In this course, students take advantage of Philadelphia’s rich cultural resources to study developments in 18^th – 20^th-century American portraiture in painting, sculpture and photography. Frequent visits to local museums and archives offer students the opportunity to work directly from objects as they explore the ways in which portraits communicate ideas about self and society through visual properties. Our museum visits are designed to complement critical reading of recent art historical scholarship and lively classroom discussion.

Because this course is associated with "Writing Across the University" (WATU) and is designed to fulfill the undergraduate writing requirement, there is a strong emphasis on the writing process. Over the course of the semester, students develop a series of short essays in which they analyze specific images or evaluate scholarly arguments in preparation for a larger research project on a single work or small group of works in one of Philadelphia’s local collections. Students have the opportunity to refine and polish their written work with peer reviews and individual student-instructor conferences.

This course is also associated with "Speaking Across the University" (SATU), a communications-related program that focuses on speaking skills. Students will work with a SATU advisor as they participate in oral activities such as frequent sharing of informal written work, leading discussion on reading material and sharing final projects in a formal presentation.

• Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art.
• Johns, Elizabeth. Thomas Eakins: The Heroism of Modern Life.

(both available at Penn Book Center, 34^th and Sansom)

• ARTH 009, Sect. 301 Bulkpack (contains all other assigned readings)

(available at Wharton Reprographics, lower level Steinberg-Dietrich Hall)

All readings and assignments are to be completed in the order in which they are listed on the syllabus, BEFORE coming to class. Come prepared to participate in student-generated class discussion of the reading material by asking questions, answering questions, volunteering your own ideas and relating the material to your own experiences. Make sure to bring the relevant readings and your syllabus to class each day.

• Writing

In this course, you will write—and rewrite—frequently. You will engage in different types of writing, be exposed to a variety of approaches to writing, and become familiar with the particular conventions of writing in art history. All writing assignments must be double-spaced and printed in 12-point font on 8 ½" x 11" paper with 1" margins and page numbers.

• Speaking

In addition to class activities, two formal speaking assignments comprise the oral component of this course. Each week during the course of the semester, a different student group will be in charge of leading discussion on the reading material where group members will present an analysis of the articles and engage the class with questions and issues for debate. During the last few class meetings, students will present their research projects to the class in individual polished 10-minute oral presentations. Because students will be at different stages of their research when they present their projects, the presentation is expected to be a work-in-progress talk and will be evaluated according to the ability to communicate research goals and plans rather than the degree of progress. Students will prepare for these assignments during in-class workshops held by the SATU advisor, as well as out-of-class meetings in the SATU center.

• Museum Visits

There will be several visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), the Library Company and Jefferson Medical College throughout the semester. You will also be expected to visit the museums outside of class. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from museums, but admission fees for all class meetings will be paid by the department. I will supply maps and information about public transportation. (You might wish to form travel groups if you ride by cab to save on fare.) To accommodate those with classes before and after our museum meetings, all classes at museums will be held from 2:20 to 4:40. Because our time at the museums is limited, everyone must meet ON TIME at the designated museum.

• Peer Review

Reading and commenting on the work of colleagues in a constructive manner is an essential part of the writing process. To prepare for peer review, you will read papers written by your classmates and respond to them in a one-page writing assignment prior to the in-class review meeting. During the meeting, you will discuss your suggestions with the other students and receive feedback from them on your own work.

• Conferences

Each student will participate in two individual student-instructor conferences during the semester. Conferences are intended to offer students personalized feedback on drafts of papers, to allow students the opportunity to ask questions on individual projects and to discuss organizational and planning strategies.

• Attendance and Participation

As with any seminar, the success of the class depends on your active participation. Faithful attendance to class meetings is absolutely necessary and expected. Not only do many in-class writing assignments build directly on previous class discussions and activities, but many of these exercises will be collected and graded. Most importantly, your classmates will be dependent on your peer reviews of their writing, and peer-review groups cannot function successfully if all students do not participate.

All formal assignments and short essays will be given a letter grade. In-class writing will be collected periodically and will contribute toward your participation grade. Your final course grade will be computed based on the following percentages:

Visual Analysis 15% 4 Short essays 20%
Book Review 15% Speaking assignments 10%
Class participation 15% Research Paper 25%

Late papers:

Because late papers present problems to yourself, your peers and your instructor, any written work not handed in on the day it is due will result in a grade lowered by 1/3 of a letter for each day it is late. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in automatic failure of the course.

Written work will be evaluated according to:

• Quality of ideas - persuasive arguments, effective use of supporting evidence
• Organization – clear thesis, logical arrangement of ideas, coherency of paragraphs
• Clarity and Style – graceful prose, sophistication of sentence structure
• Structure and Mechanics – correct grammar, accurate spelling, careful proofreading
• Manuscript form – appropriate bibliography, citations and footnotes/endnotes, paper format

Participation will be evaluated according to:

• Attendance – arrival to class faithfully and on time
• Discussion – daily contributions demonstrating that you have read the material thoroughly and critically
• In-class activities – demonstration of earnest effort

Absences will only be excused for medical reasons or verified emergencies. Those with unexcused absences on peer review dates or draft due dates will receive a daily grade of a zero which will diminish your final participation grade considerably and affect the final grade on your written work.