APAH Syllabus

The goal of this course is to prepare you for the AP Art History Exam. Over the span of this course you will be familiarized with the history of art from its beginnings to contemporary times.  We will study major art works, artists, and art movements, as well as the theories and methods of art production.

This class is one that combines many of the courses you have studied so far in your school career.  Nothing is left untouched:  art, history, literature, the classics, religion, sociology, psychology, and mathematics.  It is all here, in picture form.  It is not enough for us to study the art; we must study what drove humans to make art in the first place.  Ultimately, learning to understand art is learning to understand our culture.  This course will tie many things together for you.

Class Rules

  • Dedication – be on time and come prepared to learn and participate and use your class time efficiently.
  • Respect yourself – if you do not understand what I am asking you to do, please ask; do not put yourself down – believe in yourself.
  • Respect others – abusive and offensive language and behaviors are unacceptable and do not speak while others are speaking or interrupt the speaker; be kind and courteous to others both in person and on social media.
  • Integrity – perform to the top of your academic potential, take ownership for your actions – be honest, demonstrate good manners and self-control.
  • Students are expected to conduct themselves in class as if this is their place of employment. Absences, tardiness, sleeping in class, cell phone usage, class disruption, and refusing to work are all behaviors that will affect your employability.
Corrective Actions 

  • Verbal warning
  • Change of seat
  • Conference with the student
  • Teacher / Campus detention
  • Conference with parents
  • Discipline referral
 Positive Reinforcements 

  • Verbal and non-verbal praise
  • Access to special art tools or materials
  • Snacks
  • Positive note or call to parents
  • Positive referral

Tardy Policy

A student is considered tardy if he or she is not in the room as the bell begins to ring.  The door is shut as the bell rings.  A student will need a valid pass to gain entrance to the class.

Grading

Each quarter (nine-weeks) grade is determined as:

  • 70% summative: to include chapter tests, nine-weeks tests, and major projects
  • 30% formative: to include study guides, quizzes, in class writing assignments, and minor projects

Late Work and Improving Your Grade

With the exception of tests, all assignments can be made-up, replaced, or submitted late, up until the last week of the quarter, for no penalty.

Tests that were failed can also be retaken for an improved grade. For retakes you will need to first schedule a tutoring session with me (to help address any issues), and then you may retake the test.  Retake grades are an average of the 1st test and the retest grades.

Tutoring and Working Beyond the Classroom

Once a week I will host an after-school tutoring session (the day will be determined and announced soon).  Most of these tutoring sessions will focus on current material, but a few sessions will be devoted towards semester tests, art of cultures beyond the European tradition, and/or preparing for the AP test.

This class has a website to support it.  The site will be a resource for studying and class preparation and it will be a vehicle by which homework will be assigned and discussed.  It does not require any form of registration. We will be using this site starting this week so you should go ahead and bookmark it as soon as you can.

We will use the Remind texting service to help provide reminders of due dates, announce homework assignments, and provide any needed alerts.

Primary Texts

  • Kleiner, Fred S., Gardner’s Art through the Ages:  A Global History; 15th ed., Wadsworth Publishing Company.  You will need to secure your own textbook from the bookroom on your own time.

Last Words

This is a difficult course but one in which you can be highly successful. If there is something I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask!

This offer also extends to issues beyond the class.  If there is something you need help with, I will be glad to help you to the best of my ability.  But there is a catch – you have to tell me what is going on.  I am a lot of things, but a mind reader I am not.  Let me know what is going on.  I look forward to this year with you!  I hope you enjoy it, have fun, and learn!

For questions, I can best be reached by email.