecturers guided by a temporary coordinator. Respective approximations: - lecture course: 4 to 5 lecturers; tutorials: idem, plus assistants.